'The Big Bang Theory' Season 8 Episode 1 Recap & Spoilers: 3 Shocking Events of Premiere

Our favorite nerds are finally back, and there are some changes in Pasadena.

The hour long season premier showed our favorite cast back together again, and although there have been a lot of things we expected to see on the first episode of the season, there were also some things that totally took us by surprise.

Here are the top surprises from Monday's episode based on the recap by TV.com:

1)    How Penny Got the Job

We all know that Penny is going to be a pharmaceutical representative at Bernadette's company, but frankly, we all had questions about how she got the job in the first place. After all, being a pharmaceutical rep is not as easy as being a waitress at the Cheesecake factory.

Although we suspect that Bernie may have a hand in her new job, how she actually got in was a surprise: Who knew so many people are afraid of the petite blonde? What's even more surprising is that Penny actually seems to put more thought in her new job than she ever did being an actress, so much so that after she got it, she actually studied, if not only to appease her friend. Seems like Penny grew up when she got her hair cut.

2)    Sheldon's Big Change

After going on a cross-country train ride, you'd expect that the quirky Sheldon Cooper may have finally loosened up a bit, you know, more adaptable to change, less neurotic, less obnoxious. Unfortunately, this does not happen, but big changes were still upon him. Back in Season 7, the University did not allow him to change his study from String Theory to Dark Matter, but upon his return, he was given another chance to switch it up, but with a catch: he has to be able to teach the next generation of scientists.

Who's surprised nobody signed up?

3)    Howard is going back to school

Howard is probably the most vocal one about his dislike for Sheldon, so imagine Raj's and Leonard's shock when he wanted to sign up for Sheldon's class, because he is going to start signing up for his doctorate. One thing's for sure, though: Howard earned his Master's degree from MIT: he's actually smarter than Sheldon ever gave him for. The best thing? When Howard acted up in Sheldon's class and sent a spitball right into the new professor's mouth.

What's your favorite scene from tonight's episode?