'The Big Bang Theory' Season 6, Episode 19: 'The Closet Reconfiguration' Recap

“The Big Bang Theory”, season 6, episode 19, “The Closet Reconfiguration”

Howard cleans up, as Bernadette asked him to. However, his version of cleaning is just sticking everything in their closet. Bernadette worries that someone will see it, since they’re hosting a dinner party, but Howard reassures her no one will.

Bernadette says they’ll have to take care of it after the party, and Howard jokingly tells her to let Sheldon organize it for them.

Everyone arrives at their apartment, and Bernadette informs Sheldon she spent the day slaving away to cook him something special, but he tells her she shouldn’t have, since he brought his own food. Miffed, she tells Howard to show him the closet.

During dinner, Sheldon is absent, invested in organizing the closet. Amy says she’s used to it, and that he spent a whole hour organizing the cheese case in the grocery store before.

In the closet, Sheldon is deeply invested in his organizing. He finds a letter addressed to Howard that was never opened. He hands it to him (after opening it and reading it), telling him to read it, but Howard refuses, and insists on taking Sheldon home.

Leonard and Penny discuss the dinner party and agree that they should throw their own, rather than eating take out around a coffee table every night. Leonard suggests they all dress up, and Penny has to make sure he means nice clothes and not super hero outfits.

Later that night, Howard can’t sleep. He is obsessing over the letter, but he’s scared to read it. He tells Bernadette that it showed up when he was 18 after his dad abandoned him when he was 11. Instead of reading it, he sets it on fire triggering the fire alarm.

In Penny’s apartment, Amy and Penny converse with Bernadette about the letter. They are all very curious about what it said, and Amy tells Bernadette to ask Sheldon what it said, since he read it. Amy doesn’t think it’s a great idea to disrespecting her husband’s privacy like that. Penny asks what she’d do if she were to ask Sheldon and Amy just happens to be in the room. She says that works and they rush off to find him.

Sheldon is in the laundry room when the ladies appear, asking for information. He says he can’t say because he’s bound by closet organizer/organizee confidentiality. They point out that’s not a real thing. And Penny points out that it was found in Bernadette’s closet, so she has a right to know. He agrees.

In Leonard’s apartment, he invites Raj over who takes it upon himself to plan their dinner party. He has a notebook full of party ideas, but Leonard dismisses them all. Sheldon arrives and Leonard asks where he’s been. He says that he was ambushed by the girls and had to reveal confidential information. Leonard asks what the info was, and says that he’ll learn either way from Penny. So Sheldon tells him.

Later on, during their dinner party, everyone agrees to not bring up Howard’s letter.

Outside the apartment, Bernadette admits to Howard that she knows what was in the letter. Enraged, Howard storms into the apartment and threatens to kill Sheldon, who uses Amy as a human shield. Bernadette says that she made him tell her. He asks who else knows, and everyone does but him.

Feeling betrayed, he targets Bernadette. They offer to tell him, but he leaves instead, wanting to be alone.

Later that night, Bernadette finds Howard in the closet looking at pictures of him and his dad. She asks him to take a break, saying she has a surprise for him. He moans that he’s not in the mood for sex, and walks into the living room to find everyone sitting there.

They propose to each tell him a version of the letter, that way he’ll know what the letter said, but, at the same time, he won’t know what the letter said, leaving him in a state of knowing and not knowing.

They each present a rather touching tale, except for Sheldon, who tells him the plot of the Goonies. Howard is touched by each of the tales, not wanting to know which is the real one, and wanting to believe each of them are the truth.

They all return to Leonard’s apartment to continue the dinner party. Sheldon reveals that Howard’s letter wasn’t the most exciting thing he found in the closet, and that Bernadette’s diary was much more enthralling.

During the party, Sheldon walks in, after working on organizing Penny’s closet. He has some questions for her about items he found. One was a dead goldfish. The other appeared to be a “battery powered chew toy” for a dog, which caused Penny to rush him out of the room before he showed everyone, screaming that the party was over.