Back in the 17th episode of season three on CBS, Big Bang Theory fans witnessed the gang try and outdo one another in order to get their hands on the ring from the Lord of the Rings movies. After purchasing a $60 box of random memorabilia from a garage sale, Howard (Simon Helberg), Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) couldn’t decide who should pocket the valuable artefact. However, in their quest to determine who its owner should be, one fan has exposed a rather glaring plot hole.
In the episode, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) watches on dumbfounded as the four guys rummage through their box.
From an Alf doll to a Spock toy with Mr T’s head, the guys’ purchase conists of a lot of junk.
However, Sheldon strikes gold when he removes a “Lord of the Rings ring”.
Noticing its detail, Raj comments: “It’s even got the Elvish engraving on it.”
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The Big Bang Theory foursome’s curiosity spikes, leading to Howard to do some digging on the ring’s authenticity.
Howard tells the guys his buddy, someone who’s an expert on the “seedy underbelly of the collectibles world”, confirmed the ring wasn’t a replica.
Instead, it was the actual ring used in the Peter Jackson blockbusters leading to all four being conflicted as to what to do with it.
Penny looks after the ring for safekeeping while they decide before they opt for a “holding contest” to determine who gets to keep it.
So where does the plot hole lie? Well, one fan has exposed a key detail which could not have happened when they were holding the ring.
Taking to Reddit, Big Bang fan Vikanuck explains: “In the episode ‘The Precious Fragmentation’, when the guys all find the Lord of the Ring’s ring, they agree that the last person holding onto the ring gets to keep it.
“At one point, Howard says ‘You know at some point this becomes ridiculous’, and Leonard says ‘It wasn’t when we were driving like this?’
“It has always bugged the s**t out of me that there is no physically possible way for them all to get IN to the car while all still holding the ring.”
They add: “I know, it’s TV, who gives a f**k…well, me. I give at least two or three f**ks.
“I would like to open a dialogue as to how they could have done this haha. Maybe a sunroof was involved in some way.”
The Big Bang fan certainly seems to be onto something as the four of them definitely would have found it impossible to jump into a car without at least one of them letting.
Then there’s the issue of who was driving and how which is another plot hole altogether.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Netflix UK now.