TEXT: Scene: A lecture room at the university. Leonard: So, if any of you are considering going into experimental physics, my door is always open. Once again, I'm sorry that the demonstration didn't quite work out, but now we know what happens when you accidentally spill peach Snapple into a helium neon laser. Short answer is... don't. And now to tell you about the theoretical physics department is Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Dr. Cooper? Sheldon (off): Forget it. Leonard: Excuse me. Sheldon, we both agreed to do this. Sheldon (off): It's a waste of time. I might as well explain the laws of thermodynamics to a bunch of labradoodles. Leonard: If you don't do this, I won't take you to the comic book store. Sheldon (entering): Hello. Nice work with the laser, by the way. Looking out at your fresh young faces, I remember when I too was deciding my academic future as a lowly graduate student. Of course, I was 14, and I'd already achieved more than most of you could ever hope to, despite my 9 o'clock bedtime. Now, there may be one or two of you in this room who has what it takes to succeed in theoretical physics, although, it's more likely that you'll spend your scientific careers teaching fifth graders how to make paper mache volcanoes with baking soda lava. Leonard: Oh, good God. Sheldon: In short, anyone who told you that you would someday be able to make any significant contribution to physics played a cruel trick on you, a cruel trick indeed. Any questions? Of course not. I weep for the future of science. Now if you'll excuse me, the latest issue of Batman is out. Come, Leonard. Leonard: Laser demonstration's looking pretty good now, huh? Credits sequence. Scene: The university cafeteria. Raj: I love this time of the year. The leaves are turning, there's a bracing chill in the air. Howard: Plus there's a whole new crop of female grad students about to put on just enough winter weight to make them needy
SUMMARY:
After a lecture by Leonard and Sheldon, a graduate student named Ramona Nowitzki is so impressed by Sheldon that she insinuates herself into his life as his platonic girlfriend/assistant/manager, to the puzzlement of Penny and the guys. Ramona proves to be a helpful influence on Sheldon's work, even bettering his rival Leslie Winkle in a verbal confrontation, but Ramona moves into his apartment to control him, prohibiting his usual recreational activities and forcing him to concentrate solely on his research. Eventually Sheldon realizes that he is in "some sort of relationship" with Ramona, and seeks help from Penny and Leonard to get rid of her, but without success. Sheldon eventually makes a research breakthrough he tells Ramona he would never have achieved without her, and gratefully asks how he can repay her. She suggests they share credit for his discovery by calling it "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem". He asks "Who is Nowitzki?" and at her answer he angrily ejects her. After another student reads a preprint of the new theorem, she approaches Sheldon in the same way Ramona initially did.