The Big Bang Theory S8E16 - "The Intimacy Acceleration" Recap

Amy reads an article about an experiment claiming two people can fall in love by asking each other a set of personal questions and then stare into each others' eyes for four minutes. Sheldon decides he wants to perform the experiment and Penny volunteers to be the other participant because she wants to hear Sheldon's answers to deeply personal questions. They head to Penny's apartment to answer the questions. As the game begins to grow more personal, Penny admits that she wishes she could be as smart as the rest of the group and Sheldon admits that he wishes he had Penny's ability to understand social interaction. Sheldon also tells Penny that today is his birthday, something that the entire group doesn't know. Though they don't fall in love, they come away from the experiment feeling closer in their friendship. Sheldon is later horrified when Penny gets the group to throw him a surprise birthday party.

Raj, Emily, Leonard, and Amy are hanging out while Penny and Sheldon are doing the questions. Emily suggests they go to an interactive theatre where they will be trapped in a locked room with a "zombie" and must solve puzzles to get out of the room. But with their scientific skills, they solve everything in just six minutes.

Howard and Bernadette are at the airport returning from Howard's mother's funeral in Florida and Howard becomes belligerent when he learns that the airline has lost her ashes. Howard admits that his mother asked him to drive her to the airport when she left for Florida and now he regrets making her take a cab instead. The luggage and ashes are found but Bernadette becomes alarmed at the thought that Howard will want to keep the ashes in their bedroom.

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