Line #15 Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS2E12TheKillerRobotInstability


1	'''"The Killer Robot Instability"''' is an episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' that first aired on January 12, 2009.
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3	The guys build a killer competition robot for a robotics competition. To verify the robot's power, Leonard has the robot destroy a toaster oven, then the door to Apartment 4A. This frightens Penny as she's coming up the stairs. Penny confronts the guys.
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5	Predictably, Howard takes the opportunity to hit on Penny yet again. Penny is sick and tired of Howard's sexual harassment having endured it for at least a year by now. She tells him in no uncertain terms what she thinks of him and what she thinks will happen to him.
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7	Devastated by Penny's tirade, Howard spends the next couple of days moping in his bedroom in his mother's house, essentially dropping out of the robotics team. Leonard convinces Penny to go apologize to Howard. Seeing this side of Howard's personality humanizes him in Penny's eyes, and she says some encouraging words to him.
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9	But then Howard, as if having learned nothing, tries to kiss Penny, so she punches him in the face. Still, this motivates him to resume his normal activities, including his participation in the robotics team.
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11	It's too late for the team's robot, MONTE, though. Sheldon has foolishly convinced Leonard and Raj to accept a challenge from Kripke (Creator/JohnRossBowie) for an informal match before the official competition. Watching a video of Kripke's robot demolishing a Chevy fails to convince Sheldon to back out of the challenge.
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13	By the time Howard rejoins the team, Kripke's robot has destroyed MONTE beyond repair. " I’ve seen space probes that crashed into the desert that were in better shape than this," Howard says of MONTE.
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15	!!Tropes
16	* AesopAmnesia:
17	** Penny for not thinking before she talks (again) as she insults Sheldon.
18	** Howard for inappropriately advancing upon Penny (yet again).
19	* AnalogyBackfire: When Penny finally has enough of Howard, she begins her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech by saying that normally she would just ignore him because he is a little peculiar, like Sheldon. Sheldon interrupts her and says that in that room, ''she'' was the peculiar one. Penny thinks for a moment and admits he is probably right.
20	* TheBadGuyWins: Kripke destroys [=MONTE=], and Howard dismisses any future of him being able to repair it.
21	* BlatantLies: When Penny comes to Howard's house to apologize to him, he tries to dismiss her by saying he was not traumatized by what she said to him. This is despite him holding himself up in his room for days after what she told him, wallowing in his own misery, and crying as soon as she leaves his room.
22	* BreakThemByTalking: Penny's harsh words cause Howard to hole up in his bedroom in self-pity. {{Lampshad\|eHanging}}ed by Raj:
23	-->'''Leonard:''' [after Raj whispers in his ear] He said maybe we should enter you [Penny] in the killer robot competition!
24	* ContinuityNod to [[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS1E1Pilot the series pilot]]: To convince Penny to go apologize to Howard, Leonard reminds her of the favor he tried to do for her soon after meeting her, and how she said she owed him when he and Sheldon came back without their pants.
25	* CutHimselfShaving: When Howard returns with Penny at the end, now with a broken nose, the others question what happened to him, and they say Howard "slipped and fell on a bathtub". Though the blatant comments they make afterwards make it incredibly obvious to everyone what really happened.
26	-->'''Penny:''' Yes, now he knows what bathtubs are capable of doing when you don’t treat them with respect.\
27	'''Howard:''' Yeah. (''bitterly under his breath'') They sucker punch you when your eyes are closed.
28	* DisproportionateRetribution: Penny punches Howard in the face for trying to kiss her. Leads to AesopAmnesia when he says he's "halfway to pity sex," presumably to save face.
29	* DyingAlone: Penny's angry rant towards Howard ends with her saying that no woman is ever going to flirt with him and he's just going to "grow old and die alone".
30	* EveryoneHasStandards: Sheldon insults Kripke's mother for being fat, but states that he's insincere about it if it's for glandular problems.
31	* FunWithAcronyms: The guys' robot, the '''M'''obile '''O'''mnidirectional '''N'''eutralization and '''T'''ermination '''E'''radicator.
32	* GenreBlindness: Leonard tries to find a nice way of explaining to Penny how scary she gets when she gets mad, and tries to compare her to the Hulk by mentioning Bruce Banner and Gamma Rays. But somehow Penny, who knows nothing about comics, thought Leonard was saying she turns into a ''bear'' after he growls as a demonstration.
33	* HereWeGoAgain: Penny once again [[AesopAmnesia doesn't think before she talks]] when she insults Sheldon's deep affinity for MONTE and he goes off crying into his room.
34	-->'''Leonard:''' Penny.\
35	'''Penny:''' I know, I got it. [''walking to Sheldon's room''] Sheldon, I'm sorry.
36	* HypocriticalHumor: Raj calls Howard, "pathetic and creepy and can't get girls". While at least Howard actively seeks a relationship (though not in a clever or appropriate way), Raj just freezes up if he just ''sees'' a girl.
37	* JerkassHasAPoint: Penny's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Howard has been a long time coming, since he has continuously harassed her and made demeaning comments toward her even after she has made it clear multiple times she isn't interested in him.
38	* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: As Howard refuses to participate in the killer robot challenge after Penny's brutal speech cursing him to die alone, Sheldon dismisses Howard's importance to the team with their robot stating that physicists such as himself are more skilled than engineers.
39	* JumpScare: PlayedForLaughs. Penny is coming up the stairs talking on her phone when the guys drive MONTE right through their front door, causing her to scream and run back down.
40	* KillerRobot: MONT-E, which pales in comparison to Kripke's robot.
41	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: As true as Penny’s ReasonYouSuckSpeech is, it ends up causing Howard to wallow in self-loathing. This goes to show that while people like Howard can be rather unsettling to others, they have feelings as well. That and since his friends needed him for their robot fight, Penny is forced to swallow her pride and apologize.
42	* MourningADeadRobot: The group mourn the loss of M.O.N.T.E. Penny tells Sheldon he's taking it too seriously and "it's just a toy robot." This causes Sheldon to run to his room and cry.
43	* NasalTrauma: When Howard inappropriately tries to kiss Penny after she apologizes she punches him in the face. The final scene shows he got a broken nose from this.
44	* NoSympathy:
45	** When Kripke finds out about what happened to Howard and why it isn't a good time for their robots to fight, he dismisses it with the cold remark that everyone present (himself included) is “creepy, pathetic, and cannot get girls".
46	** After Leonard explains to Penny how she hurt Howard's feelings and sent him into a depression, Penny initially refuses to apologize or feel any sympathy for him and laughs when Leonard tries to think of a way for her to spin it in a positive way. She only relents when Leonard calls in the favor she said she owed him.
47	* OrderedApology: After Howard refuses to leave his room for two days, Leonard reminds Penny that he and Sheldon [[ContinuityNod stood up to her ex-boyfriend]] and she said she owed him one for it.
48	* PitySex: Discussed at the very end when Howard tells Leonard and Raj that despite the broken nose he has he feels he is "halfway" to having pity sex with Penny, showing he has not quite learned his lesson yet.
49	* POVCam: Two in a row; first from Penny's point of view as Howard tries to kiss her, then from Howard's as she decks him [[SmashCut and the screen cuts to the next scene]].
50	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Penny gives a lengthy one to Howard, which causes him to have a HeroicBSOD.
51	-->'''Penny:''' I know you think you’re some sort of smooth-talking ladies’ man, but the truth is, you are just pathetic and creepy.\
52	'''Howard:''' (''confused'') Um, so what are you saying?\
53	'''Penny:''' I am saying it is not a compliment to call me doable. It’s not sexy to stare at my ass and say, "Ooh, it must be jelly ’cause jam don’t shake like that." And most important, we are not "dancing a tango", we’re not "to’ing and fro’ing". Nothing is ever going to happen between us. ''Ever!''\
54	'''Howard:''' Wait a minute. This isn’t flirting; you’re serious.\
55	'''Penny:''' Flirting? You think I’m flirting with you? I am not flirting with you--no woman is ever gonna flirt with you! You’re just gonna grow old and die alone.
56	* SecondPersonAttack: After Howard still tries to steal a kiss from Penny after her apology, Penny is shown punching the camera. The next shot is Howard with a broken nose.
57	* YouOweMe: When Penny refuses to apologize to Howard even after Leonard explains how she hurt his feelings and they need him, Leonard stops playing nice and simply calls in the favor Penny said she owed him from the Pilot. Penny begrudgingly agrees.
58	* YourMom: Sheldon's attempt at trash talk (emphasis on attempt) includes this.
59	-->'''Sheldon:''' Your robot is inferior, and it will be defeated by ours, because ours exceeds yours in both design and execution. Also, I am given to understand that your mother is overweight.\
60	'''Raj:''' Oh, snap!\
61	'''Sheldon:''' Now, of course, [[EveryoneHasStandards if that is the result of a glandular condition and not sloth and gluttony, I withdraw that comment]].

Context Recap / TheBigBangTheoryS2E12TheKillerRobotInstability