The episode opens with the guys having lunch at work, with an amusing argument about the correct pronunciation about the word GIF. Sheldon enters, complaining that he was not invited to a scientific symposium, and the guys assure him he was probably just not invited because he’s a pain in the ass, not because of any doubt of his scientific achievements.

Later, Howard, Raj and Bernadette sit in the Wolowitz living room, with Raj and Bernie discussing the renovations she wants to make to the house (deciding she’s going to wait for Howard to go to Comic Con, and then she’s bringing in a wrecking ball). The doorbell rings, and Howard answers to discover a young man standing there who claims to be his 1/2 brother, telling him that his father Sam Wolowitz, has a whole other family. Howard invites him in, but is very uncomfortable by the thought of his dad having left him and his mom and starting another family, while Raj is suspicious of the newcomer. Howard and Raj leave the room and decide to get rid of Josh, but Howard changes his mind when his brother starts asking questions about his time as an astronaut, always a favorite topic of Howard’s. The two brothers warm up to each other, with the night ending after Howard performs a magic trick, which Bernadette points out often causes people to leave. One his way out Josh learns  that Howard threw out the first pitch at an Angels game using a robot, and also that he basically had sex with a robot hand. When Josh agrees that the hand is all you need, Howard hugs him, realizing that they are indeed brothers.

Meanwhile Penny, Leonard and Will Whedon sit down to do an episode of Will’s podcast, Will inviting Penny on so they can discuss their last movie together, “Serial Apist 2.” During the taping Kevin Smith calls in to the show, saying how much he loved Penny’s performance (but sadly, not Will’s) and he invites her to audition for ‘Clerks 3.’ Leonard and Penny then get into an argument on the air (much to the delight of Will Whedon) about the audition, her making more money than him, her becoming more mature than him, ultimately ending with Leonard satisfied that she do something dumb like skipping work one afternoon and auditioning for a movie. When Will points out that in the end Penny got exactly what she wanted, and essentially played Leonard, Leonard is ok with it.

And finally, in the Sheldon and Amy story of the night, their date night does not go very well as Sheldon is still sulking after not being invited to the science symposium. After a failed attempt to pretend to be happy using a smiling photo taken earlier, Sheldon and Amy reminisce about times in their lives they both felt left out, Amy being an expert on the subject. When Sheldon mentions not being invited into forts made by his siblings as a child, Amy suggests they build their own fort, which Sheldon agrees to despite how juvenile it is (his words, not mine. I love a good fort). Once complete, the epic Fort CozyMcblanket is amazing, and Sheldon and Amy decide, after a bracket of the best Forts (including Knox, Wayne and Ticonderoga), to extend their date night, and have a G-Rated sleepover. Amy reveals her secret stash of pajamas and a toothbrush, and Sheldon admits that he would be put off except that he loves preparedness. Leonard arrives home, and Sheldon begrudgingly invites him into the fort, but does insist that Leonard not sit on his spot on the floor.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

LEONARD: (try to cheer up Sheldon) You can spend the rest of the day being bitter about this-
SHELDON: OK.
LEONARD: (non-plussed) I was gonna say “or” but why not.

RAJ: (on Howard’s father) What if he’s in a Beatles cover band? With your nose and haircut, he’d made a killer Ringo!

SHELDON: (on his loophole picture) As far as you’re concerned I’m smiling. Though I must admit I’m smiling a little bit cause this loophole is so brilliant.

KEVIN SMITH: (calling into Will Whedon’s podcast) Hey bro, everything ok? Cause it’s been like 2 minutes and you haven’t brought up ‘Stand By Me.”

LEONARD: (taken back by Penny deciding to go the Kevin Smith ‘Clerks 3’ audition) But you have a new job.
PENNY: Maybe I can do both.
LEONARD: I don’t think you can do both.
PENNY: I don’t think I asked you.
KEVIN SMITH: Yeah! You tell em Penny.
LEONARD: Stay out of it Kevin Smith!

AMY: (trying to comfort Sheldon) When there was a lice epidemic at my school, I tried to fool everyone by putting sugar in my hair. I just ended up getting attacked by bees.

RAJ: (interrogating Howard’s new 1/2 brother) Ok, but something smells fishy. And not just because you work around sea animals. That actually sounds interesting and I’d like to learn more about it.

PENNY: (on if she gets the part) Oh I don’t know, I make a movie, we could become rich and famous, win an Oscar, Golden Globe, and live an incredible wonderful life.
LEONARD: (skeptical) From a Kevin Smith movie?
KEVIN SMITH: Oh, I’m hanging up now.

SHELDON: (sitting on the floor in his fort with Amy) Everything looks so big from down here. This must be how Leonard feels!

I’m not usually a fan of an episode where the cast is so split up, but this episode to me worked very well, and the guest stars did a great job of adding new elements that brought out the funny from the main cast. Will Whedon is always hilarious, and his enjoyment at having a live fight on his PodCast really made me laugh. And the new storyline involving Howard’s father and 1/2 brother Josh is sure to keep things interesting for Howard and Bernadette, who would be running the risk of becoming the stuffy married couple if not for the good writing on the show. Keep em coming ‘Big Bang Theory’ !