The Most Disturbing Scenes In The Big Bang Theory
For 12 seasons and 279 episodes, "The Big Bang Theory" made the masses laugh thanks to the antics of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), yelling matches between Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and his mother Debbie (Carol Ann Susi), and the unlikely romance between Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco). However, upon closer inspection, not every scene in Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady's long-running sitcom is so humorous. In fact, some situations on the show can be seen as rather disturbing.
Among the countless comedic moments, some darker ones are sprinkled in. There's Sheldon's regularly cruel treatment of Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), who he at one point considers less important than his TV shows and Twitter following; Leonard's unfaithfulness after years of pining for Penny's affection; and the extremely close bond between Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and his dog Cinnamon, to name just a few. Read on for a full list of disturbing moments in "The Big Bang Theory."
Sheldon abandons Raj in a basement
It's no secret that Sheldon Cooper is the most self-centered character on "The Big Bang Theory." However, this negative trait is amplified in Season 8, Episode 6 ("The Expedition Approximation"), when he abandons Raj in a rodent-infested basement. At the beginning of the episode, the two scientists contemplate applying for a dark matter study that would require them to spend time in a salt mine. Sheldon, who is claustrophobic, isn't too sure he's capable, so they decide to conduct a simulation in the Caltech basement.
It's a hot, small space, and Sheldon is instantly uncomfortable. Still, Raj tries his best to calm his friend down, even introducing Sheldon to "Hannah Montana." As Raj is doing so, Sheldon spots two rats, flees upstairs, and closes the basement door behind him. He tells Amy, who is waiting for them, "It's too late for Koothrappali, let's go!" Raj can be heard screaming that the rats are inside his shirt, but even Amy abandons him.
Eventually, Raj escapes and is, understandably, furious. He tells Sheldon, "You call yourself a friend? I was trying to help you and at the first sign of trouble, you ran away leaving me to fend off a family of rats!" Raj goes on to call Sheldon selfish and cowardly, to which Sheldon responds that Raj is simply stating the obvious. Leaving Raj down there is bad enough, but to also close the door and act indifferent during his tirade is downright cruel.
Howard is creepy toward women, especially Penny
Throughout the bulk of "The Big Bang Theory," Howard Wolowitz is in a loving relationship with Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch). However, before the aerospace engineer settles down, he attempts to be quite the ladies' man ... but usually fails horribly, especially when it comes to Penny.
Upon first meeting the Cheesecake Factory waitress, Howard pulls out all the stops to try and woo her, including telling her she looks beautiful in Russian. One of his most disturbing moments comes in Season 2, Episode 12 ("The Killer Robot Instability"), when Howard invites Penny to the post-robotic competition dance, and informs her she'll be the only "doable" girl in attendance. Penny expresses her disgust and tells him, "I know you think you're some sort of smooth-talking ladies' man, but the truth is, you are just pathetic and creepy." Howard is completely surprised by Penny's reaction, as he was under the impression that they always had a flirty rapport going.
A number of "The Big Bang Theory" fans find early Howard moments like this unfunny. On Reddit, u/King_Kong_The_eleven said, "I'm starting to find it difficult to rewatch parts of the first few seasons because of how disturbingly creepy and perverted Howard is a lot of the time. It's not really funny, it's uncomfortable to watch." U/formalest added, "He's always bringing up sex when it's completely unnecessary (and disgusting) and flirting with Penny when she's made it clear she doesn't want to engage in anything sexual with him."
Raj is a little too close to his dog Cinnamon
In Season 5, when Raj Koothrappali is considering marrying a lesbian just to have companionship, Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette Rostenkowski surprise him with a new friend to curb his loneliness: A Yorkie named Cinnamon. Raj instantly takes to the little dog, whom he refers to as his special little lady. Still, some might say his attachment becomes a bit odd and over-the-top.
As noted previously, Howard is responsible for some pretty disturbing moments on "The Big Bang Theory." But one scene involving Raj and Cinnamon even disturbs him. After installing a security camera so that Raj can keep an eye on his dog while at work, Howard watches in disgust as his friend lets Cinnamon lick him on the mouth, with Raj asking, "Who's got the sweetest kisses?" Howard, clearly grossed out, inquires, "Should I go?"
Later in the series, when Raj is dating Emily Sweeney (Laura Spencer), Howard gets the gang involved in a rousing game of "Emily or Cinnamon?." The game goes like this: Howard says a sickeningly sweet phrase uttered by Raj, and the others have to guess if it was said to his girlfriend or dog. Examples include, "I want you to know, the bed feels so lonely when you're not in it," and, "Check it out, I got us matching sweaters." Not surprisingly, both were said to Cinnamon.
Sheldon can be downright cruel to Amy
The relationship of Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler was never going to be like that of the other couples on "The Big Bang Theory." Sheldon is a unique individual with quirks and a blasé attitude toward physical intimacy, which means Amy doesn't always get the romantic attention she craves. Yet sometimes, Sheldon surpasses quirky and becomes extremely insulting toward Amy.
In Season 5, Episode 12 ("The Shiny Trinket Maneuver"), when they're supposed to be enjoying a rare date night, Sheldon is more concerned about his amount of Twitter followers than Amy's accomplishments at work. A similar incident occurs in Season 8, Episode 24 ("The Commitment Determination") when Sheldon can't stop thinking about television while kissing Amy.
While Sheldon boasts plenty of funny moments throughout the series, scenes like these involving his blatant disregard for Amy can be disturbing to watch. Thankfully, for any fans angry with Sheldon over such incidents, Amy decides to take a step back from the relationship after the television debacle, which sees Sheldon once again not understanding that he did something wrong to someone he's supposed to care about.
Bernadette judges Penny for not wanting kids
Over the course of "The Big Bang Theory," Penny and Bernadette Rostenkowski get along pretty well. It's Penny who introduces Bernadette to her future husband Howard Wolowitz, and Bernadette who helps Penny land a job in sales. However, a pretty cringy moment occurs between the two in Season 12, Episode 3 ("The Procreation Calculation"), when Bernadette condescendingly tries to convince Penny to have children.
Penny is sure she'd be a good mother but is simply not interested in starting a family. Rather than being sympathetic to her friend's feelings, Bernadette, a mother of two, tells Penny, "Are you crazy? Of course you want them, it's amazing." When Penny objects, Bernadette continues, "Aw, you sound just like me before I became a mom and learned what the meaning of love was."
Bernadette's comments are extremely hypocritical, since earlier seasons depict her as someone who despises youngsters. In Season 5, Episode 12 ("The Shiny Trinket Maneuver"), while serving as Howard's assistant during a children's magic show, she acts rather hostile toward the party-goers. Afterward, in the car, she admits to Howard, "I know it makes me sound like a bad person, but I just don't like children." She goes on to complain about how a baby would ruin her body and career, and she'd have nothing to be happy about for the next two decades. It's possible that, deep down, she still feels this way and is trying to have Penny join in her misery.
Dr. Lorvis stalks Penny
From Howard Wolowitz's early advances to serenading Sheldon Cooper with "Soft Kitty," Penny is no stranger to having odd men in her life upon arriving in Pasadena. However, one man surpasses odd and goes right to disturbing in Season 8, Episode 7 ("The Misinterpretation Agitation"). It's Penny's job to make sales calls at the office of Dr. Oliver Lorvis (Billy Bob Thornton), but the medical professional takes her kindness — and two-Mississippis-long arm touch — as something more than a business transaction. In fact, he shows up at her apartment, telling Sheldon, "I was hoping to impress her by tracking her down on the internet and then showing up unannounced at her door."
Though Leonard breaks it to Lorvis that Penny is taken, he doesn't give up hope, and even locks the guys in his basement while he goes back to try and win her over. And the worst part? Lorvis has done this before with a pet store worker and who knows how many other women. He'll chase anyone who gives him the slightest bit of attention, including Amy Farrah Fowler, who he becomes infatuated with when he meets her in the hallway.
Also disturbing is the disregard for Penny's safety by the guys, especially Leonard. Lorvis is clearly a stalker, yet the opportunity to go see his pop culture collection takes precedence over stopping a potentially dangerous situation for Penny.
Sheldon's visit to human resources
In Season 6, Episode 12 ("The Egg Salad Equivalency"), Sheldon gets in some hot water after making inappropriate comments toward his assistant Alex Jensen (Margo Harshman), who he feels has a thing for Leonard. To try and get her to back off, he has her look at photos of disease-ridden genitalia and calls her an egg salad sandwich on a hot day — full of eggs and only appealing for a short time.
As if that isn't bad enough, his comments toward Caltech's human resources manager Janine Davis (Regina King) are even worse. While trying to explain himself, he tells Janine, who is Black, "I meant that all women are slaves to their biological urges, you know? Even you. You're a slave." To this, a shocked Janine responds, "I'm a what?" He then tries to discuss menstrual cycles before Janine cuts him off.
However, her time with Sheldon isn't over just yet. In Season 6, Episode 20 ("The Tenure Turbulence"), when the guys are battling for tenure and Janine is the one making the decision, he gifts her the complete DVD set of "Roots," the story of a young man captured into slavery, thinking she'd love it. All of this is a prime example of how Sheldon has no concept of appropriate behavior, and his actions are in extremely poor taste.
The friendship between Howard and Raj
Within the core four of "The Big Bang Theory," there are different friendship dynamics. Sheldon and Leonard are naturally close given their roommate status, while Raj and Howard are besties, especially since Howard was the first person Raj met upon his arrival in America from India. However, the bond between Howard and Raj enters "more than friends" territory from time to time, with some — like Leonard's mother Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski) — even believing they have romantic feelings for one another.
In Season 4, Episode 9 ("The Boyfriend Complexity"), when Howard senses Raj moving in to kiss Bernadette Rostenkowski, he dives across her to block it, and locks lips with his buddy instead. This leads to a pretty awkward lunch the following day, with a sad Raj inquiring why Howard didn't call him that morning. Then there's Season 7, Episode 2 ("The Deception Verification"), which sees Howard feeling the effects of accidental estrogen exposure. Convinced he's growing breasts, Howard calls on Raj to help him investigate, with Bernadette walking in on the two groping each other's chests.
Ultimately, the show treats such moments as a punchline, acting as if the idea of two men secretly having deep-rooted feelings for each other is disturbing. However, would it actually be so bad if this came to fruition? A number of fans, including Reddit's u/HarrietIsGreat, would've welcomed it: "I have a confession to make, I used to ship Howard and Raj when I first began watching the series."
Sheldon breaks into Penny's apartment to clean
Penny, an aspiring actress from Nebraska, is thrilled to have made acquaintances with the seemingly kind, intellectual guys in the apartment across the hall. After all, she's a single girl in a brand new environment, so it can't hurt to have some nice people around to watch out for her. Little does she know, it's them that she needs to bolt her door against.
In Season 1, Episode 2 ("The Big Bran Hypothesis"), Sheldon Cooper can't sleep because he's unable to stop thinking about the disarray of Penny's apartment. Is it bothering her? Absolutely not. But of course, he takes it on as a personal issue. In the middle of the night, he sneaks into Penny's place to clean and organize, with Leonard frantically trying to stop him. Unable to, Leonard ends up helping Sheldon in his mission. Naturally, when Penny wakes up and sees the newfound cleanliness, she's angry at her neighbors, who she instantly knows are responsible.
As audience members, we know that Sheldon and Leonard are harmless. But if such an incident were to happen outside of a sitcom, it would be downright horrifying. Imagine being in Penny's shoes, knowing that two men she just met hours prior were rummaging around in her place as she slept. Talk about creepy!
Leonard's decision to tell Penny he cheated
In Season 8, Episode 24 ("The Commitment Determination"), Leonard and Penny are finally ready to tie the knot after putting it off for some time. They're excitedly heading to Las Vegas for a quick ceremony, but Leonard drops quite the bombshell that changes the entire mood of the day: He cheated. A few years prior, when he was out on a boat conducting research, he drunkenly made out with one of the female scientists on board. Penny is stunned and livid, but agrees to move forward with the nuptials.
Given the fact that it's always Leonard who's insecure about Penny cheating on him (though she never does), it's disturbing to hear that he's the one to break the trust in their relationship. In fact, many viewers couldn't stand this particular scene. On Reddit, u/angelamartini said, "It came out of absolutely nowhere and disappeared as quickly as it started. And it just wasn't funny or enjoyable to watch. It ruined the wedding episode and almost put me off the show entirely." Another user added, "I hate it. HATE IT. They were in such a happy place when he went on the ship, it made no sense."
Penny and Leonard are able to make the marriage work. Still, after investing years into watching their relationship blossom, it's unsettling to see this new chapter start off on such a surprisingly negative foot.
The guys lie to Sheldon about his work in Antarctica
Sheldon Cooper tends to be insufferable to live and work with thanks to his quirks, know-it-all attitude, and inability to see his own wrongdoings. Put him in frigid conditions in Antarctica, and these negative traits are amplified significantly. In Season 2, Episode 23 ("The Monopolar Expedition"), the guys are trying to conduct research, but Sheldon's negativity proves difficult to deal with. By Season 3, Episode 1 ("The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation"), it's revealed that Leonard, Howard, and Raj convince Sheldon that he made a scientific breakthrough, but it was actually just static from an electric can opener.
Upon learning the truth, Sheldon is crushed and flees to his childhood home in Texas. While there's no excuse for Sheldon's behavior on the expedition, his friends' deception is no better. It makes Sheldon look like a fool in front of his Caltech colleagues, including his nemesis Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie), and was, ultimately, unnecessary. After years of friendship with Sheldon, the three shouldn't have been shocked or greatly affected by Sheldon's behavior in Antarctica. Plus, even when Sheldon expresses that he's hurt over the situation, Leonard couldn't care less — his sole concern is sleeping with Penny.
The outspokenness of Mary Cooper
Considering what we see of Mary Cooper (Laurie Metcalf), mother of Sheldon, it's easy to see where the theoretical physicist gets his blunt, outspoken nature. On the surface, Mary appears to be a sweet Christian woman. But that doesn't stop her from making racist comments throughout the series.
A prime example comes in Season 1, Episode 4 ("The Luminous Fish Effect"), when Mary comes to Pasadena to comfort Sheldon after he's fired from his job. Upon making dinner for the gang, she tells Raj Koothrappali, "I made chicken. I hope that isn't one of the animals that you people think is magic." Despite having probably never met Raj before, she's making an assumption about his beliefs based on a stereotype.
Over the course of "The Big Bang Theory," Mary continues to make stereotypical comments about Indians, as well as the Chinese, Jewish, and other groups. Regarding the latter, when she learns that Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette Rostenkowski are having a baby, she inquires if the child will be raised Jewish or regular. Just like her son, Mary is unaware that she's being insulting, with her subjects too caught off guard to express their uncomfortableness. Also similar to how the group treats Sheldon, there seems to be an understanding that that's just the way she is, and to not take her comments too personally. Yet once again, if this were to take place outside of a sitcom, it would be extremely problematic.
Stuart oversteps his boundaries at Howard and Bernadette's house
Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) never quite fits in with the rest of the group. The comic book store owner desperately wants to be included in their constant hangouts, but ends up bonding with Howard's mother Debbie — who he eventually moves in with — more than people his own age. After Debbie's death, Howard and Bernadette make her house their own, and even agree to let Stuart live there until he can find a place. Still, after he finally moves out, Stuart can't seem to stay away.
In Season 10, Episode 5 ("The Hot Tub Contamination"), Howard and Bernadette lie about going away so that they can enjoy a few undisturbed days at home. However, they're disturbed to see Stuart — as well as Raj — sneak in at night to utilize their hot tub. For Stuart, this is a pretty normal occurrence. He tells Raj, "The last couple of months, I come here when I know they're not home. They heard me in the bushes once, but they thought it was a raccoon." As if this isn't creepy enough, Stuart isn't wearing a bathing suit.
Howard and Bernadette feel bad when Stuart moves out, and would more than likely let him use the hot tub if he asked. Instead, he feels that lurking around in the night is a better option (and still wonders why he's not included in group hangouts).
Sheldon trains Penny with chocolate
For Penny, dating a scientist and being friends with an entire group of them can feel daunting at times. She didn't graduate from college and sometimes feels less than her crew of Ph.D. friends (well, except for Masters-level Howard). Still, Penny tries her best, even calling on Sheldon to learn about her boyfriend Leonard's line of work — but sometimes she is oblivious to what's happening around her.
An example of this comes in Season 3, Episode 3 ("The Gothowitz Deviation"), when Sheldon is growing sick of her presence in his apartment. She sings in the morning, makes French toast on oatmeal day, and speaks in a high-pitched manner. In an effort to make her presence more enjoyable, whenever Penny acts in a way that Sheldon deems acceptable, he awards her a chocolate. This happens when she offers to take away his plate, is quiet during his TV program, and lowers her vocal pitch. Though Leonard informs Sheldon that he can't treat someone like a lab rat, he continues the experiment, unbeknownst to its subject.
While the stereotype of Penny being the dumb blonde is laughable throughout "The Big Bang Theory," this instance shows that Sheldon has no problem taking advantage of her intellect, with Leonard not doing much to put a stop to it.