The Big Bang Theory Recap with Spoilers – The 2003 Approximation

The episode opens with Sheldon, Penny and Leonard returning to the apartment after a trip to the Container Store. When Leonard walks his containers over to Penny's apartment, Sheldon realizes that Leonard plans on moving in with his new wife. Sheldon takes this as a betrayal and storms back into their apartment.

After the commercial break, Sheldon and Bernadette meet for tea and to discuss his fluctuating roommate situation. Sheldon picked Bernadette for advice, because all the other women in his life (Penny, Amy, his mother, Leonard's mother, his grandma) were unavailable. Bernadette tells Sheldon to look at Leonard moving out as an opportunity before trying to convince Stuart to move in with Sheldon, to no avail.

At the comic book shop, Stuart mentions to Raj and Howard that he's looking for some musicians to occasionally play in the store, to give it more of a "staying in business vibe". Raj convinces Howard to start a "filk" band, which plays folk songs of a….geeky variety. Stuart likes the idea, as long as he doesn't have to pay them. Howard and Raj decide to name their band "Footprints on the Moon".

Sheldon has Leonard sign the paperwork terminating their roommate agreement. Included in the paperwork is ownership of the couch. Leonard hesitates signing for a moment, since he's lived with Sheldon for over a decade, but Sheldon ruins the moment by presuming Leonard is having trouble spelling his own name.

Raj and Howard brainstorm ideas for their new band. Raj suggests a song about a hypothetical battle between Indiana Jones and Thor. The two start coming up with incredibly cheesy lyrics for the song, although Raj is convinced that the song will melt people's faces off, just like the Ark of the Covenant.

Sheldon unsuccessfully interviews several roommate candidates, all of whom walk out on him. The only acceptable candidate he finds is Amy, who of course isn't interested in moving in with him anymore. Sheldon opines that Amy, Leonard and Penny "poisoned" him with emotion, just like the Wizard did to the Tin Man by giving him a heart.

Now moved in together, Leonard and Penny try to figure out what to do for dinner. Leonard says it's "Thai Night", but Penny reminds him that he's no longer lives with Sheldon and thus isn't beholden to Sheldon's strict food schedule. Leonard quickly gets overwhelmed with choices, leading Penny to relent and suggest Thai anyways. On the way out of the apartment building, Penny and Leonard run into Sheldon and learn that he's decided to "reset" his life in order to restore it to a more stable version. That means Sheldon is acting like it's 2003, the day before he met Leonard.

At dinner, Leonard is worried about Sheldon's newest cry for attention. Penny reminds him that the alternative is moving back in with Sheldon, which means living by his ridiculous rules and bathroom schedule. When they stop by Sheldon's apartment to bring him some food, they realize the situation is worse than they thought. Sheldon has returned the apartment back to its 2003 state, which apparently is devoid of furniture.

When Emily hears their "Thor and Dr. Jones" song and isn't impressed, Raj tries to convince Howard to change the song to make it easier to dance to. Howard and Raj have a comically short breakup, before reuniting the band a few seconds later.

At the apartment, Leonard and Penny try to convince Sheldon that Leonard moving out won't end their friendship. After listening to Sheldon's worries and insecurities, Penny offers to return things to the way they were, with Leonard "living" with Sheldon and occasionally sleeping over at Penny's apartment.

The episode ends with Raj and Howard playing their song in front of a live audience. After they finish, Stuart tells them to play something everyone can dance to, mirroring Emily's comments earlier in the episode.

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