S10.E05: The Hot Tub Contamination

[TheOtherOne]

SHELDON THREATENS TO BREAK OFF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WHEN AMY REFUSES TO ADHERE TO THE BATHROOM SCHEDULE, ON "THE BIG BANG THEORY," MONDAY, OCT. 17

"The Hot Tub Contamination" - Leonard and Penny must separate a quarreling Sheldon and Amy when their cohabitation does not go as planned, and Sheldon threatens to break off their relationship when Amy refuses to adhere to the bathroom schedule. Also, Howard and Bernadette find unexpected guests at their house when they decide to stay home from a planned vacation, on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Monday, Oct. 17 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network.

[CherryAmes]

Only a few minutes into the episode but am so identifying with Bernadette's morning sickness.  I had it every day right up to and including the day I gave birth.  But that aside how unsurprised am I that Lorre managed to include vomiting in an episode.

[Spartan Girl]

Raj and Stuart deserve each other.

I love watching Penny and Sheldon bond. So Sheldon caught his dad with another woman? Wow. Watching his parents fight definitely has impacted his understanding of relationships in a negative way. It reminded me of the episode when he got so upset about Penny and Leonard fighting because they reminded him of them.

At least he apologized to Amy and was willing to compromise. Sharing a toothbrush holder is a big step for him, so the ending was cute.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Spartan Girl
It's a toothbrush holder

[TheOtherOne]

The explanation for Sheldon's knocking felt like an unnecessary retcon that I'm not sure I buy, but I was kind of impressed that they managed to tie both plots together by having them both involve stories of people being home when they weren't supposed to and intruders. It was a nifty bit of writing.

[anna0852]

Aside from Raj and Stewart being creepy, in the hot tub I liked all of our story lines tonight. It was nice to see Howard not only reading and understanding the baby books, but actively trying to comfort Bernadette as well.

Sheldon walking in on his dad was so sad and I think explains a lot about him. It's really nice to see him and Amy trying so hard with each other, and knowing it's because they truly want the other to be happy.

Leonard and Penny as the Greek chorus continues to be very funny. And I really like the gender swap in that Leonard is helping Amy while Penny deals with Sheldon.

Edited October 20, 2016 by anna0852
Because his name is Raj, not Ross

[benteen]

While not as funny as last week, still a good episode.  Raj has become as creepy as Stuart but I found the whole thing pretty funny.

[betsyboo]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Leonard and Penny as the Greek chorus continues to be very funny. And I really like the gender swap in that Leonard is helping Amy while Penny deals with Sheldon.

Seconded.

[kat165]

So far, for the most part, this season is shaping up to be better than last season. Laughed a few times during this ep. Loved Howard trying to seduce Bernie. It reminded me of when she was dressed up in the Cinderella outfit and he removed his shirt and did that little gallop towards. Raj & Stuart continue to be 2 sorry sad sacks.

[jewel21]

The most amusing part of me was Howard and Bernadette watching Raj and Stewart in their hot tub. The commentary was great.

I also like how Penny handled Sheldon. I wish he had said he thought of her as a sister but that would have been less amusing than his nanny, heh.

[Snarklepuss]

I agree that this season has been better than last so far.  

Not to be too Sheldon-esque about it, but he's not sharing a toothbrush with Amy, but a toothbrush holder.  I love Mr. Snarkle but I'd never share a toothbrush with him.  I don't even share a bathroom with him anymore.  And no,  I don't Purell my pocket change, lol.

Raj and Stuart, creepy together. 

[MaryMitch]

Just now, Snarklepuss said:

Not to be too Sheldon-esque about it, but he's not sharing a toothbrush with Amy, but a toothbrush holder.  I love Mr. Snarkle but I'd never share a toothbrush with him.  I don't even share a bathroom with him anymore.  And no,  I don't Purell my pocket change, lol.

Not to worry - we saw 2 toothbrushes going into that holder.

I thought Howard and Bernadette were so cute in this episode. I mean, cute with each other.

[OtterMommy]

I just can't with Raj anymore....

The Sheldon/Amy/Leonard/Penny story was entertaining, but not enough to compensate for the creepiness of that hot tub.

[theatremouse]

4 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

The explanation for Sheldon's knocking felt like an unnecessary retcon that I'm not sure I buy, but I was kind of impressed that they managed to tie both plots together by having them both involve stories of people being home when they weren't supposed to and intruders. It was a nifty bit of writing.

The explanation struck me as the sort of thing a person with a compulsion like that might make the connection between and after the fact use as an explanation, rather than it genuinely being the source.

[needschocolate]

I liked the episode.  I feel like Bernie's pregnancy is written to fit each episode.  She is not showing, then she suddenly is showing, no mention of morning sickness, then she has horrible morning sickness.  However, I am okay with this because my big concern when they revealed the pregnancy was that the show would become too OTT pregnant-centric --- Bernie being OTT emotional, and barfing all the time, and complaining about swollen feet, etc (they can all happen during pregnancy, but TV shows tend to make them ridiculously OTT).

[AriAu]

Is Melissa Rauch pregnant since, if not, that was a pretty convincing costume they put her in!

Thought it was pretty funny, especially Leonard's lines to Amy. They can never go wrong putting Penny and Sheldon in a car together.

ETA

No, she isn't pregnant and the fake bump "makes a pretty good shelf"

http://www.morningnewsusa.com/big-bang-theory-season-10-melissa-rauch-really-pregnant-bernadettes-baby-bump-photo-revealed-23113704.html

Edited October 18, 2016 by AriAu

[vibeology]

I liked it. I think if the cast is going to be paired off for stories, these tend to be the ones I prefer. I've always loved Penny and Sheldon together and this was no exception. For all the credit the show gives Amy for changing Sheldon, I think Penny is a much stronger influence and tends to bring out the best in him. As for Leonard and Amy, I've always thought they work well together and enjoy seeing them commiserate about Sheldon.

I loved the Howard/Bernadette plot. I didn't even mind Stuart and Raj for a change because they were more a part of making the Howards/Bernadette stuff funny. I love that Howard didn't mind missing the vacation, flirted with Bernadette even though she'd just been sick and when we cut to their romantic staycation, he was giving her a foot massage. Howard often acts like a manchild so it was nice seeing him finally grow up and do his share of the relationship work.

[anna0852]

25 minutes ago, vibeology said:

 

I love that Howard didn't mind missing the vacation, flirted with Bernadette even though she'd just been sick and when we cut to their romantic staycation, he was giving her a foot massage. Howard often acts like a manchild so it was nice seeing him finally grow up and do his share of the relationship work.

I really do wonder how much of the man-child was his Mom's influence rather than his real personality. Debbie seemed very vested in keeping him her baby boy. 

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

I really do wonder how much of the man-child was his Mom's influence rather than his real personality. Debbie seemed very vested in keeping him her baby boy. 

That's very possible. This episode was a stark reminder that Howard has matured beyond the rest of the guys in his life. (And I do think he's done so in a very short period of time.) He's scheduling time for his friends, looking out for his wife, owns a home and is all around the most adult guy in that group. I think what we saw of Howard, planning time with Raj now because he knows when the baby comes he won't have the same amount of free time is so far from the Howard of even two seasons ago that it's astounding. The majority of the characters have stagnated, but Howard is the one character who has changed the most from the beginning to now and most of that growth has come in the past few years. Because of that, I'm very willing to look at his relationship with his mother as one of the things that held him back for so long. As soon as he and Bernadette got serious, Howard started changing and since his mom died, he's really stepped up.

[hnygrl]

I actually enjoyed this one. It's been a few years since I could say this show was smart and well-written. Quite a few years. But last night's show was smart, sensitive, well-written, and funny without being cruel. Loved it. Really. From Howard and Bernie and their co-dependent friends, to Penny and Sheldon, Amy and Leonard, and their relationship...not issues so much as "revelations."

Man, Sheldon had a pretty shitty childhood didn't he? Thank God he was smart and left that life when he was only 12.

[PBSLover]

Kaley Cuoco’s facial expressions are just annoying the shit out of me.  When she was talking to Sheldon in the ice cream parlor, the faces she makes.  Is that  really acting?  

This season they have really separated the Sheldon/Amy/Leonard/Penny storylines from Raj/Bernadette/Howard storylines.  The past few weeks, we never see them all together.  Kind of a shame.

[CherryAmes]

Was it just me or did the show seem longer than usual?  Or maybe I've just gotten used to the long commercial breaks!

[peacheslatour]

18 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

Only a few minutes into the episode but am so identifying with Bernadette's morning sickness.  I had it every day right up to and including the day I gave birth.  But that aside how unsurprised am I that Lorre managed to include vomiting in an episode.

If you don't mind my asking, did you have a boy or a girl? 

[CherryAmes]

Boy!

[peacheslatour]

Well, there goes my theory. I have always held that extreme morning sickness goes with having girls.

[CherryAmes]

I had horrible morning sickness with my daughter too but it "only" lasted 4 months.  With my son I was sick every day but not all day and night the way I was with my daughter,  So your theory still works as far as I'm concerned!

[iMonrey]

I wonder how far along Bernadette is supposed to be. This is the first episode I've seen where she's "showing," although from what I'm told it's fairly believable that a pregnant woman can literally "pop" one day. Then again I've also heard the morning sickness passes by the time the woman is showing, so what do  I know?

Not to beat a dead horse but the thing that bothers me about Raj and Stuart is that once again we have characters on a Chuck Lorre sitcom that are just pathetic beyond belief. For some reason he seems to think that's hysterical. I just find if off-putting, because neither needs to be as pathetic as they are. They're pathetic because they're both horrible screw-ups when it comes to relationships.

Who was Raj's last girlfriend, anyway? Wasn't it the horror movie girl? Didn't he break up with her to date the screenplay girl? And don't Howard and Bernadette both know about that?

[needschocolate]

5 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Man, Sheldon had a pretty shitty childhood didn't he? Thank God he was smart and left that life when he was only 12.

I agree, but technically, I don't think it stopped being shitty after he left home.  I believe he said that he caught his father int he throes of passion when he came home during Spring Break when he was 13.  

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Well, there goes my theory. I have always held that extreme morning sickness goes with having girls.

I have 3 daughters - typical morning sickness with the first, no sickness at all with the second, and sickness from morning to late afternoon with the third.  The only thing that is predictable about pregnancy is that it is unpredictable (same thing is true of babies).  

[shapeshifter]

My morning sickness was related to how soon I began taking prenatal vitamins. They really helped. Maybe Bernadette has read about the dangers of vitamins in general because they aren't tested and approved by the FDA, so she's not taking prenatals. 

[hnygrl]

I love how Howard doesn't take himself (in a relationship anyway) seriously. He's aware that he's awkward and weird and uses it to make his wife laugh. She's throwing up her toenails and he's trying to get laid. She calls him a weirdo and he agrees. And poses "sexily" on the bed. Gotta love me some Howard.

When he was in space? She called him an idiot. "Yeah but I'm YOUR idiot...forevaaaaaahhhhh" As he points to his wedding band. He's great! I love seeing his maturity. Still think he's gonna be Mister Mom? Or will they hire Stuart to be the Manny?

God knows I wish they wouldn't do what they're doing to Raj, but with three relationships to cover in less than 20 minutes? He's doomed to be the buffoon.

[MissLucas]

Great episode. As others have already pointed out it's amazing how far Howard as a character has come. I really loved his scenes with Bernadette. Penny and Sheldon are always good but for the first time I thought Leonard and Amy were working a great dynamic too - loved how he encouraged her to stay on yet not give in to the crazy.

Raj and Howard hanging out in the hot tub was fun because of Bernadette and Howard listening in (and hopefully realizing that they need to set up more boundaries with these two). But the show should really try to give them both better story lines. (I thought Raj's love-life would get its own episode (something I read somewhere) but instead the two girlfriends are dealt with in a couple of lines.)

And I'm with Penny: that hug was moving.

[theatremouse]

I'm with Sheldon (before the end of the episode). I'd prefer not to share a toothbrush holder if it's the cup-kind they showed at the end. If it were the multiple-slots, one per brush, kind I'd be OK with it. And if the prop had turned out to be that kind, I'd have agreed with Amy.

[tenativelyyours]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I wonder how far along Bernadette is supposed to be. This is the first episode I've seen where she's "showing," although from what I'm told it's fairly believable that a pregnant woman can literally "pop" one day. Then again I've also heard the morning sickness passes by the time the woman is showing, so what do  I know?

Not to beat a dead horse but the thing that bothers me about Raj and Stuart is that once again we have characters on a Chuck Lorre sitcom that are just pathetic beyond belief. For some reason he seems to think that's hysterical. I just find if off-putting, because neither needs to be as pathetic as they are. They're pathetic because they're both horrible screw-ups when it comes to relationships.

Who was Raj's last girlfriend, anyway? Wasn't it the horror movie girl? Didn't he break up with her to date the screenplay girl? And don't Howard and Bernadette both know about that?

 

Actually, and a huge peeve of mine, we also got a slight but still persistent shout out how much a loser Leonard is too despite Penny deigning to suffer being with him.  I've noticed that every episode this season seems to have to remind us how lucky Leonard is for this kind of pretty in a girl next door way is stooping so low to let him touch her or look at her and even call her his wife.  How Penny has to suffer something about him on a regular basis.

I actually like the character of Penny overall.  I like the cute relaxed moments we have gotten with her and Leonard this season.    But I am really finding the "settling" thing annoying to say the least.  Yes.  This broke (at the time) in debt failed actress with a dysfunctional approach towards dating and a self esteem level to the point she self-identified as being a "slut" "Settled".  Go fuck yourself Lorre.

[Catri]

On 2016-10-17 at 10:15 PM, OtterMommy said:

I just can't with Raj anymore....

The Sheldon/Amy/Leonard/Penny story was entertaining, but not enough to compensate for the creepiness of that hot tub.

I'm totally the opposite, bored by the Sheldon & Amy show, but found the Howard & Bernadette show entertaining. 

[Ouisch]

I'm surprised that Sheldon keeps his toothbrush out in the open. I've seen several "look at all the germs in your house" type news reports that recommend keeping toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet (or at least encased somehow) because of the invisible germy water spray that coats the room every time you flush the toilet.

[OtterMommy]

6 hours ago, Catri said:

I'm totally the opposite, bored by the Sheldon & Amy show, but found the Howard & Bernadette show entertaining. 

I actually did like the Howard and Bernadette part (I found it surprisingly cute...) ...it was Raj and Stewart and I couldn't stand.

[Driad]

I would expect Sheldon to keep his toothbrush in an ultraviolet sanitizer.  

(In the intro of "Monk" one image was pouring boiling water over a toothbrush.)

[Chaos Theory]

4 hours ago, Ouisch said:

I'm surprised that Sheldon keeps his toothbrush out in the open. I've seen several "look at all the germs in your house" type news reports that recommend keeping toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet (or at least encased somehow) because of the invisible germy water spray that coats the room every time you flush the toilet.

Shhhh dont tell him that!   I thought it was a cute moment meant to show personal growth on both Sheldon and Amy's part.  

I've always enjoyed Sheldon and Penny scenes whether they are getting along or not.  I like that Penny isn't afraid of him and Sheldon respects her despite her lack of formal education.  One of my favorite early episodes is Pantie Pinnata.  I loved the scenes with Sheldon and Penny bitching in the car.

[anna0852]

I like that Sheldon is aware that there are some people you don't cross. Penny is one, his mother is another. Amy is well on her way as well. 

[dungeonwriter]

Last episode, I said I feel like the gang is at that awkward place where their lives are drifting apart, and the show is forcing them to stay together. This episode only made that made more clear. 

Kudos to 

On 10/18/2016 at 0:59 PM, vibeology said:

That's very possible. This episode was a stark reminder that Howard has matured beyond the rest of the guys in his life. (And I do think he's done so in a very short period of time.) He's scheduling time for his friends, looking out for his wife, owns a home and is all around the most adult guy in that group. I think what we saw of Howard, planning time with Raj now because he knows when the baby comes he won't have the same amount of free time is so far from the Howard of even two seasons ago that it's astounding. The majority of the characters have stagnated, but Howard is the one character who has changed the most from the beginning to now and most of that growth has come in the past few years. Because of that, I'm very willing to look at his relationship with his mother as one of the things that held him back for so long. As soon as he and Bernadette got serious, Howard started changing and since his mom died, he's really stepped up.

 

who nailed it. Howard (and Bernie) have really taken huge leaps forward. They are now a happy married couple, with a baby on the way. Howard has leapt ahead of his friends in so many ways. Homeowner. Former Astronaut. Working on a government contract for the Air Force. He has stopped being a creep, he is balancing his responsibilities, and he's thriving. His wife is a very well paid microbiologist in pharmaceuticals, who is leading projects and rising in her field.  They're really...settled and not in a bad way. 

Then we have Leonard and Penny, who still feel like they are dating, even though they are married. Yes, Leonard is also working on the government contract and Penny is doing well at her job, but neither feel settled, and still feel quite new in their lives. 

Amy and Sheldon are moving at a glacial pace. I don't even remember their work being discussed much. 

Raj and Stuart are pathetic. Stuart is barely functioning and Raj is still Sheldon's assistant, if I recall. 

The episode was funny, but it feels like two different shows by now. 

S

[anna0852]

As awkward as it is to try to keep them together as these people are all moving in two different places in their lives, it's also very true to life. People get married, have babies, change jobs, etc. Friend groups do change and your dynamic from 10 years ago is not going to be your dynamic today. I think it feels more real this way, then if they were doing the Seinfeld thing where after nearly a decade nothing has changed. That would be just sad. Howard should move out of his mom's house, so you should act more like a human,. Leonard should be developing more self-esteem, Raj - well I don't know what the heck's going on with him.

[PBSLover]

19 hours ago, hnygrl said:

God knows I wish they wouldn't do what they're doing to Raj, but with three relationships to cover in less than 20 minutes? He's doomed to be the buffoon.

Kunal has nothing to do.  He is one of the original characters and he has no storyline.  He’s getting paid enough but I’m sure he’d like to actually be doing something at work.

[PBSLover]

18 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I'm with Sheldon (before the end of the episode). I'd prefer not to share a toothbrush holder if it's the cup-kind they showed at the end. If it were the multiple-slots, one per brush, kind I'd be OK with it. And if the prop had turned out to be that kind, I'd have agreed with Amy.

What a STOOPID storyline.  I just kept thinking, 'this is the best they can come up with?’

[dungeonwriter]

Of course, I'm glad they are evolving, but it does make it harder for the show to keep them together. Howard's not going to be able to do random Halo night in a few months. 

Raj is soon going to just be reduced to the third wheel amongst his coupled friends. Kunal really is pretty much being paid to fulfill his contract provisions. I feel like the writers would write him off if possible. 

In order for Penny and Leonard to have a healthy relationship, they will need to distance themselves from Sheldon and start carving out their own lives. 

Sheldon and Amy still have ties to the other members of the group, but it's fraying. 

[PBSLover]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

would expect Sheldon to keep his toothbrush in an ultraviolet sanitizer.  

(In the intro of "Monk" one image was pouring boiling water over a toothbrush.)

That was referenced in an earlier show, so Sheldon did have it boxed up.

[hnygrl]

To be honest with y'all? I keep my toothbrush in my BEDROOM! The idea of all those toilet germs...even with a case...no.  It pulled me right out of the episode knowing SHELDON the GERMINATOR keeps his NAKED TOOTHBRUSH right next to the TOILET???? In what universe???

[ItCouldBeWorse]

23 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I'm with Sheldon (before the end of the episode). I'd prefer not to share a toothbrush holder if it's the cup-kind they showed at the end. If it were the multiple-slots, one per brush, kind I'd be OK with it. And if the prop had turned out to be that kind, I'd have agreed with Amy.

It was a little hard to see, but the toothbrush holder was separated into 2 halves with a divider in the middle.

[theatremouse]

For me, the holes were still too wide to really count as separated. Ie, depending on the angle of placement, the toothbrushes could touch while in the "holder". I'm probably projecting but I assume that's part of Sheldon's original beef with it. The UV kind with four slots for four brushes that keeps them all separated would clearly have been an easier choice to get someone like Shelly on board sooner.

Edited October 20, 2016 by theatremouse

[Snarklepuss]

12 hours ago, hnygrl said:

To be honest with y'all? I keep my toothbrush in my BEDROOM! The idea of all those toilet germs...even with a case...no.  It pulled me right out of the episode knowing SHELDON the GERMINATOR keeps his NAKED TOOTHBRUSH right next to the TOILET???? In what universe???

ITA, excellent point.  I use a Sonicare but it is sanitized after every use, totally covered and kept in a cabinet away from the toilet.  I would expect at least that from Sheldon!

[LoneHaranguer]

On 10/19/2016 at 3:30 PM, PBSLover said:

That was referenced in an earlier show, so Sheldon did have it boxed up.

If you're referring to The Dumpling Paradox from the first-season, I just saw that; Leonard described Sheldon's brush as "the red one in the plexiglass case under the UV light".

[Lizzing]

I liked this episode just fine, but I have a beef with CBS.  During the airing of the episode...like right in the middle...CBS aired an ad for the VERY same episode that was on.  The ad "previewed"  (i.e., "tonight on TBBT...") what had already aired.  This wasn't the first time and seems to only happen with CBS.  I don't know if they get confused because of time zones or what, but it drives me freakin' nuts.

I kind of wonder, with all of the characters' story lines growing further apart, if this will be the last season.