"The Raiders Minimization" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on October 10, 2013. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Steven Molaro, Steve Holland and Maria Ferrari, based on a story by Chuck Lorre, Jim Reynolds and Tara Hernandez.
Penny starts reading a book by Dr. Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski), Leonard's mother. In the book, Beverly goes into embarrassing details about Leonard's childhood. Leonard feels very depressed about this, until he figures out a way to manipulate Penny into more sex. However, Penny wises up to Leonard's manipulation and calls Beverly.
Meanwhile, Amy mentions that there is one problem with Raiders of the Lost Ark, upsetting Sheldon, who then vows to ruin something Amy loves, like maybe Little House on the Prairie. Sheldon also consults with Howard, Leonard and Raj about a way to refute Amy's argument, but they come up empty.
Last and least, Raj and Stuart (Kevin Sussman) make online dating profiles. They get a lot of interest, but no follow-through. Disappointed, they try to meet women the old-fashioned way, by going to a bar. It goes no better for them.
Tropes
- Artistic License – History: Sheldon's claim that "peanut butter wasn't introduced until the early 1900s" is false. Peanut butter dates back to the Aztecs. Presumably, Sheldon (who really ought to know better) is repeating the popular myth that George Washington Carver invented peanut butter.note
- Bait-and-Switch: Penny greets Leonard in a nightie and says she planned something special. Leonard starts to undress, thinking he's going to have sex, but then Penny opens her laptop, and there on the screen is Leonard's mother, whom Penny had told about how he's been whining about her to play on Penny's sympathies.
- Innocently Insensitive: Amy innocently points out that Indiana Jones had no impact on the plot of Raiders, inadvertently ruining the franchise for Sheldon and his friends when he tells them about it.
- Jaw Drop: Invoked by Sheldon when he dares Amy to tell him about the flaw in Raiders of the Lost Ark, saying "Here's my jaw; drop it." When Amy does tell him, his jaw actually drops, and she smugly closes it for him.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Sheldon fights Amy's brutal takedown of the Raiders plot by searching for flaws he can point out in things she likes. He also claims he learned it from his mother, who used to put hamster poop in his father's tobacco when she was mad at him.
- Shout-Out to Pride and Prejudice: Sheldon tries to ruin the classic Jane Austen novel for Amy. But after reading it, he concludes that "Amy's beloved Pride and Prejudice is a flawless masterpiece. He's got too much pride, she's got too much prejudice, it just works."
- Take That!: According to Sheldon, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was bad long before Amy criticized Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Useless Protagonist: This is what Amy considers the big problem with Raiders: Indiana Jones' involvement in the plot doesn't change the outcome; if he were removed from the story it would end the same way. Even after days of trying to rebut her, the best counter-argument that Sheldon and the other guys can think of is that Indy avoided being killed by the Ark of the Covenant and handed it over to the American government — without which, the Nazis would probably have shown up to investigate, figured out where Belloq went wrong, and successfully weaponized the Ark — and even they have to admit this is an extremely weak rebuttal that reduces Indy to a glorified delivery boy and note he didn't even accomplish his original goal of putting the Ark in a museum.
