The Valentino Submergence

"The Valentino Submergence" is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode is a Valentines-themed episode, and it aired on February 11, 2016.

Summary
Sheldon and Amy host a live Valentine's "Fun with Flags" podcast. There is trouble between Emily and Raj. Leonard and Penny go out on a teen date. Howard and Bernadette find an unexpected guest in their new hot tub.

Extended Plot
Sheldon joins the guys in the Caltech cafeteria to join him and Amy for the first live episode of Fun with Flags. He welcomes them to join the timeless love affair between wind and flapping fabric. Leonard says he and Penny are going out for dinner and wouldn't do it any other time either. Howard and Bernadette are going to be breaking in their new hot tub, if you know what he means and Sheldon doesn't.  Raj is spending the holiday with Emily, but is not excited about it. He is still wondering about his relationship and is still dreaming of Claire that strong sexy angel. Howard tells him to just get it over, though the guys admit that none of them have ever broken up with a girl.

Raj visits Penny in Apartment 4B to seek advice from Penny. She has had lots of experience breaking up with guys including at least four times with Leonard. GO I, tell the truth, make it quick and be prepared for tears. Raj's of course.

At Emily's she is pissed that he is breaking up wither just before Valentine's Day. Raj offer to stay with her a few more days and talk again after Valentine's Day. He then calls Claire and asks her to spend Valentine's Day with him; however, she has just gotten back with her old boyfriend. Raj goes back to Emily, who closes her door in his face after he claims that their love is meant to be. Raj gets very depressed and cries while Penny comforts him while Leonard admits that Penny was right about the tears.

Sheldon and Amy are setting up for their live broadcast. Sheldon hopes for a lot of audience reaction. Amy tells him to trust her that those interested in flags will be home on Valentine's Day to watch. Also since Amy has become such an integral part of his life and the show he renamed it, “Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler present 'Sheldon Cooper’s Fun with Flags' as Amy's only Valentine's Day gift.

Howard and Bernadette get ready to use their new hot tub. Bernadette wants him to check the temperature to make sure it's not too hot. Howard retorts that "too hot" is the only temperature he comes in. Seems that he has completely shaved for their romantic encounter. Howard thinks he sees a rat floating around in the tub. He goes for a kitchen strainer while Bernadette turns off the hot tub jets. Neither knows how to do it so they quickly exchange tasks.

Leonard and Penny are waiting for their table; however, there is a wait of an hour even though they had a reservation. Leonard thanked him in a bad-ass fashion. Penny suggests that he slip the maître d' some money. Leonard goes over to again check on their table and he drops a twenty dollar bill on the floor. Leonard asks the maître d' if it was his and the guy announces to the room whether someone lost a twenty. A customer next to him claims it.

As "Fun with Flags" is about to go live, Amy realizes during her countdown, they are already on the net. After announcing the new title of the show, Amy offers to take any flag related questions or comments. To answer some initial questions. Yes, he is a real doctor. And yes, Amy is his girlfriend. Amy says that she just blinks a lot and is not sending out "rescue me" in Morse code. There first call is from Raj who wants to know what is wrong with him and why was he so self-destructive. Anytime things are going well, he messes it up. They seem happy. Amy attributes it to good communication. Sheldon wants to cut him off and take a flag question.

Howard tells Bernadette how much he loves her as she is stretch out over the hot tub trying to catch the animal. It's a rabbit that is alive, but unconscious. Howard checks his phone while Bernie wraps it in a towel. He is to be kept warm, but then he was in a hot tub. If dehydrated, give him some fluid with electrolytes, and wash down his face and genitals. Howard thinks that that would be fun.

Penny is getting tired of waiting and decides to flirt with the maître d'. Leonard is uncomfortable with that until Penny reminds him that she'll be sleeping with him. Penny starts to get friendly, but he claims that their is nothing he can do, "ma'am". Penny jokes that h doesn't have to call her ma'am since they are the same age. He disagrees since he is twenty-one. He asks how old she is. Penny tells him to shut-up and then makes Leonard leave while she's still young.

Still talking to Raj, Amy explains that it is common to have doubts after a breakup. Sheldon wants to give out flag facts; however Amy reminds him that his friend is hurting. Sheldon tries to help but still comes back to flag facts. Another call comes in and it's Barry Kripke who wants to talk about how lonely he is. He's looking for a young slim Asian woman while Sheldon tells his viewers to just call in with flag questions. So Kripke asks if his pole is a flag relate topic. Sheldon is clueless and agrees.

Howard and Bernadette have the rabbit taking some fluid and are very happy working together. Howard tells him that he can't go swimming for another hour. They decide to name him Valentino after the holiday. Check episode title. Not Peter or Roger. Valentino Wolowitz Rabbit. Howard plays with him and gets bitten, but Howard is worried about getting rabies. Bernadette tries to calm him down.

Leonard and Penny are now eating fast food in the car. Leonard is worried that it was a good substitute and Penny calls it freaking amazing. She was both hungry and cranky about getting called ma'am. How about Leonard. He was first called sir when he was six, but he was wearing a sport coat and carrying a briefcase. Penny complains that when they met she was only 22. Where has all that time gone? Leonard quips that she did watch The Bachelor a lot. Penny then reminds him that he is almost out of his thirties. They decide they want to do something to make them feel young. Leonard tries to start a food fight and Penny just stares at him.

Amy continues to give the guys advice as Sheldon gets more and more disgusted. She tells then to take time for themselves after a break up like she did. When Belize became an independent country, they created a flag with a tree on it. Sheldon wants to hang himself from it. Kripke insults Amy, so she cuts him off. Raj still feels lonely so Sheldon shows him the Isle of Mann flag that has a figure with three legs on it. Amy then asks the viewers for any interested ladies to call in if they want to meet Rajesh. Another call comes in, but it Is just Kripke who wants to know how many men she has had sex with.

Penny is looking up fun things to do like dancing. Skinny dipping at the beach. A sing-along "Moulin Rouge" movie is playing. Leonard isn't happy that it's at midnight, but agrees. Then Penny finds out that it is sold out. However, both are happy about that.

Howard finds out that rabies in rabbits is highly unlikely, but even the smallest chance bothers him. Bernadette suggest that they take him to the vet and have him tested. Unfortunately he has to be killed and have his brain checked. Howard notices that he is not showing any symptoms, but he wants to go to emergency Room just to be safe. Bernadette says to Valentino, "We'll find another time to tell him I’m pregnant.”

Sheldon now has his head in his lap while Raj goes on. Then he decides that this no longer fun so he erases the word on the board behind him. It's no longer about flags so he erases that. And Sheldon hasn't been talking so he erases his name. The new Internet show is "Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler present with". Amy reminds Sheldon that he knows how painful break ups can be. Sheldon then gets dragged in and tells Raj that pain is part of the evolutionary process that provides information from the environment that that behavior isn't good for one. Also, Sheldon admitted that when they broke up he suffered, but was glad that they did breakup since they are a much stronger couple now. He realized how much she really meant to him. During Sheldon's confession, Leonard and Penny burst in dressed as cupids, wishing everyone "Happy Valentine's Day" and throwing confetti around trying to feel young. Sheldon adds the Fun back to this white board. Sheldon says that he has been corrected and they are having fun.

Finally, Sheldon and Amy are toasting a successful live "Fun with Flags" show and a lovely Valentine's Day. Penny and Leonard are cleaning up the confetti which Penny does not consider to be young and fun. Sheldon drops a factoid that the singular of confetti is confetto. Amy wonders when you would use the singular form. Amy has one stuck on her nose.

Critics

 * Jesse Schedeen of IGN - It was clear pretty much right away that this episode wasn't going to give Raj the focus he deserved, to say nothing of the perpetually ignored Emily. One of the most baffling mysteries of this show is why actress Laura Spencer was elevated to series regular status this season when she's probably had less screen time than Wil Wheaton...Luckily, you can always count on "Sheldon Cooper's Fun With Flags" to salvage an otherwise disappointing episode...It's disappointing that this episode focused so much attention on Raj's post-breakup blues and so little on the actual breakup. But at least there was ample entertainment to be had in watching Sheldon try to keep his show on-topic and grow progressively more bored and disillusioned. All of this led to a nice moment between Sheldon and Raj...(And there was) the surprise twist (well, not that surprising) that Bernie is pregnant. The connection, I assume, being that the expression "The rabbit died" is another way of saying a woman is pregnant. There must have been a more interesting way to build to that moment.

Trivia

 * Valentine's Day themed episode.
 * John Ross Bowie will make his 3rd appearance this season as Kripke.
 * Raj breaks up with Emily.
 * Sheldon and Amy do a LIVE Valentine's Day themed "Fun with Flags" episode.
 * Bernadette is pregnant.
 * Claire got back with her old boyfriend.
 * Bernadette shares no scenes with Raj, Amy, Leonard, Penny and Sheldon in this episode.
 * Having a rabbit in the episode was symbolic since Bernadette was pregnant and the expression "the rabbit died" meant that one was with child.
 * This is the second time Howard has been obliged to look up how to rescue and treat an injured animal on his cell phone, the first being the bird in "The Clean Room Infiltration" (S8E11).
 * Howard shares no scenes with Amy and Penny in this episode.

Quotes
Bernadette (to Howard): "Look at that, you shaved it all."