"The Big Bang Theory"
The Bat Jar Conjecture (2008)

Director:

Mark Cendrowski

Writers:

Chuck Lorre (creator) &
Bill Prady (creator) ...

TV Series:

"The Big Bang Theory" (2007)

Original Air Date:

21 April 2008 (Season 1, Episode 13)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Sheldon becomes so intent on demonstrating his intellectual superiority over his Physics Bowl teammates that they boot him, and replace him with his nemesis. |

Plot Keywords:

Building | Lack Of Sex | Friend | TV Series Pilot | Nerd

Cast

Johnny Galecki	...	Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons	...	Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco	...	Penny
Simon Helberg	...	Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar	...	Rajnesh Koothrappali
Sara Gilbert	...	Leslie Winkle
Mark Harelik	...	Dr. Eric Gablehauser
Adam Gregor	...	Dmitri
Sandra Marquez	...	Woman
Sergio Enrique	...	Son

Language:

Italian

Quotes:

Leonard: Sorry, someone is sitting there.
Sheldon: Who?
[Leonard making funny voice]
Leonard: My physics bowl trophy
Sheldon: That trophy is meaningless. I forfeit it. You didn't win.
Leonard: I know who will disagree
Sheldon: Who?
[Leonard making funny voice]
Leonard: My physics bowl trophy!... Leonard is so smart... Sheldon who?

Movie Connections:

References "The Wonder Years" (1988)

The Bat Jar Conjecture is another excellent episode of "The Big Bang Theory"

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

As Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj prepare for the Physics Bowl with Penny moderating, Sheldon keeps giving the answers even when someone else buzzes first. To make his rejection from the team easier, Leonard gives Sheldon a Batman cookie jar as a gift. In picking a new team member, Leonard reluctantly asks his one-night-stand girl, Leslie Winkle (a welcome return from Sara Gilbert), to join. She refuses until she hears Sheldon is on the other team. On the big day, with Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Leslie representing the Pumonary Movement Sound (PMS) and Sheldon and three middle-aged ethnic custodial staff representing the Atom Ants (AA), the game is on with Dr. Gablehauser presiding. With Penny in the audience sleeping through the quiz show, PMS and Sheldon alone keep answering questions correctly making it a close game with one more challenge for either one to win. It involves a chart that neither PMS nor Sheldon can figure out. Fortunately, the Russian janitor in AA who was a professor in his home country figures its solution correctly. Unfortunately, Sheldon's ego is such that he can't accept it as the official answer since it wasn't his meaning he forfeits and gives victory to PMS, which Howard celebrates by taking off his shirt in front of several girls in the audience! Later, Penny challenges Leonard and Sheldon with her own Pop Culture quiz about "The Brady Bunch", Britney Spears, the two-time People Sexiest Man Alive, and Tweety Bird's catch phrase. Many of these are answered wrong with "Star Trek"-related things though Penny lets the last one, "I taught I taw a Romulan", fly making Sheldon the champion in his home while Leonard still shows off his trophy...This episode was on fire with Sheldon's arrogance once again making him venerable especially with Leslie (who once made him cry like a girl) challenging him. Great lines with just about everyone here with Gilbert especially hilarious in her put-down of Sheldon. My favorite part was the arguing about the team name when Sheldon was still part of them. Another team name suggested but rejected was The Bengal Tigers by Raj who, in rejecting Sheldon's Atom Ants, says Tigers don't get fried by a magnifying glass! Chuck Lorre, once again, you rock! With this and "Two and a Half Men" still going strong, you're certainly the renaissance man of sitcoms this season.