The Fantasy Review’s review of The Big Bang Theory Season 1, Episode 1 – Pilot.
In the series premiere, when Leonard and Sheldon meet Penny, Leonard is immediately interested in her. But Sheldon feels his friend is chasing a dream he’ll never catch.
Spoiler-filled Recap & Review of The Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 1
Is This the High-IQ Sperm Bank?
The Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 1 begins by introducing us to Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. How do Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady (the episode writers) decide to do this?
By having Sheldon come up with a t-shirt idea no one will understand, and Leonard struggles to talk to a stranger without coming across as nervous.
I love this opening scene in the high-IQ sperm bank. It introduces these two characters perfectly, plus the premise of the show, all in the first two minutes. Here we have two very smart guys, in need of some extra cash, who clearly struggle – at varying degrees – to communicate with or understand the rest of the world.
Sheldon is immediately set up as the most clueless of the two – but also the smartest. Leonard, on the other hand, understands Sheldon when he’s saying “clever stuff” but he questions Sheldon’s more social statements, which sets him up as Sheldon’s translator for human interaction.
So, episode 1 opens in the sperm bank and Sheldon and Leonard plan to make a donation. Sheldon, however, has concerns. There’s no reason to think their offspring will have high IQs, so would a donation be fraud?
Sheldon references his siblings, calling them stupid, as an example of the same genetic history he has, but he ended up smart. Leonard says they need the money… for better internet? But Sheldon wants to leave and Leonard agrees to make his life easier.
Sheldon: “What is the protocol for leaving?”
Leonard: “I don’t know! I’ve never reneged on a proffer of sperm before.”
The way these two talk gives them all the characterisation they need for us to immediately understand them – at least on a base level. Sheldon talks like an android (he’s Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Leonard, who is Sheldon’s only translator for social interactions, isn’t actually brilliant at social interactions.
Another characterisation of these two is what they are wearing:
Sheldon is wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt under a short-sleeved one with The Flash on it, plus checkered trousers. Leonard wears a plain t-shirt under a zip-up hoodie and a military field jacket and brown trousers.
Sheldon dresses like a teenager, always showcasing his love of anything nerdy, not caring what others think. Leonard, on the other hand, is showing an attempt at looking “cool” or at least “normal”. He does care what others think, and wants to make a specific impression, but he doesn’t seem to know how.
This first scene ends as Sheldon and Leonard try to sneak out of the sperm bank without the receptionist noticing. She doesn’t look up from the crossword Leonard ruined for her, but says “bye” as they go to leave.
I promise this recap and review of The Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 1 won’t all be as long as this for such a short scene! I just wanted to look at how we are introduced to the show and these characters.
New Neighbor?
Leonard and Sheldon are walking up the stairs to their apartment, one of the defining sets on the show. Leonard is clearly annoyed with Sheldon, but the latter talks about “an interesting fact about stairs.”
The reason I mention this is that Leonard initially says he doesn’t care about the fact… and then it turns out he actually is. He recognises the oddness of the interaction, but is also compelled by it. He lives on the edge of “normal”.
We also learn that Sheldon performed scientific experiments on his family when he was a kid – sometimes at their expense.
At the door to their apartment, 4A, Leonard notices a new neighbor has moved in across the hall and is immediately attracted to her. He’s a bit gross in this scene, and the joke about the previous neighbor wouldn’t be put in a new show these days, but it functions as the catalyst the plot needs.
They welcome the new neighbor, Penny to the building and Sheldon excitedly runs off to start watching season two of Battlestar Galactica… again, but this time with commentary.
Leonard suggests they should have invited Penny for lunch – “We need to widen our circle.” Sheldon, confused, says his circle is wide enough with his 212 MySpace friends who he has never met.
They go to invite Penny over for lunch. While Leonard might have become an expert in explaining social interactions – like chatting – to Sheldon, he is yet to master the skill himself.
He tells Penny they have curry and it’s a natural laxative: “…a clean colon is just one less thing to worry about.” Sheldon makes the point that bowel movements might not be appropriate conversation starters when inviting someone for lunch – the student teaches the master – and Penny is surprised they’re inviting her over to eat.
What makes this character so likable is that she is clearly aware that these guys are a bit… odd. But she rolls with it, not judging them based on one botched lunch invitation. She asks them what they do for fun in the area, to which Sheldon replies:
“Well, today we tried masterbating for money.”
They had the sperm bank scene just so they could have that joke and it was definitely worth it. Roll the titles!
That’s Where I Sit
In Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment, Penny sees Sheldon’s whiteboard with a bunch of equations on it. She’s impressed by it, and Leonard tries to compete with his own board (which he can’t reach the top of?) and Sheldon mocks him, calling the work bathroom stall doodles.
Leonard is clearly used to this kind of interaction and fights back, saying Sheldon has to invent universes for his math to work. This squabbling is interrupted by Penny sitting on the sofa to eat.
Here is the moment we are introduced to Sheldon’s spot. She is sitting in his preferred place and tells her so, without actually asking her to move. Penny asks what makes it so special and he says:
“In the winter, that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer, it’s in a cross breeze created by opening windows there and there. It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, discouraging conversation, nor so far wide as to create a parallax distortion. I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point.”
Penny asks if she should move, because she’s still not been asked, but Leonard tells Sheldon to sit somewhere else. I’m not sure how he thought that would go, but…
They all sit to eat and both Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali are referenced by Sheldon as friends they have over regularly. The bickering between Sheldon and Leonard is fantastic, giving off some old-married-couple vibes.
After fearing they have revealed too much of their nerdiness to Penny – Klingon Boggle, anyone? – Leonard shifts the conversation over to Penny.
“I’m a Sagittarius, which probably tells you way more than you need to know.”
We get some initial backstory and characterisation for Penny, learning she is an aspiring actress, currently working at The Cheesecake Factory. She isn’t the most academic and loves horoscopes, and she’s joyful and kind (putting up with these two).
She’s also brave, moving to L.A. on her own to pursue a dream job. She’s essentially the opposite of these guys.
What is Happening?
Penny concludes her “story of Penny” and then starts crying about her ex. She goes to dry her eyes on some kitchen towels and Sheldon jumps back into his spot.
Leonards wonders if he should do something, but Sheldon reckons he’ll “only make it worse,” which isn’t a bad guess. He tries to help by using an analogy from science to make her feel better… At least he didn’t make it worse.
Penny then says she’s gross from moving in and her shower doesn’t work, so Leonard lets her use their shower. Sheldon tells Leonard that she’ll never sleep with him, to which Leonard claims that was never his aim.
She’s Available for Coitus?
This uncomfortable conversation about the future possibility of having sex with Penny is thankfully interrupted. Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali come barging into the apartment to show off a Stephen Hawking lecture from MIT in 1974.
Howard is immediately characterized as a nerd with no filter who wears inappropriate (albeit non-malicious) jokes, and wears the nerdiest version of a pimp outfit the costume department could come up with.
Raj, on the other hand, is quiet, reserved, and his clothes are actually pretty normal/casual.
Howard initially doesn’t believe there is a woman in the apartment, but when he realizes there actually is, he turns the creep level up to eleven: “…she’s available for coitus?” Jesus, Howard…
Penny runs out in a towel and is surprised by the additional company. This scene is passed off as funny because we, the viewer, understand all the characters and there is no threat here. Penny is somewhere new, with new people, and now she’s naked and her hosts have invited more guests over…
Howard gets all creepy and hits on Penny, but she brushes him off and Leonard goes to help her sort the issue with the shower.
Chain of Causality
In the bathroom, Penny has a favor to ask of Leonard, something that is “not the kind of thing you ask a guy you just met.”
The next thing you know, Sheldon and Leonard are on their way to retrieve Penny’s old TV set from her ex-boyfriend. This is a fun plot which promises to see two guys who “can’t even carry a TV” get scared off by some kind of jock.
This also allows us to see a bit more of Raj and Howard as they interact with Penny. To be honest, I’m not going to focus on Howard’s creepiness until it dissipates in future seasons. I’ll state here that I don’t like it and he’s gross, but he does have a good character arc.
Raj, on the other hand, tries to pretend he doesn’t exist when Penny tries to talk to him. Howard reveals that Raj can’t talk to women because “he’s kind of a nerd.” Alright, I’ll admit that then immediately offering her a juice-box in a “flirty” way was funny.
Leonard and Sheldon arrive at the apartment building to retrieve the TV. The jokes during their back and forth are brilliant, like the timing of Sheldon’s “Good thinking. I’ll just be the muscle.”
They meet Penny’s ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be a massive bodybuilder. They leave the building alive, but trouserless.
“It wasn’t my first pantsing, and it won’t be my last.”
You’re a Veritable MacDaddy
Sheldon and Leonard return to the apartment trouserless – relieving Penny from having to interact with Howard.
Penny apologizes for what her ex-boyfriend did to them and offers to pay for dinner. Leonard watches her leave and says:
“Our babies will be smart and beautiful.”
Sheldon quips, “not to mention imaginary,” and he’s not wrong.
There is then a final scene of them all in a car, heading out to dinner. It’s a warm scene (except Howard), with our cast being shown as a little family who we will spend the next 10+ years watching grow up.
