(Returns to apartment). He was kinda dreamy. Howard: Well, as usual, Wolowitz has the solution. I didn't ask her out, I should ask her out. Leonard (exiting to hallway): Penny, the mailman did it again, he... (looks up to see Penny kissing a hunky man) Oh! Leonard: Good afternoon Penny, so hi, hey. Leonard: Just say the but thing about Doug and then I'll get her back. Leonard: Lesley I would like to propose an experiment. Leonard: Look, Howard, if I were to ask Lesley Winkle out it would just be for dinner, I'm not going to walk into the lab, ask her to strip naked and dance for me. Leonard: No reason. Leonard: Not much. Leonard: Not the kind of illness that will make her want to come over and take care of me, but nothing so critical that she'll feel uncomfortable going out with me in the future if I want to try this again. My point was, don't buy a cat. Nevertheless, I do feel obligated to point out to you that she did no reject you. One two three. Penny's fine, the guy she's kissing is really fine and...
Howard: Kissing, what kind of kissing? Penny: Yeah, I like hanging out with you guys. Shall I count down from three? Sheldon: Okay, look, I think that you have as much of a chance of having a sexual relationship with Penny as the Hubble Telescope does of discovering at the centre of every black hole is a little man with a flashlight searching for a circuit breaker. Sheldon: So, how was your date?
Plan: A: a man; Q: Who did Penny kiss in front of her apartment door? A: Leonard; Q: Who is devastated when Penny rejects him? A: fellow scientist Leslie Winkle; Q: Who does Leonard approach to date at work? A: the usual dating procedure; Q: What did Leslie Winkle try to strip down to its essentials? A: a kiss; Q: What did Leslie Winkle suggest Leonard fast forward to? A: their kiss; Q: What did Penny find good but unexciting? A: a cat; Q: What does Leonard think of buying to help him get over Penny? A: Sheldon; Q: Who points out that Leonard was not actually rejected by Penny? A: later episodes; Q: When does Leonard get asthma? A: dinner; Q: What does Leonard ask Penny out to? A: all the guys; Q: Who does Penny think Leonard wants to hang out with? A: the date; Q: What does Leonard devise reasons for the absence of the guys from? A: her boyfriend; Q: What did Penny say the man Leonard saw kissing wasn't? A: relationships; Q: What does Penny say casual weekend sex helps her get over? A: his confidence; Q: What does Leonard regain after he asks Penny out? A: the courage; Q: What did Leonard not find to reveal his true feelings to Penny? Summary: When he sees Penny kissing a man in front of her apartment door, Leonard is devastated that she has "rejected" him. The guys persuade him to date someone at work, so he approaches fellow scientist Leslie Winkle. In an experiment to strip the usual dating procedure to its essentials, she suggests fast forwarding to a kiss. She finds their kiss good but unexciting, so she turns him down. As Leonard becomes more depressed, thinking of buying a cat (hypoallergenic in view of Sheldon's asthma - though in later episodes Leonard is the one with asthma), Sheldon points out Leonard was not actually rejected by Penny as he never asked her out, so Leonard asks her out to dinner. As she misinterprets this as an invitation to hang out with all the guys, he devises reasons for their absence from the date. Penny says the man Leonard saw was not her boyfriend: casual weekend sex helps her get over relationships. Leonard, excited, regains his confidence, but he accidentally hurts himself and Penny has to take him home. In the end, Leonard does not find the courage to reveal his true feelings to Penny, though she suspected what he was up to.