The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory (2007)

2 corrected entries in The Pants Alternative

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The Pants Alternative - S3-E18

Corrected entry: Sheldon refers to the "Hillbilly Peace Prize" in connection with Penny. Sheldon would have corrected anyone else who said such a thing. He would point out that that word "hillbilly" refers to people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the US primarily in Appalachia, the Ozarks, and other less well-known mountain chains. Nebraska, where Penny is from, is rural, but being a Great Plains state, has no connection at all to the term, not to mention a lack of mountains.

MFWills

Correction: Hillbilly is also an insult to those who live in farming and rural areas, which Penny's story certainly invoked.

Greg Dwyer

The Pants Alternative - S3-E18

Corrected entry: Sheldon claims the X-Men were named so after the X in Charles Xavier's' name. In The X-Men #1 (1963), Professor X states that mutants possess an extra power that humans do not have. Xavier then says "That is why I call my students... X-Men, for EX-tra power!"

Correction: He may be going by the movie continuity, where the X-Men DID name themselves after Charles. (Likely in an effort to "dumb it down" for Penny).

Captain Defenestrator

It could also have been deliberate on the part of the writers as a set-up for Sheldon's "C-Men" punchline.

Cubs Fan ★

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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.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

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.

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The Euclid Alternative - S2-E5

Question: Though it comes up in other episodes as well, this one is focused on Sheldon needing a ride everywhere he goes because he can't drive, not to mention his not being welcome on the bus. Of course, this story element would be nonexistent if there was a simple answer, but it does beg the question: Does Pasadena not have taxicabs?

MFWills

Chosen answer: It does. The variable cleanliness of the cab and the habit of taxi drivers to engage customers in small talk would be too much for Sheldon to handle, and not an option for him.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: Sheldon DID finally use a taxi when going to the airport to see and propose to Amy in New Jersey.

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