In The Big Bang Theory, Penny was the beautiful neighbor that Leonard fell for, despite having nothing in common.
She may not have been a scientist, but she had something most of them didn’t possess: street smarts. This, paired with strong social skills helped her become one of the boys.
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But now, a new theory about Penny has emerged. Spoiler alert: it changes everything you know about the show.
Fans have come up with wild theories about the show before
The show is called The Big Bang Theory after all. One theory from u/thetheoryguys on Reddit suggests that the show is all made up in Sheldon’s head while in a mental asylum.
May not be that much of a stretch
The theory goes that Sheldon murdered his dad and his dad’s girlfriend, and gets sent to an insane asylum. This explains why we never learn how his dad died in the show.
When he’s in the mental asylum, he meets Penny
She’s an actress who had a mental breakdown from struggling to make it.
Leonard is there, too, after being lobotomized by the government for giving information to North Korea. Amy is Sheldon’s doctor.
Amy is obsessed with studying his brain
Raj is a doctor who really wants to become an astrophysicist. He has very deep depression and resentment toward women due to his sister being the favorite child.
Howard is a caretaker in the asylum
Howard is a sex addict who still imagines his mom living with him, even after she dies. We’re glad that’s actually not what the show is about — or is it?
This next theory is all about Penny
Even during the 12 seasons of the actual show, fans had questions about her character. Why doesn’t she have a last name? How is she able to afford an apartment where scientists live?
Why she spends time with them despite having nothing in common
And on and on these questions go. It might all be explained in this fan theory by Reddit user /u/numbertheory that Penny is actually a spy.
Sheldon and Leonard have been spied on ever since “The Staircase Implementation”
In the episode, it was revealed that the woman Leonard broke up with, Joyce Kim, was a North Korean spy. An upset Leonard caused an explosion in the building’s elevators.
The Federal government sends Penny in to monitor them
Leonard and Sheldon’s knowledge of a rocket fuel project would explain why Penny has no last name and why she spends so much time with the guys who don’t share her interests.
Why she doesn’t seem to have any real traction in her acting career
The theory goes deeper to posit that Penny is hiding her real intelligence. She acts like a dumb blonde, which allows the guys to feel comfortable diving into their science talk.
Penny is feeding information to the government
Still have trouble believing it? Go back to the start of the series and watch it with this theory in mind. It will appear like an entirely different show.