The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory (2007)

21 corrections since 30 Aug '21, 12:14

(13 votes)

Correction: It wouldn't matter if they had. They hopelessly contaminated the sterile room by opening a window to allow the bird in in the first place. The bigger mistake is that some idiot allowed an unsealed window that could be opened in a sterile room in the first place.

The Vengeance Formulation - S3-E9

Corrected entry: Sheldon caused thousands of dollars of damage to university property when he exacted his revenge against Barry Kripke in an act of blatant vandalism. Not only does he get Barry, but also the university president and other dignitaries. Sheldon would have certainly faced a disciplinary hearing, along with paying for the damages he admitted to causing. But nothing of the event is mentioned after that.

Mike Lynch

Correction: Nothing about it is mentioned in the show. Doesn't mean that he wasn't punished. He's lucky he held his job, probably. That's all we know.

lionhead

Correction: Watch closely, while she's talking to Sheldon, you see her lean and light the cigarette. There is also an occasion where she gives the monkey a cigarette but comments on not lighting it.

Ssiscool

Correction: However, Penny's father might not know that. Also, it could be a case that since he works as a theoretical physicist that he may have to work weekends, like when he worked nights.

Ssiscool

Correction: It's not the same work shift. Note that Howard isn't wearing the same clothes.

Super Grover

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.

MovieFan612

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.

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.)

TedStixon

I researched my answer. Can you provide more info on yours?

MovieFan612

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.

TedStixon

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.

Bishop73

Inflatable means you blow air into it.

MovieFan612

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.

Bishop73

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.

TedStixon

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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.

Andy Benham

The severity of his phobia would not be minimized by lack of sleep.

MovieFan612

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.

Ssiscool

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.

immortal eskimo

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Suggested correction: The space toilet was something Howard designed that NASA installed back in season 2. His mission to the ISS in season 5 was always about his telescope. In episode 5, "The Russian Rocket Reaction", Howard says NASA picked his team's design for the deep field space telescope that's going on the International Space Station in the spring.

Bishop73

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Suggested correction: While her brother was the only one that came to the wedding she mentions her many other times and never said she only had a brother. She mentions her father dancing with her and her water breaking at her wedding. She asks her dad about Randall and Lisa. She also mentions her sister "accidentally" shot her husband. So while the brother is more prominent the sister is mentioned throughout.

The Zarnecki Incursion - S4-E19

Character mistake: As they drive to Todd Zarnecki's to confront him, Sheldon says, "I almost feel sorry for the poor fool, sitting in his split-level suburban ranch..." Architecturally, split-level (technically three levels joined by half flights of stairs) and ranch (single level) are separate and distinct designs. There is no "fusion" of the two. I can't help but think Sheldon would have corrected anyone who said the same thing.

MFWills

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Suggested correction: Actually the term "split level ranch" is used to describe a house that has one full floor above ground and a partial lower level, vs the traditional split level house which has a full floor above ground, a second partial floor and a partial lower level.

immortal eskimo

Show generally

Factual error: The main apartment in the show is located in Pasadena, Calif. When looking out the window in the background, mountains are shown in the distance and far away. In reality, Pasadena lies right underneath the long mountain range so the mountains would be up close, not far away.

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Suggested correction: Not true. I lived in Pasadena for years and in some areas, the mountains do look further away. The view from the San Pasqual apartments, you can barely see the mountains.

immortal eskimo

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Suggested correction: I can only assume you have never played on a RP server? ERP is a big thing, some players even make gold from it.

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Suggested correction: No he doesn't, he tips it in sideways.

In which case the handles are still not easily accessible at the top.

Ssiscool

The Large Hadron Collision - S3-E15

Factual error: At the very end of the show, Leonard and Raj arrive at the hotel, which is supposed to be in Geneva, Switzerland, to visit CERN. If you look out the "hotel" window, it looks like they're half way up Matterhorn, but in Geneva there are no big/rocky mountains anywhere near the city itself.

Boarderin

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Suggested correction: Leonard tells Penny they'll be going skiing which would suggest the resort they're staying in IS near mountains. There is no mention that the hotel is in Geneva itself.

Show generally

Corrected entry: Several times throughout the show, Leonard makes reference to having sleep apnoea, a condition where the airways close up when you are asleep and you stop breathing for periods of time before your body's reflexes kick in and wake you up. However we also see him sleeping numerous times but he doesn't have any form of cpap (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. This is vital for anyone who has sleep apnoea as it pumps air into the users airways via a nasal cannula or face mask to keep the airways open and stop the user from stopping breathing. Since sleep apnoea in the most extreme cases can cause death (depending on type of sleep apnoea) a cpap machine is vital and should be seen whenever we see Leonard sleeping or in bed.

Ssiscool

Correction: There is no mistake simply because he chooses not to use one (if he even owns one). There are individuals with sleep apnea who don't use them and just deal with waking up in the middle of the night. If Leonard says he has to use a CPAP machine every night and then is seen not using one at night, that could qualify as a mistake, but this isn't the case.

Correction: This is simply not true, I suffer from sleep apnoea, albeit a mild form, and have never used a cpap machine. I suggest learning the facts before posting on here.

Correction: Everyone seems to be missing the important point here: Sheldon. Remember how Sheldon acted when Leonard had to have the nose operation? Would Sheldon EVER let Leonard sleep without his CPAP mask knowing Leonard has sleep apnea? Would Sheldon EVER not know that Leonard has sleep apnea? Would Leonard ever allow himself to be caught without his mask on if he has sleep apnea, and he knows that Sheldon knows - keeping in mind we all know just how often Sheldon walks right in on Leonard in bed.

The Pork Chop Indeterminacy - S1-E15

Corrected entry: Sheldon asks Missy why she doesn't tell her friends that he is a toll taker on The Golden Gate Bridge. There are no toll takers on the Golden Gate Bridge. Tolls are paid by credit or debit card, a prepaid account or by invoice to the registered car owner's address. There is no way Sheldon would not know this.

Correction: S1-E15 aired in May, 2008, but the Golden Gate Bridge didn't switch to all-electronic toll collection until March 2013, and the decision to convert to electronic toll collection wasn't made until January, 2011.

Correction: Sheldon was just suggesting that being a toll taker or something of that profession is as ridiculous as her telling everyone he was a "rocket scientist." Even if the statement was indeed true it doesn't affect my point.

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.

THGhost

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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.

THGhost

Correction: Suspension of disbelief has to play a part here. Actors are allowed to play other roles, and being many years later, Sean Astin looks quite different, so even if there was a meta element of "this person looks like the actor who played Sam", Sheldon wouldn't necessarily even notice the similarity.

Correction: I'm not sure if this is meant to be a troll entry or a joke. Sean Astin doesn't play himself in this episode, he plays Dr. Pemberton.

Bishop73

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Suggested correction: That quirk wasn't brought into the series until halfway through the first season. The one-knock Sheldon happened a couple of times before it became the three knock habit.

MovieFan612

The Countdown Reflection - S5-E24

Factual error: There is not a snowball's chance of Howard becoming an astronaut. He suffers from cardiac arrhythmia, something about which he is completely open. "Transient" or not this is easily detectable by a simple electrocardiogram, which is a fundamental part of the many medical examinations a potential astronaut will have to pass. He wouldn't even be allowed to start basic training. Note also that during his basic training he shows signs of severe stress and trauma which would inevitably trigger a cardiac episode. Even if it didn't the fact that he was falling apart at the seams would have him removed from the programme for his own good.

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The Holographic Excitation - S6-E5

Trivia: In this episode, Sheldon and Amy are trying to decide on couples' themed Halloween costumes. Sheldon is standing in front of the dry erase board. There are 2 columns written on the board. One named "Couples I Like" and the other "Couples You Like." Under the "Couples You Like" column, one of the couples is Blossom and Joey. Blossom is the name of the television character played by Mayim Bialik in the 90s and Joey was one of her brothers.

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Chosen answer: The song is called "Dark as a Dungeon" and was written and first performed by singer-songwriter Merle Travis in 1946. It has been performed by a wide array of artists, including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Harry Belafonte, Dolly Parton, Queens of the Stone Age, Kathy Mattea and Amy Grant. But it was made most famous when it was performed and recorded by Johnny Cash during his concert at Folsom Prison in 1968. According to Wikipedia: "It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in an Appalachian shaft mine. It has become a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions."

Michael Albert

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