S12.E17: The Conference Valuation

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I refuse to believe he doesn’t have Postmates, InstaCart, UberEats and a gazillion other apps. Not to mention a debit card, credit card etc. Does Bernadette give him lunch money every day? Managing the finances and having to leave cash on the table so your husband and children can eat for two days are two extremely different things. It makes absolutely no sense and wasn’t funny.

As I said before, I know marriages like this.  Specifically, I know a guy whose wife doles out money to him piecemeal every time he needs to go buy anything, even a pack of chewing gum.  And he makes more money than she does.  Ordinarily, I would say this is unfair, but he is VERY impulsive, and I don't find it hard to believe that he can't be trusted with the money.  I couldn't live that way, but it works for them, and that's all that matters.  I actually admire that he has the good sense to allow her to control the money.

As for Howard, haven't they said before that Bernadette gives him an allowance?

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, rmontro said:

As I said before, I know marriages like this.  Specifically, I know a guy whose wife doles out money to him piecemeal every time he needs to go buy anything, even a pack of chewing gum.  And he makes more money than she does.  Ordinarily, I would say this is unfair, but he is VERY impulsive, and I don't find it hard to believe that he can't be trusted with the money.  I couldn't live that way, but it works for them, and that's all that matters.  I actually admire that he has the good sense to allow her to control the money.

As for Howard, haven't they said before that Bernadette gives him an allowance?

That’s actually considered financial abuse and should be a huge red flag for anyone.

[rmontro]

Just now, biakbiak said:

That’s actually considered financial abuse and should be a huge red flag for anyone.

It's not abuse, because he realizes his limitations and knows it's for the best.  He will be the first to tell you how impulsive he is.  Like I said, it wouldn't work for me, but it does for them.

If you're saying it's a red flag on him, that may well be, but he has other good points.  He's a great father, for instance.  Nobody's perfect.

[CherryAmes]

5 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

That’s actually considered financial abuse and should be a huge red flag for anyone.

I hear what you're saying and in many circumstances would agree with you completely.  The way the finances are conveyed for Howard and Bernadette though I disagree.  As Howard himself put it he's on an allowance "until I learn the value of money".  What else is Bernadette supposed to do?  Let Howard throw their money away? I do hate the way they bang the Bernadette earns big bucks, Howard earns peanuts drum which comes up WAY too often but in fairness that's not the reason Bernadette controls the finances.

[biakbiak]

Just now, CherryAmes said:

I hear what you're saying and in many circumstances would agree with you completely.  The way the finances are conveyed for Howard and Bernadette though I disagree.  As Howard himself put it he's on an allowance "until I learn the value of money".  What else is Bernadette supposed to do?  Let Howard throw their money away? I do hate the way they bang the Bernadette earns big bucks, Howard earns peanuts drum which comes up WAY too often but in fairness that's not the reason Bernadette controls the finances.

But none of this applies to her needing to leave money on the table so her family could eat for two days that crosses the line from managing finances to harmful behaviors. What the hell would happen in an emergency? Therefore Howard must have access to at least limited funds which would cover feeding him and his children for two days.

If a husband said that to a wife in 2019 people would be encouraging her to leave him and they would be right.

[CherryAmes]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

But none of this applies to her needing to leave money on the table so her family could eat for two days that crosses the line from managing finances to harmful behavior

I don't think this was grocery money, this was god forbid Howard should cook a meal for himself so go crazy and order pizza money.

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I don't think this was grocery money, this was god forbid Howard should cook a meal for himself so go crazy and order pizza money.

I realize that but not having enough money to order a pizza or even to use cash in 2019 for a  lazy tech nerd with two babies is ridiculous, that would be done through Postmates (more and more restaurants aren’t even using their own delivery people anymore) which they could use the same account so even controlling ass Bernadette would be instantly notified. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by biakbiak

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

On Everybody Loves Raymond by the last season Robert was pushing 50 and his wife was early 40s, they talked about having kids but never in a "whoa we better step on it" kind of way.  I see the same thing here on BBT.  Granted they are all still clinging to their 30s (regardless of the real age of the actors involved) but still it would be completely plausible if Amy were to be concerned that she's missing a window of opportunity to start a family - especially that family of triplets and/or quints  😃!

Older mothers (by which I mean, late 30’s/early 40’s) are actually more likely to have multiple births. So, Sheldon might get triplets in round one. Amy will probably decline round two. 

[Chaos Theory]

Considering Young Sheldon And that this is the last season I think it actually was a lost opportunity to not have Amy pregnant.    

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Considering Young Sheldon And that this is the last season I think it actually was a lost opportunity to not have Amy pregnant.    

Why? Even if the show ends without her being pregnant 

Spoiler

We already know that she will eventually get pregnant because we know they have children thanks to Sheldon’s VO.

it doesn’t impact the other show which can actually continue to drop hints about Sheldon and Amy’s life after this show ends.

[Chaos Theory]

4 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Why? Even if the show ends without her being pregnant 

  Reveal spoiler

We already know that she will eventually get pregnant because we know they have children thanks to Sheldon’s VO.

it doesn’t impact the other show which can actually continue to drop hints about Sheldon and Amy’s life after this show ends.

Because Amy and Sheldons relationship has been one step after another and to have it just stop with well...that all folks thanks for watching you’ll never know what kind of Sheldon would have been.  Seems like the ultimate cop out.  

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Because Amy and Sheldons relationship has been one step after another and to have it just stop with well...that all folks thanks for watching you’ll never know what kind of Sheldon would have been.  Seems like the ultimate cop out.  

I was asking because you framed it as being important because of Young Sheldon which makes no sense to me. Those people who do watch Young Sheldon already know.

I also don’t really consider Amy and Sheldon’s relationship any more vital to this show than any others and they are the ones we’re are most likely to get an update on.

Edited March 9, 2019 by biakbiak

[Chaos Theory]

12 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I was asking because you framed it as being important because of Young Sheldon which makes no sense to me. Those people who do watch Young Sheldon already know.

I also don’t really consider Amy and Sheldon’s relationship any more vital to this show than any others and they are the ones we’re are most likely to get an update on.

I framed it that way because Out of all the characters Sheldon is the one to get a prequel so I would find it exceptionally odd if he doesnt get an epilogue.

and for the record I don’t watch young Sheldon either but I know it exists.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

I can't get over how much time these adults spend with their friends. I have friends but we don't live in each other's pockets.

Copying this to the Things That Happen on TV but not in Real Life thread because love the turn of phrase.

[CherryAmes]

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I framed it that way because Out of all the characters Sheldon is the one to get a prequel so I would find it exceptionally odd if he doesnt get an epilogue.

They seem to be setting up Sheldon and Amy this season for potentially winning a Nobel Prize.  I guess they're setting Raj up for a possible marriage, maybe Penny and Leonard for a baby - no idea if they're setting anything up for Howard and Bernadette.  In any event I hope they do have an epilogue at the end of the last episode to tell us "what happened next".  I don't want updates through YS - as you note not everyone watches it for one thing and for another it's Sheldon's show not anyone else's so why would the voiceover reference future events of people we (theoretically) don't know.  Satisfy my curiosity in the next few episodes or in an epilogue in the finale!  Please powers that be 🙂 .

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

That’s actually considered financial abuse and should be a huge red flag for anyone.

I hear what you're saying and in many circumstances would agree with you completely.  The way the finances are conveyed for Howard and Bernadette though I disagree.  As Howard himself put it he's on an allowance "until I learn the value of money".  What else is Bernadette supposed to do?  Let Howard throw their money away?

A problem with the solution of both spouses agreeing to put the over-spending spouse on an allowance controlled by the other spouse is:
What happens if the financially self-disciplined spouse is no longer there, or dies, or is incapable of fulfilling that role?* Does the family become homeless while the spendthrift spouse blows everything on cool toys?
A better solution is for spendthrift spouse to join some sort of Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket Anonymous group.

*Sorry to suggest real life tragedy. Fortunately this show will not go there—although L&O SVU might go there.

Edited March 9, 2019 by shapeshifter

[CherryAmes]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Does the family become homeless while the spendthrift spouse blows everything on cool toys?

Possibly.  Lots of families crash and burn when one of the parents dies or is incapacitated.  Tragic fact of life.  Which won't be a place they go on BBT fortunately!  And still doesn't really resolve the short term problem of dealing with Howard the Manchild.  Bernadette is smart if she's at all concerned that Howard would be unable to pull it together and put the kids first she's  likely made contingency plans to have someone else take over the finances.  LOL --  I think we are all way overthinking this though 🙂

[Sarah 103]

8 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

We know he has a much older sister and a brother.  Depending on the episode it seems to me that the writer(s) du jour forgets whether it's an older or younger brother.  Mostly though they do seem to go with younger.  What I've always wondered about was if Leonard was the only sibling that got the special "mothering" from Beverly or if they all have a tale to tell!

8 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I've often wondered myself if Leonard's siblings have the same resentment to Beverly that he has.

8 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

That's true but we've never been shown what Beverly is saying to her other children.  It's possible she's playing the same mind games with them that she has always played with Leonard.  I guess  this is one potential storyline though that will never be pursued.

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

Also, IMO Beverly's other kids surely have to have some issues with her.  For all we know, she talks up Leonard in their presence.

7 hours ago, ChitChat said:

It would be nice if they address this in an upcoming episode.  I've always wondered what Leonard's siblings have to say on the matter.  It will be disappointing not to have it addressed. 

6 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

 I presume she's playing different mind games on each of her children.

I love this fan theory. I want a scene of all Beverly's children in a room without her (or so they think), and we find out she's been playing mind games with all of the them and each of them thinks the other two are the favorite. (She is secretly studying thier reactions when they find out the truth). I really hope we get a scene with Leonard and all of his siblings, or at least find out more about the other siblings by having them actually appear. 

4 hours ago, Gummo said:

Like others, I was sure the Experiments with Babies book was either by Beverly or at least would have an intro or blurb from her.

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

I also expected it to turn out that the book Sheldon had was written by Beverly Hofstadter.

At first that's what I thought, but if that were the case, I think they would have mentioned that. There are two main possibilities: One is that Beverly wrote the book based on tests/studies she did with her own children.  The other is that Beverly read the book, did the tests/studies on her own children and tried to expand or build on the existing work. 

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Considering Young Sheldon And that this is the last season I think it actually was a lost opportunity to not have Amy pregnant.    

This episode is not the series finale, so it's still possible for Amy to be pregnant at the end of the series. 

[rmontro]

8 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

At first that's what I thought, but if that were the case, I think they would have mentioned that. There are two main possibilities: One is that Beverly wrote the book based on tests/studies she did with her own children.  The other is that Beverly read the book, did the tests/studies on her own children and tried to expand or build on the existing work. 

I thought they were going to play it for comedy.  Leonard grew suspicious, then he would go over and grab the book and yell "Wait a minute, my mother wrote this!".  Maybe it would even have his picture on the back (as a baby).

Needy baby, greedy baby, lol.

[rmontro]

49 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

They seem to be setting up Sheldon and Amy this season for potentially winning a Nobel Prize.  I guess they're setting Raj up for a possible marriage, maybe Penny and Leonard for a baby - no idea if they're setting anything up for Howard and Bernadette.

I don't know what else they could have set up for Howard and Bernadette outside of maybe having her start her own drug company or get divorced (and no one wants to see that).

[Katy M]

45 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

A problem with the solution of both spouses agreeing to put the over-spending spouse on an allowance controlled by the other spouse is:
What happens if the financially self-disciplined spouse is no longer there, or dies, or is incapable of fulfilling that role?* Does the family become homeless while the spendthrift spouse blows everything on cool toys?
A better solution is for spendthrift spouse to join some sort of Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket Anonymous group.

*Sorry to suggest real life tragedy. Fortunately this show will not go there—although L&O SVU might go there.

I have two friends who used to live together but no longer do and havent' for several years.  She still handles all his money for him and doles out some cash on an as needed basis.  So, I guess what I'm saying is Leonard or Sheldon could step in and take over money management in the event that Bernadette dies.  If it happens much in the future, his children can do it.

[biakbiak]

32 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I have two friends who used to live together but no longer do and havent' for several years.  She still handles all his money for him and doles out some cash on an as needed basis.  So, I guess what I'm saying is Leonard or Sheldon could step in and take over money management in the event that Bernadette dies.  If it happens much in the future, his children can do it.

This this is also why I hate this story and basically anytime when this show touches on anything to do with money (see also Raj)  There was one episode when they had newly mingled their finances where he bought a 3D printer which was about $1k. Should they have a talk about how they manage their finances as a couple when making individual purposes? Sure. But when he did that they were a two income couple with no children and the 3D printer wasn’t even presented as something that they couldn’t afford just that Bernadette didn’t want her money going to it which is fine. How that translates to several years later and never been shown to be a spendthrift like Raj suddenly can’t have enough money on hand to buy a pizza is ridiculous.

Edited March 9, 2019 by biakbiak

[Bort]

3 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

How that translates to several years later and never been shown to be a spendthrift like Raj suddenly can’t have enough money on hand to buy a pizza is ridiculous.

Honestly, I think it was just a throwaway joke. It could also mean that Howard is the type of person who never carries cash (like me) and Bernadette was merely leaving him some.

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Honestly, I think it was just a throwaway joke. It could also mean that Howard is the type of person who never carries cash (like me) and Bernadette was merely leaving him some.

Yes, I get that it was there to reinforce that she was treating him like a babysitter but it wasn’t funny and stood out because you don’t need cash to get food. Heck I have friends who Venmo their babysitters food money so they can just use whatever app they want when they are babysitting.

Edited March 9, 2019 by biakbiak

[Guest]

7 hours ago, rmontro said:

As I said before, I know marriages like this.  Specifically, I know a guy whose wife doles out money to him piecemeal every time he needs to go buy anything, even a pack of chewing gum.  And he makes more money than she does.  Ordinarily, I would say this is unfair, but he is VERY impulsive, and I don't find it hard to believe that he can't be trusted with the money.  I couldn't live that way, but it works for them, and that's all that matters.  I actually admire that he has the good sense to allow her to control the money.

As for Howard, haven't they said before that Bernadette gives him an allowance?

Yes, him getting an allowance has come up in multiple episodes. 

My impression is that Howard prefers to be treated more like a child in many aspects of their relationship. Early in their relationship he expected Bernadette to take care of him in the same way his mother did. Their money situation is just an extension of the rest of their relationship. If I was Bernadette I would have ran for the hills but they both entered the marriage well aware of the dynamic. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Guest

[possibilities]

11 hours ago, rmontro said:

I kind of thought it was sweet also, not sure why.  

I think because she said the experiments were some of her fondest memories. So that suggests that if she's still experimenting, she still really enjoys the relationship and feels fondly toward their interactions. 

I have always, and still do, find the "Beverly is cold to Leonard" stuff painful and not sweet, but I can see how someone could view it differently here.

[CherryAmes]

12 hours ago, biakbiak said:

How that translates to several years later and never been shown to be a spendthrift like Raj suddenly can’t have enough money on hand to buy a pizza is ridiculous.

Like others I think this was a throwaway line (which I admit as a former babysitter I found funny) but in fairness to the writers they've spent a lot of time painting Howard as a spendthrift.  Even in the episode with the 3-D printer at the end he had to carry a packed lunch because, as he told Raj, he wasted his lunch money on comics 🙂.  I think the message, constantly, is that Howard is a 12 yr old at least where money and household responsibilities are concerned.  As I've noted though (and what a surprise to find a sitcom isn't consistent!) is that they don't always stick to this version of Howard - only when it suits the story.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think because she said the experiments were some of her fondest memories. So that suggests that if she's still experimenting, she still really enjoys the relationship and feels fondly toward their interactions. 

She said it with a little half smile, which is unusual for Beverly!  The tone of her voice also seemed to indicate to me some fondness. I think the way she treats Leonard is terrible, but in that one moment, there was a glimmer of something!  I can't say it was love, but more of a fondness (which is still not good enough when it's your kid!)  It's Beverly though, so any ounce of maternal emotion out of her is a positive step.  😉 

[PinkRibbons]

15 hours ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

Older mothers (by which I mean, late 30’s/early 40’s) are actually more likely to have multiple births. So, Sheldon might get triplets in round one. Amy will probably decline round two. 

Combine this with Sheldon being a twin and I am 90% certain that Amy will be pregnant with twins at some point. I have a cousin who was the middle single child between two sets of twins, who married a twin, and had twins herself. Multiple births can run in families like that.

While I think the "food money" line was simply to set up the joke, I have a different perspective on Bernadette controlling the finances. Traditionally in Ashkenazi Jewish homes (I mean going back to the Old Country), the husband brings home the money and gives it to the wife, since she is in charge of the home and is expected to know how to budget. The husband and wife then get allowances based on the family budget. I'm not saying that this is what's happening on TBBT, but I can see why Howard (not to mention a lot of the writers) would find it perfectly natural to have Bernadette controlling the family finances.

(All this being said, this is not what my parents chose to do. My father's wallet needs a crowbar to open and Mama finally gave him an ultimatum that she gets to spend a certain amount of money a month without him having to know specifically on what. She spent at least a decade convincing him that you have to spend *some* money on one's home or we'd be living with three plates and two pieces of furniture. Papa gave in when he realized that letting Mama have discretion on household spending made his daily life a lot more pleasant.)

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

Like others I think this was a throwaway line (which I admit as a former babysitter I found funny) but in fairness to the writers they've spent a lot of time painting Howard as a spendthrift.  Even in the episode with the 3-D printer at the end he had to carry a packed lunch because, as he told Raj, he wasted his lunch money on comics 🙂.  I think the message, constantly, is that Howard is a 12 yr old at least where money and household responsibilities are concerned.  As I've noted though (and what a surprise to find a sitcom isn't consistent!) is that they don't always stick to this version of Howard - only when it suits the story.

Another childish expense:  Remember when Howard had a Tardis?   Nonetheless, I agree this was just a throwaway line and a lighthearted reference to Howard's past behavior.  i tend to think that if something awful happened to Bernadette he would somehow manage to man up, as he now has two children.

[Bort]

18 minutes ago, PinkRibbons said:

Combine this with Sheldon being a twin and I am 90% certain that Amy will be pregnant with twins at some point. I have a cousin who was the middle single child between two sets of twins, who married a twin, and had twins herself. Multiple births can run in families like that.

Depends on the kind of twin. As Sheldon is a fraternal twin, if it runs in the family, it'll be because the woman has a tendency to release multiple eggs. Fraternal twins would have to run along Amy's side of the family, Sheldon has no influence here.

Identical can run on both sides, since it's an already fertilized egg splitting.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

She said it with a little half smile, which is unusual for Beverly!  The tone of her voice also seemed to indicate to me some fondness. I think the way she treats Leonard is terrible, but in that one moment, there was a glimmer of something!  I can't say it was love, but more of a fondness (which is still not good enough when it's your kid!)  It's Beverly though, so any ounce of maternal emotion out of her is a positive step.  😉 

Yeah, there was a little softness there, which was very unusual for Beverly.  It doesn't make up for the rest of her parenting, but when you view it in the context of all her other scenes, this was a little touching.

[possibilities]

The babies are too young for pizza. I took Bernadette's comment about leaving money for pizza to be a playful joke, almost like she was role playing with him.

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, possibilities said:

The babies are too young for pizza. I took Bernadette's comment about leaving money for pizza to be a playful joke, almost like she was role playing with him.

She never said pizza, she just said for food. 

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, GussieK said:

Another childish expense:  Remember when Howard had a Tardis?   N

Since it was in his mother’s garage I assumed it was when he was a single dude with lots of disposable income because he had a decent job and no rent to pay.

[SpiritSong]

22 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Because Amy and Sheldons relationship has been one step after another and to have it just stop with well...that all folks thanks for watching you’ll never know what kind of Sheldon would have been.  Seems like the ultimate cop out.  

I think I understand what you're saying. It would be interesting to see Sheldon as a father. But that is nowhere close to the premise of this show. I'll be satisfied if all get some kind of ending and no characters are left dangling. 

[Chaos Theory]

4 minutes ago, SpiritSong said:

I think I understand what you're saying. It would be interesting to see Sheldon as a father. But that is nowhere close to the premise of this show. I'll be satisfied if all get some kind of ending and no characters are left dangling. 

Its been 12 season and the premise of the show has (for better and worse) changed several times from a hot single girl moves in next door to two nerds.  It has in large part turned into watching the guys grow up to be men and find wives.    In Howard's case even have children.   Even if you don't watch Young Sheldon it is part of the same universe (there are plenty of super hero shows where I might watch one and have to deal with an occasion crossover with some of the others. And am aware of their existence)  so it makes a certain amount of sense to have Sheldon deal with fatherhood even if it is just in the last couple episodes.  

[Tosia]

On 3/8/2019 at 5:40 PM, rmontro said:

It's not abuse, because he realizes his limitations and knows it's for the best.  He will be the first to tell you how impulsive he is.  Like I said, it wouldn't work for me, but it does for them.

If you're saying it's a red flag on him, that may well be, but he has other good points.  He's a great father, for instance.  Nobody's perfect.

I learned, after 20 years of marriage, that my super smart hubbie....software engineer, sci fi  and comic book geek... was not good with $, in terms of paying bills on time, saving, and budgeting, so I took over.  Figured out later Hubbie has ADD. 

I don't parcel out an allowance to him,  but I move $ out of joint account to a savings account.  He has access, but is not interested. As long as he has enough for fast food, some spending $ for misc., like dvds,  and grocery store , he is content. 

I wish I would have done it from the beginning, but I assumed he was an average,  smart person who spent reasonably and paid bills. Nope. ADD makes him like an absent minded professor. 

Very personable and cheerful though, and loves dogs.  He knows all the dogs' names from the dog park, but not the people. 

I love Howard, but to be honest,  some men (mostly) , need to be trained in marriage norms and parenting. 

[Lady J]

On 3/8/2019 at 4:47 PM, CherryAmes said:

I agree with you here but like I said earlier they can be pretty inconsistent with Howard.  In an episode from earlier in the year Bernadette is burned out and comes home and hides in the Wendy house in their backyard  Howard knows she's doing this and doesn't get mad at all and instead is picking up two babies from daycare. coming home and holding down the fort while giving Bernadette the space he knows she needs.  Yet in this episode she leaves money on the table for him to buy take out and seems very unsure about whether he's capable of looking after the children for a week-end.  🤷‍♀️ like I said earlier, whatever fits the plot on any given day I guess.

Oh well I still liked this episode a lot!

Remember though, Howard didn’t get mad because he didn’t buy life insurance like he was supposed to.

[DrSpaceman]

At least the main storyline was realistic with Penny and Bernadette.  That sort of thing does happen all the time in that field.  And Bernadette could very well be at such a conference.  There are medical liaison positions much like what she does for pharmaceutical companies.  They aren't direct salespeople but do more research and interact with doctors on a limited basis

Bernadette is a real bitch at work though.  I know she has her reasons and they play it off for comedy, but still, she would be awful to work for. 

And I can see Howard being limited on spending money.  Knowing him and how those guys waste so much money on comics and sci fi stuff, probably for the best. 

Beverly's last comment reminded me of  Q in the last Star Trek TNG episode :  "The trial is never over Picard". 

[ProfCrash]

It was an ok episode. The Penny and Bernadette story line was fine. I don't fully buy that Penny would be the one driving her team to the brink but we have had hints that Penny has that in her. I can see Penny being interested in the attention that comes from the competitor but turning it down. Bernadette's behavior was fully in line with her character.

The experimenting on the kids fit with all of their personalities. I am glad that Raj saw through Amy's ploy. I am not surprised that Leonard figured out that his mother ran experiments on him. When you work in a specific field it is hard to separate your personal life from your professional life.

Nothing felt wrong about the episode but it wasn't great.

My husband and I have a system where we each get an allowance every month, we can use that money however we want and don't need to check with the other about what we buy. The family account is used for bills and as a rainy day fund. If we think we need anything over a certain amount for the family we talk to one another. For the most part we are ok with getting the item. On a few occasions we have decided that the Easter Bunny or Santa can bring said item. But we are also fiscally responsible.

I know plenty of married couples where both working spouses have accounts that their pay checks go into and they each pay a certain amount from those accounts into a family account. What Bernadette and Howard are doing in't too far off of that. Bernadette makes a lot more money then Howard. Howard abused his access to that money when they got married. Bernadette stopped that because she didn't want the money she made going to Howard's impulsive toy buys. Howard hasn't complained about it, probably because he knows that Bernadette is right.

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎08‎/‎2019 at 10:34 PM, biakbiak said:

Yes, I get that it was there to reinforce that she was treating him like a babysitter but it wasn’t funny

I thought it was quite funny.

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 5:24 PM, biakbiak said:

Since it was in his mother’s garage I assumed it was when he was a single dude with lots of disposable income because he had a decent job and no rent to pay.

We saw it in the garage after Howard and Bernadette moved into Mrs. Wolowitz's house.  We have no idea when it was put there.  I thought it might be the one Raj got to use as a photo booth for the Halloween party a few seasons ago, but maybe not.

[PentaHookUp]

On 3/8/2019 at 9:26 AM, Angeltoes said:

I can't get over how much time these adults spend with their friends.  I have friends but we don't live in each other's pockets.

So much togetherness...plus:

Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Raj, and Amy are all colleagues.

Penny and Bernie work together.

Leonard, Howard and Sheldon share a patent.

Stuart’s Comic Book Store is each guy's favorite watering hole.

Sheldon and Amy live across the hall from Leonard and Penny.

Raj is Godfather to Howard and Bernie’s kids.

Stuart lives with (and sits for) Howard and Bernie.

Sheldon’s relationship with Leonard’s mom is more congenial than Leonard’s.

In the real world, all this personal and professional blending would have made people tired of looking-at-each-other; long time. 

Edited March 11, 2019 by PentaHookUp

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

We saw it in the garage after Howard and Bernadette moved into Mrs. Wolowitz's house.  We have no idea when it was put there.  I thought it might be the one Raj got to use as a photo booth for the Halloween party a few seasons ago, but maybe not.

Since she put him on the allowance shortly after she married him and was forcing him to sell it, it seems fairly logical that she was not involved in his financial decisions when he made it and it clearly wasn’t in their apartment after they moved in together.

[Bort]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Since she put him on the allowance shortly after she married him and was forcing him to sell it, it seems fairly logical that she was not involved in his financial decisions when he made it and it clearly wasn’t in their apartment after they moved in together.

They sold it to Amy and she made her bedroom doors into a Tardis in an attempt to get Sheldon in her bedroom. It worked, but all he would do is play-act Dr. Who.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

They sold it to Amy and she made her bedroom doors into a Tardis in an attempt to get Sheldon in her bedroom. It worked, but all he would do is play-act Dr. Who.

I wonder what ever happened to that Tardis?

[CherryAmes]

Just now, rmontro said:

I wonder what ever happened to that Tardis?

For that matter what ever happened to the contents of Amy's apartment!  

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

For that matter what ever happened to the contents of Amy's apartment!  

Maybe they had a reverse yard sale like they did with all those cats Sheldon had, and gave people $20 each to take stuff off their hands.

[chitowngirl]

We haven’t seen Amy’s harp since she moved in with Sheldon. I miss her playing it.