# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/21 "2015-10-28T01:30:07Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > 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. Yeah, the Head of the Physics Department was Dr. Gablehauser, but we haven’t seen him in a _loooong_ time. He was more or less replaced by President Seibert as the University higher-up that the guys occasionally had to deal with, but even President Seibert hasn’t been around in awhile. I suspect they just used Kripke because he’s a familiar nemesis, and using him meant they wouldn’t have to pay another actor. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/22 "2015-10-28T01:57:10Z")
I am glad to see Kripke back in the series. He is always funny. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/23 "2015-10-28T01:57:55Z")
> [@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. If she hadn’t been actually already dating people (and thus not really invested in the dating app situation), she would have been more upset, probably. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/24 "2015-10-28T12:16:42Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > President Seibert hasn’t been around in awhile. Joshua Malina’s role on “Scandal” has expanded in the last couple of seasons, so he may not have the time. Different network, too, so probably contractual restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/25 "2015-10-28T13:24:12Z")
The last episode left me cold, but this one was a much more a return to form. I liked both storylines. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/26 "2015-10-28T13:40:49Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Joshua Malina’s role on “Scandal” has expanded in the last couple of seasons, so he may not have the time. Different network, too, so probably contractual restrictions. I was surprised to see, on IMDB, that Seibert/Malina has only been in three episodes of _Big Bang Theory_. I would have guessed it was a few more. I think you’re right that they probably can’t get him for any more, even if they wanted to. Malina has always been a fairly busy actor, so I suspect his availability is limited. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/27 "2015-10-28T14:02:02Z")
Is the truly a liquid helium shortage? Seems to me I read something on Cracked about that. Glad to see that Amy is going out again, three dates (!) so far. She and Lucy need to have a chat. Sometimes the meanness on this show strikes me wrong. This isn’t the first time Amy has been teased bordering on bullying about her love life (the D&D game with Sheldon) and sometimes I think the others don’t consider her a full member of their clique. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/28 "2015-10-28T14:56:00Z")
> [@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. Yes, I noticed that, as well. She seemed pretty miffed! ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/29 "2015-10-28T15:30:25Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I am glad to see Kripke back in the series. He is always funny. He always makes me chuckle! ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/30 "2015-10-28T15:45:46Z")
Doesn’t their department have a helium reclaim system? I read physics at a small uk university and we had one. I’d expect a prestigious American university to have the same. They shouldn’t be running low. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/31 "2015-10-28T20:21:43Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I am glad to see Kripke back in the series. He is always funny. I especially liked him announcing he was going to make a dramatic exit by walking backwards. For some reason that cracked me up. ---
**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 28, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/32 "2015-10-28T20:30:45Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > Doesn’t their department have a helium reclaim system? I read physics at a small uk university and we had one. I’d expect a prestigious American university to have the same. They shouldn’t be running low. I’ve never seen one in use. I don’t recall them being at any University I was at, except for the University of Utah – and theirs was inactive. I get the impression that, while people thought it a good idea in principle (they ain’t making any more Helium, and it doesn’t bind to anything. Once it’s released, it migrates to the upper atmosphere, then off into space. So save it now.), in practice it was economically infeasible – it was far cheaper to simply buy new out-of-the-oil-well Helium. I don’t know any US facility that’s actively reclaiming helium. But reclaiming the helium is not sufficient – you have to liquefy it for uses like Howard and Sheldon’s. Actually, if you don’t have to go down to 4K, you can more easily use a helium refrigerator – you don’t lose helium, you don’t have to bother with the wasteful and cumbersome cooling-down process, and it’s all there at the flick of a switch. Provided you can live with only getting to 14K. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807/33 "2015-10-29T18:22:00Z")
The grammar / semantics bickering between Sheldon and the contact made me feel like I was reading the SDMB. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-6-october-26-2015-the-helium-insufficiency/735807.md?page=1)