Leonard finds no comfort and joy at Christmas time, as his colleague begins dating Penny. Meanwhile, Sheldon's adherence to gift-giving etiquette is driving everyone nuts.
Wolowitz leaves his friends in a bind when he drops out of an upcoming robot competition after becoming depressed when due to Penny's comment on his love life.
The boys discover a conundrum which is baffling: The very source of Sheldon's social awkwardness seems to be his intelligence, is also the reason according to his new scientific procedure for making friends.
While at a comic book store, Penny is romanced by a friend of the guys'. Meanwhile, Leonard and Wolowitz head to a bar for ladies night in hope of finding women.
Penny makes an unexpected discovery concerning Leonard, while on a date with Stuart. Meanwhile, a design flaw in his NASA project finds Wolowitz needing some help from his friends.