The Helium Insufficiency (2015)

Plot: Leonard and Sheldon go to great lengths to secure the helium they need during a nation-wide shortage. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang try to find Amy a new boyfriend on a dating app.

Original Title: The Helium Insufficiency

Director: Mark Cendrowski

Writer: Maria Ferrari , Jim Reynolds , Anthony Del Broccolo , Steve Holland , Chuck Lorre , Bill Prady , Steven Molaro , Eric Kaplan

Producer: Ryan Berdan , Maria Ferrari , Robinson Green , Jim Reynolds , Anthony Del Broccolo , Jeremy Howe , Steve Holland , Justin D. Hetzel , Tara Hernandez , Charles Back , Suzanne McCormack , Kristy Cecil , Peter Chakos , David Goetsch , Eric Kaplan , Chuck Lorre , Steven Molaro , Saladin K. Patterson , Bill Prady , Mary T. Quigley

Type: episode

Year: 2015

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Cast: Jim Parsons , Melissa Rauch , Elena Campbell-Martinez , Kunal Nayyar , Johnny Galecki , Kaley Cuoco , Simon Helberg , Mayim Bialik , Kevin Sussman , John Ross Bowie , Michael Rapaport

Runtimes: 19

Countries: United States

Languages: English , Spanish

Color Info: Color

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 HD

Sound Mix: Stereo

Original Air Date: 26 Oct 2015

Rating: 7.2

Votes: 2986

Year: 2015

Akas: The Helium Insufficiency (United States)

Production Companies: Chuck Lorre Productions , Warner Bros. Television

Distributors: Amazon Prime Video , CBS , CTV Television Network , Warner Home Video

Synopsis: Sheldon enters Leonard's laboratory with some bad news. A team of Swedish physicists are trying to scoop up their Superfluid Vortex theory. To beat the Swedes, they have to perform their experiment to demonstrate the theory's viability immediately, but the liquid helium they need won't be available for a month.The guys visit Barry Kripke to see if the university had any liquid helium in reserve. Barry explains that there is a shortage and he needs it for his quantum excitation experiment. Leonard mentions the urgency due to the Swede's work, but Barry asks him honestly whether they would do the same for him. Sheldon is honest and says no. Leonard asks Barry if he'll help them out. "Hell no!" is his response.As all the guys return to Leonard's laboratory, Raj suggests that they go to Party City, but they would have to visit every store in California. Howard knows a guy who can help them as long as they don't ask too many questions. Both Leonard and Sheldon start inquiring about who, where and how many questions they can ask.Penny and Bernadette are having coffee in her living room and she says that Stuart went out on a date. Penny wants to know if she's homeless or framing him for a crime. He found her using an app that identifies the women within a five-mile radius that are also looking, and that it's sort of like a game. He has met two girls using it.Sheldon and Leonard are in Sheldon's apartment and Leonard has heard from their helium source. Sheldon doesn't want to go out because he doesn't like to go shopping at night. Leonard just wants to bend the rules to get it done especially since they have the grant money specifically for this experiment. Dr. Goldfarb had used his grant money for his electron microscope to support his Russian girlfriend in Van Nuys.Stuart downloads the app onto Amy's phone. She isn't sure about doing this. Penny takes the phone from him and quickly swipes thumbs down to three different guys. Raj and Howard return because Bernadette hadn't given Howard much spending money. Then Raj takes the phone and swipes no to every guy he see's on it too including the Indian guy because their Social Group already has one. He wants to find her a nice Latino guy to complement their ethnicity.Leonard and Sheldon pull up in a rented truck in a parking garage and see a guy next to a nondescript white-paneled van. Leonard introduces himself and Sheldon claims to be Skippy Cavanaugh. He wants the helium first. The guy says that they could do the same thing. They both agree that they appear to be sketchy characters in a parking garage. The guy says that they appear to be at a stalemate. A stalemate implies no more moves. He could steal their money, kill them, etc. Leonard is feeling uncomfortable. The guy feels foolish since what he meant was an impasse. Leonard calls it a Mexican stand-off creating another semantic debate. Sheldon gives him a hypothetical situation, noting he found the guy's name (Kenneth Fitzgerald (Michael Rapaport)) and address and if he reneged on his agreement he could report him to the authorities. The guy wants to back out. Sheldon asks Leonard if again he has won the battle, but lost the war.Next Leonard wants everyone to calm down. Leonard explains that they had been working on a theory for over a year. The guy wants to hear about it. Space-time can be interpreted as being on the surface of an n-dimensional super-fluid. Leonard continues and tells him about the Swedes. Their supplier was expecting a higher ethical standard from the Swedes as he illegally sells them the helium. Leonard laments that stealing other's work is rather common in their field and there's not much he can do about it. The guy replies that for the right amount of money, there are things you can do about it.The rest of the gang is hanging around Howard/Bernadette's house. They set up a system where they can look at the men through the television and can choose which guys they want to pick for Amy. The first guy that appears is crossed-eyed. The next guy has small eye teeth and looks like a dolphin. Stuart pops up on the screen and they ask him to leave the room.Returning to Leonard's laboratory, they are wheeling in the helium tank which is dressed in a coat and hat and Sheldon calls him "Uncle Harvey". Sheldon wants him to be inconspicuous. He still has problems with what they're doing. Will the supplier rat on them? Will Kripke wonder where we got the helium? What if they check his family tree and find no "Uncle Harvey"? They find a torn sticker on the metal container that says "Property of U....". Leonard figures it's USC or UCLA. Sheldon is worried that it belongs to the United States' government, which means federal prison time. Next they are seen taking Uncle Harvey back down the corridor and out the building.Penny has now set up a drinking game while checking out the guys on the app. One drink if he is shirtless, two if he poses with his pet, chug if both. Guy with no shirt and pet comes up. Bottoms up. Amy then gets a text, which also appears on the television screen. Some guy named David Gibbs (Stephen Merchant) enjoyed their date.Sheldon and Leonard are back in the garage. Ken doesn't mind returning because his daughter is having a sleepover and he can take only so much Katy Perry. He's willing to take the helium off their hands, but won't return their money. And there is a restocking fee. Sheldon asks how much since he only has $1000. That's the fee exactly.Penny tells Amy that she can't believe she started dating without telling her. She has met three guys for coffee.Again back in Leonard's lab, Sheldon figures that the Swedes will beat them, but at least they will not get "gang-noogied" in prison. "Ernest Goes to Jail" is the only prison movie he's seen and it scared Sheldon straight. Barry Kripke joins them and he is willing to give them his helium as long as they add his name to their paper. Sheldon thinks that is preposterous, but they can't do it without him. They don't like being extorted especially by Barry Kripke, but what other choice do they have? They go back and repurchase the black market helium.Finally they are back in the apartment still debating what a "Mexican standoff" is and watching "Ernest Goes to Jail" with Ken. Sheldon insists that this will change the guy's life course. He admits that he is open to change.Title reference: Sheldon and Leonard do not have enough helium on hand to perform their experiment.

Cinematographer: Steven V. Silver

Producer: Ryan Berdan , Maria Ferrari , Robinson Green , Jim Reynolds , Anthony Del Broccolo , Jeremy Howe , Steve Holland , Justin D. Hetzel , Tara Hernandez , Charles Back , Suzanne McCormack , Kristy Cecil , Peter Chakos , David Goetsch , Eric Kaplan , Chuck Lorre , Steven Molaro , Saladin K. Patterson , Bill Prady , Mary T. Quigley

Production Manager: Robinson Green

Art Direction: Francoise Cherry-Cohen

Certificates: Argentina:13 , Australia:M , Brazil:12 , Finland:S , United Kingdom:12

Editor: Peter Chakos

Sound Crew: Bob La Masney , Charlie McDaniel , Bruce Peters , Ron Arnold

Music Department: Barenaked Ladies

Miscellaneous Crew: Lisa 'Petey' Peterson , David Saltzberg , Jason T. Welden , April E. Brassard , Trevor Alper

Other Companies: Panavision , Technicolor , Warner Bros. Post Production Services

Costume Designer: Mary T. Quigley

Make Up: Linda Cowan , Vikki McCarter , Sylvia Surdu , Faye Woods

Assistant Director: Gay Linvill , Nikki Lorre , Anthony Rich

Art Department: Scott L. London , Rick Puccio , Christopher Harwood , Ron Seigel

Camera and Electrical Department: John Greene , Benjamin Steeples , David Pearce , Roland Monty Reese

Set Decoration: Ann Shea

Costume Department: Sara Markowitz

Production Design: John Shaffner

Videos: Video 1 , Video 2

Script Department: Julie Fleischer

Number of Seasons: Joel Larson , Michael Coady

Seasons: Ken Miller , Nikki Valko

Casting Department: Tara Treacy , Celia Becerra

Season: 9

Episode: 6

Number of Episodes: 280

Episode of: The Helium Insufficiency