S11.E01: The Proposal Proposal

[DrSpaceman73]

29 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

It's mostly because Mellisa Rauch is pregnant IRL as has been mentioned previously.

I didn't realize she was pregnant, so I guess I will give the writers a ass on that one, though they still didn't need to make it the focus of the season premier. 

And still doesn't excuse the lack of plots for Leonard and Penny. 

[TheOtherOne]

22 minutes ago, retired watcher said:

Laurie Metcalf is in a play on Broadway so we probably won't see much of her. Hope I'm wrong.

She actually ended her run in the play a couple months ago (and it just closed Sunday). I'm worried that she'll be busy taping the new episodes of Roseanne though. But in at least one interview the new showrunner mentioned how much they like having her on:
 

Quote

 

DEADLINE: With the wedding coming, will we see more parents on Big Bang?

HOLLAND: We always try to get Sheldon’s mom on the show, she is great. We haven’t met Amy’s parents much at all, I think we saw her mom really briefly many years ago, so that is an interesting opportunity to cast them. But we haven’t talking about the wedding episode, that is a little down the road.

 

That said, I thought the timing was all off in the phone call in this episode. It was too obvious they weren't reacting to each other. (I would have thought they'd let whoever taped their scene second listen to the other person's recording so it sounded right. Or maybe the editing was off.)

[Zoe]

1 minute ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I didn't realize she was pregnant, so I guess I will give the writers a ass on that one, though they still didn't need to make it the focus of the season premier. 

And still doesn't excuse the lack of plots for Leonard and Penny. 

It had to be addressed though--she was obviously hiding the bump.  The 3 month skip at the end means she won't have to wear flowy shirts anymore.

[axlmadonna]

9 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

A part of me wishes they would just make Raj & Stuart a gay couple since they really don't know what to do with either  that doesn't come off as them being douchey  or creepy,

Can't they just have scenes together as friends, like they've been doing? I loved that episode where they were putting together their online dating profiles. Why does everyone have to be in a couple? I say they should make Raj a secondary character like Stuart, and just bring him in when needed (like Stuart), for an occasional interaction with the group, or in a quality scene with Stuart.

 

I, also, am annoyed that nothing ever came of Raj & the veterinarian. They seemed to have real chemistry and a natural bond through Cinnamon. He also seemed to have a good vibe with the cleaning lady at the university, despite his initial embarrasment in telling his friends about her job. They seemed to genuinely like each other.

Edited September 26, 2017 by axlmadonna

[Traveller519]

I wanted to see Amy's parents! Ahhhh, show. You mentioned them, but didn't show them. It was her mother who insisted she try online dating which lead to Sheldon, after all! (I guess no buyers remorse, there)

 

I enjoy that it would have made sense that it was Leonard and Penny's anniversary as well, what with a new season kicking off. You could count back to their Vegas Wedding, or the Ceremonial Wedding.

 

Jesus being Mary's Plus One was incredibly cute too.

[proserpina65]

Oh dear god, please let that pregnancy test be a false positive!  Another baby is the last thing this show needs.

[proserpina65]

4 hours ago, msrachelj said:

wolowitzes are idiots. they are suppose to be super smart people and they don't know you can get pregnant while breast feeding and don't use protection?

Do we know that they didn't use protection?  Because it doesn't always work.

[chitowngirl]

PSA for the week-if you have sex, you can get pregnant, no matter what precautions are in place.

I think it's an interesting concept to explore, having kids that close together (not that we'll see the kids at all!).

Edited September 26, 2017 by chitowngirl

[iMonrey]

I haven't been following "real life" news much but I guessed that Melissa Rauch must be pregnant in real life because they were being very stagey about hiding her mid-section in this episode.  In the scene where they're sitting around eating, she's got a big open box sitting in her lap.

At the very end, I was worried that it was going to turn out Ramona was actually in cahoots with Amy to get Sheldon to propose, so I'm relieved it didn't turn out that way. That would have been far to manipulative for Amy and put a negative spin on the whole proposal. 

[SoothingDave]

This show is running on fumes.  Nothing last night was really funny at all.  Sheldon is still insufferable.  The reaction of two grown adults to the idea that they're having another baby was appalling.  

I hope this is the last season.

[yb125]

I know this is probably too corny but I prefer when shows just ignore that the actress is pregnant or even go the Nanny route and make it a meta joke. I know in reality it won't matter for this show since they don't mind pushing Haley to the side so now she'll have a sibling to place over there. 

[msrachelj]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

She said, "well guess what, you can."  But, I don't think that meant that she didn't know it was possible before that.  She was just telling Penny she was rong because she was frustrated at being pregnant.  She wouldn't have said "we were careful" twice and Howard say it once, if they were just relying on the lower chance of getting pregnant during breastfeeding.  Even if you thought that meant it was 100% impossible, you wouldn't call that being "careful" because it would just be circumstances.

whatever, nitpick. in real live if they had used the pill or a condom, one of them would have expressed their surprise a pregnancy resulted  even thought it's not 100% foolproof. 

16 minutes ago, SoothingDave said:

This show is running on fumes.  Nothing last night was really funny at all.  Sheldon is still insufferable.  The reaction of two grown adults to the idea that they're having another baby was appalling.  

I hope this is the last season.

agree. but the actors are making a disgusting amount of money each episode so they surely don't care as long as that big paycheck comes in.

[BlossomCulp]

3 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

whatever, nitpick. in real live if they had used the pill or a condom, one of them would have expressed their surprise a pregnancy resulted  even thought it's not 100% foolproof. 

Sidetrack here but would a woman go on the pill, or back on the pill that soon after giving birth, particularly if she is breastfeeding?  I have no idea!  

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

whatever, nitpick. in real live if they had used the pill or a condom, one of them would have expressed their surprise a pregnancy resulted  even thought it's not 100% foolproof. 

They did express their surprise.  That was the purpose of them saying "but we were so careful."

[MDL]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I didn't realize she was pregnant, so I guess I will give the writers a ass on that one, though they still didn't need to make it the focus of the season premier. 

And still doesn't excuse the lack of plots for Leonard and Penny. 

As Melissa has been pregnant for several (?)  months I think that they needed to make Bernadette pregnant asap,  so that they could quickly have her (Bernadette) be "showing" and avoid the need for the all too obvious/classic tricks used in this episode to conceal Melissa's baby bump. I'd also guess that was in part the reason for the 3 month time jump.

[LoneHaranguer]

7 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

I think it might be fun if Raj just gave in and let his parents arrange something.

They've already done this twice. Penny has also tried twice to set him up with someone. We didn't see much of one of those, but she ended the date yelling "what's wrong with you?" at him (probably the vet's reaction too). He had more success earlier with the deaf gold-digger, but he's not rich any more. It's possible growing up rich got him accustomed to getting away with being a jerk and he just needs time to adjust.

13 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

A part of me wishes they would just make Raj & Stuart a gay couple since they really don't know what to do with either  that doesn't come off as them being douchey  or creepy,

The writers could have them live together again without making them gay, and go for some sort of Odd Couple stories.

[Lovecat]

4 hours ago, Zoe said:

It had to be addressed though--she was obviously hiding the bump.  The 3 month skip at the end means she won't have to wear flowy shirts anymore.

Heh.  Before the "Three Months Later..." flash-forward, I told DH we should count how many different ways they were going to camouflage Melissa's belly!  We saw her seated at the table behind a computer, with some takeout on her lap, behind a counter...  You're right, though, it's a moot point now that they've advanced the timeline a few months.

[wknt3]

4 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I personally don't like taking characters that have been presented as straight for a long time and turning them gay.  It really doesn't work that way IRL anymore anyway as people usually know what they are by their ages and aren't that repressed for so long.  Not saying it doesn't still happen, especially to people that might be as un-self aware as Raj's character, and after all the years of innuendo on this show about him being a little effeminate,  but to me it would still seem somewhat contrived as a plot device on this show.

Yeah I can't see them going that direction this late in the game. It would be problematic at best with the suggestion that those who don't conform to gender stereotypes will become gay unless saved by finding  woman who will accept them in time. More importantly there is no way in hell that WB, CBS, etc. lets it happen. It would add an ick factor to watching the reruns. Raj's homophobic relatives turn out to be right after all and the joke is no longer on them. The relationship between Howard and Raj is no longer a couple of awkward nerds finding solace in each other, but something much darker. All sorts of jokes now have a different light cast on them. No way they do anything that diminishes the enjoyment of watching the old episodes. You don't risk derailing that gravy train because you screwed up a character.

[msrachelj]

1 hour ago, BlossomCulp said:

Sidetrack here but would a woman go on the pill, or back on the pill that soon after giving birth, particularly if she is breastfeeding?  I have no idea!  

i think so. if she doesn't want to get pregnant again. i don't know, i am child free! if no pill, condoms.

[MsNewsradio]

5 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

She actually ended her run in the play a couple months ago (and it just closed Sunday). I'm worried that she'll be busy taping the new episodes of Roseanne though. But in at least one interview the new showrunner mentioned how much they like having her on:

Laurie Metcalf ended her run in A Doll's House Part 2, which has since closed, but she will be starring in Three Tall Women on Broadway (previews begin at the end of February, though I don't know how much earlier than that they will begin rehearsals). Here's hoping they are able to find the time to have her on again this season - she's always a welcome presence. 

[CleoCaesar]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

The writers could have them live together again without making them gay, and go for some sort of Odd Couple stories.

Having them share storylines would make fast-forwarding through those scenes much more efficient too.

Does anyone care about Stuart? Raj is a bitter, awkward loser but at least he's part of the original recipe cast. And hell even he could be easily lifted out of show without any real loss. Stuart is even more superfluous, if possible.

[roamyn]

25 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

Having them share storylines would make fast-forwarding through those scenes much more efficient too.

Does anyone care about Stuart? Raj is a bitter, awkward loser but at least he's part of the original recipe cast. And hell even he could be easily lifted out of show without any real loss. Stuart is even more superfluous, if possible.

I think Stuart's had more to do, with watching Halley, taking care of Mrs. W., and the fire, the past few seasons, than Raj has.

[willco]

Howard's feeble protests and tone of his voice in the scene with Bernie was really funny to me. Sheldon hasn't really been funny for a long time now. His actions were funny back when he really didn't know any better, but now, after all these years with all his friends telling him, he certainly should know very well what is and is not appropriate behavior. Lord, he must be annoying as all hell to be around, let alone to live with. Raj : same old, same old. That about sums it up.

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

The writers could have them live together again without making them gay, and go for some sort of Odd Couple stories.

ITA.  So many real life and fictional scenarios involve "spinster sisters" or single friends living together way into adulthood, so why not two guys that fit that scenario?   I sort of liked the idea of them sharing the household/baby duties for Howard and Bernadette.  Raj could do the cleaning/cooking as he has shown he likes to do in the past, and Stuart can continue watching Halley.  It's a perfect compromise.  At least they would have something constructive to do other than sit around and act pathetic, and it might end up in some funny plot opportunities too if handled right.

[beadgirl]

Quote

I had no idea being single was such an awful fate. Personally I don't think Raj's single status is reason enough for him to leave the show.  I do agree he needs better stories, though.

Yeah, at this point i'd be thrilled if they (and Raj) gave up on pairing him off, and he found away to enjoy his life even if it is not what he originally intended. They could give him other stories, including stuff with Stuart.  Speaking of:

Quote

Does anyone care about Stuart? Raj is a bitter, awkward loser but at least he's part of the original recipe cast. And hell even he could be easily lifted out of show without any real loss. Stuart is even more superfluous, if possible.

I've liked Stuart quite a bit since the beginning -- or at least, the idea of him, when the writers don't make him ridiculously pathetic to make the others look good. Original Stuart was smart, witty, and talented, and I wish they'd bring that Stuart back. His exchange with Sheldon about being more or less wrong is one of my most favorite bits.

Quote

I've felt for a long time that Simon is truly this show's MVP.  If you ever watch Johnny Galecki closely, every once in a while he struggles not to break character during some of Simon's funniest moments.

One of the best things this show ever did was pair Wolowitz up with Bernadette, which meant dropping his horrid PUA persona and allowing him to be the sarcastic, quirky dork that the actor plays so well.

[axlmadonna]

1 hour ago, roamyn said:

I think Stuart's had more to do, with watching Halley, taking care of Mrs. W., and the fire, the past few seasons, than Raj has.

Not to mention that he was a far better "son" to Mrs. Wollowitz than her actual son was. For all that Howard claims to have been attached to his mother, he was as awful as he could be when he spoke of her. He never skipped an opportunity to trash her, insult her, belittle her, mock her. She wasn't perfect, but she did her best to be a good mom to him. Stuart, on the other hand, enjoyed spending time with her, was always respectful toward her, and stood up for her when her real son put her down behind her back.

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, axlmadonna said:

Not to mention that he was a far better "son" to Mrs. Wollowitz than her actual son was. For all that Howard claims to have been attached to his mother, he was as awful as he could be when he spoke of her. He never skipped an opportunity to trash her, insult her, belittle her, mock her. She wasn't perfect, but she did her best to be a good mom to him. Stuart, on the other hand, enjoyed spending time with her, was always respectful toward her, and stood up for her when her real son put her down behind her back.

Eh...I've known MANY a Jewish mother with sons, who have that love/hate relationship.  It's almost sad how many sons I've met who roll their eyes, make snarky comments under their breaths, and hated going to see her on Sabbath for dinner.  One wouldn't even go sit Shiva for his father except during the evening readings, because the men are in a separate room from the women (they're Orthodox).   And he asked a bunch of us co-workers to go with him, as well. 

This isn't all that different, though I admit Howie sometimes took it to extreme.  But so did she, with the enabling, and the embarrassing things she did/said.

(I learned from going to F's father's Shiva that women can't be in the same room, the mirrors are covered for a year, and a special ceremony is held a year after complete with chanter (unfortunately F couldn't come to my mother's wake because that's when the ceremony was - exactly a year later.)

[BlossomCulp]

1 hour ago, axlmadonna said:

Not to mention that he was a far better "son" to Mrs. Wollowitz than her actual son was.

It's almost always easier to have a good relationship with someone when it doesn't come with 30 years of baggage.  Sometimes Howard said some pretty awful things, no argument there, but on the other hand his mother was pretty consistently portrayed as someone who had perfected the art of being a controlling, clinging mother to the highest degree.  I'm reminded of the episode where Raj goes there for dinner when Howard is away and finds himself trapped there through guilt, manipulation and having his clothes stolen in the night!

[anna0852]

Not to mention, for all of Howard sarcastic and snide remarks about his mom he never failed to care for her. Whether it was getting to her to water aerobics or doctor's appointments or ensuring that her medication was taken, he always did what needed to be done. When she was injured after the treadmill incident there was no question that he would see she was looked after whether he did it himself or hired a caretaker.

[DrSpaceman73]

Even with the actress being pregnant, the writers still did not have to make this a major storyline and revolve half an episode around it is my point.  They could just slip it in (no pun intended), perhaps find some other avenues to explore besides pregnancy, poor Raj and rude Sheldon

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Oh dear god, please let that pregnancy test be a false positive!  Another baby is the last thing this show needs.

That was my first thought too. And since Melissa Rauch is pregnant IRL, it would be a great fakeout for the audience. Plus:

6 hours ago, yb125 said:

I know this is probably too corny but I prefer when shows just ignore that the actress is pregnant or even go the Nanny route and make it a meta joke. I know in reality it won't matter for this show since they don't mind pushing Haley to the side so now she'll have a sibling to place over there. 

I agree. At this point the actors are so well known that it really could be hillarious. There was some of this on Seinfeld when Julia Louis Dreyfus was pregnant IIRC, big potted plants in incongruous places and whatnot.
And also:

4 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Heh.  Before the "Three Months Later..." flash-forward, I told DH we should count how many different ways they were going to camouflage Melissa's belly!  We saw her seated at the table behind a computer, with some takeout on her lap, behind a counter...  You're right, though, it's a moot point now that they've advanced the timeline a few months.

It could be a great drinking game, or a pass-the-chocolates game.

Anyway, since they're most likely not going with the false pregnancy test, another baby does give Stuart and Raj more to do.

But they did focus a lot on that pregnancy test stick, which gives me a little Chekhovian hope.

[AriAu]

Quote

I truly think the actor playing Howard is underrated as a comedienne.

FYI-comedienne is female for comedian. Lucille Ball was a comedienne...so is Kaley and especially Melissa Rauch who did stand-up before this. Now I know that Howard is sometimes a little effeminate and there was the episode where he got the dose of female hormones, but......

Simon is an excellent actor and comedic actor, with great timing, but, as I have said, he was even better as skeevy Howard. He and Melissa were excellent together in the both scenes, especially as they tried to talk Leonard and Penny into having a baby.

[Sarah 103]

On September 25, 2017 at 8:37 PM, Katy M said:

I wonder what the point of Bernadette  getting pregnant again is?  I mean in real life stuff just happens.  But, TV, there's usually a reason.  I wonder if it's to make Leonard and Penny break up.

I don't think so. Leonard and Penny both agree that they do not want kids at this point. Often a break-up is the result of one person wanting kids, while the other does not. 

On September 25, 2017 at 8:41 PM, CleoCaesar said:

Good grief, Wolowitzes, birth control.

I think that was answered with the multiple variations of "we were careful." They were using some method of birth control, and whatever they were using failed. 

20 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

Penny and Leonard have such a nice comfortableness to their relationship. I don't see what's wrong with it, honestly.

I agree. Neither one cares about the anniversary and missing it wasn't a big deal to either person. It's one person cares more than the other that problems occur. 

5 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

The writers could have them live together again without making them gay, and go for some sort of Odd Couple stories.

I totally thought this was going to happen last season with the empty apartment in the building. I thought for absolute certain that Raj and Stuart were going to move in together. 

3 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I sort of liked the idea of them sharing the household/baby duties for Howard and Bernadette.  Raj could do the cleaning/cooking as he has shown he likes to do in the past, and Stuart can continue watching Halley.  It's a perfect compromise.  At least they would have something constructive to do other than sit around and act pathetic, and it might end up in some funny plot opportunities too if handled right.

Funny plot opportunities:

1. They're mistaken for a gay couple. 

2. Someone mistakes Raj or Stuart for the baby's father and they go along with it.

3. The baby calls Raj or Stuart dad instead of Howard. 

[OtterMommy]

On 9/25/2017 at 5:41 PM, CleoCaesar said:

The engagement scene was cute. I still think Sheldon's an ass, and that Amy deserves better, but whatever.

Good grief, Wolowitzes, birth control.

Raj's line to Ramona "This is your last chance...to date me" made me cringe. 11 years later, still the same awkward creep he was on day one.

Skipping about 80 messages, so I'm sorry if this is covered....

If Bernadette was nursing, she was may have been on a low-dose birth control*...which alone isn't as effective as your regular birth control pill.  Now, putting nursing along with it should make it pretty good, but it isn't perfect.  Plus, if her nursing had changed up a bit--she had gone back to work, so that is a possibility, it would have made the nursing/BC pill combo less effective.

(*To go into realism here, it would have made much more sense for her to get an IUD, but whatevs...)

Anyway, I enjoyed this episode more than I thought.  For the first time in probably a year, I actually enjoyed Penny and Leonard together.  Raj still makes me cringe, but Sheldon actually having some growth was nice.  And the proposal scene was just adorable.

But, I just can't with the pregnancy.  Even if Rausch weren't pregnant, it would seem contrived to me.  I don't think a second baby is necessary to achieve any sort of growth for Bernadette and Howard--their first invisible kid is enough to do that.  Sigh...

[OtterMommy]

On 9/25/2017 at 6:33 PM, dungeonwriter said:

The Bernadette-Howard thing was actually funny, but a bit sad. I know it was required because of the actress, but it still felt cute, even if it was a bit tired. 

I really don't feel it was required.  Rausch's pregnancy is easy enough to conceal and they could have come up for a very plausible reason for Bernadette not to be around for several episodes.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, roamyn said:

(I learned from going to F's father's Shiva that women can't be in the same room, the mirrors are covered for a year, and a special ceremony is held a year after complete with chanter (unfortunately F couldn't come to my mother's wake because that's when the ceremony was - exactly a year later.)

That's not quite accurate.  The mirrors are covered for the week of shiva so that the principal mourners don't focus on themselves. During an Orthodox prayer service, men do pray separately from women.  They can certainly sit in the same room during shiva, although your co-worker's family may have chosen to do it differently.  Sometimes the surviving spouse will sit in one room so that her friends can focus on her, while the grown children will be in separate rooms so that their separate friends and co-workers can comfort them.  A visitor who knows the whole family will go visit each mourner in turn.

The period of mourning does last a year, but with increasingly fewer restrictions after the shiva week, and even fewer after the first month (shloshim).  At the conclusion of the year, there may have been an unveiling of the tomb stone at the cemetery, with a cantor chanting the traditional blessings.

[roamyn]

33 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

I really don't feel it was required.  Rausch's pregnancy is easy enough to conceal and they could have come up for a very plausible reason for Bernadette not to be around for several episodes.

Yeah, but adding a 2nd child also makes for new plots.  It's not like having your 1st or 3rd.  Esp so close 2gether.

And I see nothing wrong w/it.  A former boss had two in less than a year.  Their birthdays are 10 months apart.  I think B said she used birth control, but it's been a number of years, so I'm not positive.  Anyway, the point is, it does happen.  That makes it more realistic. 

Thanks for the clarification on the mirrors @ItCouldBeWorse.  I could've sworn it was the whole year.  But no, the women were NOT allowed in the living room as the men read scripture.  F's sister was very explicit on that.  Children, weren't allowed either.  But their parents were old country.  His mother was in Dachau and his father at Auschwitz.

Edited September 27, 2017 by roamyn

[ItCouldBeWorse]

20 minutes ago, roamyn said:

But no, the women were NOT allowed in the living room as the men read scripture

I think you are referred to reading from the Torah. That is part of the morning service on Monday and Thursday so the men and women would have been separate. The morning Torah reading was probably about 10 minutes, and the entire morning service might have been  about half an hour. In an actual synagogue, they would have been separated by some kind of physical barrier, such as a partial wall that the women could see over. In a person's house, that's usually not available, hence the separate rooms.  Your friend would probably have been less embarrassed if you were in a synagogue and could have seen what was going on, instead of being in a separate room from him. The rest of the time, the entire mourning family probably did sit together regardless of gender, and then separated again for the afternoon and evening prayers, which were likely back-to-back, before resuming sitting shiva together until the end of the day.

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

Am I the only one who "ew'ed" at the thought of a used pee stick on the kitchen table?

Ok, then. 

I watch out of habit, anymore. Got two good laughs last night, the rest meh. Hope this is the last season.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 minutes ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

Am I the only one who "ew'ed" at the thought of a used pee stick on the kitchen table?

I had the same thought.

[Lovecat]

35 minutes ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

Am I the only one who "ew'ed" at the thought of a used pee stick on the kitchen table?

No, no you are not. I actually said out loud, "That seems unsanitary."

[AnnaRose]

27 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

No, no you are not. I actually said out loud, "That seems unsanitary."

Well, it's not like it was a "poo stick".  Now that would be unsanitary.   Urine on the other hand, in the absence of infection, is generally sterile... and mostly contains the same components that make up sweat, (plus some additional things that are filtered by the kidneys.)   Still not something most people want on the table, but it's not as 'icky' as a lot of people think.

[Sarah 103]

I'm going to make prediction based on the fact that Bernadette is pregnant and Amy said yes to the proposal. Bernadette's water is going to break during Amy and Sheldon's wedding. 

[PinkRibbons]

11 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I'm going to make prediction based on the fact that Bernadette is pregnant and Amy said yes to the proposal. Bernadette's water is going to break during Amy and Sheldon's wedding. 

Poor Amy. Isn't it bad enough that she already shares her birthday with Halley?

I'm actually looking forward to the new baby storyline. This kind of slip up with kids accidentally not being spaced out enough is actually a lot more common than we think, and I don't think I've seen it done before on TV. I'll bet a lot of  people here can name someone they know of who got pregnant again a little too soon after giving birth. Like my mom's friend whose kids were ten months apart in age, and who later said that those first few years she wanted to hang herself every day (it got better).

Edited September 27, 2017 by PinkRibbons

[Chit Chat]

Quote

Am I the only one who "ew'ed" at the thought of a used pee stick on the kitchen table?

I thought it was gross, too.  Only food related items sit on my kitchen table!  YMMV.  As far as Howard's reaction to Bernie's news, how sad.  She knew he was going to freak out, so that made it more difficult for her.  Many years ago Mr. Chat had a less than enthusiastic reaction to my big news, and 28 years later that still bugs me!  Men, sheesh!

I loved how they handled the proposal.  I'm so glad we didn't have to watch Amy go through some angst at the thought of the other woman kissing Sheldon, and all of the nonsense that would've led to.  And how Sheldon of Sheldon to call Stephen Hawking to get his blessing.  I loved that moment too! 

[Isazouzi]

Have they ever mentioned that abortion is not an option for them (for religious or moral reasons) or are we supposed to infer this ourselves? I can't remember.

[Zoe]

24 minutes ago, Isazouzi said:

Have they ever mentioned that abortion is not an option for them (for religious or moral reasons) or are we supposed to infer this ourselves? I can't remember.

You really expect a show like this to broach that kind of topic?

[anna0852]

There seems to be an unspoken rule for TV  that the only context for an abortion discussion between a married couple is if there are potential birth defects. And I'd never expect this show to go there. 

[BlossomCulp]

Maude, many many years ago had abortion as a plot point.  If more recent sitcoms have done it I missed it.  What usually happens is the ever so convenient miscarriage.  Which admittedly is an all too common event but on TV it's a little like the giving birth in an elevator storyline - happens way too often to be believable!

[DrSpaceman73]

I don't have a problem with Leonard and Penny have a laid back relationship in terms of anniversaries and such

It just seems in terms of storylines, not much ever happens with them.  They provide comic fodder and commentary for others, Penny drinks, not much else.