S11.E01: The Proposal Proposal

[msrachelj]

10 hours ago, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

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.  

yes. i was just going to post this. not the first time i have seen a woman on tv or in a movie casually put down that peed on stick on surfaces that should be kept clean. yuk. disgusting.

i hope this is the last season too. 

[OtterMommy]

2 hours 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.

Bernadette is from a strict Catholic family, so I think it goes unsaid.

Also, abortion isn't usually sit-com fodder.

[LoneHaranguer]

10 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

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.)

Urine can also be contaminated by blood and whatever pathogens may be in it due to things like kidney stones.

[MaryMitch]

I actually like the idea of Bernadette and Howard having another baby; this is breaking new ground and I'm sure will have some funny moments.

When I grew up, 2 babies within one year were called "Irish twins". (Being half Irish, I don't see this as offensive but I just looked it up and it was labeled as such.)  I actually worked with a guy whose wife had a boy then in one year and one day had twins. He said he never got any sleep.

I believe when Hallie was born, the story was she was conceived on Sheldon's bed, and it was implied that they didn't use birth control, so I'm assuming they have been using a barrier method. Maybe Bernadette can't tolerate the Pill, and this is as good an explanation as any.

[Lovecat]

11 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

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.

If we want to continue to pick that nit, once the urine leaves the body, it is no longer considered sterile due to exposure to the environment, not to mention passing over the external genitalia.  The only way that pee stick would be sterile is if the specimen were obtained via catheter and dipped under a hood using aseptic technique.  Yes, I have a biology degree too ;)  Doesn't mean I'm cool with urine residue on my kitchen table.

[stuckin60s]

Someone earlier sad this is becoming the Sheldon show, I agree.  It has evolved that way over many years.  We almost stopped watching because of that.  I think Amy, Howard and Raj bring the most.  Of course they are paid the least :0).  I will not watch Young Sheldon.  Just cant take it

This was an okay episode, too many reused lines.

I think it would be great if they are not giving Raj a partner, that they let him find a great spot.  He could get a great job, travels and meets people, gets confidence and enjoys life.  That would change the dynamics and how the people interact.  He wouldn't be available anymore, still on the show, but it would be a shakeup

[proserpina65]

23 hours 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.

Given that one of those two adults didn't want to have any children to begin with, I found their reactions to be the most realistic thing about the episode.

[lh25]

I don't really get why Amy wants to be with Sheldon.  A prime example, she invites him to dinner with her colleagues.  Hubby and I both said "this won't end well".  And it didn't.  He was his rude self, and it bothers her.  

[Snow Fairy]

4 hours ago, msrachelj said:

yes. i was just going to post this. not the first time i have seen a woman on tv or in a movie casually put down that peed on stick on surfaces that should be kept clean. yuk. disgusting.

i hope this is the last season too. 

But those test do have a cap that goes on the peed part. Does't look weird to me.

Or maybe I'm used to it, due to lots of peed tests in the past (7 IVF treatments, one baby and second on the way)

[dungeonwriter]

17 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

But those test do have a cap that goes on the peed part. Does't look weird to me.

Or maybe I'm used to it, due to lots of peed tests in the past (7 IVF treatments, one baby and second on the way)

Best wishes for an easy pregnancy!
 

Question, how old is Halley at this point? How far apart will the kids be? 

[NYCFree]

There was the tiniest hint of abortion in a blink-and-you-missed-it kind of way, Howard's first reaction, after all the no no no no noes, was to ask "what are we going to do?" Bernadette answered something like "what do you mean? We're going to have a baby!"

Of course Howard's question could have a myriad of meanings, but Bernadette answered in a way that hints that not having the baby was the intent of the question.

[AnnaRose]

7 hours ago, Lovecat said:

If we want to continue to pick that nit, once the urine leaves the body, it is no longer considered sterile due to exposure to the environment, not to mention passing over the external genitalia.  The only way that pee stick would be sterile is if the specimen were obtained via catheter and dipped under a hood using aseptic technique.  Yes, I have a biology degree too ;)  Doesn't mean I'm cool with urine residue on my kitchen table.

But kitchen tables aren't exactly sterile either. 

I'm done with this topic though.  I didn't think it was too weird or icky, especially between a married couple.   My sister-in-law saved hers and wrapped it up in a box with ribbon at Christmas as a way of breaking the news to my parents that they were expecting my parents' first grandchild.  (My mother opened it and was perplexed... "What is this?  A thermometer?"  Haha.)

NYCFree - I thought that was Bernadette's way of saying, "we're having a baby, and we're just going to have to deal with it."  I never really got that they (or Howard specifically) were considering aborting it.

Edited September 27, 2017 by AnnaRose

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

What is this?  A thermometer?"  Haha.)

Good thing she didn't stick it in her mouth.

 

2 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

NYCFree - I thought that was Bernadette's way of saying, "we're having a baby, and we're just going to have to deal with it."  I never really got that they (or Howard specifically) were considering aborting it.

Me neither.  

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, NYCFree said:

There was the tiniest hint of abortion in a blink-and-you-missed-it kind of way, Howard's first reaction, after all the no no no no noes, was to ask "what are we going to do?" Bernadette answered something like "what do you mean? We're going to have a baby!"

Of course Howard's question could have a myriad of meanings, but Bernadette answered in a way that hints that not having the baby was the intent of the question.

I was going to quote those lines too. I took it to mean the abortion option was quickly covered and dispensed with.

But then I forgot that:

8 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Bernadette is from a strict Catholic family…

…which serves to support Bernadette's response. This may be the most tactfully handled social issue on the show to date.

[rmontro]

Okay, they probably shouldn't put a pee stick on a kitchen table.  Wipe it down with some Clorox, problem solved.  :)

[OtterMommy]

I'm less concerned about the pee stick on the table than I wonder if the stick was even still showing the result.  Back when I put a few tests to use, the results were only visible for a certain period of time (24 hours I think) and it seemed to me that more time had passed than that.  If so, Bernadette would have just been passing a blank (but peed on) stick to Howard.

[Bort]

12 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

I'm less concerned about the pee stick on the table than I wonder if the stick was even still showing the result.  Back when I put a few tests to use, the results were only visible for a certain period of time (24 hours I think) and it seemed to me that more time had passed than that.  If so, Bernadette would have just been passing a blank (but peed on) stick to Howard.

I was wondering that too. That's often the case on tv, those damn pee sticks get passed around for days but the results pretty much go away after it dries. Maybe Bernadette made a fresh one. 

[CherryAmes]

Awesome episode!  A great start to the season, I just hope they can keep the momentum going.  I liked all the storylines and loved the reaction of Howard and Bernadette to their surprise baby - especially the way they tried to get Penny and Leonard to join them in the baby pool!  

One thing - did I miss it or did they not show them telling Raj about the new baby?

[OtterMommy]

2 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

One thing - did I miss it or did they not show them telling Raj about the new baby?

After the way Raj behaved the first time around, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't tell him for a while....

But, yeah, it wasn't shown.  Of course, they have 20-ish minutes to announce two huge pieces of news AND tell some sort of story, so the audience might just have to accept it as an off-screen thing.

[Love2dance]

8 hours ago, Snow Fairy said:

Or maybe I'm used to it, due to lots of peed tests in the past (7 IVF treatments, one baby and second on the way)

Congratulations @Snow Fairy! 

[Snarklepuss]

12 hours ago, rmontro said:

Okay, they probably shouldn't put a pee stick on a kitchen table.  Wipe it down with some Clorox, problem solved.  :)

I agree, and this is not addressed directly at you, but why is it not an option for her to have washed that pee stick before bringing it to the kitchen table?  I would have done that.  It doesn't seem like a big stretch of the imagination to assume she would have done that.  Why always assume the worst?  And so what?  There are far worse things that end up on a kitchen table even for the most careful people.  This is a couple that has sex every day of the week, they're sharing bodily fluids daily.
 

22 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Bernadette is from a strict Catholic family, so I think it goes unsaid.

Also, abortion isn't usually sit-com fodder.

I agree, it goes unsaid with Bernadette, but although not technically a sitcom, "Crazy Ex Girlfriend" is a comedy that worked abortion into its story line last season.  I was kind of surprised because I thought the character was more traditional than that, but whatever.  I'm not a fan of working that into a sitcom anyway.  I don't think it's a funny topic.  It's a very serious and personal one, IMHO.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Snarklepuss
oops, correction.

[Katy M]

11 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

After the way Raj behaved the first time around, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't tell him for a while....

They'll tell him after the birth.  Or after college graduation.

 

12 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

This is a couple that has sex every day of the week, they're sharing bodily fluids daily.

They have a baby now.  No way are they having sex every day of the week.  Of course, your point still stands.

[CherryAmes]

17 hours ago, dungeonwriter said:

Question, how old is Halley at this point? How far apart will the kids be? 

I know Halley was only 3 months old in the episode when Bernadette went back to work because I thought how awful it was that young mothers in the US don't get the same kind of maternity leave we typically get here in Canada (especially a professional working for a major company and earning the money she does).  So would that make her about 4-5 months old at the time of the finale/starting point of premiere?  Anyway assuming she is 4 months old and Bernie is about 6 weeks pregnant when she finds out that would mean the children will be roughly a year apart, same age difference as my brother and I.  

[anna0852]

Actually we know Halley's birthday, because she shares it with Amy. And it was a pretty major plot point that Amy's birthday was the same day as the premiere of The Force Awakens. So we know she was born in early December. Assuming the show is sticking to real time, Halley is about 5 months old as Bernadette is discovering that she's pregnant again. So the babies will be about 14 months apart and I wouldn't wish that on anybody, not even fictional characters.

Edited September 28, 2017 by anna0852

[CherryAmes]

Lol. 14 months is a pretty realistic age difference, maybe not ideal, but at least it would make sense that she could conceivably (see what I did there?) be pregnant again.  When I was growing up that age difference was pretty common and as others noted above it usually didn't stop with two kids that close together!  Sure it's less likely now with better birth control and less desire to have bigger families but it does happen and I love that BBT decided to go there.  Most sitcoms have the one token baby (for the entire cast) as a nod to the notion that adults tend to have a child at some point in their lives.  I know very few couples who stop at one - maybe they wait longer than Bernadette and Howard did - but they do have, usually, at least one more child.  Especially if they're in their mid-30s and know that it's probably now or never.

Edited September 28, 2017 by CherryAmes

[Nancypants]

I'm surprised a at the nitpickity nature of many of these posts. Its Big Bang and its back! Enjoy!

[CherryAmes]

I think a lot of people who are watching don't like the show anymore.  It always surprise me when people do that.  There are very few shows that I stick with once I feel the party's over!

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I think a lot of people who are watching don't like the show anymore.  It always surprise me when people do that.  There are very few shows that I stick with once I feel the party's over!

I watched sporadically last season.  I'll always tune into a season premiere or finale of anything I'm even only sort of watching. But, I doubt I'll catch more than a handful of episodes this year.

[CherryAmes]

I thought last season was a good one, head and shoulders above the season before (which wasn't terrible but had some episodes that I don't care if I ever see again).  There are many episodes from last season that I look forward to watching when they cycle around on eternal reruns.  I'm just hoping they can keep that going again this season.

[rmontro]

15 hours ago, kariyaki said:

That's often the case on tv, those damn pee sticks get passed around for days but the results pretty much go away after it dries. Maybe Bernadette made a fresh one. 

Good point, maybe she did!  But that makes it even more gross that she put it on the kitchen table  :)

[Snarklepuss]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

They have a baby now.  No way are they having sex every day of the week.  Of course, your point still stands.

LOL, true, but you have to admit, with Howard you never know!  ;-)

[Snarklepuss]

2 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

I think a lot of people who are watching don't like the show anymore.  It always surprise me when people do that.  There are very few shows that I stick with once I feel the party's over!

I went to an all "Big Bang Theory" high school.  In fact, Neil DeGrasse Tyson was my classmate and graduated my year (yes I see him at reunions), so I'm committed to this show for better or worse because it still speaks to me.  And truthfully with all the garbage on TV these days BBT still stands head and tails above almost anything else, IMHO.

[Snow Fairy]

16 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I'm less concerned about the pee stick on the table than I wonder if the stick was even still showing the result.  Back when I put a few tests to use, the results were only visible for a certain period of time (24 hours I think) and it seemed to me that more time had passed than that.  If so, Bernadette would have just been passing a blank (but peed on) stick to Howard.

My first test showed a positive result for over 6 months.

Tests from this pregnancy still had a line 4 months after they were done, then I threw them.

Only digital tests such as Clearblue digital have a few day span.

[NYCFree]

52 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

I went to an all "Big Bang Theory" high school.  In fact, Neil DeGrasse Tyson was my classmate and graduated my year (yes I see him at reunions), so I'm committed to this show for better or worse because it still speaks to me.  And truthfully with all the garbage on TV these days BBT still stands head and tails above almost anything else, IMHO.

Bronx Science Whoot Whoot!

Class of 1984, Jon Favreau was my class (as yet unseen at any reunions I've attended). 

I think it's mandatory that we watch.

[Bort]

21 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

My first test showed a positive result for over 6 months.

Tests from this pregnancy still had a line 4 months after they were done, then I threw them.

Only digital tests such as Clearblue digital have a few day span.

Hm, maybe it's modern day tests? In all honesty, I haven't had to take a pregnancy test in over a decade. Or maybe I just bought cheap ones. Is Barnacle Bill's Home Pregnancy Test not a good brand?

[Snow Fairy]

Most of my tests were frow ebay (China mostly). Cheap ones. And a few pharmacy bought (I'm from Europe, but I don't think it makes a difference)

Is it known, is this the last season of the show? Maybe it is said somewhere, but I am lazy to look :)

[OtterMommy]

25 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Hm, maybe it's modern day tests? In all honesty, I haven't had to take a pregnancy test in over a decade. Or maybe I just bought cheap ones. Is Barnacle Bill's Home Pregnancy Test not a good brand?

Yeah, the last one I took was 7 years ago.  I had one of the fancy (er, expensive) ones that was supposed to last 24 hours, but I was lucky to get 12 hours out of it.  Yes, I timed it...

[LaChavalina]

On September 26, 2017 at 3:47 PM, LoneHaranguer said:

They've already done this twice. Penny has also tried twice to set him up with someone.

Penny setting Raj up with someone is not the same as an arranged marriage, which is what the previous poster suggested. There was a storyline that lasted about one episode a few seasons ago where Raj's parents (I think) tried to push him into an arranged marriage, then he met one girl and found out she was a lesbian, and then he decided not to marry her and that was it. The whole thing was kind of poorly written. People in the Indian-American community that I know of who have done this have had a very different experience, with parents actively involved in choosing several potential matches and then the son/daughter going on a series of first dates until they find someone they're willing to live with. (In my friend's case, his father picked his mother out of a group of potential brides because they had good conversation and she was "tall enough.")

I think it would be interesting if the show re-visited the arranged marriage issue and handled it in a culturally appropriate way. I can't really think of another series (at least not in the U.S.) that has presented the issue in a positive light, and yet it's quite common in some immigrant communities. But, it is a weighty topic in its own way so maybe the writers are afraid to engage with it further. 

[anna0852]

The Mindy Project touched on arranged marriage a couple of seasons ago. The guy playing Raj was actually a guest star in that particular episode. It was actually done very well, portraying Mindy's parents as arranged and very happy, and willing to do the same for their daughter but totally accepting at the same time if she wanted to find a romantic match.

[Sarah 103]

On September 27, 2017 at 8:36 AM, BlossomCulp said:

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!

My understanding was that pregnancy tests had gotten so sophisticated and accurate that they were able to measure pregnancy far earlier than in the past. Many times something goes wrong very early in the pregnancy, so it's technically a miscarriage even though the fetus (not sure if that's the correct term but I'm going with it for now) was only weeks old. A woman today may be aware that she miscarried when a decade or two earlier she would not have even known she was pregnant, especially if she had irregular periods.  

[Snarklepuss]

11 hours ago, NYCFree said:

Bronx Science Whoot Whoot!

Class of 1984, Jon Favreau was my class (as yet unseen at any reunions I've attended). 

I think it's mandatory that we watch.

Awesome, nice to meet you!  Class of '76 here (yeah, I know I'm old).  I agree, it should be mandatory, but judging from my classmates' Facebook pages I think most of us watch it anyway.  How could we not, right?  This show hits close to home in a way that nothing else on TV ever has.

[theatremouse]

On 9/27/2017 at 6:14 PM, OtterMommy said:

I'm less concerned about the pee stick on the table than I wonder if the stick was even still showing the result.  Back when I put a few tests to use, the results were only visible for a certain period of time (24 hours I think) and it seemed to me that more time had passed than that.  If so, Bernadette would have just been passing a blank (but peed on) stick to Howard.

I thought it was the other way around, that if you leave them 24 hours after being used they all turn positive, so the old "found in wastebin later" schtick was a lie because you have to read it in the correct interval for a real result. 

I said ew when it was on the table and I was told by a cowatcher there was a cap on it.

[Zahdii]

For my last child, who showed up a few years after I was told I was no longer able to conceive, I took a test when my period was two weeks late.  Then a few weeks later I had an ultrasound to verify and date the pregnancy.  When I finally decided to let my mom know, I sent the test and a picture taken from the ultrasound and mailed them both to her.  It was sort of a "Hey Mom, guess what?" sort of thing.  That was over 20 years ago. 

I guess today's cheaper tests are reflected in the short window where the results can be read.

As for Bernie and Howard, breastfeeding impacted what they could use for birth control, and despite their best efforts nature found a way.  They freaked out at first, but I'm not worried.  They'll be fine by the time the new baby arrives.

Amy needs to really think about what it means to marry Sheldon.  He's gotten away with his horrendous behavior for so long, that she really should remind herself that he'll only change if he wants to.  Does she really want to put him first 99% of the time so he'll stop pouting that 1% when he's not the center of attention?  Can you see him in the delivery room?  What a nightmare.

[Chit Chat]

21 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

I think a lot of people who are watching don't like the show anymore.  It always surprise me when people do that.  There are very few shows that I stick with once I feel the party's over!

I'll stick with the show to the end because I don't want to miss something good!  There have been a few episodes the past couple of years that I didn't think were very funny, then there have been ones that were really good, IMO.   I agree that I think it's running on fumes, but I've got to follow it 'til the bitter end!  It's moments like Sheldon and the guys conversing with Stephen Hawking, or them working on their top secret guidance system that keep me coming back, and of course Mayim's portrayal of Amy never gets old.  YMMV.

Yay that we got to see Mary's reaction to the big news!  "God, I know you can do anything, but that was impressive!"  I love that even though Sheldon strongly disagrees with her on the topic of religion, he still loves her deeply.  As he said on the show 'Young Sheldon,' "she's my Christian soldier."

[chitowngirl]

We've already seen Sheldon's reaction to watching a birth when he was in Texas for his sister's delivery and he was Facetiming in.

Didnt Raj's parents set him up twice? Once with the lesbian that Raj considered marrying and a very early episode with the lady Sheldon thought looked like an Indian Princess from a story he read. That was when Raj discovered that he could talk to women if he drank.

[LoneHaranguer]

46 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Didnt Raj's parents set him up twice? Once with the lesbian that Raj considered marrying and a very early episode with the lady Sheldon thought looked like an Indian Princess from a story he read. That was when Raj discovered that he could talk to women if he drank.

Yes. The first time, it was Raj's parents who wanted him to marry Lolita Gupta. The second time, Raj asked them to arrange something, but she turned out to be gay (and thought he was too).

[dcc.fan.always]

I think Amy is a fool for saying yes

[CherryAmes]

Amy knows her Sheldon.  She thinks he's a catch.**  She's aware of his flaws but she loves him anyway.  I don't think that's a bad thing.

**Which reminds me of Mary Cooper being surprised that two women were after her Sheldon!  Love it when they have her on in these cameo appearances. 

[MaryMitch]

On 9/28/2017 at 5:28 PM, LaChavalina said:

People in the Indian-American community that I know of who have done this have had a very different experience, with parents actively involved in choosing several potential matches and then the son/daughter going on a series of first dates until they find someone they're willing to live with. (In my friend's case, his father picked his mother out of a group of potential brides because they had good conversation and she was "tall enough.")

I think it would be interesting if the show re-visited the arranged marriage issue and handled it in a culturally appropriate way. I can't really think of another series (at least not in the U.S.) that has presented the issue in a positive light, and yet it's quite common in some immigrant communities. But, it is a weighty topic in its own way so maybe the writers are afraid to engage with it further. 

I had several Indian coworkers who were here on work visas, so expected to eventually go back to India. Their arranged marriages were like you describe - the parents pick out several matches, the guy (all were guys in my case) went to India to spend some time with them. If none of them felt "right", the process repeated. Once they found a potential mate, they had extended courtship to make sure.  And their weddings were amazing. Apparently the divorce rate in India is pretty low, so it doesn't seem like such a bad thing, although I shudder to think of who my parents would come up with.

I too would like to see Raj go through this system and find a wife. It would be interesting and educational!

[CleoCaesar]

3 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

Apparently the divorce rate in India is pretty low, so it doesn't seem like such a bad thing

A culture that traditional frowns on divorce, so the low divorce rate doesn't necessarily mean the marriages are happy.