The Big Bang Theory S8E5 - "The Focus Attenuation" Recap

The guys notice that they haven't been inventing much lately and Sheldon tells them it's because they've been distracted by their girlfriends. They decide to have a weekend retreat at which they will brainstorm ideas for new inventions. Sheldon tells Penny about their weekend and Penny immediately asks Bernadette and Penny if they'd like to have a girls' weekend in Las Vegas, which they all agree to.

When the boys meet to brainstorm, they briefly get distracted by the idea of watching the Facebook movie but Leonard gets them back on track. The boys go through their notebooks of old brainstorming ideas and find such as robot girlfriends and robot prostitutes, along with other ideas that involve devices to have sex with. They propose trying to come up with inventions similar to the ones seen in Back to the Future Part II and then decide to watch the film.

The girls are preparing to go out for a night of drinking and merriment when Penny gets a message that means she'll have to study for her job, so Bernadette and Amy leave without her, enjoying massive cocktails.

The boys begin discussing their theories regarding the theoretical time travel within Back to the Future Part II. It's all very serious and intellectual, considering it's a fictional universe. They decide to go to the lab in the hopes that it will be conducive to their brainstorming but they find themselves distracted yet again by various tangents and videos on the internet.

Bernadette and Amy return to the hotel room drunk, while Penny is still studying away. They tell Penny they want her to come with them to a strip club but Penny says she needs to stay put and continue studying.

The boys have put duct tape on each other's arms with the intent that they'll tear a strip off when they become distracted. But the positive punishment is ineffective. They become distracted by the opening scene of Ghostbusters and Leonard scolds them for the fact that they have wasted hours procrastinating. Then end up going back to the apartment and finishing watching Ghostbusters.

The girls have all gone out to the strip club together. Penny is still studying while Bernadette and Amy are carrying on drinking and partying. The following morning, Penny asks the girls if they want to come to the pool with her but Bernadette and Amy are too hungover to do so.

The Big Bang Theory airs on Mondays on CBS at 8PM until it returns to its regular Thursday timeslot on October 30.