The Big Bang Theory—Season 4

big bang theory season 4 poster episode guide
8.0 Overall Score
Story: 7/10
Acting: 8/10
Visuals: 8/10

Fun characters

Sometimes generic sitcom stories

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Love me & my monitor

The Big Bang Theory continues to be hot and it is only getting better. The cast is really coming together this season and the show’s format is really starting to mesh.  The obvious star of this season is the addition of Mayim Bialik as Sheldon’s equally weird “girlfriend” Amy Farrah Fowler.  Her character is in a state of evolution and the formation of the new best friend girls made up of Bernadette, Penny, and Amy is a fun counter to Raj, Howard, Leonard, and Sheldon.

The Big Bang Theory seems to be following a bit of a Friends format with having Penny and Leonard continue to cross paths after the end of their relationship last season.  The last minute twists in the season finale does change that a bit by involving Raj and his sister Priya as foils for the characters getting together.

Sheldon continues to be the reason to turn in…He’s like Felix Unger on speed.  It is good however that they are developing the other characters and when they have their own episodes since it can be too much Sheldon sometimes.

The Big Bang Theory–Season 4 Complete Episode Guide:

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The Robotic Manipulation

4.1 The Robotic Manipulation Airdate:  09/23/10
Penny (Kaley Cuoco) finds herself trapped Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) on their first date when she encourages them to see each other before reproducing.  Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) are called in to help Howard (Simon Helberg) when a person experiment with a robotic arm goes wrong.

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The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification

4.2 The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification Airdate:  09/30/10
Sheldon the odds of him living to his ideal lifespan are in trouble if he doesn’t change his ways and decides to use a robot surrogate while he stays home.

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The Zazzy Substitution

4.3 The Zazzy Substitution Airdate:  10/07/10
Amy and Sheldon decide to end their relationship and Sheldon turns to the comfort of cats to replace her.  Leonard realizes Sheldon is in trouble and calls the one person who can help:  Sheldon’s mother (Laurie Metcalf).

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The Hot Troll Deviation

4.4 The Hot Troll Deviation Airdate:  10/14/10
Howard is forced to explain why he and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) broke up and decides to try to rekindle the romance.  Sheldon and Raj find working together is getting harder when Raj demands his portion of Sheldon’s office for a desk.

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The Desperation Emanation

4.5 The Desperation Emanation Airdate 10/21/10
Sheldon worries about his relationship status with Amy when he learns she wants him to meet her mother.  Leonard realizes that he needs a new girlfriend and is forced to turn to Howard and Bernadette for help…and ends up on a double-date from hell.

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The Irish Pub Formulation

4.6 The Irish Pub Formulation Airdate:  10/28/10
Raj’s sister Priya (Aarti Mann) comes to visit Raj and Leonard breaks an old pack with Howard to secretly sleep with her.  Sheldon catches Leonard and Priya and Leonard has to try to find a way to get Sheldon to keep his secret.

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The Apology Insufficiency

4.7 The Apology Insufficiency Airdate:  11/04/10
Howard is up for a big promotion but first has to undergo an FBI background check.  When Sheldon accidentally tells FBI Special Agent Angela Page (Eliza Dushku) about Howard’s wrecking of the Mars Rover, he might cost Howard the job and their friendship.

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The 21-Second Excitation

4.8 The 21-Second Excitation Airdate:  11/11/10
A 21 additional second recut of Raiders of the Lost Ark has the guys waiting in line…only to be thwarted again by Wil Wheaton.  Plus Penny throws a party with Amy and Bernadette and questions her relationship with Leonard.

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The Boyfriend Complexity

4.9 The Boyfriend Complexity Airdate: 11/18/10
Penny’s father Wyatt (Keith Carradine) comes to visit, and Penny forces Lenard to pretend they are still going out. Raj searches for a planet on a distant sun but ends up getting drunk when Howard brings Bernadette with him.

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The Alien Parasite Hypothesis

4.10 The Alien Parasite Hypothesis Airdate: 12/09/10
Amy finds herself sexually aroused by Penny’s ex-boyfriend Zack (Brian Smith) and questions if it is possible. Sheldon learns of Amy’s arousal and decides he has to solve the problem. Raj and Howard try to determine who is the sidekick and who is the superhero.

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The Justice League Recombination

4.11 The Justice League Recombination Airdate 12/16/10
Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj learn Penny is dating Zack again and decide to befriend him when Penny accuses of them of being bullies. When Zack tells Penny that they are going to the comic bookstore for New Year’s Eve as members of the Justice League, Penny gets upset.

 

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The Bus Pants Utilization

4.12 The Bus Pants Utilization Airdate: 01/06/11
Leonard has a new idea for a smartphone app and invites Howard, Raj, and Sheldon to help. When Sheldon takes over the planning, Leonard is forced to kick him out of the group.

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The Love Car Displacement

4.13 The Love Car Displacement Airdate: 01/20/11
Amy invites Penny along for a science seminar in Big Sur and when she is forced to share a bed with Leonard, old feelings return. Roger feels rivalry when Bernadette introduces him to her old boyfriend (Rick Fox).

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The Thespian Catalyst

4.14 The Thespian Catalyst Airdate: 02/03/11
Sheldon is given the chance to be a guest lecturer but has to turn to Penny for acting lessons when he fails to connect to his students. Raj finds himself tired of being alone and begins fantasizing about a life with Bernadette.

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The Benefactor Factor

4.15 The Benefactor Factor 02/10/11
Sheldon, Raj, Howard, and Leonard go to a fundraiser where Leonard meets Mrs. Latham (Jessica Walter). When Leonard learns that Mrs. Latham is willing provide money to his department, he also learns that she wants more than just a friendship.

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The Cohabitation Formulation

4.16 The Cohabitation Formulation Airdate: 02/17/11
Leonard and Raj’s sister decide to start seeing each other when they are in town for an extended period of time and Penny isn’t happy about it. Howard decides to move out of his house to live with Bernadette, but Bernadette learns Howard might really need his mother.

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The Toast Derivation

4.17 The Toast Derivation Airdate: 02/24/11
Leonard spends more time with Priya, and Sheldon decides to star his own circle of friends when Howard and Raj hang out out Raj’s place. Finding friends turns out difficult but leads Sheldon to a close brush of the Star Trek kind.

 

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The Prestidigitation Approximation

4.18 The Prestidigitation Approximation Airdate:  03/10/11
Priya decides that Leonard should stop seeing Penny since she was his ex-girlfriend, and Leonard tries to find a way to do it.  Sheldon tries to find out how one of Howard’s magic tricks works.

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The Zarnecki Incursion

4.19 The Zarnecki Incursion Airdate:  03/31/11
Priya wonders if Leonard is spending too much time with his friends and Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard seek out the guy who hacked Sheldon’s World of Warcraft account.

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The Herb Garden Germination

4.20 The Herb Garden Germination Airdate:  04/07/11
When rumors start to run rampant about Howard, Bernadette, and Raj, Sheldon and Amy decide to try an experiment on the spreading of rumors.

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The Agreement Dissection

4.21 The Agreement Dissection Airdate:  04/28/11
Sheldon finds his world turned upside down when Priya begins to dissect his roommate agreement with Leonard, and Sheldon is forced to go on a girl’s night out with Amy, Bernadette, and Penny.

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The Wildebeest Implentation

4.22 The Wildebeest Implementation Airdate:  05/05/11
Bernadette is sent to a double-date with Priya and Leonard as a spy for Penny.  Sheldon works on a three person chess game and Raj tests a new drug to get over his anxiety with women.

 

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The Engagement Reaction

4.23 The Engagement Reaction Airdate:  05/12/11
Howard tells his mother about his engagement to Bernadette but rushes her to the hospital when he thinks she’s having a heart attack. Sheldon worries about picking up germs at the hospital and tries to

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The Roommate Transmogrification

4.24 The Roommate Transmogrification Airdate:  05/19/11
Leonard moves in with Priya at Raj’s place, and Raj moves in with Sheldon.  Leonard learns Priya’s plans for the future, and Howard worries that Bernadette is more successful than him.  Penny and Raj spend time together and accidentally get too close.

Related Links:

The Big Bang Theory—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The Big Bang Theory—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The Big Bang Theory—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The Big Bang Theory—Season 5 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The Big Bang Theory—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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