For many fans, Penny’s characterization took a quantum leap forward early in Season 2.
The Big Bang Theory has nearly 300 episodes, and fans struggle to choose a personal favorite, but Season 2, Episode 3, “The Barbarian Sublimation” is a clear favorite. This is the episode where Sheldon introduces Penny to online video games, and she quickly becomes addicted to them. In a discussion on Reddit last week, many fans agreed that this was one of Kaley Cuoco’s best performances, or at least one of the stories that really made them love her character. It showed that Penny’s personality is versatile outside of punchlines about her appearance, and also showed her relating to geek culture rather than looking down on it.
As you may recall, the episode starts with Sheldon (Jim Parsons) playing an MMORPG called Age of Conan when he is interrupted by Penny, who is having an emotional breakdown out in the hallway. She is locked out of her apartment, so Sheldon invites her in while she waits for help, and she quickly becomes as enthralled by the game as he is.
The writers wasted no time in raising the stakes and escalating Penny’s addiction to comical proportions. During her initial breakdown, her shopping bag had broken scattering groceries all over the hallway floor. By that afternoon, she had abandoned all that food and it was left melting and rotting in the common space. Conflict arises when she begins pestering Sheldon for help advancing in the game, and a frustrated Sheldon tasks Leonard (Johnny Galecki) with reestablishing boundaries.
Unable to reason with Penny in person, Leonard resorts to joining the game himself and trying to get through to her in the virtual world. When that doesn’t work, the boys all decide to try and set Penny up with a real-life date to distract her, but by then the binge-gaming has taken a toll on her appearance and demeanor, so the suitors they set up flee. What finally works is Penny meeting up with Howard (Simon Helberg) within the game and agreeing to get a drink with him there. Horrified, she closes the laptop and declares she needs help.
This episode premiered in 2008, at a time when several other prominent TV shows and movies were confronting video game addiction — specifically in regards to MMORPGs. The Guild premiered just one year before, and in real life, this form of addiction was just beginning to garner mainstream media attention. It was formally recognized by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in 2010, but to date it still has not gotten its own distinct recognition in by the American Psychiatric Association.
The Big Bang Theory is streaming now on Max, and a box set of the complete series is also available on Blu-ray and DVD. Age of Conan is still available to play to this day as well.
