- Leonard is caught between a rock and a hard place when he's responsible for distributing extra grant money. Also, Bernadette turns the backyard playhouse into a hideaway from her husband and kids.
- President Siebert has asked Leonard to be in charge of dispersing what little of the administrative funds there are left for the year, Siebert not caring what is done with those funds. While Siebert could not care less, he foisting the job on Leonard solely to get it off his own plate, Leonard takes the job very seriously. Being a scientist, he wants to make the decision as empirical as he can. The decision becomes even harder when he has a shortlist of three, those three individuals, which includes some friends among the ranks, who place more and more pressure on him to come up with a decision that will make at least two hate him, which he could not tolerate in always needing validation in his life. Leonard figures that he has to make the best of a bad situation. Meanwhile, Bernadette is feeling overwhelmed both at work and at home. On the spur of the moment, she decides to tell Howard a little white lie in that she has to work late, while in reality she ends up hiding in the newly built playhouse in their backyard for Halley. This "one hour" little white lie every workday ends up being her sanctuary. But Bernadette may be able to keep her secret from the rest of the world for only so long before unexpected consequences start to emerge.—Huggo
- The gang is working in Howard and Bernadette's backyard assembling their kid's new playhouse that includes electricity and running water. Sheldon keeps talking about an Amish barn raising, while not actually working on the building. Bernie comes out in her pajamas and asks Howard to take the kids so that she can get some work done. She is very overworked with two kids.
President Siebert is meeting with Leonard. He needs someone to distribute some extra grant funds. He wants Leonard to decide who gets the funds and wants to hear nothing about the outcome.
At lunch, Howard thanks his work crew. Sheldon is hoarse from distributing all his knowledge/trivia. Leonard tells them his news from Siebert and his friends are now expecting a lot of people lining up to grovel before him. Next Kripke (John Ross Bowie) comes up, fawns over him and then tries to bribe Leonard.
Bernadette comes up to her front porch and hears the kids giving Howard a hard time. She runs back to the playhouse and calls him on the phone that she is going to be stuck at work. Afterwards she admits that Howard deserves better though she snuggles down in her comfortable chair.
In apartment 4A, Leonard is turning down funding requests from everyone. Penny is impressed by how decisive Leonard was. Sheldon comes in hoping to get a frozen yogurt machine in the cafeteria. No. Denied!
Penny is visiting with Bernadette telling her about Leonard's taking charge and how sexy that was. Bernadette is distracted because she told Howard a little white lie about working late and she hung out in the playhouse. Penny thinks that it's more sad and strange than awful. Bernie just feels the extra hour of not having to deal with the kids makes her feel human again.
Back at the cafeteria, Dr. Lee, a biologist, asks about her grant application on the intelligence of crows. She wants to upgrade her bird cages because she thinks that they are planning something since she found out that crows can hold a grudge. Three projects are on Leonard's short list. The crow research, Raj's telescope software upgrade and Kripike's project. Howard's request was denied since he just sent him a clip that said "Show me the money!!" They are all pressuring him to decide and he walks off not even knowing when he'll decide or where he is going.
Leonard is going over these three proposals and Penny comes in looking turned on. Leonard complains that he can't decide on the three proposals that all have merit even though used several decision models and another system to score his various scoring systems. Penny is confused so she joins Bernadette to share some wine in the playhouse.
Leonard goes back to the President to get more money to fund all three worthwhile projects. Siebert denies Leonard's request. Leonard wants to know what the President would do. He claims that he would put some other sap in charge so that he wouldn't have to be the bad guy. Leonard then gets that that is what Siebert had done...to him.
Amy catches Penny sneaking out of her apartment and asks what she and Bernadette have been doing together without her. She doesn't believe Penny's excuses and then finds out the truth. She thinks that it's like a secret club. Penny tries to tell Amy that it's just a place where they get together and don't tell anyone about it. Like a secret club. Amy then gets invited.
Sheldon and Leonard are playing 3-D chess while Sheldon describes how Leonard is going to lose. Leonard is distracted about who should get the funding and asks Sheldon to help since he doesn't care if he upsets people. Sheldon doesn't want to help Leonard since it could be a learning experience for him.
Now the entire posse is in the playhouse. Penny said that she was at yoga. Sheldon doesn't even think about Amy when she is gone, but is so happy when she finally shows up. Bernie is making the quesadilla in the Easy-Bake Oven. Howard and Raj come out on the deck to use the hot tub. He already knows that his wife has been hiding in the playhouse. They hear a pop (Wine cork) so he figures that Penny must also be there.
Raj comes into the cafeteria asking why his project wasn't funded. None of the top three were funded because a last minute proposal came in for a Europium-doped laser. Leonard bought it for himself since he was sure that everyone would be mad at him no wonder what he did. So he did it and got a laser.
While Leonard is explaining his new laser to Sheldon, he finds his car covered with intelligent crows that might be holding a grudge. They quickly leave.
Title reference: Leonard choosing a grant recipient.
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