The Separation Agitation

"The Separation Agitation" is the twenty-first episode of the tenth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on April 13, 2017.

Summary
Howard and Bernadette have a hard time leaving Halley in day care when Bernadette returns to work. Also, Bert introduces the gang to his new girlfriend,Rebecca.

Extended Plot
Started with Fun with Flags: Behind the Flags - a retrospective complete with Raj and Howard on music. Sheldon and Amy talk to Leonard and Penny (at the kitchen island of course!) via video link about their Fun with Flags memories. They of course show their utter contempt for the whole thing. Found Penny's repartee funny. Then they call for viewers to call in with their memories. Deadly silence is followed by excitement when Bert calls - but just to tell them he has a girl friend. They ask for callers who want to talk flag memories but the next call is just Bert again telling them her name is Rebecca.

Later at the university cafeteria, Sheldon, Leonard and Raj are joking around, Bert sits with them, Leonard invites him to come to his place for dinner so they can meet his girl. When they arrive she is a stunning blonde who is a failed actress who has become a personal trainer. She's much younger than Bert. Penny asks if Rebecca has dated a scientist before because she was thinking of starting a support group. Rebecca says she dated a Scientologist. Sheldon quips Bert is copying Leonard and Penny. We find out they met online. Raj remarks he had not much success online. Bert says he only got success when he mentioned his $600 thousand grant. Sheldon gets sent out by Amy when he speaks inappropriately. but comes back and says if she'd done something wrong and Leonard just says it's just normal Sheldon. Rebecca says something that implies it was the money and Amy is immediately suspicious and mentions it when Rebecca goes to the toilet. Sheldon makes another comment and gets sent out again, but Amy calls him back when Rebecca makes her suspicious again. It was all very funny but can't remember the lines. When Bert leaves, Sheldon compares them to Leonard and Penny - Bert's money and his groveling to get the girl and Leonard says it's completely different - Bert's money will run out but he can beg till he dies. Penny quips - all that and he's shorter than me.

Back at cafeteria next day, Sheldon tells a joke about Feynman, Einstein and Schrodinger. Raj and Leonard react slowly but eventually laugh. Bert comes in. He is worried about what everyone said about being used. He says something about the relationship that Sheldon thinks is funny and tells Leonard it's his turn to tell a joke.

Bert turns up at the apartment to tell them he broke it off. Raj starts saying he did the right thing, comparing him to his story which gets depressing and says maybe someone else should speak. Amy is glad but Bert is upset she convinced him. Sheldon has a go at her and she says to raise your hand for permission to speak. Penny tells Bert he should be looking for someone who likes him for who he is not what he has. Sheldon raises his hand and Penny makes the mistake of letting him speak because he delivers one of his trademark Leonard and Penny insults and Leonard just looks up at her and says don't look at me you gave him permission. Bert then leaves saying he might buy Rebecca a jet ski to get her back. Then there's a Fun with Flags retrospective retrospective and a call comes through and it's Bert saying it worked he got her back.

Bernie going back to work but being really unhappy about but she is hiding that from Howard. She confides in Stuart who has clearly replaced Raj now that he's moved in with Leonard and Penny. Before going back to work, they all take Halley to the zoo but that just depresses Bernie more because she compares herself to other mammals who stay with their young longer than her. Howard has a chat to Stuart as well but he reveals nothing. They finally all share their feelings when it comes to dropping off Halley. They all cry except the baby and Bernie does her trademark angry thing telling Halley off for not caring.

Later Howard and Stuart are at daycare dropping her off, showing Bernie via FaceTime how Halley is fine. Bernie cracks it again because she ignores her The boys can't leave. They steal Halley away and take her to the aquarium. Later they come home and pretend they are back from daycare but are caught because Bernie got a call about them taking the baby.

Thanks to the report from Itwasdestined.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Kevin Sussman as Stuart
 * Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler
 * April Bowlby as Rebecca
 * Teleplay: Steve Holland, Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe
 * Story: Steven Molaro, Jim Reynolds & Maria Ferrari

Critics

 * Caroline Preece at Den of Geek! - The set-up of The Separation Agitation is that Bert has an unlikely new girlfriend, and she’s clearly using him for his money from the recent research grant (impressive continuity for this show)...The characterization of Rebecca was basically what could have easily happened had the writers not liked Penny so much. The two women’s similarities were more or less lamp shaded within the episode, and it just made me glad that this wasn’t the road they went down with ‘ditzy neighbor lives across the hall from nerds’.... also quite like the slight role reversal of Howard being the one to take her out of daycare to spend the day playing hooky - as much as the show is showing Bernadette to have anxiety about being a working mother...

Trivia

 * Howard imitates both Stuart and Bernadette.
 * Howard and Stuart have a hard time letting Halley go just as Bernadette did in the previous episode.
 * Footprints on the Moon appears.
 * Bert still has his grant money.
 * Bert's new girlfriend is allegedly a gold digger like one of Raj's previous girlfriends.

Goofs

 * Sheldon says Leonard and Penny have nothing in common, but this is false. They actually do have a few things in common:
 * They each have one brother and one sister
 * They had issues with the opposite gender parent growing up
 * Another possibility is them being the second born child and their sisters being the first born and their brothers the third born
 * Another possibility is both of them always willing to try new things
 * Another possibility is them wanting to be social and wanting to make friends with people

Quotes
To be entered.