The Big Bang Theory had its premiere in 2007. Back then, the show was a breath of refreshing air. Computer nerds were seen as something of a strange, and alternative sub-culture. But the success Big Bang had made nerds, geeks, and computer geniuses part of the mainstream culture. Who knew it that the show will get to Season 10, becoming one of the top 3 most successful TV shows in television history. Penny, Sheldon, Howard, Raj, Leonard, and others have kept us smiling for a while a now. And as the crew is starting production of Season 10, this is probably the perfect time to revisit some of the best episodes of the show so far.
The Troll Manifestation, s8/e14
One of the biggest knocks on Big Bang Theory is that the show puts too much focus on relationship drama and geek stereotypes, instead of portraying the genius mind of the scientists in the show. That being said, “The Troll Manifestation” showed Leonard and Sheldon at their best, coming together with a scientific paper that will be subject for many episodes to follow. But the funny moment came when the girls discovered Amy had written a fan-fiction, and an erotic one nevertheless. Her “Little House on the Prairie” was so funny, and in the end, we saw Sheldon and Amy act part of the story.
The Staircase Implementation, s3/e22
For three seasons we were left wondering why the elevator doesn’t work. Nobody gave us an explanation, we just knew it doesn’t work. Well, at the end of season 3, we finally got the explanation, as Leonard is telling Penny how he met Sheldon. It all started with a huge fight between the two roommates, forcing Leonard to run to Penny. This is the first actual appearance of the roommate agreement in the show. And the experiment part is just hilarious. But the best moment is when Sheldon is conducting a “job interview” with Leonard.
The Middle Earth Paradigm, s1/e6
Penny invites the guys to a Halloween costume party at her house, and they more than deliver. Showing up as we expected them to, they come in nerdy costumes that few people can understand. For example, everyone thinks Sheldon is a zebra, but he is actually the Doppler Effect. Leonard comes as Frodo, Howard as Robin Hood, and Raj as Thor. The episode shows exactly what the show is all about, nerdy guys trying to fit in society, and succeeding in it. And the best part, Raj ends up in a bed with a girl, becoming the second of the group to get laid, after Leonard did it in episode 5 of the first season.
The Proton Transmogrification, s7/e22
Professor Proton is one of the best guest stars on the Big Bang Theory, and every time he shows up, the episode is a success. This episode aired on May the Fourth or the Star Wars Day as they call it. Sheldon had to deal with emotional growth, as he learns that the Professor has died. The puns and funny moments from the girls on the Star Wars themed cake made the episode enjoyable. And for the comedy part, Leonard and Penny crying at the funeral, that was epic.
The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition, s5/e10
Amy tags along with the guys to the comic book store, and there we see Stuart attracted to her. He is the owner of the store, so he asks the guys if he could go further, or is Amy with Sheldon. And in Sheldon’s words “a friend who’s a girl and a friend, but not his girlfriend”, the guys give Stuart green light. And this is where the fun begins, as we see Sheldon show flashes of jealousy, culminating with him interrupting their date at the movie theater. He revisits the terms of his agreement with Amy, and in the end of the episode, we see them signing a 31-page relationship agreement. The agreement even involves a chapter for “handholding”. Classic Sheldon.
The Barbarian Sublimation, s2/e3
The episode starts with Sheldon playing “Age of Conan”, and then a desperate Penny crying in the hallway. He goes to comfort her but starts by asking if she can turn her voice down. And she responds “Is my personal life trauma gets in the way of you playing video games”, with Sheldon saying firmly YES. And from there, we see Sheldon inviting Penny to come in, and gets her hooked up for gaming. The whole episode is hilarious, with some epic moments between Penny and Sheldon. Penny comes addicted, and in the end, we see her talking to Howard in the world of gaming. But the best part is when Sheldon tries to find her a fuck-buddy so he can get rid of her.
The Table Polarization, s7/e16
One of the bread and butter aspects of Big Bang Theory is when Sheldon is trying to deal with change. Jim Parsons is superb when he plays angry Sheldon. The subject of the episode is Leonard trying to enforce his opinion in the apartment, asking for a bigger table to fit the entire gang. Amy and Penny end up controlling the situation from behind the scenes, and it makes a hilarious duel.
The Roommate Transmogrification, s4/e24
This is the finale of season four, and one of the best episodes of the show. At the time, it was definitely the best one. At the beginning of the episode, Leonard is dating Priya, Raj’s sister, while Penny is trying to deal with the relationship. Raj ends up moving in with Sheldon because he cannot stand his sister and Leonard making love. Even the subplot, with Bernadette getting a high paid job and turning Howard into a man whore is funny as hell. And then we get to the end of the episode, with Raj and Penny ending up in bed together, and him unable to speak to her the morning after. The walk of shame is just one of the best cliffhangers in the show.
The Panty Pinata Polarization, s2/e7
Penny and Sheldon have terrific moments through the show. Fans will agree their relationship is probably the best in the show. And in the seventh episode of season two, we see them go to war against each other. Sheldon gives Penny the third strike, and she refuses to take the course, so he banishes from the apartment. The prank war is one of the best, but Penny comes out on top, once Leonard gives her the secret weapon, Sheldon’s mother.
The Love Spell Potential, s6/e23
At the beginning of the episode we see the girls and guys hyped up, but for a different reason. The girls are going to Vegas, the boys are playing Dungeons and Dragons. But the girls trip falls, so they end up in the apartment playing Dungeons and Dragons as well. Howard makes for a great dungeon master, impressing some of Hollywood’s greatest, including Nicholas Cage. And we also get to see Sheldon and Amy take their relationship to a new level, thanks to a love spell between their characters in the game.
The Agreement Dissection, s4/e21
Whenever we see Sheldon outside of his comfort zone, you know something funny will happen. In this episode, that is the moment when he joins the girls for a night out of drinking and bashing Priya, Leonard’s girlfriend. Sheldon accepts as Priya is responsible for nullifying the roommate agreement. The best moments of the episode happen when the three girls and Sheldon are at the club drinking and having fun. And in the end, Sheldon gets his revenge, by calling Priya’s parents and threating to tell she is dating Leonard.
The Pants Alternative, s3/e18
Sheldon receives an award at the university, but in order to get it, he has to give an acceptance speech. As we know, Sheldon is not one for public speaking, so he tries to back out. Sadly for him, and luckily for us, he has to give the speech. The gang tries to help him, with Penny taking him shopping, Raj implementing mediation, and Leonard tries to give him a psychological assessment. Nothing helps, but at the night of the speech, Penny tells him to drink, so he doesn’t have stage fear. And once Sheldon gets up, the show starts. He opens up with a great joke “A neutron walks into a bar and asks how much for a drink? The bartender says: For you, no charge!” Some other science jokes follow around, and the next morning, we see a YouTube clip of Sheldon taking his pants off and showing the “dark side of the moon”.
The Adhesive Duck Deficiency, s3/e8
Leonard, Raj, and Howard go in the desert to see a meteor shower, while Sheldon stays home. But he ends up having to rescue Penny after she falls in her bathtub. With a dislocated shoulder, Penny asks Sheldon to help her dress and take her to the hospital. The scenes between these two are just hilarious, especially when Sheldon conducts a medical history interview at the hospital. Meanwhile, the guys eat “special cookies” and start hallucinating.
The Herb Garden Germination, s4/e20
In this episode, we see Amy and Sheldon discovering how society works. Gossip is new to both of them, and once they find out the power of gossip, they decide to try an experiment. The two tell some member of the gang that they are starting a herb garden and that they have slept together. As you might assume, the gossip about their love life spreads much faster than the herb garden gossip. Bonus points for Raj’s parents.
The Justice League Recombination, s4/e11
Before Leonard, and between finally ending up with Leonard, Penny has had her fair share of idiot boyfriends. Zack is the one she dates at the time, and he is portrayed as one of the biggest idiots on the show. But he helps the gang dress up as the Justice League, with Penny making a great Wonder Woman. Sheldon as Flash is also some nice comedy.
The Locomotion Interruption, s8/e1
The opening episodes of a season are not usually some of the funniest and best, but the eight season started with a bang. Just one minute of Sheldon at the train station is enough humor for an entire episode, but we got more. We see Sheldon at the station, as he is wearing only his white underpants. He is robbed, so he tries to get help from someone, but ends up in a police station. Penny gets a job interview at Bernadette’s company, and she ends up dissing Bernie with the interviewer. Howard’s mom and Stuart relationship make for weird, but funny moment.
The Prom Equivalency, s8/e8
Prom is a subject that can always bring comedy and tears of laughter, be it a movie, or a TV show. In this episode, the girls talk about their high school prom and end up with a decision to re-enact prom with the guys. Sheldon is under pressure for further commitment in his relationship with Amy, but the funny part of the episode is Howard and Stuart arguing about Howard’s mother and their dates. Stuart brings Howard’s cousin, the girl he had his first sexual experience with.
The Mystery Date Observation, s9/e8
After deciding it is time to forget Amy, Sheldon asks Raj and Howard to find him a new girlfriend. His reasoning is simple, they found him Amy, so he wants another girlfriend, same as Amy. The guys end up setting up a scavenger hunt, and to everyone’s surprise, a girl shows up at the door in the end. But Sheldon thanks her and closes the door because she was a minute late. Meanwhile, Penny and Bernadette spy on Amy because they want to know who she is dating. As it turns out, Amy’s new date is huge Sheldon fan.
The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis, s2/e11
Christmas is approaching, and with that, you know Sheldon will be under pressure. He hates the process and tradition of gift giving, and he seeks help from Raj and Howard. He wants to get something of equal value or price. But when Penny finally gives him the gift, he is blown away and overcome by emotion. The gift is “signed napkin by Leonard Nimoy who plays Spock in Star Trek”. He gives her an awkward hug, which is the first time we see Sheldon expressing emotions.
The Maternal Capacitance, s2/e15
Christine Baranski makes her first appearance in the Big Bang Theory, and she steals the spotlight from the very beginning to the end. She has a talk with Penny, sending her crying, and then she shares her opinion on “Raj and Howard gay relationship”. The only one that can connect to Dr. Beverly is Sheldon, and he has few awkward moments with her. At least she gives Leonard a good advice how to get Penny to like him.
The Prestidigitation Approximation, s4/e18
When Sheldon cannot figure something out, he goes crazy. In this episode, he is challenged with a puzzle he can’t seem to solve. Howard performs a magic trick, and Sheldon cannot figure it out. This sends Sheldon to a manic hunt for the solution, trying everything, but he never finds out the solution. Meanwhile, Howard is enjoying his new power to make Sheldon crazy, and he rubs it at his nose every time he gets a chance. By the end, everyone knows the trick, except for Sheldon, and they are all messing with him.
The Vegas Renormalization, s2/e21
In season two, Howard dates Leslie Winkle, another scientist at the Cal Tech University. The relationship was short-lived, but it leaves Howard with a deep emotional emptiness. Raj and Leonard propose a Vegas trip to help him cope with the loss. Sheldon is left home, but he gets locked out of his apartment and asks Penny for help. Meanwhile, in Vegas, the guys set up Howard with a prostitute that is acting to be a Jewish prostitute.
The Dumpling Paradox, s1/e7
This episode is also known as “the whore or Omaha” episode. In the first season of the show, Leonard gets laid in episode 5, Raj in episode 6, so it was only natural that Howard follows suit. He gets his girl in episode 7, and it is Penny’s friend from Omaha, Christy. Penny hates her, but Howard loves her because he has sex with him, as long as he is buying her fancy stuff. In the meantime, Penny joins the guys for video games and completely destroys Sheldon to everyone’s surprise.
The Maternal Congruence, s3/e11
The second appearance of Christine Baranski brings even more comedy to the show. This time, she tags along with Penny for a night out drinking. The episode is filled with many funny moments, but the culmination comes at the end when she kisses Sheldon while being drunk. Bonus points for her finally accepting Penny as a “suitable mate” for Leonard.
The Opening Night Excitation, s9/e11
Star Wars is a huge part of the Big Bang Theory lore, so it was only natural that we see the guys in the theatre on the opening night of the Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The episode aired just before Star Wars, and the producers made a funny tribute to the movie. But the trick here is that Sheldon cannot attend the premiere, as he has to spend the night with Amy because it is her birthday. Professor Proton makes an appearance, trying to explain Sheldon how sex works, and why he needs to spend the night with Amy. Oh, and this is the episode Amy and Sheldon finally have sex!
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