# The Big Bang Theory, Season 8, Episode 6 (October 20, 2014) -- "The Expedition Approximation" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944 "2014-10-20T20:17:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/1 "2014-10-20T20:17:10Z")
I am starting this thread in anticipation of tonight’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/2 "2014-10-21T00:04:13Z")
i would like to join in your anticipation but i can’t for significant reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/3 "2014-10-21T00:48:20Z")
I’ve been in the steam tunnels at a university and they aren’t that low or dark. I see they are moving it back to Thursday. I’m afraid they are going to mess around and lose ratings if they don’t quit doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/4 "2014-10-21T04:16:08Z")
Another stinker. May as well call this one “6 Characters Being Mean to Each Other, Plus Amy, Who Doesn’t Get Laid, Again” ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/5 "2014-10-21T05:23:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I see they are moving it back to Thursday. I’m afraid they are going to mess around and lose ratings if they don’t quit doing that. They did it because CBS signed a deal to show the first half of the NFL Thursday games (the rest of them this season will be back to NFL Network only). I wonder what the crossover between NFL fans and BBT fans is. Anyways, this episode really sums up why there is no reason for Howard and Bernadette to be married, unless she really enjoys having a weakling around for her to boss around. He brings zero to the relationship. Leonard and Penny may not be right for each other either, but at least they’re within the realm of normal people. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/6 "2014-10-21T07:04:46Z")
Howard is a real live astronaut, twice in space, and is handy with terrestrial plumbing too. None of Bernadette’s friends have an astronaut for a boyfriend or spouse, and as long as they never meet him, it is very impressive. The plus for Howard is that he married his a combination of his mother (Debbie!) and Sheldon. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/7 "2014-10-21T09:10:48Z")
“Voyager the space probe, or Voyager the Star Trek series?” That was precisely my question seconds before Sheldon asked. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/8 "2014-10-21T11:55:38Z")
This week I really hated Penny’s hair. Weird, because previous weeks I loved the new cut. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/9 "2014-10-21T12:14:10Z")
Howard is becoming a caricature. He and Bernadette are DINKs and there is no reason for them to worry about money. He certainly makes enough not to need an allowance from his wife. The whole chore chart and stars was a bit over the top. A bit of a letdown from last week’s episode. Not a lot of great lines. Whatever Raj said after Sheldon left him in the tunnel was completely unintelligible, after rewinding twice I still couldn’t make out a word. Penny’s hair is still meh to me, but her lipstick in the opening was totally weird. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/10 "2014-10-21T12:19:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Whatever Raj said after Sheldon left him in the tunnel was completely unintelligible, after rewinding twice I still couldn’t make out a word. I had to turn on closed captioning: “They’re in my shirt!” x 3 ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/11 "2014-10-21T12:56:07Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Howard is a real live astronaut, twice in space, and is handy with terrestrial plumbing too. None of Bernadette’s friends have an astronaut for a boyfriend or spouse, and as long as they never meet him, it is very impressive. The plus for Howard is that he married his a combination of his mother (Debbie!) and Sheldon. Yeah, out of this group, Howard’s kind of like a superhero! A nerdy, skinny, neurotic superhero… ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/12 "2014-10-21T13:12:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Howard is becoming a caricature. He and Bernadette are DINKs and there is no reason for them to worry about money. He certainly makes enough not to need an allowance from his wife. The whole chore chart and stars was a bit over the top. They may be DINKs, but I can see Howard blowing a lot of money of crap and Bernadette being mad about it. The action figure of himself was thousands of dollars, I imagine Falconry lessons were similar… even if they’re collectively making half a million (which I believe is a way overestimate) if Howard is spending $400,000 a year on ‘crap’, I can see Bernadette putting an end to it. Especially if the majority of the income is hers. Honestly, as a couple they would probably be better served with split finances instead of a joint account, so Howard is only blowing ‘his’ money instead of ‘their money’. The chore chart was over the top, but I know IRL couples that have eerily similar things that works for them. It’s obvious to everyone why Howard likes Bernadette. As for why Bernadette likes Howard, well, there’s no accounting for taste. He probably treats her like a goddess when he’s not being whiny. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/13 "2014-10-21T17:54:16Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > They may be DINKs, but I can see Howard blowing a lot of money of crap and Bernadette being mad about it. The action figure of himself was thousands of dollars, I imagine Falconry lessons were similar… even if they’re collectively making half a million (which I believe is a way overestimate) if Howard is spending $400,000 a year on ‘crap’, I can see Bernadette putting an end to it. Especially if the majority of the income is hers. Honestly, as a couple they would probably be better served with split finances instead of a joint account, so Howard is only blowing ‘his’ money instead of ‘their money’. Yeah, I’d suspect the issue isn’t Howard’s income, but rather that Howard probably lived with his mother all his life, never paying any living expenses, and so sees his entire income as disposable income. From what they’ve implied, likely that would actually be do-able if Bernadette were willing to pay for everything (after all, they’re living in her old place and she managed on her own), but I can see where she wouldn’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/14 "2014-10-21T21:42:48Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Howard is a real live astronaut, twice in space, and is handy with terrestrial plumbing too. TWICE in space? Huh. I must have missed a season. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/15 "2014-10-21T22:07:10Z")
He only went once, and he went crazy that time. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/16 "2014-10-21T22:22:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > TWICE in space? > > Huh. I must have missed a season. you would have missed a launch. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/17 "2014-10-21T22:25:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This week I really hated Penny’s hair. Weird, because previous weeks I loved the new cut. Then you’re really going to be annoyed when it gets it’s own spin-off next year. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/18 "2014-10-21T22:25:26Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Yeah, I’d suspect the issue isn’t Howard’s income, but rather that Howard probably lived with his mother all his life, never paying any living expenses, and so sees his entire income as disposable income. From what they’ve implied, likely that would actually be do-able if Bernadette were willing to pay for everything (after all, they’re living in her old place and she managed on her own), but I can see where she wouldn’t want to. Good point! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/19 "2014-10-21T22:36:38Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Howard is becoming a caricature. He and Bernadette are DINKs and there is no reason for them to worry about money. He certainly makes enough not to need an allowance from his wife. The whole chore chart and stars was a bit over the top. Even DINKS have budgets and it’s possible Bernadette wants to purchase a house or squirrel away some money for retirement. It’s also possible she just doesn’t want Howard spending a lot of money on stupid collectibles. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944/20 "2014-10-21T23:27:25Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > They may be DINKs, but I can see Howard blowing a lot of money of crap and Bernadette being mad about it. The action figure of himself was thousands of dollars, I imagine Falconry lessons were similar… even if they’re collectively making half a million (which I believe is a way overestimate) if Howard is spending $400,000 a year on ‘crap’, I can see Bernadette putting an end to it. Don’t forget the 3D printer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-8-episode-6-october-20-2014-the-expedition-approximation/701944.md?page=2)