The Robotic Manipulation - S4-E1
Corrected entry: Howard explains the ease with which he "borrowed" the programmable robot arm thus : "You just have to take it out to your car as if you own it". Howard doesn't have a car - he has a Vespa scooter, and there is no way he could carry the robot arm on that. (While we are on the subject, how does he transport it from Sheldon and Leonard's apartment to his house?).
The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation - S3-E1
Corrected entry: At the end of the episode, Sheldon runs off to Texas. That would be impossible in the short time frame the episode was set in. Especially since they live in Pasadena, California. California is 18 hours away by car from Texas. It has also been stated previously that Sheldon dislikes cars and airplanes a lot.
Correction: Just because he dislikes planes, doesn't mean that he will never go on one, as proven by him traveling by plane to Texas with Howard.
The Maternal Congruence - S3-E11
Corrected entry: Sheldon tells Leonard and Penny that he had inflatable lawn decorations as a child (in the late 80s/early 90s). Those weren't invented until 2001.
Correction: Sorry, but this is completely incorrect. I had inflatable decorations back in the 90s, and there were absolutely inflatable lawn decorations in the 80s. You can still buy some inflatable 80s decoration secondhand on sites like eBay. "Modern" inflatables like balloons date back 200 years, and the air-inflation process had been used prior to that even. I can only presume you're referring to the more current in-vogue inflatables that use fans... but even those existed before 2001, albeit they weren't as widely used. (Ex. The StarLab inflatable planetarium that many schoolchildren still experience to this day uses the same basic fan system and was invented in the 1970's.)
I researched my answer. Can you provide more info on yours?
How could you have possibly done research on inflatables and come to the conclusion that inflatable decorations were invented in 2001? My info is that I literally owned some, and you can still find plenty second-hand online. Go to Etsy and search "vintage inflatable" and there are currently multiple inflatable decorations that date from the 80s and earlier that people are selling secondhand.
Correction: He says he had an inflatable Santa Claus, but nothing to suggest it was an "air blown" version that you seem to be talking about.
Inflatable means you blow air into it.
Yes, but it doesn't mean to blow air into constantly with a portable fan. That's why kids before 2001 had beach balls and other inflatable pool toys. What you seem to be describing or alluding to are called "Gemmy Airblown Inflatables," introduced in 2001.
Very true, Bishop. And even then... the technology Gemmy Airblown Inflatables use existed long before 2001. As I said in my response, it's the same basic tech used for things like inflatable planetariums. I'm confused as to what MovieFan612 is getting at. They seem to be indicating that inflatable decorations in general didn't exist before 2001... which is just factually wrong.
The Bakersfield Expedition - S6-E13
Corrected entry: Sheldon says he once borrowed his sister's makeup and ended up with pink eye but he was dressed as a zombie and he won second place. There is absolutely no way his hyper-religious mother would let him dress as a zombie.
Correction: This "mistake" relies on a single person acting in precisely the same way that someone else expects them to 100% of the time. People act inconsistently all the time, often totally at odds with their professed beliefs. This "mistake" is only valid if Sheldon's mother was seen forbidding him to dress as a zombie, and that did not happen.
Correction: How do you know she knew? She might have been out of town, busy that night, and so on and so on. Sheldon is hyperintelligent - he wouldn't put on his costume in front of her.
Sheldon is incapable of deception. And guessing where his mother was at the time is too much of a stretch.
What deception? He didn't tell his mother about a costume he wore, and she didn't find out independently. There is no mistake here.
The Military Miniaturization - S10-E2
Corrected entry: When Raj and Howard are trying to decide whether to accept Col. Williams' offer, they can't think of any lawyers to ask for help with potential legal issues; they both seem to be forgetting that they do know a lawyer: Raj's sister Priya.
Correction: Given how things ended with Priya and Leonard, it probably would have been very awkward for both of them. In addition, she knows far more about Indian law than American law.
It is noted (by Leonard) in a previous episode that Priya is qualified to practice law "in three countries, and your face!" Presumably, as she is there for some time, works for a law firm, etc, one of those three countries is the US.
Question: Whenever the gang always have dinner together why is it always in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment?
Chosen answer: Out of everyone's apartments, the gang likely eats and hangs out at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment because it has the largest living room space and they would be given the most amount of room to interact in. Raj's apartment and Penny's apartment do not appear to have as much living room space as Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, so they may not want to hang out there, nor would they want to hang out at Howard's place since his mother would be there.
In addition to this, I'm sure that Sheldon has some sort of rule that if they aren't eating at a restaurant, they eat at Sheldon and Leonard's place because it's where Sheldon is most comfortable.
In addition, I think a big part of the reason would be that 3 of the 5 (at first) friends lived in the same building so eating there meant fewer people had to travel. Plus, it was very quickly traditional for Penny to come over to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment to eat so it was natural it stayed that way. And lastly, it's not at Penny's apartment since Penny usually doesn't have money to pay for the food so since Leonard usually brings the food, it's logical everyone goes to his apartment.
This isn't true. In one episode, I can't remember which, the group eats at Raj's place with Priya. Sheldon expresses his displeasure to Amy who explains that Leonard is the nucleus and that where Leonard goes, everyone goes. Sheldon has no such rule about eating there.
Since he states his displeasure it proves he is more comfortable eating at home. He even doesn't like eating at a dinner table in his own apartment, let alone somewhere else entirely. He only compromises if he has no choice.
The Proton Regeneration - S11-E6
Character mistake: While bedridden after his vasectomy, Howard asks Bernadette to grill up a couple steaks instead of picking up Chinese for dinner. She gives him a disapproving look and he says "Kung Pao Chicken, please." A major ingredient of Kung Pao Chicken is peanuts. A major allergy for Howard is peanuts. (00:09:04)
Suggested correction: Since they are both quite well aware of it, they likely have either found a Chinese restaurant that doesn't use them, or they get it without peanuts.
Yup. My friend is allergic to peanuts and our local Chinese restaurant makes hers with almond instead of peanut.
The Platonic Permutation - S9-E9
Continuity mistake: In episode 16 of season 1, Penny is talking about making a cake for Leonard's birthday and states she knows his birthday because she was checking a horoscope for him. But in this episode she does not know when his birthday is, which leads to Leonard revealing he was secretly reading Penny's diary. (00:40:00)
Suggested correction: It's certainly possible to forget something you knew eight years ago.
This is perhaps true for two people who rarely have contact, but I would list this as a character mistake. Penny and Leonard are in a serious relationship and are married at this point.
This is also a couple who BOTH forgot it was their anniversary.
I forgot my wife's birthday on a number of occasions. It's one of the reasons she is now my ex-wife.
There's a difference between forgetting and not knowing.
The Hamburger Postulate - S1-E5
Character mistake: When Sheldon knocks on Penny's door to seek advice about the tie on Leonard's doorknob, he does not use his typical triple knock. (00:07:43)
First time he knocks 3 times is in Episode 2 of Season 1. First time knocking 3 times followed by saying the name is episode 10 of Season 1. The ritual of 3 knocks and 3 times saying the name and then stopping is Episode 5 of season 2.
Sheldon knocks three times because he once walked into his parents bedroom and saw his father with another woman. He's been doing the triple knock since he was a teenager.
Yet, he didn't in the show till Season 2. Funny ain't it?
Suggested correction: A one-time lapse in someone's usual behavior does not count as a "character mistake", even in the case of someone given to ritualistic behavior as Sheldon is.
Ah, but in an episode he explains he had developed this particular ritual at age 13 after walking into his parent's bedroom without knocking and seeing his father having sex with another woman. He says he started knocking 3 times since then and would never forget. So its not consistent and a mistake as this is not the only example one can name.
The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification - S4-E2
Corrected entry: When Sheldon is taking his Apple II to be signed by Steve Wozniak, the machine he's taking clearly has a monitor attached in place on the top. The Apple II did not have an attached monitor.
Correction: You can clearly see a gap between monitor and main computer unit, indicating that they are separate units. Also the colors are different, further indicating they were made separately.
The Monster Isolation - S6-E17
Corrected entry: When Leonard tells Sheldon to hand over his Nintendo DS, Sheldon gives him a shiny aqua console. The Nintendo DS has never been produced in that color: the console is actually a 3DS, not a DS.
Correction: Semantics. To most people, "DS" is sufficient enough to specify all of the Nintendo DS consoles. The same way that "Xbox" is sufficient enough to specify the Xbox 360.
The Robotic Manipulation - S4-E1
Corrected entry: While driving towards the restaurant, Amy mentions she uses dandruff shampoo for her "dry" scalp. Dandruff and dry scalp have the same main symptoms, which are falling flakes and an itchy scalp, but they are two different conditions. In dry scalp, the skin gets irritated and flakes off. With dandruff, the cause is too much oil on the scalp. That excess oil causes skin cells to build up and then shed. Therefore dandruff shampoo should be used for an oily scalp, not a dry scalp. (00:11:19)
Correction: Except there are dandruff shampoos that specifically treat dry scalp. In addition, dry scalp is commonly caused by dandruff.
More of a continuity error regarding this is that much later she claims that lice isn't attracted to her hair cos of her naturally oily scalp (contradictory).
Then that should be entered as a mistake. What was entered isn't a mistake.
The Einstein Approximation - S3-E14
Character mistake: Sheldon is an extreme germophobe to the extent he doesn't even shake hands. There is no way he would be climbing around in a ball pit.
Suggested correction: If he was acting normally (for Sheldon), he wouldn't. However, Sheldon isn't acting as he normally would due to lack of sleep, and his obsession with solving a problem.
The severity of his phobia would not be minimized by lack of sleep.
Sheldon's mind is distracted by the problem he is trying to solve. He grabs other people's food, he allows Raj to touch his food, he handles dirty cutlery at the cheesecake factory, All characteristics that would be present if he was acting normally. The fact that he is in the ball pit is simply an extension.
Severe sleep deprivation could certainly affect how Sheldon reacts to phobias. The brain requires sleep to function and with a severe lack of sleep, the brain is no longer able to send the signals that alert Sheldon to his fear of germs.
The Bakersfield Expedition - S6-E13
Corrected entry: At the end of the episode Sheldon's sat nav voice asks "Can you name the four state capitals that are not served by the interstate system?" In fact, there are five, according to the Interstate System's website. Juneau, Alaska; Dover, Delaware; Jefferson City, Missouri; Carson City, Nevada; and Pierre, South Dakota.
Correction: Although there used to be 5 state capitals not served by the interstate system, the completion of I-580 means that Carson City is now served, hence there are only four, and the sat nav was correct. 580 was completed in 2012, the episode in question aired in 2013.
What about Hawaii?
Honolulu, HI has an Interstate Highway. Not all Interstate Highways physically go from one state to another, the name just indicates it receives federal funding as part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways initially set up through the Federal Aid Highway Act.
Honolulu Hawaii is served by H1, H2 and H3, all part of the U.S. Interstate system.
Continuity mistake: Sheldon puts the bag in the bin at the start of the episode so that the handles are facing the ground. When he gets the bag out, the handles are at the top of the bin.
The Fetal Kick Catalyst - S10-E6
Factual error: When Raj, Howard and Bernadette are in the car, Raj puts on Batman the Animated Series to distract Howard from his back pain. Howard says "I'm in too much pain to watch cartoo-oh, this is a good one!" However, there is no way he could know that it's a good episode of the show because the opening theme song can be heard playing and the name of the episode does not appear until after it.
Suggested correction: He meant the cartoon is good, in general. Not the specific episode.
Nah, he was told right beforehand that it was Batman: The Animated Series. A nerd like Howard definitely knows which cartoon that is and that it's a good cartoon without needing to look at it.
The Excelsior Acquisition - S3-E16
Plot hole: In Series 1, Episode 7, "The Dumpling Paradox, " Sheldon makes an oblique reference to his financial status: "Frankly, if I could afford the rent, I'd ask you [Leonard] to leave, " meaning he cannot pay the rent on his two bedroom apartment by himself - not that he doesn't want to, he can't. However, in "The Execlsior Acquisition, " we find that he does not even cash his pay cheques. He doesn't even deposit them into a bank account - he leaves them in a drawer in his desk. In Series 2 Episode 14 "The Financial Permeability", he lends Penny a large amount of money from a huge bankroll he just happens to have lying about - again, without cashing his pay cheques! He is obviously independently wealthy. Either he doesn't have enough money to afford the rent or he has enough to work without being paid while practically giving large amounts of cash away. Can't be both.
Suggested correction: Not being able to afford doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have the money, especially a man like Sheldon. He works with a budget and he sticks to it. In his budget he has a certain amount set aside for rent, anything more than that and he can't afford it alone.
Nonsense. If he was sticking to a "rigid budget" he wouldn't have even thought of lending a hopeless credit risk like Penny a single cent. Instead he throws a huge bankroll at her without even discussing a repayment plan.
Rubbish, I stick to a strict budget but still have the money to lend to close friends. Like Penny is to him.
He might have different budgets for different things. People could get a higher margin because they could be of more use to the scientific mind of Sheldon.
The Parking Spot Escalation - S6-E9
Corrected entry: For being smart they act stupid here. They don't think to alter the days the guys use the parking space with Friday being where they either share it together or Leonard or Raj get it while Howard and Sheldon would each get it two days apiece.
Correction: It's not a stupidity. It's entirely within the personalities of the two friends that Sheldon wouldn't accept change and give up something that is rightly his and for Howard to gloat over that he's a bigger deal than Sheldon now and refuse to give up something given for his new celebrity.
Correction: Sheldon didn't even have a car. Heck, he didn't even have a license. Well, except for a later episode where he secretly had a license that he never used.
This point is made several times in the episode. The fact that Sheldon does not have a car but still agues forcibly for his right to the parking space serves to reinforce the recurring theme of the show, that Sheldon is unbearably eccentric and opinionated but still manages to engage with his social group.
The Locomotive Manipulation - S7-E15
Corrected entry: Sheldon asks whether the train carriage has "link-and-pin" type couplers, when he would know that such couplers were outlawed by the Safety Appliance Act of 1893.
Correction: It would easy for Sheldon to ignore this fact when he is aboard a train that has been restored to its original design; internally and externally. He has been building toy models since he was a kid. He just wanted to know to what level this train has been restored.
Correction: His mother very likely has a car (we've heard her say that she's driving back to the grocery store), which Howard very likely used for this occasion.
Knever
Deus ex Machina explanations for errors do not invalidate them. Howard does not have a car and at no time does he mention borrowing one from anyone.