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The Big Bang Theory Season 2 Episode 10

The Vartabedian Conundrum

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 12/8/08

Leonard seeks Penny's counsel when his relationship with Stephanie takes off faster than he'd like. Sheldon's hypochondriac tendencies get the better of him.

Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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7.5

By Canogaparkcindy, Dec 12, 2010

A good episode of The Big Bang Theory tonight, I really enjoyed most of the one liners here, I just wish that Stephanie would leave the show. Leslie is better at this point.

It's not that I hate the character, it's just this show doesn't need another female character, especially one that isn't funny. We didn't get a lot of Sheldon tonight, which in some ways was good considering this whole season has been solely focused on Sheldon.

It was nice to keep things in track with the focus returning to Leonard, even if he isn't the funniest character of the show. The Penny & Leonard interactions were really great in the laundry room, I found myself laughing at most of the things Penny said.

The final scene between Penny & Sheldon just really salvaged the entire episode to being a forgettable one with the computer talking for Sheldon. A lot of people already watch this show, but if you don't yet, I definitely recommend it.moreless
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Leonard has problem with Stephanie.

6.9

By thefanof, Dec 05, 2010

The Big Bang Theory has gone up in viewers and in quality this season but this episode can only be viewed as a major setback for the comedy. The jokes seemed forced and unoriginal and the half hour in general seemed out of character.

Sheldon's behavior was not of the quality we have come to expect from the already iconic character and Stephanie's presence is just taking away from the program. The Big Bang Theory keeps trying to add another female character to the show, but they keep failing. Sara Rue is a little bit better than Leslie Winkle, but she's getting screen time that could have been given to Wolowitz or Kuthrapali. Not a good start to the CBS Monday comedy lineup.moreless
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If there's no Sheldon, there's no Big Bang Theory

6.0

By sequoa84, Dec 05, 2010

Big Bang Theory was simply insisting on kissing the clouds all through this season. And with this episode, it has crashed onto earth like the stock market.

Well, what can you expect when you throw the spotlight on Leonard instead of the happening guy Sheldon. Leonard can pitch in with some good one liners here and there, but an episode centered around him totally fails to provide the laughs. Here we see Sheldon totally out of character, acting like a idiot, instead of a socially awkward physics genius. Also, we see less of Sheldon-Penny interactions. Clearly, the writers have insolated all the good things that have kept this show awesome,and tried their best to create an experimental episode sans all the good stuff. Unfortunately, it ain't working.moreless
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Better but still not what I expect from the show.

8.5

By efc91, May 29, 2010

Leonard seeks Penny's counsel when his relationship with Stephanie takes off faster than he'd like. Sheldon's hypochondriac tendencies get the better of him. This episode was slightley better than the last couple but it still lacked in Sheldon moments, but there was a really funny scene right at the end where Sheldon typed what he wants to say to Penny I couldn't stop laughing when he said Hiney instead of honey. It was a slight improvement but I dont really like Leonerds story with Stephanie. So all in all this episode was a improvement but Sheldon didnt get much screen time.moreless
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Stephanie meets Penny! Leonard seeks Penny's advice after she points out that his relationship has jumped to the next level without his knowledge. Sheldon's hypochondria runs amok until Leonard's new girlfriend finds a clever way to reign Sheldon in.moreless

8.0

By luicee, Dec 09, 2008

I loved Leslie Winkle! Shame they couldn't get her full time... but barring that, I like Leonard's new girlfriend. Her Sheldon-ectomy was brilliant. But I didn't think that Leonard's first reaction would have been to get rid of her. Come on, if you only get to sleep with a few people in your life, you don't have the luxury to arbitrarily turn down the decent ones :)

I thought Sheldon was cute, but i don't want him to turn into a running joke. I would have liked seeing the guys a little more. Hopefully next week is Halo Night :)moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Johnny Galecki	Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons	Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco	Penny
Simon Helberg	Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar	Rajesh Koothrappali

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Sara Rue

Dr. Stephanie Barnett

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Sheldon claims that the high-pitched noise he hears is an octave above middle-C, but the note that he hums is actually a C-sharp.
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QUOTES (6)
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- (about the ringing in Sheldon's ear)
  Leonard: Maybe it's a lingering bacterial infection from all those childhood toilet swirlies.
  Sheldon: Is that possible? I used to get those all the time, even in church.
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- Leonard: Every time I try to talk to her about moving out she cries, and we have sex.
  Raj: You're lucky. With me it's usually the other way around.
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- (at the hospital)
  Stephanie: Where did you get the stethoscope and the blood pressure cuff?
  Sheldon: My aunt Marion gave them to me for my 12^th birthday. She thought if I failed at theoretical physics that I should have a trade to fall back on.
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- Howard: You know, if you can't talk to her, why don't you just text her?
  Leonard: Isn't that kinda cowardly?
  Howard: Oh, yeah, it's beyond contemptable.
  Raj: That's true. But on the other hand, you are wearing a bird sweater.
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- Stephanie: Go home, Sheldon.
  Sheldon: Can I at least have the Upper GI? I already drank the barium.
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- Penny: You don't always have to go along with what the woman wants.
  Leonard: Huh.
  Penny: What?
  Leonard: Nothing... just re-thinking my whole life.
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NOTES (3)
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- This episode's end titles has Chuck Lorre's Vanity Card #231.
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- The German episode title is "Kleines Gefäß mit Honig", meaning "A Small Container of Honey". The French title is "L'Énigme Vartabedian", the Italian title is "La sciarada di Vartabedian", and the Spanish and Mexican title is "El rompecabezas Vartabedian", all exact translations.
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- International Airdates: Latin America: February 17, 2009 on Warner Channel; Australia: July 20, 2009 on Channel 9; Turkey: November 9, 2009 on CNBC-e; Finland: December 14, 2009 on Sub; Czech Republic: November 8, 2010 on Prima COOL; Slovakia: September 27, 2011 on Markiza
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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