The Maternal Combustion


 * Not to be confused with The Maternal Capacitance or The Maternal Congruence.

"The Maternal Combustion" is the twenty-third episode and penultimate episode of the eighth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, April 30, 2015.

Summary
While both Sheldon and Leonard's mothers visit to see their sons get an award, Bernadette wants more help around their new home from Raj, Howard and Stuart.

Extended Plot
While setting up dinner, Leonard, Sheldon, Penny and Amy are discussing the upcoming the visits of the guy's mothers to see them get an award. Leonard knows when his mother reaches California airspace by feeling a disturbance in the Force. Sheldon is preparing a bowl of yellow roses for his mother. If Amy asks for roses, then he calls them a "bouquet of severed plant genitals". Sheldon did get her a rotting log that produced mushrooms for Valentine's Day. Penny wonders if she should get something for Beverly since she is not that excited about her relationship with Leonard. Leonard suggests her getting a Ph.D overnight, though Penny points out that it did not work for him and his mother. Will the two different women get along? One is brilliant while the other is sweet and simple according to Sheldon who compares it to his relationship Leonard.

Sheldon is having tea with his mother who is proud of both of the, but can't understand the paper they wrote about understanding the universe as an n-dimensional super-fluid. And the God saving the world with an ark is nonsense? Sheldon wants his mother to keep the Bible babble down when talking to the brilliant psychiatrist and women of science Dr. Beverly Hofstadter. Mary wants to know if Sheldon is ashamed of her. Sheldon does love her, but is embarrassed by the thinks that she believes, does and says.

Leonard and his mother are climbing the stairs, while she asks about a wedding date. Leonard and Penny are taking it slow. "I see," comments Beverly. After seeing each other for seven years, she wonders if the sex between them is satisfactory. Leonard reluctantly agrees. "Only satisfactory?" Leonard changes his answer to that it's very hot and then Beverly wonders why he is trying to impress his mother with his sexual prowess. Leonard then asks his mother to do all her analysis in front of the sweet religious Mary Cooper.

Enter the apartment, Sheldon goes to greet Beverly who read their paper and called it brilliant. She didn't say anything to Leonard. She feels that is a mother's job to make sure that her child's self-esteem is not dependent on any else's approval. Mary and Beverly meet and shake hands. Both had good flights, though Mary felt like someone, she's not saying who, was watching over her. Beverly asks if she was kidding.

In her house, Bernadette comes into the kitchen and finds Stuart in her underwear taking care of an itch on his posterior. Bernadette doesn't mind him living there, but among the rules, he has to wear pants. Howard then comes in his underwear.

Mary tells Beverly that she must be proud of her son. She replies that he is arguing his first case in front of the Supreme Court. Oh, you mean Leonard? Yeah, he's terrific. Sheldon starts to show Beverly the math he worked out for his hypothesis. Oops, Leonard's hypothesis. Beverly wonders when Mary first knew that Sheldon was going to have such a remarkable mind. When he was thirteen he tried to build the nuclear reactor to supply electricity of the whole neighborhood because he was always concerned about the well-being of others. This statement confuses Leonard. To power the reactor he had arranged to get some yellow cake (uranium) from Chad (Africa), his mother thought he was getting some Twinkies from a local friend. Leonard wants his mother to tell the story about how he made a Van de Graff generator out of their vacuum cleaner. Beverly just comments that he broke the vacuum cleaner.

Howard and Raj are playing a video game in the living room, while Stuart is reading a magazine and wearing pants. Bernie returns after doing a lot of errands and declares that she is going to stop being the mother of three lazy teen-agers. She wants them to clean the kitchen from top to bottom including Raj who is doing his laundry at their house.

Sheldon is showing Beverly pictures of when he got his bachelor of science degree. Sheldon doesn't look happy because he just began puberty. Mary says that Shelly does not like change. Penny pops in the door and apologizes that she got caught up at work. She rushes over and hugs Beverly who says, "OH, okay." Hugging Mary she gets a much sweeter greeting. Penny shows off her engagement ring that Sheldon announces was made from a re-purposed diamond drill bit. Leonard denies that and then wants to talk to Sheldon alone. Leonard tells Penny that it came from Tiffany's, though Sheldon is sure that only the box came from that store. Penny doesn't care how much Leonard spent on the ring, she thinks.

In Sheldon's room, he wonders if he misspoke abut the ring. Leonard feels that Sheldon is hogging the attention from both mothers like a seal pup or a "Super weaner." Leonard does think he is being a super wiener. Sheldon feels that the situation is like when two mothers faun over the same pup making him a "double mother suckler", which Leonard also agrees with.

Penny admits that they aren't in any rush to set the date for the wedding. Mary tells her that the moment a woman lays with a man, they are married in the eyes of the Lord. Beverly sighs "Ugh." Mary then asks if the Bible is "ugh" to her. Beverly apologizes and says that she forgets how much a person's superstitions mean to them. Mary counters that she read Beverly's book that Sheldon sent her about superegos and ids and she wonders what bull dropped that on the barn floor. Sigmund Freud. Penny tries to get them together because they both like Jewish guys with beards. Mary tells her to stay out of this. Mary's bearded guy teaches love and compassion while Freud wants to talk about why you want to hold your poop and crawl back into your Moma. Beverly counters asking how can someone an enlightened as Sheldon comes from someone like his mother. Beverly is not going to like the answer. While driving to church, she prayed that her son was smarter than his dumb-ass Daddy and she saw a bobble-head of Jesus in the next car nodding yes. Beverly hits her forehead in frustration. Mary tells her to keep doing it and maybe it'll knock some sense into her head. Penny wants to change the subject to shoes or how cute tiny Chinese babies are. Sheldon comes out saying that it's not his fault that Beverly like him better than Leonard. Leonard point out that his mother likes everyone better than him. Now Penny hits herself in the head.

The Wolowitz household guys are cleaning out the kitchen. Raj is working on the refrigerator. Howard apologizes to them, but Stuart says that Bernadette does work hard around the house. Raj tells Howard that she should stop babying him like his mother did. Howard agrees and that he has to start acting like an adult in their marriage. He decides to take out the garbage. Picking up the bag it splits spilling the contents all over the floor.

Beverly and Sheldon are having tea in a cafe and Beverly apologizes for upsetting Mary. Sheldon replies her mother will forgive her since if she doesn't she'll go to hell. Beverly also mentions how Mary's unconditional love for Sheldon is diametrically opposed to her own parenting style. Sheldon describes her style has doling out affection as a reward for achievement, A proven way to raise a child or train a rat. Sheldon still turn out very successful under his loving mother. Leonard's siblings are very successful under Beverly's style while Sheldon's siblings are mouth breathing idiots. Beverly asks if he would have flourished more under a reward based childhood. Sheldon's mother made him spaghetti with bits of hot dog in it, so he doesn't care.

Leonard and Penny are talking to Mary as Leonard complains that he never got any affection from his mother. Mary assures him that she loved him in her own godless way. and she feels bad about the fight. Penny assures him that he doesn't have to earn her love and he knew that when he bought her that princess drill bit diamond ring. Mary plans to apologize to Beverly just like a good Christian, though a real Texan would have shot her. Then she asks them if anyone is in the mood for spaghetti and hot dogs. Leonard doesn't feel like he deserves it.

Howard is finished cleaning up the big sticky mess of the garbage spill. Bernadette comes in and tells them how they everything by themselves. Howard agrees, but then first his shoe and then his sock sticks to the floor.

Beverly and Mary shake hands and agree to respect each other's beliefs. And Mary will pray for her. Leonard wants to get his mother quickly back to her hotel. Beverly admits that she always made him earn his affection, but she wants to initiate a new protocol to shower him with unconditional love. When will that start? Beverly then calls him so needy. She opens her arms and asks him to come to Mommy. They have an awkward hug. Beverly: (Emotionally) O my, son. Leonard: Oh, my mother. Penny: Oh, my God.

Still cleaning up the kitchen, Raj starts to whistle "It's a Hard-knock Life"form the musical Annie. They all join in singing it enthusiastically. Bernie comes in an immediately leaves.

Critics
To be entered.

Trivia

 * Third consecutive episode where Amy only appears in one scene.
 * First physical appearance on TBBT set of Beverly since "The Maternal Congruence" (S3E11).
 * This episode will air on both Kunal Nayyar's 34th Birthday and Johnny Galecki's 40th Birthday on April 30, 2015.
 * Mary Cooper hasn't appeared in Pasadena since season 5 and hasn't seen Leonard or Penny since then.
 * The idea of Beverly and Mary meeting and facing off has been in the works since season 6 as revealed in interviews with the writers on various occassions, but due to both actresses not being available it was postponed to this season.
 * Sheldon has prepared his mother a bowl of yellow roses, the unofficial flower of Texas as in: There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see...

Quotes

 * Penny: It's so nice, she's going to love it.
 * Amy: Sure, his Mom gets roses. When I want them, their "bouquet of severed plant genitals".
 * Sheldon: You act like I didn't get that severed mushroom log on Valentine's Day.
 * '''Amy""": He's right. Roses die, but a moist rotting log will pump mushrooms for two or three magical years.