The Big Bang Theory: 10 Best Wil Wheaton Episodes

10. "The Gorilla Dissolution"

After Wil's advice helps Penny take an acting job on Serial Ape-ist 2, they begin working on a laboratory set, where Penny is stuck in a cage. As they are filming their scene, Wil's character begs with Penny's not to shut him out, but she's still a little upset about the time he mixed her DNA with a killer gorilla's.

After some back and forth pleading, the scene comes to an end, but Penny isn't happy with her performance, so she asks for another take. The director isn't having any of it, admitting that the film is garbage, and if it weren't, she wouldn't be in it.

Things go from bad to worse when Leonard is ordered off the set by the director. When Penny objects, he fires her. Wil stands up for his friend and co-worker, and it's beginning to look like he might be able to save her job.

The next scene sees them all drinking in a bar, where Wil comments that their job situation fell apart really quickly. That's the bulk of Wil's performance in the episode, which was important in Penny's development. She turned away from acting after the incident, which ultimately changed her life.