The Big Bang Theory: 1.14 ‘The Nerdvana Annihilation’ Recap

Original Air Date: April 28, 2008

LEONARD bids $800 online on what he thinks is a miniature time machine from the classic 1960 sci-fi movie The Time Machine. He doesn’t have the money to spend; he just wants to be a part of the action, and, unfortunately, he ends up being the only bidder.

Consequently, Leonard wins, and SHELDON, HOWARD, and RAJESH are nice enough (or nerdy enough) to chip in $200 each to help him cover the cost. The result is a time-share time-machine that they’ll swap among each other. When the purchase arrives, however, they finally realize why no one else wanted it — it’s both life-sized and very colorful.

The proportions of the machine and the broken elevator cause the guys to have a really difficult time getting the prop up to Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment. While they’re blocking the staircase trying to move it upstairs, PENNY comes out, anxious to leave because she’s already late for work. Since she has no time to wait, Sheldon suggests she jump over to the next building’s roof and use its stairs.

After the gang gets the prop inside, they start playing around with it, until Penny arrives to tell them that Sheldon’s alternative route downstairs was not as simple as he described it.

Instead of tackling a short jump across roofs, she skinned her knee hurtling a three-foot gap, had to use the fire escape because the roof’s door was locked, climbed through an Armenian family’s window because the firescape stopped three stories above street level, and then sat through eight courses of lamb and the Armenian family trying to fix her up with their son because they insisted she stay for lunch. She leaves Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment in a huff after telling the guys they’re pathetic for being so obsessed with toys and comic books and whatnot when they’re grown men.

Leonard is the only one who takes Penny’s words to heart, of course, and after a sad night spent wishing he had never bought the time machine, Leonard informs the gang he’s selling all of his collectibles to the local comic-book store. The guys try to talk him out of it, or to at least sell the prized possessions to them, but Leonard refuses to change his mind.

The gang bumps into Penny again in the hallway as Leonard leaves for the store, and Sheldon immediately attacks her for being a hypocrite since she’s wearing Hello Kitty shorts. Penny’s in a better mood now, so she apologizes for being nasty earlier.

Nonetheless, Leonard insists he’s still getting rid of his stuff, and when he tries to ask Penny if she’d like to go out with him later, he’s interrupted by the arrival of her new hunky man-friend. They run into Penny’s apartment and close the door, and suddenly Leonard’s ready to play with the time machine again. Sheldon probably not so much, however, since he begins having vivid nightmares about blonde Morlocks with glowing eyes repeatedly trying to devour him.

RESOURCES

• The Big Bang Theory Episode Guide
• The Big Bang Theory Website