The Platonic Permutation
Sheldon and Amy reconnect as friends after their breakup.
"The Platonic Permutation" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, and the 192nd episode overall. It first aired on CBS on November 19, 2015. The episode follows three storylines set during Thanksgiving: Sheldon and Amy's meeting as friends after their breakup, Howard and friends volunteering at a soup kitchen, and Leonard and Penny's minor conflict over a forgotten birthday.
- Episode number
- 192nd overall, ninth of season nine
- Original air date (US)
- November 19, 2015
- Network
- CBS
- Teleplay by
- Steve Holland, Maria Ferrari, Adam Faberman
- Story by
- Jim Reynolds, Jeremy Howe, Tara Hernandez
- Directed by
- Mark Cendrowski
- Guest appearance
- Elon Musk as himself
Quick Facts
- Series
- The Big Bang Theory
- Season
- 9
- Guests
- Elon Musk as himself / Wayne Wilderson as Travis
- Teleplay
- Steve Holland / Maria Ferrari / Adam Faberman
- Story
- Jim Reynolds / Jeremy Howe / Tara Hernandez
- Director
- Mark Cendrowski
- Airdate
- 2015-11-19
- Production
- 4X7209
- Length
- 21 minutes
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- Season Article
- The Big Bang Theory season 9
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The episode's first storyline follows Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler, still broken up, as they attend a Thanksgiving dinner at an aquarium as friends. Sheldon asks Amy about her dating life and they play a fish-themed game, eventually reconnecting. The second subplot involves Bernadette, Raj, Emily, and Howard volunteering at a soup kitchen, where Howard meets Elon Musk and bonds with him over space travel. The third subplot follows Leonard and Penny preparing Thanksgiving dinner; Leonard discovers Penny does not know his birthday and, in apologizing for reading her journal, dances in orange lingerie, which is witnessed by the returning group.
Reader's Guide
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Critics praised the Sheldon and Amy storyline, with IGN's Jesse Schedeen calling it a "welcome way of bringing Sheldon and Amy back together without needlessly pushing them back into each other's arms." Digital Spy's Tom Eames noted the rare downbeat ending—Sheldon declining to be Amy's boyfriend—as "one of the most realistic moments the show has ever had." However, the other two subplots were criticized: the soup kitchen storyline was deemed lacking in humor and message, and Musk's appearance was called "pointless and self-indulgent" by Eames and "stiff and awkward" by Schedeen. The Leonard and Penny subplot was described as "mildly funny" but repetitive. The episode won the Excellence in Production Design Award at the Art Directors Guild Awards 2015 for its work on this and two other episodes.
Did You Know?
- The episode features a guest appearance by South African Canadian-American entrepreneur and business magnate Elon Musk as himself.
- It was watched live by 15.19 million viewers in the US and had a ratings share of 3.8.
- The UK premiere on E4 on December 17, 2015, received 2.285 million viewers (7-day data), making it the most watched program on E4 for the week.
- The episode won the Excellence in Production Design Award - Multi-Camera Television Series at the 2015 Art Directors Guild Awards.
More in The Big Bang Theory episodes 1-24
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