'The Big Bang Theory' recap: Sheldon heading to space?

Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik as Sheldon and Amy on CBS' 'The Big Bang Theory (Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.) (�© 2015 WBEI. All rights reserved.)

Amy and Sheldon’s courtship has moved at a snail's pace for years, but in Thursday's episode, they decided to take a big step.

No, not marriage — heck, these two have barely committed to holding hands! Instead Sheldon and Amy announce they are going to buy a turtle.

But before they can actually make the purchase, they encounter some obstacles. First there’s Sheldon’s near panic attack after walking down the puppy aisle at the pet store, but the real showstopper comes when he casually mentions having sent in an application to live on Mars. Amy is stunned by this announcement, especially once it becomes clear she was the only one left out of the loop. Sheldon explains he didn’t tell her because he assumed she wouldn’t want him to go and while that’s a classic Sheldon response, Amy isn’t letting it go.

It leads to a frank discussion between the couple where Sheldon offers to withdraw his application, but Amy says that isn’t the point. She wants to know that the two of them are building a life together. Sheldon makes a passing comment about Amy joining him on the red planet and she’s surprisingly game. As long as she’s with Sheldon, she doesn’t care what planet they’re on. Amy notes that they could end up being the first couple to procreate on Mars but this offers little appeal to Sheldon and he instructs her to keep her space pants on. Though he does admit to liking the idea of their children being Martians.

Raj hits a stumbling block of his own with girlfriend Emily. He finds himself alone in her apartment for the first time ever and can’t resist snooping through her nightstand. In doing so, he accidentally snaps the off the top drawer and FaceTime’s Howard and Bernadette for help. They offer little advice aside from using a hammer and nails to cover up his mistake before Emily arrives home, but Raj isn’t quick enough. Emily arrives home and Raj confesses all. The two fight and make up, while Howard and Bernie eavesdrop gleefully over the phone.

Penny and Leonard aren’t married yet, but they’re starting to feel like an old married couple. In an effort to spice things up, Leonard goes to “the dirty store” and picks up some body paint for the two of them, with the idea that they’ll bring it into the bedroom to create a work of art. Their first try results in a lackluster painting, causing them both to try to justify how cool and hip they really are. They sometimes stay up until 1a.m.! Usually watching Netflix, just like the kids are doing these days! Luckily, a pep talk is all they need because by episode’s end, they’ve painted a very colorful picture, though Penny still isn’t ready to hang it on the wall. They decide to tell Sheldon that William Shatner painted it and give it to him as a gift.