The awkward but loveable characters on The Big Bang Theory are what attracts so many of the sitcom's fans. But sometimes, the show's storylines go beyond goofy and become straight up uncomfortable. These are the most disturbing scenes in The Big Bang Theory.
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00:00The awkward but lovable characters on The Big Bang Theory are what attract so many of
00:04the sitcom's fans.
00:05But sometimes, the show's storylines go beyond goofy and become straight-up uncomfortable.
00:10These are the most disturbing scenes in The Big Bang Theory.
00:13It's no secret that Sheldon Cooper is the most self-centered character on The Big Bang
00:17Theory.
00:18However, this trait is amplified when he leaves Raj in a rat-infested basement in the season
00:228 episode, The Expedition Approximation.
00:24At the beginning of the episode, the two scientists contemplate applying for a dark matter study
00:28that would require them to spend time in a salt mine.
00:31Sheldon, who is claustrophobic, isn't sure he could handle that, so they decide to conduct
00:35a simulation in the Caltech basement.
00:37Within minutes of entering the tiny hot space, Sheldon is predictably uncomfortable.
00:42Still, Raj tries his best to calm his friend down.
00:45As he opens up to Sheldon in a heartfelt monologue, Sheldon realizes they're not alone in the
00:49mine and flees.
00:50As Raj yells in confusion, Sheldon runs into Amy and tells her in no uncertain terms they
00:55should leave without their friend.
00:57It's too late for Koothrappali.
00:58Let's go!
01:03Eleven minutes.
01:04That's longer than I thought.
01:05Eventually, an understandably furious Raj escapes and shows up at Sheldon's apartment.
01:09You called yourself a friend?
01:12I was trying to help you, and in the first sign of trouble, you ran away.
01:17Raj goes on to call Sheldon selfish and cowardly, to which Sheldon responds that Raj is simply
01:21stating the obvious.
01:23It seems that even in the most emotionally heightened situations, Sheldon will always
01:27be Sheldon, even if it means his friend gets eaten by rodents.
01:31Throughout the bulk of The Big Bang Theory, Howard Wolowitz is in a loving relationship
01:35with Bernadette Rostenkowski.
01:36But before the aerospace engineer settles down, his desperate attempts to attract ladies
01:40usually fail horribly, especially when it comes to Penny.
01:43Upon first meeting the Cheesecake Factory waitress, Howard pulls out all the stops to
01:47try and woo her.
01:49One of his most disturbing moments comes in Season 2's The Killer Robot Instability, when
01:53Howard invites Penny to the post-robotic competition dance by making a misogynistic comment.
01:58You'd be the only doable girl.
02:00Where she'd normally roll her eyes or make a sassy comeback, Penny expresses her disgust
02:04instead.
02:05I know you think you're some sort of smooth-talking ladies' man, but the truth is you are just
02:09pathetic and creepy.
02:10Howard is somehow completely surprised by Penny's reaction, as he was under the impression
02:14that they always had a flirty rapport going.
02:17And while it took Penny less than two seasons to finally decide she'd had enough, a number
02:21of The Big Bang Theory fans have also gotten frustrated with Howard's behavior.
02:24It just goes to show that bits that may have been intended to be endearing or silly a few
02:28decades ago live on as something very different in the modern day.
02:32In Season 5, when Raj is considering marrying a lesbian just to have companionship, Howard
02:37and Bernadette surprise him with a Yorkie named Cinnamon to curb his loneliness.
02:41Before long, his over-the-top relationship with his new pet becomes a recurring bit throughout
02:45the series.
02:46In fact, there's one scene between Raj and Cinnamon that made even a certified creep
02:50like Howard want to look away.
02:52After installing a security camera so that Raj can keep an eye on his dog while at work,
02:56Howard watches in disgust at how Cinnamon displays affection.
02:59Should I go?
03:02Later in the series, when Raj is dating Emily Sweeney, Howard gets the gang involved in
03:05a rousing game of Emily or Cinnamon.
03:08The game goes like this.
03:09Howard says a sickeningly sweet phrase uttered by Raj, and the others have to guess if it
03:13was said to his girlfriend or dog.
03:15Examples include,
03:16I want you to know, the bed feels so lonely when you're not in it.
03:20And,
03:21Check it out, I got us matching sweaters.
03:23showing just how devoted Raj is to his little pup.
03:26Both of those comments were made to Cinnamon.
03:28Sheldon and Amy's relationship was never going to be like that of the other couples on The
03:32Big Bang Theory.
03:33Sheldon is a unique individual with quirks and a blasé attitude toward intimacy, which
03:37means Amy doesn't always get the romantic attention she craves.
03:41And while this quirky conflict of interest is often played for laughs, it can be a little
03:45tough to watch some of the scenes that really lean into the cringier parts of their dynamic.
03:49In the Season 5 episode, The Shiny Trinket Maneuver, when they're supposed to be enjoying
03:53a rare date night, Sheldon is more concerned about his amount of Twitter followers than
03:57Amy's accomplishments at work.
03:59A similar incident occurs in Season 8's The Commitment Determination, when Sheldon can't
04:03stop thinking about television while kissing Amy.
04:06Thankfully for any fans tired of Sheldon's disregard for his partner, Amy decides to
04:10take a step back from the relationship after the television debacle.
04:13And while the uncomfortable conversation isn't easy to watch, this episode does at
04:17least show Sheldon has grown a bit.
04:19Not only does he look visibly sad about Amy's departure, he even reveals his plan to propose
04:23to her.
04:24Over the course of The Big Bang Theory, Penny and Bernadette get along pretty well.
04:28After all, it's Penny who introduces Bernadette to Howard, and Bernadette who helps Penny
04:32land a job in sales.
04:33However, a pretty cringe moment occurs between the two in the Season 12 episode, The Procreation
04:38Calculation, after Penny makes a confession.
04:40You know, I've been thinking lately that maybe I don't want kids.
04:44Are you crazy?
04:45Of course you want them, it's amazing!
04:48When Penny objects, Bernadette doubles down.
04:50Aw, you sound just like me before I became a mom and learned what the meaning of love
04:54was.
04:55What's both humorous and hypocritical about Bernadette's comments is that she has expressed
04:58her frustration with both her own children and kids-at-large multiple times throughout
05:03earlier seasons.
05:04For example, in the shiny trinket maneuver, she acts rather hostile to a group of kids
05:08while assisting Howard with a magic shell.
05:10Afterward, in the car, she outright admits to not liking kids.
05:14She goes on to complain about how a baby would ruin her body and career, and she'd have nothing
05:18to be happy about for the next two decades.
05:21And while her argument with Penny doesn't paint her in the best moral light, Bernadette's
05:24switch between a total sweetheart and aggressively short-tempered is one of her character's most
05:28common bits.
05:30From Howard's early advances to serenading Sheldon with Soft Kitty, Penny is no stranger
05:34to having odd men in her life.
05:36However, one man surpasses odd and goes right to disturbing in the Season 8 episode, The
05:41Misinterpretation Agitation.
05:43It's Penny's job to make sales calls at the office of Dr. Oliver Lorvis, but the medical
05:47professional takes her kindness as something more than a business transaction.
05:51In fact, he shows up at her apartment with a strange intention.
05:54I was hoping to impress her by tracking her down on the internet and then showing up unannounced
05:59at her door.
06:00Though Leonard breaks it to Lorvis that Penny is taken, he doesn't give up hope, and even
06:04locks the guys in his basement while he goes back to try and win her over.
06:07It seems the showrunner even tried to turn this tendency into a bit, as Lorvis does pretty
06:11much the same thing to every woman that gives him the slightest bit of attention.
06:15In fact, he expresses interest in both Amy and Bernadette upon meeting each of them.
06:20Also disturbing is the disregard for Penny's safety by the guys.
06:23Lorvis is clearly a stalker, yet the opportunity to go see his pop culture collection takes
06:27precedence over stopping a potentially dangerous situation for Penny.
06:31But of course, if picking up on social cues was any scientist on the show's forte, The
06:35Big Bang Theory would be a different series entirely, so some might see this mistake as
06:39just another foible for the introverted group of physicists.
06:42In season 6's The Egg Salad Equivalency, Sheldon gets in some hot water after making inappropriate
06:47comments towards his assistant, Alex.
06:49In the episode, Sheldon worries Alex has a thing for Leonard, and, to try and get her
06:53to back off, he has her look at photos of disease-ridden genitalia and compares her
06:57to an egg salad sandwich on a hot day.
07:00"...full of eggs and only appealing for a short time."
07:03As if that isn't bad enough, his comments towards Caltech's human resources manager
07:07are even worse.
07:08While trying to explain himself, he makes yet another pretty terrible statement.
07:12"...I meant that all women are slaves to their biological urges, you know?
07:18Even you."
07:19He goes on to try to discuss menstrual cycles before finally getting cut off.
07:22However, the HR manager's time with Sheldon isn't over just yet.
07:26In the same season, the guys are battling for tenure, and the same rep is the one deciding
07:30who gets it.
07:31In an attempt to butter her up, Sheldon gifts her the complete DVD set of Roots.
07:35The show tells the story of a young man captured into slavery, and Sheldon thinks she'd love
07:39it because she's black.
07:41All of this is a prime example of how Sheldon has no concept of appropriate behavior, and
07:45how his actions can be an extremely poor taste.
07:48Luckily, in all these cases, other characters instantly show that Sheldon's behavior is inappropriate,
07:53so we can be pretty sure the discomfort we feel as an audience was a deliberate writing
07:57choice with humorous intent rather than an accident.
08:00Within the core four of The Big Bang Theory, there are different friendship dynamics.
08:04Sheldon and Leonard are naturally close given their roommate status, and while they don't
08:07live together, Raj and Howard are besties.
08:10However, the bond between Howard and Raj is so close that many characters believe they
08:14may have romantic feelings for one another.
08:16In the season four episode, The Boyfriend Complexity, the pair even kiss when Howard
08:20tries to stop Raj from making a move on Bernadette.
08:23This leads to a pretty awkward lunch the following day.
08:25I can't believe you didn't call me this morning.
08:27Then there's season seven's The Deception Verification, which sees Howard feeling the
08:31effects of accidental estrogen exposure.
08:33Convinced he's growing breasts, Howard calls on Raj to help him investigate in a pretty
08:37intimate way.
08:38The issue is that the show treats these moments as a punchline, suggesting that the idea of
08:42two men secretly having deep-rooted feelings for each other is ridiculous or disturbing.
08:47But would it actually be so bad if this came to fruition?
08:50Well, if you ask fans on Reddit, many would have welcomed the prospect of Raj and Howard
08:54getting together.
08:55As one wrote,
08:56I have a confession to make.
08:57I used to ship Howard and Raj when I first began watching the series."
09:01After moving to a new city, Penny was likely glad to make friends with some seemingly kind,
09:05intellectual guys in her building.
09:07After all, it never hurts to have someone watching out for you when you're alone in
09:10a new place.
09:11But it turned out her neighbors were who she needed to bolt her door against all along.
09:15In the season one episode, The Big Bran Hypothesis, Sheldon can't sleep because he's unable to
09:19stop thinking about the disarray of Penny's apartment.
09:22And while the mess doesn't bother Penny, the physicist takes it personally enough to
09:25sneak into her apartment at night to address it.
09:28While Leonard initially tries to stop him, he eventually joins in.
09:31Naturally, when Penny wakes up and sees the newfound cleanliness, she's angry at her neighbors,
09:35who she instantly knows are responsible.
09:37As audience members, we know that Sheldon and Leonard are harmless.
09:41Even Penny wouldn't be shocked by this behavior a few seasons down the line.
09:44But considering this was episode two of the series, Penny's hilarious freakout was totally
09:48justified.
09:50While Sheldon and Amy had their own tiff in the commitment determination, Leonard and
09:53Penny were on the way to Las Vegas to finally get married.
09:56But while they're in the car, Leonard drops quite the bombshell about a research trip
10:00he'd been on a few years before.
10:01Well, there was this girl.
10:05What did you do?
10:06Nothing.
10:07Really.
10:08It was just kissing.
10:10Penny is stunned and livid, but agrees to move forward with the nuptials.
10:14Given the fact that it's usually Leonard who's insecure about Penny cheating on him, it was
10:18quite out of character for him to break the trust in their relationship.
10:21At least in classic Big Bang fashion, even this big reveal was handled in the same silly
10:25way many of the conflicts in the series are.
10:28Keep your mouth off other women.
10:31I can do that.
10:33From now on, this mouth, you and food, that's it.
10:36Sheldon tends to be insufferable to live and work with thanks to his many quirks.
10:40But when he winds up in the frigid conditions of Antarctica, these traits are amplified
10:44significantly.
10:45In the season two finale, The Monopolar Expedition, the guys depart on a trip to the frigid continent
10:50to conduct research.
10:51Unsurprisingly, Sheldon's negativity proves difficult to deal with.
10:55By the season three premiere, The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation, it's revealed that
10:59Leonard, Howard, and Raj convinced Sheldon that he made a scientific breakthrough on
11:02the trip.
11:03Sadly, the truth isn't so exciting.
11:05It was static from the electric can opener we were turning on and off.
11:10Upon learning the truth, Sheldon is crushed and flees to his childhood home in Texas.
11:15While there's no excuse for Sheldon's behavior on the expedition, his friend's deception
11:18is certainly tough to witness.
11:20It makes Sheldon look like a fool and was ultimately unnecessary.
11:24After all, they all know Sheldon and couldn't have been particularly surprised that he'd
11:27be tough to work with on the expedition.
11:29Of course, the sight of seeing Sheldon so humbled and disappointed is so perplexing
11:33on its own that it's hard not to laugh.
11:35Considering what we see of Sheldon's mother, Mary, it's easy to see where the theoretical
11:39physicist gets his blunt, outspoken nature.
11:42On the surface, Mary appears to be a sweet Christian woman, but that doesn't stop her
11:46from making racist comments throughout the series.
11:48A prime example comes in season one's The Luminous Fish Effect, when Mary comes to Pasadena
11:53and makes a strange comment while serving the gang dinner.
11:56I made chicken.
11:58I hope that isn't one of the animals that you people think is magic.
12:02Despite having probably never met Raj before, she's making an assumption about his beliefs
12:06based on a stereotype.
12:07Over the course of The Big Bang Theory, Mary continues to make stereotypical comments about
12:11a number of other groups.
12:13For example, her response to the news that Howard and Bernadette had a baby is pretty
12:17controversial.
12:18Oh, that's wonderful.
12:20Now had they decided to raise it Jewish or regular?
12:24Just like her son, Mary is unaware that she's being insulting, and her subjects are usually
12:28too caught off guard to express their discomfort.
12:30And while this is often played for laughs, this is another case where the show really
12:34starts to show its age, especially in the earlier seasons.
12:38Stuart Bloom never quite fits in with the rest of the group.
12:41The comic book store owner desperately wants to be included in their constant hangouts
12:44but ends up bonding with Howard's mother Debbie, who he eventually moves in with, more than
12:48people his own age.
12:50After Debbie's death, Howard and Bernadette move into her house and agree to let Stuart
12:53live there until he can find a place.
12:55Still, after he finally moves out, Stuart can't seem to stay away.
12:59In the season 10 episode, The Hot Tub Contamination, Howard and Bernadette lie about going away
13:04so that they can enjoy a few undisturbed days at home.
13:06However, they're surprised when they see some unexpected guests in their hot tub.
13:10The last couple of months, I come here when I know they're not home.
13:14What?
13:15They heard me in the bushes once, but they thought it was a raccoon.
13:18As if this isn't creepy enough, Stuart isn't wearing a bathing suit.
13:21The funny thing is, Howard and Bernadette feel bad when Stuart moves out, so they would
13:25more than likely let him use the hot tub if he asked.
13:28Instead, he feels that lurking around in the night is a better option, and somehow he still
13:32wonders why he's not invited to hang with the group more.
13:35For Penny, dating a scientist and being friends with an entire group of them can feel daunting
13:39at times.
13:40She didn't graduate from college, and sometimes feels less than her crew of genius friends.
13:44Still, she tries her best, but can be oblivious to what's happening around her.
13:48An example of this comes in season 3's The Gothowitz Deviation, when Sheldon is growing
13:52sick of the way she acts in his apartment.
13:54In an effort to make her presence more enjoyable, whenever Penny acts in a way that Sheldon
13:58deems acceptable, he awards her with chocolate.
14:01It seems to be working well, until Leonard notices.
14:04Sheldon, you can't train my girlfriend like a lab rat.
14:09Actually, it turns out I can.
14:11Even so, he continues the experiment, unbeknownst to Penny.
14:14While Penny's aloofness causes many laughable moments throughout The Big Bang Theory, this
14:18sequence branches into Sheldon outright taking advantage of her.
14:21However, this awkward bit's punchline still makes for a pretty satisfying conclusion when
14:25Sheldon winds up learning a lesson watching Penny's own positive reinforcement techniques.
14:29Sex works even better than chocolate to modify behavior.
14:36I wonder if anyone else has stumbled onto that.