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What does it look like when nerds throw a bachelor party? It’s not exactly “The Hangover,” though it isn’t for lack of effort.

Howard and Raj concoct a plan to kidnap Leonard but it isn’t Leonard who needs the convincing. They toss a tied up, blindfolded Sheldon into the van and the guy’s head down to Mexico. Sheldon eventually calms down when he learns that the van they’re driving in once belonged to physicist Richard Freyman. Sheldon may be enjoying the trip but hasn’t exactly loosened up. He asks whether the gang has received their yellow fever inoculation, which is something he did before his last trip to Epcot.

Before they can reach the beach home of Richard Freyman the gang gets a flat tire. If you thought this would stump the guys for good, you were wrong. Turns out Howard knows how to change a tire, but gets stuck when a lug nut refuses to budge. Strength isn’t on their side, but they do have science. Using a lever fails almost immediately, which brings the gang to try “percussive shock.” The tapping on the wrench leads to the guys breaking into their own version of “We Will Rock You” (though they replace “Rock” with “Shock”) and Sheldon channeling Freddie Mercury as he belts out the entire first verse solo, much to the amazement of his friends.

Thermal expansion and accelerated corrosion both fail at removing the lug nut, which brings the guys to attempt exothermic reaction. If the term is unfamiliar, just know it involved the flame of a match meeting a bit of rust scraped off the hood of the vehicle and ended with the whole van bursting into flames.

While the bachelor party is a disappointment, it’s the girls who steal the show. When discussing what kind of trouble the guys may be getting into, Penny deadpans “lock up your daughters or Sheldon might lecture them about the North American fair trade agreement.”

Not one to be outdone, Bernadette wants to bring Penny to a strip club, but she declines. If she wants to see a naked man dance, she can just flush the toilet while Leonard is in the shower. Amy shows up ready to party, with anatomically correct raunchy cookies.

Amy later announces she plans to make some changes to her appearance. Is it her hair? Her wardrobe? Her shoes? Bernadette and Penny can barely withhold their excitement, only to have to cover their disappointment when they learn Amy just plans to pierce her ears. Still, this is a big move for Amy whose mother once said “pierced ears are for whores, pirates and genies.”

The girls remind her that she’s an adult and piercing her own ears doesn’t mean she will have to go sit in “the sin closet” like she did as child. We soon learn that Amy isn’t the only one afraid of making a confession to her parents. Penny still hasn’t told anyone in her family that she and Leonard got married. She worries her father will be hurt because they didn’t get a chance to have a father/daughter dance.

Using an ice cube and a needle, Penny does indeed pierce Amy’s ears. The brave move inspires Penny to give her father a call and he’s very supportive! He doesn’t even mind that she waited until a week after the wedding to let him know. He then uses the opportunity to make a confession of his own.  A year ago he ran over Penny’s pet pig with his tractor. And if you’re wondering if the family ate the piglet for breakfast, the answer is no! The pig is buried in their backyard with grandma.

Amy then proceeds to call her own mother but when she doesn’t make a confession to the Sheldon break up or the ear piercing, Penny grabs the phone and lets the cat out of the bag. As punishment, Amy spends the rest of the evening locked in Penny’s closet.

Penny later runs into Leonard and Sheldon in the hall, both men covered in soot and dirt. They compare notes as to who had the worst night. Leonard reminds Penny that he spent a night in Mexico with Sheldon and Penny concedes he wins.