The Toast Derivation
Sheldon tries to make Leonard jealous by hosting his own dinner.
"The Toast Derivation" is the 81st episode of *The Big Bang Theory* overall and the 17th of its fourth season. It originally aired on CBS on February 24, 2011, and includes a mention and tweet from actor LeVar Burton, though he does not physically appear.
Because Leonard is dating Priya, the group starts eating dinner at Raj’s apartment instead of Leonard and Sheldon’s. Sheldon, who hates change, complains constantly. At the Cheesecake Factory, he talks to Penny at the bar and Amy on the phone. Penny tells him he’ll have to get used to Raj’s place, and Amy agrees, saying Leonard is the group’s “nucleus” and that the group follows him.
To make Leonard jealous, Sheldon invites several acquaintances to dinner at his apartment and tweets at LeVar Burton, asking him to come. When the guests arrive (Burton does not), Sheldon realizes he doesn’t like them: Stuart is there for a hot shower because he’s broke, Barry came only because Sheldon promised a raffle, and Zack is very unintelligent. Sheldon’s plans fall apart; instead, Zack tells dating stories and they sing karaoke. Sheldon eventually leaves, missing his real friends.
At Raj’s, the group realizes they miss Sheldon and his quirks, reminiscing about past events like him getting a loom. When Sheldon arrives to eat with them, he slowly warms to Priya after being impressed by her knowledge and cooking.
Meanwhile, Bernadette and Amy try to take Penny dancing to distract her from Leonard and Priya. Penny agrees only if they stop pestering her, but Amy finds the snowflake Leonard gave Penny from the North Pole, bringing back Penny’s feelings. Penny still goes out, planning a one-night stand.
In the final scene, LeVar Burton is shown arriving at Sheldon’s apartment, but upon seeing Sheldon’s guests singing “Walking on Sunshine” badly, with Stuart in a towel after a shower, he leaves without being noticed.
On its first broadcast, the episode was watched by 12.35 million U.S. households, earning a 7.4 rating/12 share and a 3.8 rating/11 share among viewers 18–49 per Nielsen. In Canada, it had 3.45 million viewers, ranking second that week. In the UK, it aired on E4 on July 28, 2011, with 0.94 million viewers (plus 0.37 million on E4 +1), totaling 1.31 million and ranking first on the channel and 11th on cable.
Reviews were mixed. Jenna Busch of IGN rated it 7.5/10. The TV Critic gave it 61 out of 100, calling i
- series
- The Big Bang Theory
- season
- 4
- episode_number
- 17
- overall_episode
- 81
- first_air_date
- February 24, 2011
- network
- CBS
- cameo
- LeVar Burton (via tweet and mention only, no physical appearance)
Quick Facts
- Series
- The Big Bang Theory
- Season
- 4
- Episode
- 17
- Guests
- LeVar Burton as himself / Kevin Sussman as Stuart / Aarti Mann as Priya Koothrappali / John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke / Brian Thomas Smith as Zack Johnson
- Teleplay
- Steven Molaro / Chuck Lorre / Eric Kaplan
- Story
- Bill Prady / Dave Goetsch / Jim Reynolds
- Director
- Mark Cendrowski
- Airdate
- 2011-02-24
- Production
- 3X6667
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- Season Article
- The Big Bang Theory season 4
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the episode, due to Leonard and Priya's relationship, the gang begins having dinner at Raj's place instead of Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, upsetting Sheldon. Sheldon goes to the Cheesecake Factory where he converses with Penny and Amy over the phone. Penny tells Sheldon he will have to deal with hanging out at Raj's more often, and Amy claims Leonard is the "nucleus" of their social group. To make Leonard jealous, Sheldon invites several acquaintances to dinner and tweets actor LeVar Burton asking him to come. The guests include Stuart, Barry, and Zack, but Sheldon realizes he does not particularly like them. He eventually leaves and joins his friends at Raj's, slowly warming up to Priya. Meanwhile, Bernadette and Amy try to take Penny out dancing to get her mind off Leonard and Priya, but Amy finds a snowflake Leonard gave Penny, causing Penny's feelings to resurface. LeVar Burton does not physically appear in the episode; his cameo is limited to a tweet and a mention.
Reader's Guide
The episode received mixed reviews. Jenna Busch of IGN rated it 7.5/10. The TV Critic rated it 61 out of 100, describing it as "pleasant". However, Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave it a C−, describing it as "one of the worst" of the season and feeling "dull" and "lifeless". On its first broadcast, it was watched by 12.35 million households in the U.S., receiving a 7.4 rating/12 share and a 3.8 rating/11 share among viewers aged 18–49. In Canada, it received 3.45 million viewers, placing second in the weekly rank. In the UK, it first aired on July 28, 2011, receiving 0.94 million viewers on E4 and 0.37 million on E4 +1, totaling 1.31 million viewers and ranking 11th on cable television.
Did You Know?
- The episode features a cameo appearance by LeVar Burton.
- It was watched by 12.35 million households in the U.S. on its first broadcast.
- In Canada, the episode received 3.45 million viewers, placing second in the weekly rank.
- The episode received a C− rating from The A.V. Club, described as 'one of the worst' of the season.
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