S12.E23: The Change Constant; S12.E24: The Stockholm Syndrome

[Bort]

Penultimate Episode and Series Finale!

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Sheldon and Amy await big news.

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Bernadette and Howard leave their kids for the first time; Penny and Leonard try to keep a secret; Sheldon and Amy stick together; and Raj makes a new friend, as the gang travels together into an uncharted future.

Airdate: Thursday, May 16, 2019

[chitowngirl]

Penny pregnant-check

Elevator fixed -check

The only surprise is that Sheldon didn’t introduce Penny by her maiden name, solving that mystery.

[Bort]

Wolotots sighting, check.

[Wanda]

Really disappointing. In a double episode no closure for Raj. I was positive they would have Anu show up from London and stand outside his window with a boom box, giving him the big romantic gesture he wanted so badly. Nothing for Stuart and Denise. The whole season was about Sheldon and Amy. Yes the final speech, from Sheldon of course, was lovely, but just him once again Saving himself from being called out on being a self centered ass. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Wanda

[tomsmom]

Underwhelming.

[BryroseA]

I really, really did not want them to fold on Penny having kids. 😠

Edited May 17, 2019 by BryroseA

[Pepper the Cat]

Well, I loved it and it made me cry

[SimoneS]

That was a nice finale. I liked Sheldon showing some humility and recognizing that he has great friends who put up with his eccentricity for years. Jim Parsons did a great job with Sheldon's speech. I liked that Leonard and Penny are having a child. And finally the elevator is fixed. I also liked Amy's makeover.

Edited May 17, 2019 by SimoneS

[shapeshifter]

Loved

• The title ("Stockholm Syndrome")
• The slap
• [Sheldon] I still put my pants on both legs at a time.
  [Amy] One day that's going to end badly.
• President Siebert's slide up to the cafeteria table
• Amy's makeover and the elevator's repair (unlike Sheldon, who {initially} loved neither) 
• Knowing why Leonard always wears a hoodie (the thermostat having to be set to Sheldon's preference)
• "Everything changes" being a love letter of therapy to the fans
• Amy's shopping suit and second, shorter haircut 
• Why Penny's dress was let out?
  —eh, not so much because it's a retcon
  —but happened while fantasizing a little bit about Idris Elba
• Seeing the beautiful Wolokids
• [Leonard responding to Sheldon's faint praise] Cool.
• Amy in her Nobel dress
• Use of the first pancake analogy (my words to live by for many years)
• Buffy/Sarah with Raj
• Amy's speech
• Sheldon's *sniff* speech (with Buffy mention)
  • "Astronaut Howard Wolowitz"
  • "They will be smart and beautiful" (undoing retcon)
• That it was worth moving my antenna to see it live

Edited May 17, 2019 by shapeshifter

[Browncoat]

Aside from Sheldon's speech at the end, I didn't much like anything about these eps.  I didn't like that they won the Nobel, and I didn't like that Penny was pregnant.  Just once I would like to see a woman (especially a woman in a relationship) remain child-free and happy about it. <sigh>  I get, though, that they needed everything wrapped up in a shiny bow.

But I did like Kripke's attempt to prank call Sheldon.

And the tiara, of course!  And the slap!  Those were great as was Amy's dress (and whole makeover).

Edited May 17, 2019 by Browncoat

[msani19]

Not thrilled about the Nobel win but it seemed inevitable.

Leonard slapping the lights out of Sheldon? Delightful! Not that I condone violence.

Amy’s makeover? Perfect and she looked great. Glad she got to look really good finally

Howard and Bernadette pretending to be Sheldon and Amy’s best friends. Amusing

Penny pregnant. For every person who predicted that one and I scoffed, I should have known better. This is a traditional sitcom so of course, she would be pregnant. I liked how it was handled though. Leonard seemed so happy and I liked that. He slapped Sheldon and he gets to be a Dad, it’s his dream come true.

Sheldon grows in the episode – hmm, I liked it. I hope it sticks but he’s been such a jerk.

I was moved when Amy spoke. Yea, girls in Science!

Ok then I actually started to cry. WTF show

Am I really going to miss the show that has annoyed me for at least 3-4 years now? I guess so.

Well done finale

Edited May 17, 2019 by msani19

[Kanner]

I am such a sap. I was crying at the end. 

Not crazy about the baby reveal but at least they handled it as an accident. 

[Calvada]

Sheldon's mother didn't show up for the Nobel ceremony? 

[BryroseA]

On the plus side, I loved Amy’s glow up (as the young folk say) AND that she wore her ~tiiaaARAAA~ to the Nobel ceremony. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by BryroseA

[Katy M]

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I was really bummed that they fixed the elevator.  I think mostly because everybody said it was going to happen like it was a big deal and I was like who cares?

I also think they glossed over Penny's desire to not have kids and then is pregnant.  These things happen, but it's a TV show, they didn't need to make it happen.

It was nice that everyone told off Sheldon and he actually responded to it.

Sarah Michelle Gellar was a little random.  They should have invited Wil Wheaton.  Hee hee.  I was hoping Anu would have made an appearance.

Burt and Raj made me think of the time I had to tell my cat sitter it was OK if my cat died while I was gone, I wouldn't blame her.

[Spartan Girl]

I never in a million years thought I'd write that I enjoyed the Big Bang finale more than however Game of Thrones would end, but this was nice, predictable and sweet. And hey, they finally fixed the elevator and showed the kids!

[Snow Apple]

I don't care if it was predictable, I teared up a bit during Sheldon's speech.

I was glad Amy finally let Sheldon have it and made him open his eyes.

[Chaos Theory]

Ok the show managed to pull out a fairly good finale in the end.  Would have loved to see Leonard and Penny’s kid but did like that the whole “both smart and beautiful” prediction was mentioned.

Of course Sheldon has a meltdown and his friends who had issues of their own confronted him but I did like how they all decided to stay and Sheldon’s speech at the end was pure him.

loved that the elevator got fixed.

[greekmom]

5 minutes ago, BryroseA said:

I really, really did not want them to fold on Penny having kids. 😠

Bernie didn't want to have kids and she had 2.

I just wish they could have said boy or girl and name. Geez.

[Browncoat]

How much luggage do they actually need?  I know, I know, people over pack dramatically, but damn, that was a LOT of luggage for a short trip.

[Keywestclubkid]

Wait is that Buffy the vampire slayer?

[Homily]

I haven't seen the rest of the show yet (watching now) but I had to post to say I laughed out loud when Leonard hit Sheldon.  You could tell how much that meant to him 🙂 .

[msani19]

1 minute ago, Homily said:

I haven't seen the rest of the show yet (watching now) but I had to post to say I laughed out loud when Leonard hit Sheldon.  You could tell how much that meant to him 🙂 .

It meant a lot to many of us too!

[BryroseA]

Just now, greekmom said:

Bernie didn't want to have kids and she had 2.

I just wish they could have said boy or girl and name. Geez.

Yeah, that’s precisely my issue. Some people start out not wanting kids and change their mind, but some people genuinely don’t and it really felt like they were setting Penny up as the latter. Not everyone wants kids, and it would have been nice to see the show acknowledge that.

[srpturtle80]

Well, I said I wouldn’t be sad to see it end as it’s been a struggle to watch these last few years. But here I sit bawling my eyes out. Guess it’s harder than I thought to say goodbye to something that was a part of my life for 12 years.

[Trillian]

Amy and Sheldon wearing their Nobel medals in the final scene!

I’m so glad I decided not to watch in the hotel bar at my business conference and instead opted for alone in my room - I hate sobbing in front of my colleagues.  Such a sweet ending.

[Chaos Theory]

I get that some people wanted The show to go with Penny not having kids and that would be ok if this hadn’t been a 12 season romance that literally started with Leonard commenting on what their kids were going to look like.   Honestly I am surprised the show didn’t end with the birth of their impossibly beautiful child with an IQ higher then Sheldon’s.   

Edited May 17, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Bort]

Maybe Leonard and Penny’s kid will be named after her maiden name — whatever it is. They resolved all the little things except for that, I really wish they’d crossed that last T.

[stealinghome]

I haven’t watched Big Bang regularly in quite a while, but tuned in tonight. I liked, didn’t love, the finale, but I do like that they didn’t try to do something crazy over the top and instead went for a quieter finale that really was about the group. 

Liked:

-all the cameos from the recurring characters from over the years, and done in a way that didn’t detract from the core group.

-everything about the elevator was gold, but Sheldon bitching about change and then the elevator merrily pinging open with Penny inside was especially hilarious.

-Amy’s makeover and the tiara! (Did NOT like Sheldon being awful about it to her.) She looked fabulous!

-the last shot of the gang on the couch with the slower version of the theme playing. That was a great end. I like the sense that not EVERYTHING was wrapped up in a bow and life goes on.

-Bernadette and Howard on CNN had me cackling.

-one last excellent Penny and Sheldon scene...they have always been the show’s real power couple.

-Leonard got to slap Sheldon!

Didn’t like:

-the episode was way too tilted toward Sheldon being a jerk. I know his big speech at the end was supposed to redeem him—and I can’t lie, I got a bit choked up at it—but it still feels a bit hollow. 

-Sheldon should have just said Penny when he was introducing his friends, ha.

-apparently all women want babies even when they say they don’t. Yeah, okay show.

-on principle I kind of don’t like that Sheldon won a Nobel Prize. He’s been too much of a jerk over the years for me to want to see him get that.

but overall, that was about as good a finale as one could expect, especially since the show really passed its creative peak several seasons ago. Given how many shows are just absolutely shitting the bed in the final episodes these days, having a solid finale is no small accomplishment!

[stonehaven]

I liked it..Nice touches....and fwiw, as far as finales go, it could never have the emotional punch of MASH or WTF of Newhart but avoided the pure suckage of How I Met Your Mother...So, there's that.

[CleoCaesar]

I loved that they didn't go the Friends route and have the gang break up (some by moving to the suburbs, some staying in the city). Even though things will change (Leonard and Penny's baby, the eventual Sheldon and Amy children, Raj maybe finally meeting someone), I loved that the last shot was them eating around the coffee table.

Interesting that Raj was left unpaired up. He's the Joey Tribbiani of the group, if only in that respect.

Loved Amy's long overdue makeover. And I don't mind Penny's pregnancy; they seemed genuinely delighted about it, and opinions can change.

Edited May 17, 2019 by CleoCaesar

[Nordly Beaumont]

I never cared about Penny's last name, but I swear Simon Helberg promised (a long time ago) that we would find out the significance of the pin on his turtleneck - that's the one thing I wanted to know! 

I loved that light colored suit Amy wore with the flowers on her waist. She looked very pretty (but I like her hair long).

I loved the finale, and cried because of Sheldon's speech and also because it's all over!

[mojoween]

I cried.  My son was nine when this damn show started and his grown up ass was sitting next to me tonight.

At first I was mad at Leonard finally breaking but then they did a heel turn and I thought it was well done.

I will watch reruns in perpetuity.

[LisaM]

Cried during Sheldon's speech. It looked as if Jim did too. Loved Amy's makeover. Astronaut Howard Wolowitz... Sweet ending. 

[Kanner]

This show may have not been perfect and there where times I was annoyed throughput the seasons but at least its characters were the same characters that I have watched all these years. I appreciate that in a show that is ending. The characters are flawed, make mistakes and can be unreasonable. But they are consistent with their development. These last episodes highlighted all their quirks and flaws but also the reason they are friends. 

The ending may have been predictable and obvious but the writing and spot on characterization made it interesting and engaging. See, you don’t have to do the unexpected just for unexpected sake.

Yikes. I think my bitterness in the mangling of another show that is ending is bleeding through. I am done. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

I loved when the DNA thing just demolished! And when Sheldon turned around and had three of the little balls on his butt!

[Bali]

I absolutely loved that. Instead of annoying Anu, I got Sarah Michelle Geller. I'm good with that. And in my mind, Raj went home. He was walking Cinnamon and ran into Yvette the vet, and took the chance. They eventually married and had a house with 2 kids and 5 dogs.

[mojoween]

In the commercials Sheldon hugged Penny and said he found the hugs to be annoying now but that was nowhere in the ep, was it?

[chaifan]

I liked this finale.  I loved Amy's makeover, but am sad that we didn't get the Raj/Amy shopping/makeover montage.  Could they at least make that an online only clip?  Please?

I was among those who predicted the elevator would be fixed, but the comic timing of Sheldon freaking out about change and the elevator opening with Penny inside was absolutely frickin perfect!

I am perfectly fine with Raj ending up single.  In fact, I sort of prefer it that way.  The only change I'd have made to that plot line is to swap out Michelle Gellar for another celebrity who is actually single.  (Summer Glau?  Not sure if she's single, but that would have been a fun callback.)  That way, there would at least be a little hmmmm....  maybe, possibly?  to Raj's story.

It's going to be really hard to see these actors in other parts as they move on to new projects.  I know they've all been in different things along the way, but they are so much these characters to me.

[ams1001]

Anyone else watch Young Sheldon? The ending was so sweet.

(posting this here only because it ties in with BBT so if you didn't watch you should; the last few minutes, at least.)

Edited May 17, 2019 by ams1001

[srpturtle80]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

Anyone else watch Young Sheldon? The ending was so sweet.

(posting this here only because it ties in with BBT.)

Just watched it and now I’m crying again lol!

[absolutelyido]

42 minutes ago, mojoween said:

In the commercials Sheldon hugged Penny and said he found the hugs to be annoying now but that was nowhere in the ep, was it?

That was from an old episode where Sheldon finally allowed them to celebrate his birthday. I just watched it on repeat a few days ago.

I liked that it ended with them all sitting around eating like they always had. Too many finales try to do too much, like everyone moving away and big long goodbyes. I like that they kept the group together, but we still got the emotion expressed through Sheldon's speech.

The only bummer, no soft kitty! I thought they would work it in one last time.

Edited May 17, 2019 by absolutelyido

[libgirl2]

33 minutes ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Well, I loved it and it made me cry

Me too. I lost it for Astronaut Wolowitz and Penny hofstadter

34 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

That was a nice finale. I liked Sheldon showing some humility and recognizing that he has great friends who put up with his eccentricity for years. Jim Parsons did a great job with Sheldon's speech. I liked that Leonard and Penny are having a child. And finally the elevator is fixed. I also liked Amy's makeover.

Amy looked great!

[mojoween]

4 minutes ago, absolutelyido said:

That was from an old episode where Sheldon finally allowed them to celebrate his birthday. I just watched it on repeat a few days ago.

Ahh ok thank you!  I thought I knew this show back to front but I guess not!  

Which I suppose is evident by getting two questions wrong on The Big Bang Theory HQ night and also missing the final question, heh.

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Anyone else watch Young Sheldon? The ending was so sweet.

(posting this here only because it ties in with BBT so if you didn't watch you should; the last few minutes, at least.)

I cried again!

[marypat57]

I thought that the 2 episodes were very sweet.  I loved Sheldon's speech, and how he acknowledged his friends.  Introducing Howard as Astronaut Wolowitz was great.  

I will miss this show, but there are always reruns.

As I was typing this, I was watching Young Sheldon.  What a lovely bookend to the BBT finale.....

[jumper sage]

37 minutes ago, Katy M said:

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I was really bummed that they fixed the elevator.

I loved it.  Did not see that coming.

11 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Anyone else watch Young Sheldon? The ending was so sweet.

(posting this here only because it ties in with BBT so if you didn't watch you should; the last few minutes, at least.)

It was a nice tie in.

[chaifan]

13 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Anyone else watch Young Sheldon? The ending was so sweet.

(posting this here only because it ties in with BBT so if you didn't watch you should; the last few minutes, at least.)

I'll be the contrary one here.  I didn't like it - I felt it was sort of... I don't know, pandering?  But I'm also not a fan of Young Sheldon.  I catch an episode here and there, and watched this one just because of the timing.  meh.

ETA:  I am referring to the last 30 seconds or so (don't want to say anything else to spoil it for anyone).  I did like the Nobel theme, though.

Edited May 17, 2019 by chaifan

[emma675]

While I've thought the show has been very uneven the last few seasons, this was a sweet ending. It's an ending for the audience but I liked that they left it with the character's lives going on. No big bow wrap ups, their lives just kept going on after we left them.

I thought it was a bit of a pile on towards Sheldon but he's had it coming for years. I was surprised and pleased Amy was harshly truthful with him, he needed to hear that from her.

I liked that they set up the Hofstadter pregnancy as an accident but Penny was genuinely happy. And I hope Raj does eventually find someone in the end, even if we didn't get to see it.

[shapeshifter]

31 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Maybe Leonard and Penny’s kid will be named after her maiden name — whatever it is. They resolved all the little things except for that, I really wish they’d crossed that last T.

--like "Nicky" as in short for "Nicholas" or "Nicolette" if it's Penny Nichols.

I better stop now. I could do this all night.