The Bad Fish Paradigm

The Bad Fish Paradigm is the first episode of the second season of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It aired on September 22nd, 2008.

Plot Summary
Penny and Leonard return from their date but she gives him a brush off when he tries to get a second date. She confesses to Sheldon that it is because she thinks she isn’t smart enough to keep his interest. The stress of keeping this secret forces Sheldon to move out. But when neither Rajesh nor Howard can stand him, he returns to Leonard and gives away the secret. Unfortunately, Penny is not happy with Leonard’s suggested resolution.

Extended Plot
Leonard and Penny returned to the building after their date and at the hallway he kissed her goodnight but quickly relocated whilst still kissing her as he noticed a conveniently placed CCTV (installed by Howard) which was monitoring them. To avoid Howard's prying eye, Leonard suggested they go to Penny's apartment, but Penny took this as proceeding too fast and intends to slow things down. As Leonard comes into his apartment, Howard and Raj tries to hide the obvious fact of the two spying on them. Howard then stated that Leonard's date went terribly, Raj and Sheldon also agreed, but Leonard clearly denies it. Penny bumps into Sheldon in the Laundry room and asks him whether he will bore Leonard as she isn't a "Brainiac", she also mentioned she lied to Leonard about graduating from community college and wants Sheldon to keep it a secret, Sheldon is hesitant but agrees. Later, when Leonard and Sheldon bump into Penny, Leonard proceeds to ask her out but Penny declines and gives him a flimsy excuse. Leonard now believes that the previous date did not go well because of him. Meanwhile, Sheldon gets increasingly nervous about the secret. Next, Sheldon meets Penny and desperately asks her to unbind him from the shackles of secrecy. Penny refuses and states that he has to find a way to keep it. As a result, Sheldon has decided and announced to Leonard that he is moving out. Since Sheldon doesn't have a permanent place to stay at the moment he decides to stay with Raj. After a dispute about Aishwarya Rai between Sheldon and Raj, Sheldon was brought to Howard's porch by Raj, and was left there for Howard to take care of. Because of Sheldon's annoying habits, Howard gave him a glass of milk and some Valium but Sheldon still couldn't go to sleep, so Howard left him back at his apartment with Leonard. In his tipsy state, Sheldon spilled the beans about Penny's secret to Leonard. Leonard is relieved to discover he is not the problem in his relationship with Penny. In the final scene, Leonard thinks he has found the solution, and comes to Penny with it. Leonard urges her to enroll at the Pasadena City College, but in his attempt he managed to dig his hole deeper and anger her.

Quotes
Howard: (To Sheldon) Just get in the bed!

Mrs. Wolowitz:WHAT"S GOING ON UP THERE? ARE YOU BOYS ROUGHHOUSING?!

Howard: Just talking, Ma!

Mrs. Wolowitz:IF YOU DON'T SETTLE DOWN, I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU HAVE ANYMORE SLEEPOVERS!

Howard: For god's sake Ma, I'm 27 years old! IT'S NOT EVEN A SCHOOL NIGHT!

Critics
"This isn’t a bad episode out of context. But as the season opener I think the producers have missed a big trick. I think they have learnt the wrong lessons from season one and I hope they can refocus on the main story soon." - The TV Critic's Review

Production note
Chuck Lorre Productions #215 "Mr. Misogyny's Tips for Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling"

Shrill Bad, Dusky Good: No man can happily work or vote for a woman whose voice sounds like a mom or wife yelling at him. Whether running a Fortune Five Hundred company or running for office, women should practice speaking like Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (If you have small children present, rent Who Framed Roger Rabbit and check out Jessica Rabbit).

Power Words: Down through the ages there have been secret words and phrases that a select group of women have known and use to give them control over men. Use them wisely and you'll be on the other side of that glass ceiling before you know it. A short list includes: panties, huge, amazing, and "anything you want, just hurry." For increased effectiveness, say these power words like Kathleen Turner.

Boobs: If you got 'em, flaunt 'em. If you don't got 'em, buy 'em. (CAUTION: This will cause other women to hate you. Do not despair. Once you and your terrific rack are running things, you can fire the jealous bitches.)

Politically Correct Flirting: There is no such thing. That being said, if, by subtle words or actions, you can make a man feel sexually viable, he will act like a fool and you can steal his job. If you think that's cruel, you're not ready to break through the glass ceiling and should instead consider marrying a fat guy with hedge fund money and a history of confusing his erection pills with his heart medication.

* The views of Mr. Misogyny are not endorsed, held, or shared by Chuck Lorre Productions. Chuck Lorre, anyone who works for Chuck Lorre, or any of his friends, neighbors and relatives.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode in the series that Penny acknowledges that her and Sheldon are friends.
 * This is the first episode that we see Sheldon attempt to make a joke. His joke was that he had more "nervous ticks then a lyme disease research facility."
 * "Why don't we just figure out where we're going, and when we want to get there? And then rate of speed equals distance over time (r = d/t). Solve for R." Leonard was clearly flustered when he tried to use physics to solve a relationship problem, but also, his equation doesn't need to be "solved for R" since "R" is already alone on one side of the equation.
 * Dewlaps are integral to the mating habits of iguanas, as Sheldon implies.
 * Sheldon's shirt folder is sold at Amazon.com.
 * A Lyme disease research facility would have many nervous ticks (ticks being the primary carrier of that disease), whereas Sheldon has many nervous (facial) tics.
 * An energy-based de novo protein in conformational space folds rather readily and frequently, as does a triptych; like Sheldon trying to keep a secret.
 * Assuming Sheldon's slip about being denied clearance to a secret research facility is true, there's a secret government-funded military supercollider hidden beneath a fake agricultural station near here (12.5 miles southeast of Traverse City, Michigan); in the Traverse City Forest Area.
 * Sheldon stopped breast feeding on a drizzly Tuesday. Sheldon is discovered to have an eidetic memory in this episode, and his first memory is stated by him to remember the weather on the day that his mother stopped breast feeding him.
 * A Münchhausen Trilemma is a reasoning that no Truth can be proven, since any proof will ultimately fall into one of three unsatisfactory reasonings. In Sheldon's case: he's moving out, because he's moving out.
 * Howard's greeting of qu'est-ce que c'up? is a grammatically incorrect word-for-word translation of "What's up?" in French.
 * Several ways to annoy Sheldon are laid out in this episode, including:
 * Change the brightness/contrast settings of the television
 * Take a band-aid off in front of him
 * Buy generic ketchup
 * Forget to rinse the sink
 * Talk to him through the bathroom door
 * Adjust the thermostat
 * Cook with cilantro
 * Pronounce the 't' in 'often'
 * Make fun of trains
 * The Department of Homeland Security does recommend having a pre-packed disaster evacuation bag (it's tip #12 of their top 30 tips), containing necessary supplies for three days. While Sarah Connor may not officially recommend one, she'd likely not be opposed since she spent a fair portion of her life trying to warn people that Judgement Day was fast approaching.
 * Manushya yajna (homage to men) is one of the five central sacrifices/duties of the Hindu religion, and it does indeed include taking in needy guests to your home, as Sheldon leverages.
 * Raj is discovered to have an apartment in an old watch factory. Sheldon expresses concern about the residual Radium to make their numerals glow in the dark, first alerting us to his obsession with health and cleanliness.
 * Watches indeed used to be painted with Radium to make their numerals glow in the dark, but that practice has been abandoned, since Radium is radioactive and has been found to be hazardous to one's health.
 * The song Raj is watching when Sheldon comments whether the actress is Aishwarya Rai, is actually filmed on Ameesha Patel in the movie "Kaho na Pyaar Hai".
 * Sheldon doesn't seem to be as big a fan of Aishwarya Rai as Raj is. Sheldon prefers Madhuri Dixit.
 * Sheldon's list of Catwoman actresses, from most favorite to least: Julie Newmar, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriwether, Halle Barry.
 * Sheldon's list of favorite X-Men characters, from most favorite to least: Professor-X, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Cyclops, Iceman, Storm, Angel, Beast, etc.
 * Pasadena City College does exist (and offers Paralegal Studies).
 * When Leonard first realizes that he may be the "bad fish" and Sheldon is getting flustered he says "Good day Leanord". Leonard says "What?" and Sheldon says "I said good day", which may be a reference to Fez's "catchphrase" from "That 70's Show".

Video
300px|A short, funny clip from the episode.