Leonard and Penny from The Big Bang Theory have lied many times; sometimes to get out of a sticky situation, sometimes to keep from breaking someone’s heart, and sometimes just for fun. But not all their lies were necessary. The members of their friend squad weren't totally transparent with each other and it didn’t help that everyone in the social group was such a gossip.
While some of Leonard and Penny’s lies were messier than the other, some of their lies were really unnecessary. They have often created an elaborate web of lies just to impress someone or to avoid Sheldon’s tantrums, and they would have been better off just telling the truth.
When Leonard Lied About Sheldon’s Favorite Restaurant
Leonard tells Sheldon that the cashew chicken he buys for Sheldon on Monday doesn’t come from Schezwan Palace because the restaurant closed two years ago. He hid this from Sheldon because he doesn’t cope well with changes to his daily routine, so Leonard had been buying his chicken from another restaurant and would pack them in Schezwan Palace containers, as he bought 4,000 containers from them before they shut up shop. This lie isn’t just cruel but also quite unnecessary. Sheldon has coped with bigger changes to his schedule and Leonard could have easily found a way to break the news to Sheldon without going to such extreme measures.
When Penny Lied To Bernadette About Working With Her
When Bernadette offered Penny a job on her team as a project manager, Penny lied about how she couldn’t work with her because her supervisor wouldn’t let her. When Bernadette later confronts her, she admits that she does not think people are going to take her seriously since she has only just started out in the industry.
But Penny could have told Bernadette the truth in the first place, because when she did, Bernadette actually helped her see how everyone feels inadequate at their job at some point.
When Penny Lied About Community College
Penny was insecure about her and Leonard’s relationship because he’s an accomplished scientist and she didn’t go to college. So she lied to Leonard and tells him that she is a community college graduate, but Leonard has never looked down upon Penny because of her job or her educational background. Penny’s anxiety and self-doubt do make sense, but she really didn’t need to lie to Leonard. And it didn’t help that she admitted the truth to Sheldon who really doesn’t handle secrets well.
When Penny Lied To Her Dad About Leonard
Leonard was the only boyfriend Penny’s dad ever approved of, so when her father comes to visit her in California, she lies to him and tells him that she and Leonard are still together. It’s not implausible since her acting career wasn’t working out and she didn’t want her dad to think there’s nothing good going on in her life.
But lying about such a crucial aspect of her life wasn’t a good idea, as Penny’s dad eventually finds out. Her dad tells her that she is an adult and should have been upfront with him from the beginning.
When Leonard Lied To Penny’s Classmate
Leonard really embarrassed himself in front of Penny's classmate by lying to him about his identity. Leonard was basically insecure about Penny’s British classmate when he saw Penny texting him. Penny explained to Leonard that he was coming over to study which made him even more worried. He then found Penny’s classmate in the hallway and fed him some fake information about Penny’s supposedly tough, obsessive boyfriend who was scary. Penny revealed later that Leonard made a fool of himself as her classmate had seen Leonard’s picture on Penny’s fridge and knew exactly who he was. This lie was never needed in the first place because Penny had no romantic feelings for her friend whatsoever.
When Penny Lied To Priya About Her Career
When Bernadette was having dinner with Howard, Leonard, and Priya, Penny and Amy ask Bernadette to lie about how fabulous Penny’s life is, just to make Priya jealous. Penny asks Bernadette to tell them that Penny is on her way to Prague to shoot a movie with Angelina Jolie, which was a really bad move since it’s so easily verifiable and their lie would eventually be caught.
Penny and Amy also asked Bernadette to lie about a few other things related to Penny which was unnecessary and didn’t really serve any purpose.
When Leonard Lied To Sheldon About The Athenaeum Club
Why exactly did Leonard lie about the exclusivity of the Athenaeum Club at Caltech? When Sheldon and Amy decide to hold their wedding at the historic club, Leonard tells Sheldon he was not a member. But he told Penny that the club was very exclusive and picky about members. In reality, Leonard was a member, and the Athenaeum isn’t all that exclusive. But why would Leonard lie? His lie to Penny is somewhat relatable since he wanted her to be impressed that he was a member of an elite club, but why would he lie to Sheldon? It can’t be that he doesn’t want to help Sheldon and Amy with their wedding, so his lie is quite implausible and entirely needless and if he was honest, he would have saved himself a lot of trouble.
When Leonard Lied To Sheldon About A California Law
Leonard may have made things much harder as he has lied to Sheldon about multiple things over the years and when they unravel, Sheldon gets really upset and Leonard is the one that has to console him. Like the time he lied to Sheldon about California Restaurant Workers’ Solemn Oath Of Ethics And Cleanliness; there is obviously no such law and Leonard made it up to handle Sheldon’s tantrums. But when Penny jokingly threatens to spit on Sheldon’s burger and he brings up the oath in front of Amy, he discovers Leonard’s lie.
When Leonard Lied To Stuart About What Penny Likes
Leonard wanted to sabotage Stuart’s date with Penny because he had feelings for her and he couldn’t deal with the fact that Penny would go out with someone who’s so similar to him in certain aspects. So he sets Stuart up by telling him to take it very slow, so they don’t go too fast on their date or get physical. The lie was quite pointless because as it turned out Penny may have been hung-up on Leonard as she called Stuart by Leonard’s name when they were making out. So, Leonard didn't have to lie at all since Penny and Stuart’s romantic relationship didn’t lead to anything serious.
When Leonard Lied About Sheldon’s Experiment
Leonard’s cruel lie simply to appease Sheldon during their North Pole expedition was uncalled for. Leonard, along with Raj and Howard, tamper with Sheldon’s experiment because several failed attempts had made him unbearably cranky and they simply couldn’t live with him. But it’s highly unlikely that Leonard, being a scientist, would have such a cavalier attitude towards a major commissioned experiment. Moreover, Leonard had been living with Sheldon for many years and he could have certainly come up with more functional ways of dealing with a cranky Sheldon, than the pointless exercise of lying about such an important experiment.