Our brains need a break. These days, watching the news can feel a lot like getting a root canal. So I turn to my favorite TV shows for a respite — like The Big Bang Theory .
I set out with one goal in mind: to determine the cream of the crop. Now, after tireless hours of watching and rewatching, I present to you 10+ of the best The Big Bang Theory _ episodes of all time.
Season 2, Episode 7: “The Panty Piñata Polarization.”
The evolving relationship between Penny and Sheldon was one of the most rewarding aspects of The Big Bang Theory .
Watching Penny and Sheldon go back and forth over a series of escalating pranks is a great entry point for any newcomer to the show.
Season 4, Episode 1: “The Robotic Manipulation.”
Over the years, Howard Wolowitz has managed to get himself into some pretty precarious situations.
But a trip to the emergency room after a romantic encounter with a robotic hand tops them all.
Season 2, Episode 3: “The Barbarian Sublimation.”
The world of online gaming is a slippery slope. Watching as Penny succame to the lures of RPG gaming was without a doubt one of the funniest moments of the series.
Her being propositioned by Howard via game chat was the icing on the cake.
Season 2, Episode 15: “The Maternal Capacitance.”
I think we can all agree that the love that dared not speak its name on The Big Bang Theory was the blossoming romance between Sheldon and Beverly Hofstader.
Their Rockband duet shall live forever in our hearts and minds.
Season 11, Episode 24: “The Bow-Tie Asymmetry.”
This was the big one, the moment we’d all been waiting for — Sheldon and Amy’s marriage!
The fact that they had Luke Skywalker himself (aka Mark Hamill) as the officiant just sent it over the top.
Season 3, Episode 8: “The Adhesive Duck Deficiency.”
Compassionate is not the first adjective that comes to mind when you think of Sheldon Cooper.
Yet when he heard Penny’s painful calls of distress, he begrudgingly came running to her aid.
He even sang her “Soft Kitty.”
Season 2, Episode 11: “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis.”
Sheldon is not one to express his love or affection in a physical manner. But when he received Penny’s gift (Leonard Nemoy’s used napkin) he was overcome with gratitude.
So much so, that he gave Penny a nice big hug.
Season 3, Episode 22: “The Staircase Implementation.”
Who doesn’t love a good origin story? Seeing how the gang all came to be was incredibly rewarding, especially Leonard and Raj’s early fashion sense.
Or lack thereof, I suppose would be a better way of putting it.
Season 4, Episode 2: “The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification.”
Sheldon has come up with a lot of zany schemes and ideas over the course of the series. But devising a robot that would allow him to interact with the world from the safety of his own bedroom was nothing shy of genius.
Season 1, Episode 11: “The Pancake Batter Anomaly.”
Are you searching your memory for the first moment that Sheldon and Penny truly became friends? Look no further than “The Pancake Batter Anomaly.”
This is the very first time that Sheldon allows himself to be vulnerable in front of Penny. It’s also the first time we ever hear “Soft Kitty.”
Season 1, Episode 4: “The Luminous Fish Effect.”
Most of us can relate to being fired. Some people turn to Netflix in the aftermath, others try to desperately restructure and reorganize their lives.
And some, like Sheldon Cooper, concoct experiments on the plausibility of creating a luminous fish market.
Season 4, Episode 11: “The Justice League Recombination.”
Halloween on The Big Bang Theory is always a fun and exciting time. What makes this particular episode so memorable for me is Zack’s presence.
Of all Penny’s meatheaded and moronic boyfriends, he was my favorite.
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Season 3, Episode 23: “The Lunar Excitation.”
And they called it puppy love… Oh, my heart just melts every time I think back to Amy and Sheldon’s meet-cute.
It was as if Sheldon was looking at himself from the other side of the mirror.
Season 3, Episode 9: “The Vengeance Formulation.”
The only thing I love more than pranks are revenge pranks! Sheldon Cooper is so maniacal in this episode he could practically be a Batman villain.
Watching as he douses Kripke in foam will forever be burned into my mind.
Season 5, Episode 14: “The Beta Test Initiation.”
On January 26th, 2012, the world was introduced to one of the best YouTube shows it had ever seen up until that point — Fun With Flags .
This episode was the advent of one of the series best running gags.
