SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” Season 1 Episode 2, now streaming on HBO Max.
“Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” Episode 2 was chock full of cameos and guest stars — but saved the biggest one, at least for “The Big Bang Theory” fans, until near the end of the episode: The return of Kaley Cuoco as Penny. But a very different Penny.
In the episode, “Spoiler: Zack’s In This One,” Stuart (Kevin Sussman), Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn) land in a much less apocalyptic Pasadena than the one they just escaped — and in this world, Kripke is no longer a vicious ruler (he plays off killing Raj in the previous world: “There are two possibilities. One, the world we were just in no longer exists. In which case I did not kill Raj. Two, that world and this world are part of an infinite number of worlds, in which case I killed one in an infinite number of Rajes. Mathematically, a rounding error.”)
But in the happy-go-lucky, peaceful new universe they land in, things aren’t as cracked up as they seem: The characters all have a device planted on the back of their necks, sending them an electric shock whenever they argue or get angry. And for this crew, with Stuart and Kripke going at it, that’s a lot.
