The Big Bang Theory season 2

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The Big Bang Theory
Season 2
DVD cover art
Starring
No. of episodes23
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 22, 2008 (2008-09-22) –
May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of the American

Blu-ray
version was reissued on July 10, 2012, with remastered surround sound audio, whereas the DVD version only had stereo.

Jim Parsons submitted the episode "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" for consideration due to his nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2009, TV Guide ranked the episode #60 on its list for the 100 Greatest Episodes.[1] Christine Baranski submitted the episode "The Maternal Capacitance" for consideration due to her nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

Cast

Main article: List of The Big Bang Theory characters

Episodes

See also: List of The Big Bang Theory episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
181"The Bad Fish Paradigm"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro		September 22, 2008 (2008-09-22)3T73519.32[3]
After Leonard and Penny return home from
Valium, which fails to work, and finally takes him back to the apartment. The drugged Sheldon tells Leonard the secret. The next morning, Leonard suggests Penny should join Pasadena City College
, but after she asks, says he does not mind dating someone who is not smart, at which she slams her door in his face.
192"The Codpiece Topology"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Lee Aronsohn		September 29, 2008 (2008-09-29)3T73528.60[4]
After the guys return from a
Comic-Con
.
203"The Barbarian Sublimation"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Nicole Lorre
Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan		October 6, 2008 (2008-10-06)3T73539.39[5]
Sheldon lets Penny wait for the locksmith in his apartment after she accidentally locks herself out. Penny, frustrated at making no progress in her acting career and not having had sex for six months, becomes curious on seeing Sheldon play
virtual date
with Howard, and promptly stops playing, thus overcoming her addiction.
214"The Griffin Equivalency"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Stephen Engel & Tim Doyle		October 13, 2008 (2008-10-13)3T73549.34[6]
Raj is included in
Dr. Gablehauser
and being given an assistant, so all the guys ditch him, and he invites Penny to his People reception. After the party, a very intoxicated Raj returns home with Penny, and via webcam he introduces her to his parents as his girlfriend. His parents object that she is not Indian, though his father likes Penny's resolute nature. She denies being Raj's girlfriend, and escapes after he becomes sick from overdrinking. The following morning, a sober and shy Raj attempts to give Penny a written apology, but she forces him to utter a barely audible "sorry" before forgiving him.
225"The Euclid Alternative"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Steven Molaro
Teleplay by : Lee Aronsohn & Dave Goetsch		October 20, 2008 (2008-10-20)3T73559.33[7]
For several days Leonard works on an experiment involving a
DMV results in Sheldon getting his learner's permit, the group sets up a driving simulator
for him in the living room. However, Sheldon turns out to be an appalling driver, claiming to be too highly evolved to learn to drive, so he decides to live in his university office to avoid having to commute. Leonard finally reveals he actually finished his experiment a week earlier than he stated, but kept up the pretence to avoid having to drive Sheldon to work.
236"The Cooper–Nowitzki Theorem"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Stephen Engel & Daley Haggar
Teleplay by : Tim Doyle & Richard Rosenstock		November 3, 2008 (2008-11-03)3T73569.67[8]
After a lecture by Leonard and Sheldon, a
Leslie Winkle in a verbal confrontation, but Ramona moves into his apartment to control him, prohibiting his usual recreational activities and forcing him to concentrate solely on his research. Eventually Sheldon realizes that he is in "some sort of relationship" with Ramona, and unsuccessfully seeks help from Penny and Leonard to get rid of her. Sheldon eventually makes a research breakthrough he tells Ramona he would never have achieved without her, and gratefully asks how he can repay her. She suggests they share credit for his discovery by calling it "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem". Upon hearing this, he angrily ejects her. After another student reads a preprint
of the new theorem, she approaches Sheldon in the same way Ramona initially did.
247"The Panty Piñata Polarization"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Tim Doyle
Teleplay by : Jennifer Glickman & Steven Molaro		November 10, 2008 (2008-11-10)3T735710.01[9]
When Penny's TV cable is blocked after she fails to keep up with her monthly payments, she goes to the guys' apartment to watch
Sheldon's mother's phone number, "Sheldon's kryptonite", so Penny can complain to her about Sheldon. His mother forces him to apologize to Penny and give back her laundry. Meanwhile, Howard finds out that the models in America's Next Top Model are in a house in Los Angeles
. Determined to enter the house, he and Raj search for it using all available technologies, legal and otherwise, and actually find it. Howard and Raj finally get in by posing as cable guys.
258"The Lizard–Spock Expansion"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Jennifer Glickman		November 17, 2008 (2008-11-17)3T73589.76[10]
Howard meets
rock-paper-scissors game, to decide who gets to watch what on TV, but they both choose Spock
. They, along with Howard, then play the game for Leonard's dumpling. When, again, all choose Spock, they conclude that someone must stop playing Spock. They try to determine who by playing the game but, yet again, all choose Spock.
269"The White Asparagus Triangulation"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Dave Goetsch & Steven Molaro
Teleplay by : Stephen Engel & Richard Rosenstock		November 24, 2008 (2008-11-24)3T735910.03[11]
Sheldon regards medical doctor Stephanie as the only "tolerable" girlfriend Leonard ever had, and also the ideal doctor for Sheldon's Enterprise crew, so he tries to help Leonard with his relationship, fearing Leonard will ruin it. However, Sheldon dismays Leonard by joining the couple when they have a romantic dinner and go to the movies. Believing that Leonard is losing Stephanie, Sheldon wants Leonard to open a recalcitrant jar of white asparagus in Stephanie's presence to emphasize his physical strength. However, Leonard accidentally shatters the jar, cutting himself. Stephanie gives him the necessary stitches at her hospital and later tells him she will not be sleeping with him that night as planned, as he needs rest. At home, Leonard finds Sheldon hacked his Facebook account and changed his status to "In a relationship" and yells at him for attempting to intervene in a relationship in which he has no experience. Howard says this, after only two weeks, makes Leonard appear desperate, but Raj then discovers Stephanie apparently changed her status to "Stephanie Barnett is in a relationship with Leonard Hofstadter". Sheldon, delighted at the improved developments in Leonard's and Stephanie's relationship at his intervention, proclaims "Dr. Sheldon Cooper for the win."
2710"The Vartabedian Conundrum"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Richard Rosenstock		December 8, 2008 (2008-12-08)3T736010.50[12]
Stephanie effectively moves into Leonard's and Sheldon's apartment, though Leonard does not acknowledge this until Sheldon and Penny point it out; Penny then searches Leonard's room with him, discovering various signs that Stephanie is indeed living with him. After Stephanie buys Leonard new clothes that he later hates, he realizes that his relationship with Stephanie is moving too fast for him. He repeatedly tries to tell Stephanie to move out, but each time she diverts him by initiating sex. Meanwhile, Stephanie gives Sheldon a physical examination when he complains about his tinnitus. After Sheldon sneaks into the hospital to test himself, Stephanie diagnoses Sheldon with a fake larynx inflammation and instructs him not to speak at all, a procedure she calls a "Sheldonectomy".
2811"The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Richard Rosenstock
Teleplay by : Stephen Engel & Eric Kaplan		December 15, 2008 (2008-12-15)3T736111.22[13]
Leonard meets visiting researcher and fellow experimental physicist
Dr. David Underhill. Though Leonard envies David for being handsome and a more successful physicist than himself, he jumps at David's offer to help him in his research. Things come to a halt when David meets Penny and the two start dating—though they quickly break up when Penny discovers nude photos of his wife on his phone. Leonard only learns this when he comes to Penny's apartment to yell at her about their own on-off relationship. When he realizes his mistake, he and Penny cuddle each other to comfort each other. Meanwhile, Sheldon worries about the approaching Christmas holidays and his indecision about what to buy for Penny, as he needs it to match the value of her gift to him. After deciding on a basket of bath items he discovers a large selection, so not knowing what Penny will get him, he buys the entire range to cover all contingencies. Penny's gift to Sheldon is a napkin both autographed and used by Leonard Nimoy. Sheldon, overwhelmed since he now possesses Nimoy's DNA and can grow
his own Leonard Nimoy, gives Penny all the gift baskets and also a rare "Sheldon" hug.
2912"The Killer Robot Instability"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Richard Rosenstock
Teleplay by : Steven Molaro & Daley Haggar		January 12, 2009 (2009-01-12)3T736211.81[14]
Howard designs a
Barry Kripke
, who is also entering the competition, challenges Sheldon and the guys to a one-on-one fight between their robots. Sheldon accepts, but Kripke's robot turns out to be far superior to M.O.N.T.E. and, with engineer Howard indisposed, Barry can easily win. Sheldon refuses to concede defeat, and M.O.N.T.E. is destroyed by Kripke's robot.
3013"The Friendship Algorithm"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Richard Rosenstock
Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro		January 19, 2009 (2009-01-19)3T736311.03[15]
Sheldon hears that Kripke controls access to an Open Science Grid computer, so he plans to befriend him to gain access to it. The socially inept Sheldon struggles, and his current friends are of little help in this area so, in the hope of finding self-help literature on friendship, he has Leonard drive him to the bookstore. There Sheldon tries making friends with a little girl, but Leonard makes him exit quickly before he is picked up as a pedophile. A children's book from the store helps Sheldon design an algorithm in flowchart form for making new friends. This pays off when Sheldon goes rock climbing with Kripke, but Sheldon faints due to his fear of heights. Back at the apartment, Sheldon decides to cut off Raj as a friend to make room for Kripke. However, when Kripke reveals he does not actually control computer access, Sheldon dismisses him and restores Raj as a friend.
3114"The Financial Permeability"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro
Teleplay by : Richard Rosenstock & Eric Kaplan		February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)3T736410.84[16]
When Penny experiences major financial difficulties, Sheldon lends her some money which she can repay at her leisure. When Leonard learns about Penny's problems, he tries to help her cut her expenses, and in the process learns that her ex-boyfriend
Kurt
owes her $1,800. Without telling Penny, Leonard and the guys go to Kurt's place to recover the money. They are unsuccessful, though Kurt writes "I owe Penny $1,800, Kurt" on Leonard's forehead in indelible ink. Penny later repays Sheldon after Kurt unexpectedly repays her but, much to Leonard's disappointment, Kurt did not tell Penny about Leonard's visit, instead taking the opportunity to try to get back together with her.
3215"The Maternal Capacitance"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Teleplay by : Richard Rosenstock & Steven Molaro		February 9, 2009 (2009-02-09)3T736512.72[17]
Leonard becomes worried when he learns his mother, accomplished
ersatz homosexual marriage". Leonard later goes to talk to Penny and they comfort each other by discussing their respective childhood issues with their parents. After becoming drunk, Penny and Leonard end up in bed together, but Leonard ruins the moment by invoking psychiatric theory, implying that he is effectively having sex with his mom and she with her dad
. Horrified at their actions, Penny throws Leonard out of her apartment. She wants to talk about it the next day, but Leonard begs her never to speak of it again.
3316"The Cushion Saturation"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Lee Aronsohn		March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02)3T736610.83[18]
After a paintball match, Penny accidentally shoots several green paintballs at Sheldon's couch cushion, and she and Leonard try hard to fix it. Sheldon, still upset and dissatisfied with his eventually dry-cleaned cushion, team-kills Penny in the next paintball game, causing the others to surrender. Meanwhile,
Leslie and Howard begin a relationship after having sex (twice) during the match. Leslie secures funds for his work and even invites him to a trip to the CERN Large Hadron Collider project in Geneva
, but threatens to withdraw the invitation unless he accompanies her to a wedding. So sex is just Leslie's way of controlling Howard. Although initially reluctant, Howard later happily accepts his role as a "sex toy/arm candy" after Leslie comforts him.
3417"The Terminator Decoupling"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Bill Prady & Dave Goetsch
Teleplay by : Tim Doyle & Stephen Engel		March 9, 2009 (2009-03-09)3T73679.47[19]
The guys take a trip to a conference in San Francisco to meet guest speaker and 2006 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. George Smoot. On the train, the guys notice Summer Glau of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is on their car. Raj drinks a beer before being the first to approach her, and they get on well until Howard discovers Raj actually drank non-alcoholic beer, which apparently had a placebo effect, and points this out to Raj who thereupon reverts to his usual selective mutism. Howard then takes over, but creeps Summer out with his awkward style. Leonard finally gets his chance, but Summer gets off the train before he can introduce himself. Meanwhile, Sheldon realizes he forgot the USB flash drive with the paper he wants to show to Smoot, and needs extensive help from Penny to find it and email it to him. At the conference, however, Smoot is not impressed by Sheldon's research.
3518"The Work Song Nanocluster"Peter ChakosStory by : Bill Prady & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by : Dave Goetsch & Richard Rosenstock		March 16, 2009 (2009-03-16)3T73689.69[20]
Penny develops home-made hair
The Flash
while attempting to help Penny with the new order.
3619"The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition"Mark CendrowskiSteven MolaroMarch 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)3T73699.74[21]
The former tenants of the apartment above Leonard and Sheldon's move out. After an unsuccessful attempt by Howard to rent the apartment, an attractive blonde named Alicia moves in. Alicia, like Penny, is an aspiring actress; she obtains a role as a dead hooker in an episode of the TV series
quantum physics
joke. After Alicia brags about her exploitation of the men, while also desiring their incomes, Penny confronts her. Alicia responds that Penny exploits the men just as she does, upon which Penny physically attacks her. After the fight, the guys take an injured Penny back to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and learn that Alicia is sleeping with one of the CSI producers, leading Penny to comment that Alicia is a "dead whore on TV, live one in real life".
3720"The Hofstadter Isotope"Mark CendrowskiDave GoetschApril 13, 2009 (2009-04-13)3T737010.06[22]
When Penny accompanies the guys to the comic book store to buy a present for her nephew's birthday, the owner,
Stuart, asks her out on a date, making Leonard jealous. To take his mind off the situation, Leonard asks Howard and Raj to take him to a bar to socialize with women, but neither he nor Howard succeed in finding a woman. They decide to give up, only to see a large woman has found Raj. Stuart's date with Penny goes well until they are intercepted at Penny's apartment by Sheldon, who starts an argument with Stuart about who should succeed Bruce Wayne as Batman
, during which Penny falls asleep. Raj wakes up in the bed of the large woman, her fat arm holding him in a tight grip. He tries to get up but she pulls him back. He brushes the situation off and dozes.
3821"The Vegas Renormalization"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Jessica Ambrosetti & Nicole Lorre & Andrew Roth
Teleplay by : Steven Molaro		April 27, 2009 (2009-04-27)3T73719.24[23]
Leslie ends her
prostitute
named Mikayla approaches Raj, and he and Leonard decide to hire her for Howard. Howard soon realizes she is a prostitute, but nevertheless thanks Leonard and Raj for setting up the "date". Meanwhile, Sheldon, who has declined to go to Las Vegas, is delighted to spend the weekend alone, until he forgets his apartment key. Penny reluctantly allows him to stay over in her apartment, where he spends the night in her bed (she sleeps on her couch, which Sheldon has rejected as being too short for him) and, as a result, thinks he has a better understanding of the term "friends with benefits".
3922"The Classified Materials Turbulence"Mark CendrowskiStory by : Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by : Bill Prady & Steven Molaro		May 4, 2009 (2009-05-04)3T73739.25[24]
Howard celebrates the launch of his latest invention, a zero-gravity human-waste disposal system (a toilet) to be used in the
spacewalk
". At the comic book store, Stuart tells Leonard that he is having a second date with Penny and asks for advice. Leonard deliberately avoids Stuart for as long as possible, and finally gives him bad advice. The next day, Leonard feels guilty and goes to apologize to him. Stuart reveals the date went well until they started making out in his car and Penny accidentally called him "Leonard". Leonard is secretly delighted.
4023"The Monopolar Expedition"Mark CendrowskiEric Kaplan & Richard RosenstockMay 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)3T73729.76[25]
Sheldon wins a
Magnetic North Pole to detect magnetic monopoles and prove the validity of string theory. After some hesitation, he decides to go and invites Leonard, Howard and Raj to join him; they too initially hesitate as it would mean being locked in a cabin with Sheldon for three months, but finally agree. To prepare, Sheldon and the guys practise in the freezer room at the Cheesecake Factory, which however later proves unnecessary as they discover they will actually be spending their time in a warm cabin. On the night before the expedition, Leonard expresses doubts on going as it will mean not seeing Penny for the whole summer. He also believes Penny will miss him too, after she gives him a sleeved blanket
and a long hug. The next morning, when Leonard meets Penny again, she claims to have simply wished him a safe trip, but after he closes the door she sadly whispers that she wishes he would not leave.

Reception

Compared to season one, the second season received critical acclaim. Jessica Paff of

Screener wrote that "if they can keep the funny coming, I will keep watching",[26] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised the improvements to the character of Sheldon Cooper, writing that "Prickly Sheldon has become a character to love, and [actor Jim] Parsons is doing something rare on network TV: making intellectualism admirable, even heroic",[27] and James Chamberlin of IGN wrote that "Jim Parsons is a riot and is reason enough to tune in each week."[28]

Notes

  1. ^ Credited as Analeigh Tipton; Tipton came out as non-binary and changed their name in 2021.[2]

References

  1. ^ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Nolfi, Joey (June 3, 2021). "America's Next Top Model star Lio Tipton 'proud' to come out as queer and non-binary". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Sept. 22-28)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 6-12)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 13-19)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 20-26)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  8. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 11, 2008). "Top CBS Primetime Shows, November 3–9". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Gorman, Bill (November 11, 2008). ""The Big Bang Theory" Getting Bigger...Ratings Bang Getting Louder". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 25, 2008). "Top CBS Primetime Shows November 17-23, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  11. ^ "CBS Feasts on Its 9th Consecutive Weekly Win". The Futon Critic. December 3, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  12. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Dec. 8-14)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  13. ^ "CBS's 12th Consecutive Weekly Victory Lifts Network to Year-To-Year Gains". The Futon Critic. December 23, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 13, 2009). "Monday Ratings: Two and a Half Men and 24 rule Monday night". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  15. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Jan. 19-25)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  16. ^ "Grammy Awards Pace CBS to First Place in Viewers". The Futon Critic. February 10, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "CBS Places First in Viewers for the Fourth Time in Five Weeks and 17 of 21 This Season". The Futon Critic. February 18, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 2-8)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 9-15)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. March 17, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  20. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 16-22)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. March 24, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  21. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 30-Apr. 5)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  22. ^ "CBS Rolls a Lucky 7". The Futon Critic. April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  23. ^ "CBS Places First in Viewers for the 9th Consecutive Week". The Futon Critic. May 6, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 7, 2009). "ABC Wins As Castle Surges After Dancing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  25. ^ "CBS Wins Its 11th Consecutive Week in Viewers, the Final Full Week of the 2008-2009 Television Season". The Futon Critic. May 19, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  26. Screener. Tribune Media. Archived
    from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  27. ^ Tucker, Ken (November 5, 2008). "The Big Bang Theory". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  28. ^ Chamberlin, James (May 19, 2009). "The Big Bang Theory: Season 2 Review". IGN. j2 Global. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
General references

External links

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