"The Isolation Permutation" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Thursday, November 3, 2011. Amy is hurt when Bernadette and Penny go bridesmaid dress shopping without her, so she turns to a reluctant Sheldon for comfort. Amy, Penny, and Bernadette are excitedly discussing dresses for Howard and Bernadette's wedding. Amy reveals that her cousin and her entire wedding party had died in a carbon monoxide accident, so they could get all the unused wedding dresses for free. However, this is quickly rejected by the horrified gang. Sheldon gets fed up with the quality of conversation, unsuccessfully trying to be discreet in his blaming Penny for it, and attempts to discuss the validity of a Swiss discovery concerning faster-than-light particles at CERN, after which the three women leave for Penny's apartment. The next day, Amy is in the Caltech cafeteria after being given a grant to purchase a strain of Mad Cow Disease, making everyone uncomfortable.
However, Howard absent-mindedly complains at constantly being texted non-stop by Bernadette with pictures of the dresses they want to buy. This revelation makes Amy realize they are doing it without her, and she leaves, looking visibly upset. Later at apartment 4A, Leonard is playing Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Xbox Kinect horse racing, but Sheldon becomes concerned when Amy doesn't respond to any of his attempts to contact her, and Leonard offers to drive him there to find out what's going on. When they arrive, she is playing "Everybody Hurts" on her harp, while crying, and Sheldon, unwilling to proceed, attempts to persuade Leonard to take him home. Leonard sees an opportunity and immediately knocks on Amy's door using Sheldon's triple knock, and leaves, stranding Sheldon at Amy's apartment. He says that he doesn't have to put up with this problem because he is single. Amy initially desires to be left alone, but she invites him in and explains that Penny and Bernadette's snubbing her has left her feeling depressed.
After asking him to keep an open mind, she explains her desire for physical contact, and makes a list of proposals involving them getting intimate, while Sheldon makes a series of counter-proposals (French kissing) that involve less intimacy (patting her and neck massage), but will still be soothing to her. They eventually agree to just cuddle, and she snuggles up to him on her couch. The next morning, Sheldon storms into the Caltech cafeteria completely furious, and confronts Howard and Leonard, demanding that they get their women in line. Howard and Leonard are confused. Sheldon explains that his night of building a Lego Death Star had been ruined by his having to spoon with Amy, and demands they get Penny and Bernadette in line and apologize to Amy. Leonard, confused, asks why he has to talk to Penny, since she is no longer his girlfriend. However, Sheldon does not care, citing that this is his fault due to him inviting Penny to lunch when they first met her. He then storms out in a rage.
That evening, after Howard and Leonard explain what happened, Penny and Bernadette are dismayed, and explain they had gone without Amy because she was over-enthusiastic and would've been a hindrance to their dress shopping, such as how she talked about various cultural wedding preparations such as getting naked and washing each other. Raj looks interested, getting weird stares from everyone else. Penny is curious how Amy found out. Howard tried to frame Raj, but confesses to accidentally mentioning the photo Bernadette sent him. They never-the-less feel guilty, and visit Amy at her laboratory to apologize. However, their efforts to do so are merely brushed off by Amy, who describes herself as a "tumor" in an otherwise functional brain. Penny is so sickened by looking at the dissected brain on Amy's table that she vomits into the waste basket. That night, Sheldon gets a call from Amy, who has gotten drunk in a liquor store parking lot, and he and Leonard rush over to help her.
She once again attempts to persuade Sheldon to have sex with her at a nearby motel, and embarrasses him by calling him "cuddles". Leonard is actually curious about what it would take for Sheldon to have sex with Amy. Sheldon instead insists that he and Leonard take her home, and Leonard helps her up, finding Amy's "second base". The next day, Penny and Bernadette return to Amy's laboratory, and Bernadette, in an effort to apologize to her once and for all, asks her to be her Maid of Honor. Amy is immediately excited and forgives them at once. The episode ends with Amy filming a dress shopping trip with Penny and Bernadette as part of the pre-wedding events. She is as over-enthusiastic as they had feared. She agrees that Bernadette is beautiful in a wedding dress, but not "Penny beautiful", which annoys them. Penny is taking a long time so Amy barges into Penny's dressing room with her camera while she's in her underwear, taking a second quick look as she leaves. The Big Bang Theory - 5x08 - The Isolation Permutation Promo
↑ The Big Bang Theory - The Isolation Permutation (TV Episode 2011) - IMDb ↑ The TV Critic's Review ↑ The Big Bang Theory: “The Isolation Permutation” - TV Club - The A.V. Club ↑ Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory,' 'The X Factor,' 'Parks & Recreation,' 'The Office,' 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up - Zap2it ↑ Top Programs – Total Canada (English) October 31 - November 6, 2011 - BBM Canada ↑ BARB via Wikipedia ↑ Monday 14 November, 2011 - TV Tonight Are you sure you want to log out of LEGO Ideas? Official LEGO Comments 4 THANK YOU to everyone who supported this project, posted articles, and shared it on Facebook and Twitter! Future updates on the BBT project as it enters the Review Stage can be found on our Lego Big Bang Theory page.**********This LEGO set proposal is based on the popular American sitcom The Big Bang Theory created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The set represents the living room of Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, which is the core location of the series.