The Bat Jar Conjecture (21 Apr. 2008)

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

Director:

Mark Cendrowski

Writers:

Chuck Lorre (creator), Bill Prady (creator),

Stars:

Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco

Cast

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

Storyline

With the perennial winning team not participating this year, Leonard, Howard and Raj feel that their foursome are the sure winners of this year's edition of the university's physics bowl. They have to talk a reluctant Sheldon into entering with them, which they do manage to do. They regret doing so after Sheldon takes control of everything and as such has taken any fun out of the process. After the threesome kick Sheldon off their team, Sheldon vows revenge by forming his own team. Despite Leonard's discomfort with the idea, they decide to ask Leslie Winkle to be Sheldon's replacement, she who declines until she learns that they are planning on destroying Sheldon in the process. During their match, Sheldon, who believes he is basically fielding a one man team (his teammates are a janitor, the lunch floor monitor and her son), has to decide what is the most important goal.

---

Plot Keywords:

cookie jar | star trek | trophy | trivia contest

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 April 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 25, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Queen's We Are The Champions plays during Howard's triumphant moment at the 29th Annual Physics Bowl. Fittingly, the lead guitarist for that song, Brian May, is an astrophysicist.

---

Goofs

Sheldon does the Vulcan hand gesture incorrectly. He does it with thumb in.

---

Quotes

Penny: [Raj whispers something to Howard] What did he say?
Howard Wolowitz: He compared Sheldon to a disposable feminine cleansing product one might use on a summer's eve.
Penny: Yeah, and the bag it came in.

---

Crazy Credits

In the opening scroll of the time line when it gets to 91,000 there is a mistake the dates read 93,000BC 92,000BC 91,0009C 90,000BC for some reason 91,000 is a 9c not a BC.

---

Connections

References Superman II (1980)

---

Soundtracks

"We Are the Champions"
(uncredited)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performed by Queen

User Reviews

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

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.