Sheldon tells him his problem is that heвЂ™s afraid of making people angry at him - something Sheldon has no problem with, himself. With several worthy projects in competition, and Siebert confirming the project was one he offloaded to Leonard in order to avoid making an unpopular decision himself, itвЂ™s only a bit of advice from Sheldon that finally clarifies for Leonard what he should do.

The pressure from his grant-hungry co-workers continues, sending Leonard back to being paralyzed by indecision. The swagger doesnвЂ™t last for long, though. When the number of requests heвЂ™s getting begins to overwhelm him, he takes a stand and starts working his вЂњDENIEDвЂќ rubber stamp overtime, which proves to be a turn-on for Penny - seeing her man taking charge and being decisive. Up front and center instead is a Leonard plot, in which heвЂ™s tasked by CaltechвЂ™s President Siebert with deciding which of his colleagues will be the recipient of leftover grant funds, an assignment Leonard feels is a vote of confidence in his integrity. Though, as fun as that is - and as much as it feels like a story inspired by a real-life situation in which someoneвЂ™s husband neglected to do something as serious as buying life insurance - this episode also suffers from the fact that itвЂ™s too light on the Sheldon storyline. She thinks he doesnвЂ™t know, he tells Raj, and heвЂ™s going to keep it that way - partly because he wants her to have an outlet for de-stressing, but more because he wants ammunition to throw back at her when she eventually discovers his big secret: He never bought the life insurance she asked him to buy several years ago. Raj thinks thereвЂ™s trouble afoot, but Howie whispers the truth: itвЂ™s Bernie blowing off some steam before she comes home from work. While Howard and Raj are taking a dip in the backyard hot tub, they hear noises coming from the clubhouse. In a little twist, though, itвЂ™s not really a secret club. Hofstadter is leaving her apartment with a wine-filled tote bag, is to suss out when other people are trying to exclude her, and thatвЂ™s how Bernie, Penny, and Amy end up turning a childrenвЂ™s play-space into their wine-and-snack hideaway. One of AmyвЂ™s talents, she reveals to Penny one evening when Mrs. But not enough guilt to come clean about her private getaways - or to stop having them - especially when Penny also finds the playhouse to be a perfect hideout (again, with the addition of wine and Easy-Bake Oven-heated quesadillas) from Leonard and his whiny, math-soaked inability to make a work decision.

This reprieve from rambunctious kiddos and other post-work stresses becomes a regular thing, with the addition of wine, but Bernadette does have guilt about the fact that sheвЂ™s unwinding while Howard is up to his tacky belt buckle in poo. She stealthily removes her key from the lock and backs away, calling Howard from the playhouse to tell him she has to work late. SheвЂ™s about to unlock the front door when she overhears Howard talking to the two toddlers about some mishap that may or may not involve one child wearing the other childвЂ™s poopy diaper for a hat. And that they do.Д«ut before the kiddies can play house in the playhouse, mama Bernie takes refuge there one evening. Well, Sheldon doesnвЂ™t so much вЂњhelpвЂќ with construction as hurry it along, because his abstruse, trivia-laden soliloquizing makes everyone want to end the activity as quickly as possible. The whole gang spends a day putting together the cute mini-house (complete with electricity and running water). It takes a lot of little white lies, multiple bottles of wine, and what appears to be an Easy-Bake Oven to complete the picture, but the friends do manage to co-opt a playhouse constructed for the Wolowitz children as their secret club.

As a New York City apartment dweller, the potential for a backyard playhouse - or, as that woman in that State Farm commercial calls it, a вЂњshe-shedвЂќ - eludes me, and IвЂ™m really sorry about that after seeing how much fun such a thing provides for Bernadette, Penny, and Amy this week.

The big bang theory season 2 episode 7