# The Big Bang Theory, Season 9, Episode 6 (October 26, 2015) -- "The Helium Insufficiency" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807 "2015-10-26T17:37:21Z")\ **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 26, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/1 "2015-10-26T17:37:21Z")
I am starting this thread in anticipation of tonight’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/2 "2015-10-26T18:10:16Z")
I am stating that this is the worst episode ever in advance of it being aired tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/3 "2015-10-26T18:43:00Z")
Analeigh Tipton and Sheldon’s babies will be smart and beautiful. ---
**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 27, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/4 "2015-10-27T02:05:26Z")
All of Michael Rappaport’s scenes had me cracking up. That was good stuff. > [@Gothic](#): > > Analeigh Tipton and Sheldon’s babies will be smart and beautiful. I didn’t see Analeigh Tipton in this episode. To my knowledge, her only appearance on the show was a cameo as a Next Top Model when Howard and Raj went over to the model house and pretended to be there to fix the cable. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/5 "2015-10-27T02:37:14Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > \ I didn’t see Analeigh Tipton in this episode. To my knowledge, her only appearance on the show was a cameo as a Next Top Model when Howard and Raj went over to the model house and pretended to be there to fix the cable. IMDB shows that she was indeed in an episode in 2008, and will be in November 12 episode named _The Mystery Date Observation_. Heck, her and my babies would also be smart and beautiful (or at least beautiful). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/6 "2015-10-27T02:48:03Z")
Rappaport was good, those scenes were good, the rest was weak. The pace has slowed of the show has slowed, the stories have lost complexity, there’s too many cast members to work it this way. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/7 "2015-10-27T16:44:20Z")
I got a kick out of the shout out to the 4th Doctor on Doctor Who. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/8 "2015-10-27T17:14:45Z")
I really liked the grammar / word choice discussions. The picture drinking game was kind of funny as well. Brian (The helium at party city is liquid, and probably not suitable for the experiment) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/9 "2015-10-27T17:33:12Z")
Having used liquid Helium (and, of course, lots of liquid nitrogen), the idea of a dealer in “hot” (well, “illicit”) liquid helium strikes me as pretty gonzo. But I suppose that’s the point. Where the hell would you find such a guy? What would his normal source of income be?\* The only thing I can imagine is some employee at Linde or Air Products selling stuff out of the warehouse for his own profit. \*I have this vision of a guy on a street corner with a bunch of balloons. When you approach him, he asks if you want the “uncut stuff”. “The first hit’s free!” he says, in an oddly high-pitched voice. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/10 "2015-10-27T17:58:58Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > (The helium at party city is liquid, and probably not suitable for the experiment) Um, isn’t that just what they wanted? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/11 "2015-10-27T18:14:29Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > (The helium at party city is liquid, and probably not suitable for the experiment) Why would party city have liquid helium? It’s way more expensive than normal pressurized gaseous helium, is very dangerous, and has to be kept refrigerated. Why would you need that for filling balloons? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/12 "2015-10-27T19:18:47Z")
Is Kripke the Dep’t head? Wouldn’t the Dep’t Head be the one to make the decision on how to best use the liquid Helium supply? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/13 "2015-10-27T20:26:38Z")
I thought Kripke was alloted helium he really didn’t need. I liked the episode. Didn’t love it, but liked it. And, as someone mentioned last week, the commercials are ridiculous. I think there was more commercial time than show time. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/14 "2015-10-27T20:36:46Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Is Kripke the Dep’t head? Wouldn’t the Dep’t Head be the one to make the decision on how to best use the liquid Helium supply? I don’t think he is, but I don’t really know. What was Dr. Gablehauser? Wasn’t he the head of the Physics Department? They need to have another storyline with one of the big wigs like the department head or the university president again. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/15 "2015-10-27T21:04:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Rappaport was good, those scenes were good, the rest was weak. Rappaport scenes were really good. I liked that they did not just make him a dumb thug. Also Sheldon was acting nicely Sheldony in them. “But I only have a thousand dollars.” I also enjoyed the Stuart/Amy parts about the dating app. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/16 "2015-10-27T21:21:56Z")
I once lived in the “Helium Capital of America” and the last few years have been a little tough on it. It will be interesting if this episode has any affect on the economy. I have to give some of my old friends a call. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/17 "2015-10-27T21:31:12Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I also enjoyed the Stuart/Amy parts about the dating app. Based on the expression on her face, I fully expected Amy to blow up at the others for making light of her dating situation, and treating her prospective dates as a drinking game. She did speak up eventually, but just to suggest that they were being mean to the guys on the site, not being mean to her. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/18 "2015-10-27T22:12:23Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > (The helium at party city is liquid, and probably not suitable for the experiment) OOPs I meant to say it ISN"T liquid, but just compressed. They (most likely) need it for cooling, so Party City isn’t useful Brian ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/19 "2015-10-27T22:33:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Based on the expression on her face, I fully expected Amy to blow up at the others for making light of her dating situation, and treating her prospective dates as a drinking game. She did speak up eventually, but just to suggest that they were being mean to the guys on the site, not being mean to her. Yeah, she looked pretty angry/upset/hurt to me. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/20 "2015-10-27T23:06:02Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > OOPs I meant to say it ISN"T liquid, but just compressed. They (most likely) need it for cooling, so Party City isn’t useful > > Brian IIRC they were doing something with super fluids. They’d still need liquid helium, yes, just not for cooling anything. Having said that, I wonder if they’d have the equipment to compress/cool it down to a liquid state. I’m guessing not, I see it’s over 100 degrees F cooler than liquid N and I doubt they have any liquid H hanging around the chem lab. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807.md?page=2)