The Big Bang Theory S7E17 - "The Friendship Turbulance" Recap

Raj is depressed about his lack of a love and sex life. Amy is none too pleased about her lack of action, either. When Sheldon points out that Penny's acting career is more depressing than Raj's love life, Penny reveals she recently turned down a part in the sequel to the killer gorilla film she had previously done. Her character was killed off in the first one but in the sequel, they had planned to have her body cloned from the corpse's DNA but it gets mixed up with some gorilla DNA and she'd have been running around with giant gorilla hands and feet. Sheldon declares that it sounds like the part Penny was born to play.

Penny thinks the film wouldn't be good for her career but Leonard points out that it's paid work she'd be turning down, instead opting to burn through her life savings. Bernadette questions Sheldon on his constant picking on Howard for his career. The argument between Penny and Leonard escalates and she storms out, with him following closely behind. Sheldon then reveals that the reason he picks on Howard is because a decade prior, he said that Sheldon looked like a cross between C-3PO and Pee Wee Herman and also did a rude prank involving photoshop. This was the catalyst for an endless series of insults and pranks.

Raj walks Amy to her car and she reassures him that he will find someone. She suggests that he give online dating another go. Howard tries to make peace with Sheldon the next day by bringing him along to a trip NASA in Houston, Texas. Raj tells Amy he found a profile he likes but wants her input on the initial message he'll send her. Raj is too dramatic and poetic so Amy agrees to write it for him to talk him up.

Penny drives Sheldon to the pharmacy and her car breaks down. Later, the group plays a board game and Sheldon says he wants to be on his good friend Howard's team. Penny tells Leonard about her car problems and he suggests that she take the film role to pay for it but she says that they have cast someone else. Amy tells Raj that she's heard back from Emily (girl from the Internet) but she said she wasn't interested. Emily thought that Raj having a friend write on his behalf made him too passive for her taste. However, Amy is set to hang out with Emily because they hit it off as friends.

Bernadette and Howard pick up Sheldon to go to the airport and when Howard says it's not every day he gets to tour NASA with a real astronaut, Sheldon asks who the real astronaut is. On the plane, Sheldon continues to be a bother to Howard by repeatedly getting up to use the restroom. Sheldon tells Howard that he wanted to be an astronaut as a child but seeing Howard go up made him see that any old person could go up. As the plane hits some turbulence, both Sheldon and Howard hold hands.

Leonard prepares to give Penny a ride back to the Cheesecake Factory to be rehired as a waitress but when they get downstairs, Penny says that the car isn't Leonard's. He then reveals that the car is for her and he bought it so she could keep driving to auditions. Penny is overjoyed and thanks him. Raj barges in on Amy and Emily's coffee date to prove he isn't passive and scares Emily off. As the plane goes through turbulence, they continue to hold hands. They apologise to each other and Sheldon tells Howard that if he wasn't his friend, there would be a hole in his life not quite as big as the one left by Firefly's cancellation. The plane gets through the turbulence and Howard asks if they should stop holding hands. Sheldon replies, "In a minute."

The Big Bang Theory airs on Thursdays on CBS at 8PM.