S09.E15: The Valentino Submergence

[MMLEsq]

Sheldon and Amy host a Valentine's Day episode of "Fun with Flags", Leonard and Penny grapple with getting older, Howard and Bernadette find a surprise in their hot tub and Raj is torn between Emily and Claire.

 

[Browncoat]

Well, here we go with the pregnancy.

[anna0852]

As much as it was played for comedy, I think Howard had a point about getting that bite checked. Isn't the advice that when in doubt about an animal's rabies status to get the shots? Because if rabies develops then the person will die.

Can I just say I am loving Sheldon and Amy these days?

[P3pp3rb1rd]

Like watching paint dry.

 

Show should have made Amy pregnant after their ONS Shamy had, not Bern and Wallowitz..

[Frost]

I thought pregnant women weren't supposed to use hot tubs.  Is that just a myth?  I thought Bernadette snuggling the bunny would lead to a baby discussion, not an actual pregnancy.

 

I enjoyed Penny being called ma'am for the first time.  Although, with that matronly dress, I can't see how she was surprised.  A Peter Pan collar buttoned all the way up to the neck?  I think you have to be 20 years old to pull that off and be 'cute'.

[anna0852]

As long as she's careful about the water temperature the hot tub is fine. I think that's why she made the comment about 'not too hot.'

[msani19]

 

Well, here we go with the pregnancy.

Seriously. Just ugh. I do not want to see a baby on this show, but then again the writers do NOT seem to be listening to me AT ALL! 

Raj is an idiot.

Amy/Sheldon were actually amusing, go figure!

Penny/Leonard were uninteresting per usual. 

Bernadette/Howard, just ugh!

[mojoween]

I thought Emily was made a regular? And did he go from talking to Penny and Leonard, break up with Emily, call whatsherface, go to Emily's and then back to Penny and Leonard? Because they were all wearing the same clothes.

Ugh. A baby. Fuck no.

[Rhetorica]

I did chuckle a few times tonight-improvement! And Fun with Flags always lives up to its name. Plus Kwekpe was back!

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

Is it wrong I hope she had a false positive? Pregnancy is soooooooooo bad for a show like this. I'm fully on board with the preview where Sheldon suggested they all get vasectomies so it wouldn't happen to them. Do it, boys! Save us all this awful plot!

[benteen]

However the pregnancy turns out, this was a really funny episode tonight.  Hit on just about every cylinder.

 

BTW, I agree that Howard wasn’t overreacting.  You get bitten by a rabbit, you go to the hospital IMMEDIATELY.  Bernadette is insane for thinking that to be an overreaction.

Edited February 12, 2016 by benteen

[AshleyLyn]

My mom made me rewind three times to make sure we heard right.

So..the character that isn't interested in having kids..is pregnant. *sighs* Well not surprised show went there but was kind of hoping they wouldn't. Disappointing.

Episode had it's moments. Not bad.

Rajesh seems to be the only one that ctant seem to mature or grow up and oddly..he's aware of it but can't seem to get past of. Which is actually realistic. I have a friend like that and it's exhausting being friends with her because of it.

[anna0852]

Is Melissa Rauch pregnant in real life? The writers might have been painted into a corner.

 

Not to mention, the 'I don't want kids' conversation was several years ago and hasn't really come up again since. Things can change. Bernie and Howard are in a house now, they've been solidly married for several years and Howard is slowly but surely outgrowing the man-child mentality. And as cold as it sounds, there is no longer a very opinionated and interfering paternal grandmother hanging over the picture.

[PinkRibbons]

I always felt the whole thing about Bernadette and Howard having kids was meant to be a compromise. That was a deal-breaker for Howard when getting married, after all. She's been hesitant up until now but for all we know the conception was an accident (happy accident for Howard, I guess) and she knows how much Howard wants kids. I assume Bernadette will just follow through on making Howard be primary caregiver like she wanted.

 

Also, is it just me, or are both Sheldon and Amy looking prettier lately?

[Driad]

This would be better if Howard had some degree of maturity.  Probably they expect we will find the situation hilarious.

 

Rabies: from what I can find out, the animal can be observed for 10 days, and if it shows no rabies symptoms, Howard will not need the preventive shots.  If that is standard practice, there was no need to drop everything and race to the hospital.

[theatremouse]

I'm pretty sure with rabies it's a series of shots and at least one is supposed to be ASAP. Then they can monitor and if the animal shows no symptoms you don't need to go through with the rest of the shots. (Although I think if the monitoring period is 10 days by then you'd have had more than one) From everything I've been taught Howard was totally sensible and Bernadette was being weird. You don't fuck with rabies.

Edited February 12, 2016 by theatremouse

[Artsda]

Melissa's not pregnant. This seems like an almost ending storyline for the show. 

 

A baby. Ugh.

[kat165]

This was just horrible all the way around. Although I am glad Raj broke up with Emily

who I do not like. I've been watching older eps on DVD which makes this ep (and most

of this season so far) look bad.

 

The writers seem to have no clue as to what to do with Penny & Leonard lately. Their

storylines, the little they get, are atrocious.

Edited February 12, 2016 by kat165

[TVFAN]

I'm going to defend the writers on the baby storyline.  They cannot pretend that that the characters are the same age and have the same lives as when the show began.  Shows rapidly grow stale when writers try to suspend time.  I wouldn't still be watching the show if the guys were all still sweet nerds who never caught a break when it came to love.  

 

Frankly, given that the show features 7 characters well into their 30s, including two married couples and one couple that is in a serious relationship, it would be incredibly odd if someone didn't have a baby.  In fact, in real life one would expect to see five, six, or even more babies among the group over the next few years.  The real question is whether the writers can avoid "invisible baby" syndrome.  Too many shows park babies with a nameless babysitter who seemingly is on call 24/7.  They need to remember that having a baby will change things for Howard and Bernadette.  They will not be able to hang out with their friends the way that they always have.  

[CleoCaesar]

I'm of the unpopular opinion that the best season of Friends was season 8 (and 9), which happened to be when Rachel was pregnant (8) and a new mother (9). Obviously there were other storylines going on, but I don't think the pregnancy/baby Emma took away anything from the show. If anything, it focused the entire season into a long arc for Rachel and actually made the season seem more organized that, say, the previous two.

 

I don't see why the same couldn't happen for TBBT. Babies don't automatically have to be a death knell for a show.

 

I'll see myself out now.

[Jediknight]

I liked this episode.

 

Raj is an idiot that's an understatement.  I liked Howard's line about the rabbit being antisemitic, the Leonard and Penny story had some funny moments namely Penny being called ma'am and Leonard trying to start a food fight.  The easy highlight of the episode was Fun with Flags, and indeed that was fun.

 

"I just blink a lot, it's not Morse Code for rescue me", Raj calling in, Kripke calling in, Amy getting pissed at Kripke and cutting him off, Sheldon constantly trying to get the conversation back to flags only to fail, Sheldon just putting his head down, and after Penny and Leonard run in he says it's fun.  There was so much to love with their storyline.

[theatremouse]

I hard core shouted "you'll ruin the car!" when he tried to start the food fight. I'm glad that stopped immediately. But also throwing french fries at someone's face? Way to ruin your skin. Oh I didn't like that moment at all, except that part where it did not continue.

Mmm...badly masked In n Out though. Now I want a shake.

[lorbeer]

I just wanna say I hope we got rid off Emily once and forever. :)))

 

Loved Penny and Leonard in the costumes. And Penny shouldn't be surprised - in that hair she look very very old.

 

Amy/Sheldon kind of boring.

 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :)

[shapeshifter]

As long as she's careful about the water temperature the hot tub is fine. I think that's why she made the comment about 'not too hot.'

Good catch. But isn't there also a risk of bacterial infection entering through the vagina? Or is that only if you've already started to dilate and only if it's a public hot tub? After all, lots of folks have had under water births.

[P3pp3rb1rd]

This was just horrible all the way around. Although I am glad Raj broke up with Emily

who I do not like. I've been watching older eps on DVD which makes this ep (and most

of this season so far) look bad.

The writers seem to have no clue as to what to do with Penny & Leonard lately. Their

storylines, the little they get, are atrocious.

 

I agree completely; older seasons were so much better that it seems I am watching a different show now. I loved the idea that young well-educated nerds could be so amusing and witty. The repartee and quirky personalities kept me coming back. Now the writing is so poor that the Show is not worth my time. Mayim and Jim P just went through the motions on Fun with Flags. Seems that they want better writing too.

Edited February 12, 2016 by P3pp3rb1rd

[Quof]

So are we supposed to believe Bernadette planned a pregnancy without discussing it with Howard? Because I hate when tv shows intelligent people who get pregnant by accident (yeah, I'm looking at you ER where no doctor knew how to use birth control).  Yes, I know birth control isn't 100% effective, but it's pretty damned close when used properly and intelligent people who don't want to get pregnant use it properly. 

[The Kings Foot]

From the comments here i get the idea you guys are not aware that this show is 9 years old ? They have maybe 1-3 seasons left. That's why they're ensuring everyone  gets a conclusion. 

 

Seriously BBT is entering Hall of Fame territory for Sitcoms now. Frasier was 11 seasons, Cheer 11 seasons. Friends was 10. Two and a half men was 12.  BBT is not going to be on for that much longer.

Edited February 12, 2016 by The Kings Foot

[princessbroccoli]

From the comments here i get the idea you guys are not aware that this show is 9 years old ? They have maybe 1-3 seasons left. That's why they're ensuring everyone gets a conclusion.

Yes! Thank you. The show's going to end soon anyway. It's the perfect time to add a baby or two.

And like TVFAN mentioned in one of the posts above, they are all in their 30s, 2 married couples, a couple in a serious relationship and well, Raj... Having a baby is a natural progression (for some, I know it's not for everybody). They can't hold it off any longer.

Oh and yay! Emily's gone! WOOHOO!

Edited February 12, 2016 by princessbroccoli

[Ina123]

I'm glad there's a baby on board. If the writing is good there could be some great laughs about how nerds handle babies. At least someone is moving on in life. Get married...have babies. It's been happening for centuries. Imagine the germaphobes two scientists could be with a baby. As long as they don't go slapstick with it, I think it could be fine.

Fun with flags was hilarious. Maybe Amy starts streaming a relationship advice show. Imagine how funny that could be if written well.

[benteen]

Fun with flags was the best part of the episode (particularly Sheldon's growing frustration) and Kripe's call-in was very ufnny.

[PaulaO]

As Cosmo Kramer would say "I'm out."  Bernadette was emphatic that she didn't like and didn't want children.  Now she's pregnant without discussing this with Howard.  I'd like to see a strong, female character who felt her life was NOT incomplete without children.  Many women have a made a choice to not have kids; I'd like to see a show reflect this.  

[truebluesmoky]

Why are people assuming she didn't discuss it with Howard? That could have happened off screen. 

[tominboston]

I'm not necessarily thrilled about a "Howard and Bernadette bring up baby" story line, but I can see why the writers would go there. Many folks here have commented that the show is getting stale and I agree with that myself. Maybe the writers feel that way too, and figured that they needed a totally new scenario to shake things up.

 

Poor Leonard, trying so hard to give Penny a good Valentine's Day. The confetti-throwing at the end was a nice goofy solution.

[MMLEsq]

I was not spoiled at all, but as soon as they said it was a bunny in the hot tub, I had a strong hunch that Bernadette was going to announce she was pregnant.  I guess I'm old because I immediately thought of "the rabbit died."  (Younger people these days probably wouldn't even know what that means.)  I'm glad that, in this case, the rabbit didn't actually die though.

[needschocolate]

The show did a much, much better job with the Shamy sex than I ever thought they could, so, while I have always thought that a pregnancy would be the worst thing for this show, I am willing to see how it plays out.

 

Not to mention, the 'I don't want kids' conversation was several years ago and hasn't really come up again since. Things can change. Bernie and Howard are in a house now, they've been solidly married for several years and Howard is slowly but surely outgrowing the man-child mentality. And as cold as it sounds, there is no longer a very opinionated and interfering paternal grandmother hanging over the picture.

 

Bernie said she didn't want to have children and, after being in charge of her siblings, she didn't want to take care of children, so Howard would have to be the caregiver if they ever had kids.  People often think they feel one way, but, subconsciously, their true feelings might be quite the opposite.  If Bernie really doesn't want to raise children, why did she marry Howard? He is the least mature man-child around.  Maybe the fact that Howard is finally growing up a bit, made Bernie subconsciously forget her birth control.

[Chaos Theory]

When it comes down to it Howard and Bernadette are the logical people to have a kid. They are in the best place both relationship wise and financially. Yes Bernadette wasn't quite sure she wanted a kid but that could actually be part of a nice and funny story of done respectability. Plus I don't recall her saying outright no to Howard just that children were never in the cards before she met him.

Penny and Leornard are in the wrong place plus they already have a kid...Sheldon. Although now that I think about it that would actually be hilarious Sheldon having to share his toys...and space with a baby.

[anna0852]

It's entirely possible that Bernie is fine with kids, provided she's not the stay-at-home-mom. Which is fine. I know plenty of mom's that want to stay home and others chomping at the bit to get back to the workplace. And Howard did make it clear that children were a dealbreaker for him and she married him anyway. That tells me that Bernie is okay with kids, she just doesn't want to stay home with them.

 

As far at the planned or unplanned goes, birth control is not 100% infallible. Even educated, intelligent people can have an oops.Until we hear otherwise, I am assuming that is what happened here.

Edited February 12, 2016 by anna0852

[MaryMitch]

It's possible they were trying to have a baby. I know several couples where the father is the primary caretaker, and Bernie and Howard discussed this. This is going to be good.

[proserpina65]

So..the character that isn't interested in having kids..is pregnant. *sighs* Well not surprised show went there but was kind of hoping they wouldn't. Disappointing.

 

Bernadette and Howard have had a discussion about kids that ended with her saying she'd maybe have one someday but he'd have to stay home with it while she worked and had a life with adults.  So I guess we'll see if they stick with that plan.

[LADreamr]

How is the birth control 100% Bernie's responsibility?

[PaulaO]

Maybe Stuart can be the baby's nanny?

[Quof]

 

How is the birth control 100% Bernie's responsibility?

Who said it was?  But if it were Howard's responsibility, they would both know if they weren't using it. 

[LoneHaranguer]

Why did they revise Penny's age up by a year? Originally, she was 21 when she met Leonard, meaning that she would have just turned 30, fitting in well with the "getting old" plot. Saying that she was 22 when she met Leonard means that she's had 14 months to get accustomed to no longer being a 20-somehting. (It also means that Kaley is now playing a character a year older than herself, which is unusual)

[Setra]

Why are people assuming she didn't discuss it with Howard? That could have happened off screen. 

I agree, she simply indicated she'd have to tell him another time, not that he'd be shocked. It was a few years ago they didn't agree on having kids, things change.

[CherryAmes]

Birth control doesn't always work, especially on TV.  Anyway I'm sure there was a reference to Bernadette and Howard having kids not that long ago that made it clear that for Bernadette having a baby was no longer off the table.  This is a show that has Howard Wolowitz as an astronaut, I have no trouble believing they can have Bernadette do what thousands if not millions of others, men and women,  have done and change their minds about wanting to have kids!

[ari333]

Stuart for baby nanny! ...If there has to be a baby. BAH

[Homily]

Bernadette and Howard have had a discussion about kids that ended with her saying she'd maybe have one someday but he'd have to stay home with it while she worked and had a life with adults.  So I guess we'll see if they stick with that plan.

I hope the writers have been hanging around this board and have realized how incredibly stupid it sounded to suggest that either of them had  to give up their career and stay home with kids.  I know a few families where mom or dad is home but I know a lot more where after a maternity/paternity leave both parents are back at work.  Bernadette and Howard have the financial wherewithal to provide the best of child care for their kids there is no need for this self sacrifice (if they feel it would be a sacrifice).  Hopefully they won't even go there.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Homily

[CleoCaesar]

I am all sympathy with Penny dealing with old age.

 

I don't think 30-31 counts as old age. It was kind of a cheap joke, IMO. Penny does not in any way look old. She was dressed conservatively and short hair tends to make people look less youthful, but Penny is at least a decade away from the kind of concerns she was worried about.

 

Then again, they do live in LA, so maybe never mind.

[Homily]

I was 19 the first time someone thought I was a lot older than I was - they thought I was my 10 yr old sister's mother!!  I certainly don't think I looked older but someone sure did! I remember being really insulted at the time.  And I second CleoCaesar's comment, just because Penny doesn't look like a 20 yr old anymore and is dressing a little "classier" certainly doesn't mean she looks old!  Except, yeah, maybe in LA where in movies and TV they have women in their 50s playing the mother role to men in their 40s.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Homily

[3 is enough]

I liked Penny's dress.  Maybe it didn't have a plunging neckline, but it was hardly venturing into Amy territory.  I have noticed that since she got her new job and got engaged/married to Leonard, the plunging necklines have all but disappeared.  I think it shows a little bit of growth and maturity.

 

 

Also, is it just me, or are both Sheldon and Amy looking prettier lately?

No, it isn't just you.  Amy is definitely looking better- her hair a bit less limp, a light touch of makeup behind the glasses.  I guess Penny and Bernadette are having a bit of influence on her.  The dowdy clothes will probably never go away, but her jumper last night was not quite as horrendous as some of her other outfits.

 

As others have said, if you have a group of friends in their 30's, including two married couples and one committed couple, there will be babies.  I am curious to see how the writers deal with the pregnancy storyline.