S10.E21: The Separation Agitation

[TheOtherOne]

Quote

 

"The Separation Agitation" - Howard and Bernadette have a hard time leaving Halley in day care when Bernadette returns to work. Also, Bert (Brian Posehn) introduces the gang to his new girlfriend, Rebecca (April Bowlby), on THE BIG BANG THEORY, Thursday, April 13 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by TheOtherOne

[CherryAmes]

It's interesting how often Lorre uses the same actors from show to show.  I wonder if she'll use the same voice she did on Two and Half Men.  I completely loathed her character.  

[AnnaRose]

36 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

It's interesting how often Lorre uses the same actors from show to show.  I wonder if she'll use the same voice she did on Two and Half Men.  I completely loathed her character.  

I had to Google to see who that actress is.  I absolutely hated her too, and pretty much quit the show because of it.  Well, that and the increasing level of suck. ;)

[TheOtherOne]

She showed up briefly on Mom, in a tiny role that wasn't all that different from the Two and a Half Men one, though less annoying (because she had less to do). Pretty sure she had the same voice then.

[CherryAmes]

13 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I had to Google to see who that actress is.  I absolutely hated her too, and pretty much quit the show because of it.  Well, that and the increasing level of suck. ;)

If an episode had Kandi in it I turned it off.  And I absolutely agree it was around the time Alan got involved with Kandi that the show took a  very bad turn. 

[madfortv]

All I can say is what was that? 

[SayMyName]

Stuart as the third wheel is really played out. I'm not sure why they made him an every show character.

I did find the Shelton wanted Amy for her body...to harvest her organs funny though.

[lor]

it was funny when rebecca thought scientology was science.  why cant Stuart get his own place?   where did his bert guy come from? why does he get a girlfriend and stuart is alone? Stuart has been on the show for years?

[Spartan Girl]

Howard's impression of Stuart and Bernsdette was funny.

Also loved Amy giving Sheldon repeated time-outs for his snark about Bert and his girlfriend...only to call him back when she realized the girlfriend was a gold digger.

[Driad]

I liked Amy's line about why Sheldon liked her body. But if you have only one good line, why put it in the promos?

[TheOtherOne]

We already saw this plot when Raj dated the deaf girl who was only interested in him for his money. It wasn't that great the first time (though better than this), and there really wasn't anything added that made it worth seeing again.

[biakbiak]

I can't believe they dragged out the baby storyline for another episode.

[Traveller519]

For as much as going back to a familiar well can be tiresome for a Sitcom, they still manage to do an excellent job with the Fun with Flags stuff. It's sparingly used but familiar and they always have some new angle to work. I really enjoyed having Howard and Raj there for it.

"Do you remember what you said?"

"Go tell someone who cares"

"I did"

[Starscream]

The more this show reinforces that Sheldon is a child and Amy is his mommy, the more disgusting I find it that they had that relationship go sexual. 

Otherwise, I was quite amused.  Sheldon's observations about Bert and the similarity with Penny and Leonard's courtship nearly always delivered. 

All three people involved in the baby storyline had some good moments.  Howard was good pretty much from beginning to end.  Stuart was good when they broke Halley out of daycare and when talking about how his hair attracted birds.  Bernadette was great at the end. 

[Gulftastic]

Liked seeing April Bowlby. Unlike some of the posters above, I loved her 2 & 1/2 Men. They are my favourite episodes.

Bernie trying to get a 'Goodbye' out of Hally was the best joke.

[Ms Lark]

Couldn't stand 2&1.5 Men so never watched, but I liked April Bowlby on Drop Dead Diva (before the show went to hell). She seems to be typecast as the ditzy blonde. I wonder if she'll be back with Bert -- until his grant money runs out.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Ms Lark

[wendyg]

Using the same actors across your stable of shows makes sense to me: you know them, you like them, and you know they will deliver a good performance. What's not to love?

I did like Howard's imitation of Stuart. It was perfect. Simon Helberg can make any sound known to man.

[wknt3]

7 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I can't believe they dragged out the baby storyline for another episode.

What show have you been watching the last couple seasons? It would have been more surprising if they quickly moved on. I'm just happy that it was better done and funnier than what they did with it before. Now let's move on. Unless they do want to spend a whole episode taking her to Legoland. I could live with that.

[BlossomCulp]

2 hours ago, wknt3 said:

It would have been more surprising if they quickly moved on.

Sometimes a show can't win.  If after last week Bernadette had dropped the baby off without a backward glance those of us who appreciated her emotional reaction to going back to work would have been disappointed.  Those who felt she should have just gotten on with it would have been happy because they didn't like the approach they took in last week's episode.  

I liked the scene in the car when Bernadette and Stuart are glued to their phones and Howard is trying to get their attention.  So been there and done that!

Edited April 14, 2017 by BlossomCulp

[CherryAmes]

I loved Stuart when he told them they were having chicken for dinner "Birds mess with my hair I come back hard."

Overall a good episode with quite a few really good lines.  I like the way that Raj has been re-incorporated back into the show, he seemed like such a fringe character there for a while but now he's back to being part of the group.  I also like that even though Bernadette had a hard time leaving her 4 month old baby (4 months! I cannot even imagine it) it was Howard and Stuart who went to the daycare and who ended up taking the baby out while Bernadette did stay at work.

Somewhat typical Lorre attitude at work here again though with the overworked storyline of how women chase after guys for their money and how guys are stupid enough to let them but somehow the guy is still the winner because, you know he got sex and all.  Sigh.  I guess I'm still mad about the episode with that kid from North Korea who seems to have given up a promising career so he can get drunk and neck with a girl in a park and the guys all think he's the lucky one. 

Edited April 14, 2017 by CherryAmes

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I can't believe they dragged out the baby storyline for another episode.

Well, I suppose that if they wanted to get rid of the baby storyline and were willing to go with some dark humor, they could have had either Stuart or Raj steal Baby Haley and run away to Mexico with her; then Bernadette would wake up from a nightmare, and it would turn out she and Howard had only talked about having a baby. For those viewers who also wish either Stuart or Raj would go away, it could also turn out that the kidnapper in the dream was also imaginary. Then they could have a running joke about imaginary Stuart or imaginary Raj.

But I suspect what @biakbiak meant was that we could use a break from baby-focused stories — which is what many new parents are probably thinking when their kids are 4 months old.

[LoneHaranguer]

16 hours ago, Driad said:

I liked Amy's line about why Sheldon liked her body. But if you have only one good line, why put it in the promos?

The promo writers look for certain types of lines to appeal to potential viewers and it's not their fault if they don't have much to choose from. This line fell in the same category as the one in the Comic-Con episode promo where Sheldon tells Amy that what he has in his pants may change her mind.

[Trey]

I liked Bert at first but he is rapidly wearing thin on me.  I didn't care at all for his story about a new gold digger girl friend, which, as already mentioned above, has been done once with Raj.

Loved Howard, Bernadette and Stuart crying about Halley going to day care and Bernadette being upset because Halley wasn't crying so it meant she didn't care. I liked Stuart in this episode; I know he's basically a third wheel but I think Howard and Bernadette need a third person to bounce lines off.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Trey

[CleoCaesar]

When Bernadette was on the fence about having kids, didn't Howard say he'd do the majority of childcare and be a stay-at-home dad? It would certainly solve the issue of Howard being unable to say goodbye to Halley.

On a totally separate note, I never understand why parents take freaking newborns to places like zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, etc. The baby is too little to realize where she is, much less appreciate it, and it just looks like such a hassle.

Stuart, Raj, and Burt are three characters that could be cut and I wouldn't miss them at all.

[Chit Chat]

Quote

Sometimes a show can't win.  If after last week Bernadette had dropped the baby off without a backward glance those of us who appreciated her emotional reaction to going back to work would have been disappointed.

Well, I'll go ahead and say it.  I don't care about the baby storyline.  It takes up unnecessary time, IMO.   I'm not looking for a comedy to guide me through the emotions of having a baby and going back to work.  Been there, done that.  Having said that though, it's only natural that this show have the characters progress, and somebody needed to start a family.   

I'd rather them go ahead and show me the baby rather than hide her like they did Howard's Mom.  That was fine when they did that, but if I have to listen to the baby's horrible squealing, at least let me see her so maybe I'll care.  FWIW, I'm not an ogre.  I just tune in for the comedy.  It seems like it's always difficult when shows like this introduce a baby into the mix.   I can remember several shows over the years that kind of derailed when it went from a couples-type of show to one where a baby was introduced.  The writer's don't always know what to do with that.

[CherryAmes]

Off the top of my head I can't think of any sitcom that introduced a baby that worked but usually they introduce the baby, or the cute little kid because the ratings are faltering.  Family Ties did bring in a baby because Meredith Baxter was pregnant in real life, it wasn't the death knell of the show when they brought the baby in - the death knell IMO was when they aged the baby into a precocious little kid they could bounce off the Alex character.  I really hope they keep the baby storylines to how the adults deal with a baby in their lives and don't turn it into a show that actually features storylines revolving around a little kid.

[Trey]

7 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I really hope they keep the baby storylines to how the adults deal with a baby in their lives and don't turn it into a show that actually features storylines revolving around a little kid.

Amen to that!

[Starscream]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

Well, I'll go ahead and say it.  I don't care about the baby storyline.  It takes up unnecessary time, IMO.   I'm not looking for a comedy to guide me through the emotions of having a baby and going back to work.  Been there, done that.  Having said that though, it's only natural that this show have the characters progress, and somebody needed to start a family.   

I'd rather them go ahead and show me the baby rather than hide her like they did Howard's Mom.  That was fine when they did that, but if I have to listen to the baby's horrible squealing, at least let me see her so maybe I'll care.  FWIW, I'm not an ogre.  I just tune in for the comedy.  It seems like it's always difficult when shows like this introduce a baby into the mix.   I can remember several shows over the years that kind of derailed when it went from a couples-type of show to one where a baby was introduced.  The writer's don't always know what to do with that.

If the justification for turning this show into a couples comedy is that it would be unrealistic for all the guys to be single forever then it's only natural that babies would follow because that is what happens with most married couples.  That said, this gives the lazy writers an easy storyline for Bernadette and Howard.  The only thing I don't really like about it is how isolated they've been in episodes.

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, Starscream said:

The only thing I don't really like about it is how isolated they've been in episodes.

Yes! My problem is that Leonard, Penny, Sheldon, and Amy are part of this hang-out show about nerds in love. Howard, Bernadette, and Stuart are now in a domestic comedy. I really wish we could get more episodes with them hanging out together as a group again. 

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

When Bernadette was on the fence about having kids, didn't Howard say he'd do the majority of childcare and be a stay-at-home dad? It would certainly solve the issue of Howard being unable to say goodbye to Halley.

On a totally separate note, I never understand why parents take freaking newborns to places like zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, etc. The baby is too little to realize where she is, much less appreciate it, and it just looks like such a hassle.

Stuart, Raj, and Burt are three characters that could be cut and I wouldn't miss them at all.

Howard did say he'd be willing to be a stay at home dad.  Then later he started to freak out that he wasn't going to have enough money to provide for the baby, so they started that guidance system project.  That never made sense to me.  If Bernadette makes so much more than he does, why are they suddenly hurting for money?

Newborns take in a lot of sensory information, who knows how their surroundings might affect their development?  Maybe the extra stimuli is good for them?

I would miss Stuart if they wrote him off, he's become one of my favorites on the show.  It's true he's something of a freeloader, but he seems to be helpful around the house and a genuine part of the family.  It's kind of sweet the way he was also tearful about Halley being in daycare, and the episode when he thought there was an intruder and he barged in with the Negan bat ready to defend his "family".

 

8 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Yes! My problem is that Leonard, Penny, Sheldon, and Amy are part of this hang-out show about nerds in love. Howard, Bernadette, and Stuart are now in a domestic comedy. I really wish we could get more episodes with them hanging out together as a group again. 

The group has gotten too big to fit into one living room.  If they all got together, it would look like they were throwing a party.

[chitowngirl]

If Howard and Bernadette were at work, why was everyone else home?

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

The group has gotten too big to fit into one living room.  If they all got together, it would look like they were throwing a party.

I understand it may be hard to have everyone in the same room, but it would be great if the different groups could interact more. Howard and Bernadette could do something with Leonard and Penny or Sheldon and Amy. Raj could help Amy buy new clothes, or other pairings/variations. 

[Chit Chat]

I found it to be a waste of time to have to watch them stand there at the window of the nursery trying to say goodbye.  Yeah, I went through the same thing eons ago, so I'm not heartless.  I just don't care about it with this show.  As I've said in previous threads, I think the show has run it's course.  I want to see how they eventually end the show, so I'm not quite ready to give up on it, but I don't look forward to seeing it every week like I used to.  Knowing the true ages of the actors is making me look their characters differently, as in some of them shouldn't be behaving the way they do at their age. 

I kind of think they're limping this along until the new show comes out about Sheldon as a child.

[anna0852]

3 hours ago, Starscream said:

If the justification for turning this show into a couples comedy is that it would be unrealistic for all the guys to be single forever then it's only natural that babies would follow because that is what happens with most married couples.  That said, this gives the lazy writers an easy storyline for Bernadette and Howard.  The only thing I don't really like about it is how isolated they've been in episodes.

The isolation actually makes sense for this story. New parents are not constantly hanging out with their friends and when they do get together, it's more likely that the friends come to them. I've actually been impressed that we're seeing the impact a child has on relationships without actually seeing the child.

[QuelleC]

I'm ok  but not thrilled with so much baby particularly because it felt like a total repeat of last week.  Since this show is remarkably short I was annoyed with the waste of time.  I agree with the above comment it would help a lot to see the baby.  Then move on.  One way to reincorporate Howard and Bernie into the group is for them to mention Halley is with Stuart, then we also get a break from Stuart.  

Hal was cute when he had a  thing for Amy and this was not a good way to bring him back.  A season or two ago I  was looking forward to a (small ) Amy makeover. A storyline with Amy and raj shopping would be great!  Too late for that I'm afraid.  Loving Bernie s leggings look.

I'm more than done with fun with flags.  But I guess the call ins are a fun device. 

I agree taking a  newborn to the zoo is nonsense but I figured it was just an excuse for a nerd outing. Surely Lego land would be. Howard losing himself admiring Halley through the window is one of those great B B T moments. 

[wendyg]

Trey: actually, this is the *third* golddigger girlfriend go-round. The first was in season 1, when a cousin of Penny's came to town and latched on to Howard. He was thrilled.

Edited April 15, 2017 by wendyg

[CherryAmes]

This is a Chuck Lorre show, it's amazing to me that they haven't had golddiggers more often than they have.  His opinion of women isn't exactly a high one.

[wendyg]

CherryAmes: Try MOM or GRACE UNDER FIRE and you'll see different. I don't think the gold diggers are about the women but about the pathetically desperate men.

[CherryAmes]

18 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

If Howard and Bernadette were at work, why was everyone else home?

When was that?  The scene when Howard and Bernadette are leaving for work breaks away to Leonard et al in the cafeteria talking to Bert.  Later when they they are eating in the living room and Bert comes over they break away to show Howard and Stuart arriving home with the baby and Bernadette is there home after work.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CherryAmes

[aemom]

I'm really curious.  Do US daycares have rooms with glass walls that look like hospital baby nurseries?

[QuelleC]

The kinder cares, or franchised ones do.  It was a plus to show up and see my child was playing or  one on one with a caregiver.  And I knew the teachers were being watched while I wasn't there.  I had him in private homes twice with no such transparency and it ended badly both times.  

[Utpe]

Chuck Lorre must have a hard-on for April Bowlby.  She's essentially playing the same ditzy bimbo that she was on Two and a Half Men.

I didn't and still don't care about the baby story line.  Hearing Bernadette complain about leaving her kid at a daycare center only two minutes away from Howard is absurd.  Any parent would be lucky to have their child so close to them while at work.  With the advancement of technology nowadays, she can instantly have Howard FaceTime everything.  My parents weren't as lucky when they made me attend preschool back in the 1980s.

I did like Howard's imitation of Stuart.  He nailed it!

[hnygrl]

When I see April Bowlby, I don't think of two and a half men.

I think of "Crazy Meg" on How I Met Your Mother. LOVED her as "crazy Meg." So I was okay with her here.

The one thing that gives me pause was the comparisons to Leonard and penny. They were so on point it made me think

IS Lenny really meant to be endgame, or are they going their separate ways in the finale? Are they even in LOVE with each other? Do they even LIKE each other? Cause from what Lorre's showing us, Penny SETTLED for Leonard, and surprisingly enough (shocked me when I thought of it), Leonard settled for PENNY. He could (and has, numerous times) do so much better than Penny. Someone with whom he has things in common. Someone like-minded. Someone who appreciates the weird little nerd-man-boy he is and thinks its lovely.

Not some over-entitled aging bimbo who obviously said yes because you're the best she's ever gonna do...I'm beginning to think they suck so badly on screen because they're not meant to end UP together.

Thoughts?

[Snarklepuss]

On 4/14/2017 at 6:13 PM, CherryAmes said:

Off the top of my head I can't think of any sitcom that introduced a baby that worked but usually they introduce the baby, or the cute little kid because the ratings are faltering.  Family Ties did bring in a baby because Meredith Baxter was pregnant in real life, it wasn't the death knell of the show when they brought the baby in - the death knell IMO was when they aged the baby into a precocious little kid they could bounce off the Alex character.  I really hope they keep the baby storylines to how the adults deal with a baby in their lives and don't turn it into a show that actually features storylines revolving around a little kid.

ITA and I think they will do that so I have no worries about that.  When Niles and Daphne had a baby toward the end of "Frasier" they did just that and it worked out fine.  The baby didn't take over the entire show and they probably knew the series was going to end soon anyway so they didn't have to worry about it growing up and needing to use more than a doll wrapped in blankets.  I particularly loved the episode where Niles woke up from a surreal nightmare in which he feared dropping the baby or otherwise causing it harm.  So far this show has done similar stuff.  I don't care if it's about a baby, it was FUNNY so who cares?  I can't understand wanting the baby to just "go away".  They had a baby, it's a big part of their lives, they can't just write it out of the script, nor should they have to, IMHO.  If the show goes on a few more seasons it might get trickier, though, as the child ages.  I think that's why they want to keep the kid out of the audience's sight, so they don't have to handle casting a real child in the role.

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, hnygrl said:

Not some over-entitled aging bimbo who obviously said yes because you're the best she's ever gonna do...I'm beginning to think they suck so badly on screen because they're not meant to end UP together.

Thoughts?

I think they'll end up together.  I just think Lorre likes the idea of opposites attracting and wants to make it look like people stay together despite lack of commonality and being in a less-than-completely fulfilling relationship.  It's probably more realistic anyway.  I think Penny knew that the kind of guy that really got her excited was not going to work out anyway so she went the opposite route and the settling was actually a good thing in that case because the alternative would have been much worse.  I think I saw her coming to that realization over time on the show.  I think she made a trade-off and in her case, probably a healthier one as it would have likely taken several years of therapy and hitting the dating lottery to find a guy that was all the things that got her excited plus nice, modest, had a decent job and not a male bimbo.  And Leonard would have needed several decades of therapy to make him ready to find someone who could be his intellectual equal.  Maybe that would have been too much like his mother?  In some ways I actually think he's better off with Penny than with someone who would remind him too much of his mother.  Too many rejection issues.  Plus with Penny he can feel like he's achieved the unattainable, which is extremely compelling/satisfying for someone with a mother whose love he never could really get.

Unfortunately, their pairing doesn't make for exciting TV.  Unfortunately on Sitcoms keeping a couple just shy of getting together makes better comedy due to the romantic tension than does commitment.  This is another similarity with "Frasier" as back then a lot of fans were actually somewhat let down when Niles and Daphne actually got together because their relationship became so boring.  And they were pretty much opposites too in many ways.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 4/14/2017 at 8:33 PM, rmontro said:

I would miss Stuart if they wrote him off, he's become one of my favorites on the show.  It's true he's something of a freeloader, but he seems to be helpful around the house and a genuine part of the family.  It's kind of sweet the way he was also tearful about Halley being in daycare, and the episode when he thought there was an intruder and he barged in with the Negan bat ready to defend his "family".

And he makes dinner!  After a long day of work, that would be plenty for me!

[HyeChaps]

After Lucy and Ricky had a baby, Little Ricky was often not in an episode at all. It can be done. 

Indeed, I wondered why Ricky came home and didn't always want to see the baby. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by HyeChaps
Spelling

[aemom]

9 hours ago, AEMom said:

I'm really curious.  Do US daycares have rooms with glass walls that look like hospital baby nurseries?

 

8 hours ago, QuelleC said:

The kinder cares, or franchised ones do.  It was a plus to show up and see my child was playing or  one on one with a caregiver.  And I knew the teachers were being watched while I wasn't there.  I had him in private homes twice with no such transparency and it ended badly both times.  

Interesting.  The non-private home daycares in Quebec are basically like very large houses and the kids are divided by age into the various rooms with their assigned caregivers. So for dropoff and pickup you just walk over to the room that your child is assigned to. 

[CherryAmes]

8 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Cause from what Lorre's showing us, Penny SETTLED for Leonard, and surprisingly enough (shocked me when I thought of it), Leonard settled for PENNY.

They play that for laughs, too often really, but when the show does get serious they also show us that Penny gives Leonard love and the kind of warmth and support that he never got from his parents.  I like that Penny doesn't need Leonard for financial support, she's with Leonard because, despite what the show snarkily implies now and then, she loves him and she wants to be with him.  I like them as a couple, I agree with Stuart who once upon a time said they each make the other better people.

And I have to say I am getting so tired of people who seem surprised that a couple can get together and stay together even though they don't share a boatload of common interests.  Probably because I am a math hating bookworm whose favourite form of exercise is opening the cookie jar who married an marathon running engineer who last read a book because it was assigned reading at university :).

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, HyeChaps said:

After Lucy and Ricky had a baby, Little Ricky was often not in an episode at all. It can be done. 

Indeed, I wondered why Ricky came home and didn't always want to see the baby. 

Little Ricky was always with Mrs. Trumbull.