Top 10 Times Howard Was a Savage on The Big Bang Theory

When Sheldon finds out Leonard didn’t return an old video rental on time, he makes a deal to help Leonard understand just how uncomfortable these situations make him feel. For once, Sheldon doesn’t overreact (for reasons we find out later), but Leonard goes way overboard, trying to prove conflicts can be solved rationally while getting more irrational by the minute. Over takeout, Howard and Raj try to make sense of this whole thing, but Leonard’s reasoning convinces no one. If anything, Howard’s just trying to remind Leonard of the bigger picture here. He also ends up being “helpful” when Leonard thinks he's hit a satisfactory dead end in his quest.

Sheldon might understand many of the universe’s secrets, but magic? That’s a whole other story. In this episode, Howard has a field day messing with Sheldon by performing a card trick that leaves him completely stumped—and believe us, he tries everything to figure it out. Still, everyone loves watching him squirm. It’s also hilarious watching Howard dumb things down for him. If you, like Sheldon, were wondering how it all worked, as Howard says earlier, a magician never reveals his tricks. Except, this time, he does—and the word “trick” is key. It turns out that Howard and his buddies banded together to mess with Sheldon, and it works like a charm!

Imagine dedicating a huge chunk of your life to a fandom, only for someone to come along and burst your bubble. After Amy points out a plot problem in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Sheldon makes it his mission to find flaws in the things she loves. When he tells his friends his plan, Howard suggests that he’d been accomplishing that long before the “Raiders” incident. Then, in another season, Amy and Howard team up to create a device that controls robotic limbs with brainwaves. While she explains the device to Howard, he bigs up her understanding of robotics based on her life choices. Her comeback is pretty snappy, too.

Hey, remember when Stuart and Penny dated? At first, Stuart manages to charm her, but their first date doesn’t go so well, and he ends up asking Leonard for advice. Only Leonard’s still hoping to win Penny over, so he’s not exactly jumping at the chance to help. Thankfully, Howard steps in with what he thinks is the perfect solution. Is it a bit harsh? Sure. But in Howard’s defense, it’s not the worst advice out there! That said, we definitely wouldn’t take relationship tips from him. Later, after Penny and Leonard have already dated and broken up, Howard makes a laser-sharp dig at Leonard while explaining the situation to Sheldon.

Howard and Raj might be besties, but do best friends constantly tear each other down? We’d hope not! Raj probably should’ve taken a huge step back after Howard made that “joke” in his time of need. Still, it takes Raj’s dad to point out that Howard can be a pretty sucky friend. Even while Raj calls him out, he can’t resist tossing out some mean jabs. Instead of apologizing, he doubles down by not inviting Raj to Halle’s first birthday party and then asking him to help organize it! You’d think this would be a wake-up call for Howard, but it doesn’t take long for him to bounce back to his old ways.

With Sheldon off in Texas, the gang starts to ponder how different their lives might’ve been without him, “It’s a Wonderful Life” style. In one of the tangents, Bernadette figures that if she and Howard had never met, Howard would probably still be living with his mom. Howard, however, has some other ideas of how that reality might’ve looked. At first, it doesn’t seem all that different from the kind of interactions we’d heard in the past. However, then comes the big twist. Yes, the parent-child relationship can be contentious, but going full Hitchcock? Yikes! Amy has a follow-up question, but we’re not sure we even want to know the answer.

We think most of us will agree that “Emily or Cinnamon” is pretty funny. But just for a moment, let’s put ourselves in Raj’s shoes. It hasn’t always been easy for him to find love, and it’s actually not all that unusual for pet owners to form such close attachments to their fluff balls. Now, imagine you’re happily in love, you adore your little floof, and all your friends can do is make fun of your endless affection for both. Yeah, we wouldn’t want to be in Raj’s place either. That being said, it is one of this episode’s funniest side plots, so we guess what we’re saying is, we’re here for the shade.

Howard is so sharp-witted when it comes to dishing out savagery that sometimes it happens without him even trying! Like the time he agrees to be Sheldon’s student when no one else shows up to class. Only he finds out that Sheldon is hell-bent on making it unnecessarily challenging. So, Howard decides to be the world’s worst student. His antics to disrupt the class are absolutely hilarious! But the highlight has to be that unintentional, perfectly aimed spitball. Shooting his saliva straight into Sheldon’s mouth—who’s a notorious germaphobe—was brilliantly cruel. And just when you think it can’t get any better, Howard follows up with a zinger that’s like hitting the bullseye twice!

Sheldon and Howard’s feuds are often hilarious, but few are as funny as the parking spot argument. Rational arguments do nothing for Sheldon, who escalates things by stealing Howard’s Iron Man mask. This ignites a hilarious exchange of blows between them. The funniest is when Sheldon returns home to find Howard getting cozy in his beloved spot. As any “Big Bang” fan knows, Sheldon doesn’t like anyone sitting in his spot, even if they’re wearing pants! Later, we see Howard nudge Sheldon out of the way with his car, but arguably, that’s only the second most brutal move in this feud. Sheldon gets his revenge, but let’s not forget where he got the inspiration!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Starting the Down-on-Their-Luck Club, “The Escape Hatch Identification”
No One Knows How to Kick a Person While They’re down Quite Like Howard

C-3Pee Wee Herman, “The Friendship Turbulence”
Mean? Maybe. Do We See It? Kind Of!

A True Friend, “The Pants Alternative”
It Takes a Whole New Level of Friendship to Not Care That Much

Howard Build a Crossbow, “The Monopolar Expedition”
Three Months in the North Pole with Sheldon Can Make a Man Consider Unspeakable Things

Halloween Costume, “The Imitation Perturbation”
Nothing’s Scarier than a Lecture from Sheldon (or a Sheldon Look Alike)!

Sheldon’s constant belittling of Howard was always bound to come back to bite him. Howard’s plan here is so savage that it’s like he’s getting back at Sheldon for every mean thing he’s ever said—and anything else he might say in the future. When Stephen Hawking comes to town, Howard makes Sheldon jump through hoops before he agrees to make any introduction. Whether it’s making Sheldon clean his belt buckles from their “splash zone” stains, do his laundry, fill in for Bernadette on a shopping trip with Mrs. Wolowitz, or wear that maid’s outfit, take your pick—these tasks are all brutal! And we thought Eurystheus was tough on Hercules!

Which moment do you think shows Howard at his most savage? Let us know in the comments!