The Propagation Proposition

"The Propagation Proposition" is the twelfth episode of the twelfth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, January 10, 2019.

Summary
Penny's ex-boyfriend, Zack, and his wife want a baby, but when Zack is infertile, they ask Leonard for help. Also, Koothrappali attempts to mend things with his ex-fiancée, Anu.

Extended Plot
The Posse is at an old bar haunt celebrating being together. The guys are back in Apartment 4A playing Dungeons and Dragons. Raj is getting kidded about spying on his ex-fiancée. The girls are sent a free bottle of champagne from a stranger who turns out to be Zack Johnson. He had sold his company, bought a boat and gotten married. Penny gets an invitation for her and Leonard to have dinner on their boat.

Penny returns home and feels that she shouldn’t have drove since she was laughing at Leonard D&D jokes. Amy had gotten drunk and kept talking about how smooth Sheldon’s chest was. Leonard is a bit jealous over Zack retiring wealthy though he thinks that Zack should be the jealous one since HE got Penny.

Anu hears her doorbell ring and sees Raj out front with poster signs ala “Love Actually”. She tells him to go away and has nothing to say to him. Raj apologizes; however, Anu doesn’t think she has anything to apologize to him about. She feels that he wants to get married because all his friends are married. Then Anu agrees that she was doing the same thing wanting to get married now because all her past relationships failed. They seem to part amicably agreeing that they shouldn’t get married.

Driving to work Leonard asks Sheldon if he remembers Zack. Sheldon claims that he can list all of Penny's boyfriends in alphabetical order including two named Zeke. Leonard admits that he might be jealous of Zack’s success since he is smart and works hard. Sheldon isn’t impressed with Leonard's assessment or that Leonard wants to appear mature and confident in front of Penny.

Raj complains to Howard and Bernadette that Anu broke up with him over one mistake. Howard tells Raj that he got out of that relationship in time. Bernadette doesn’t want Howard to diss Anu like Penny did him when they broke up. Also Howard should keep lying to Raj. Raj agrees with Anu that he may have only agreed to the wedding because of the martial status of his friends.

On Zack’s boat, Leonard and Penny meet his wife Marissa who is as dull-witted as Zack. They met in a bookstore where she worked which Marissa thinks is a really funny story. According to Zack she is super-smart because she can tell you if you identify any book and she can let you know if she has heard of it. Poor Zack bumps his head on the door every time he goes downstairs though he hardly notices it any more. The Hofstadters want to be jealous of Zack and his success, but he is so sweet, they both just want him to be happy. After the Johnsons, bring over the wine they ask Leonard be a sperm donor since they can’t have kids. Leonard is the smartest and nicest person they know. Zack and his frat brothers used to play a crotch kicking games that left him sterile or not. Penny is shocked, doesn’t even want the subject brought up and thinks that it is a weird request. And she wonders it the not-so-bright couple should even be parents.

Raj receives a call from his father who is upset about the couple are calling off the wedding and that he inadvertently spied on Anu. Also, he wants the blame put on Anu so that he can get his wedding deposit back. Raj still wants to married Anu, but he feels that she do longer wants to. Dr. K thinks that Raj shouldn’t be so hard on himself. He still calls him a dope, but that his heart is in the right place.

Talking to her Posse, Penny mentions the dumb smile on Leonard’s face as he was asked to be the father of their baby. Bernadette thinks that’s it’s flattering while Penny thinks that its creepy. The two scientists (Bernadette and Amy) tell Penny that there is a strong drive to pass on one’s genetic material, though as her husband, Leonard really stinks.

Leonard discusses the topic with Sheldon and he just wonders why Zack and Marissa wanted to choose him. Leonard is annoyed since the Johnsons think that he was nice and smart and he can’t see why Penny is freaking out. Sheldon commented that Penny might object to there being a child out there that was biologically his, but not hers. Leonard agrees that he may have a point.

Raj returns to Anu’s apartment. He admits that he was marrying her for the wrong reasons and that she deserves someone who knows how amazing she was. He wants to be that man. Then Raj gets her to agree to start over at the beginning by dating each other.

Penny returns home and Leonard tells her that he won’t help out Zack and Marissa if she doesn’t want him to. This surprises Penny. She leaves and gets Leonard a sample cup telling him that he can donate his genetic material if he wants to. She didn’t really give him a choice in her decision to not have kids, so she doesn’t think she can stop him from doing what he wants to do. Penny tells him that Zack couldn’t have picked a better person. Leonard thanks her and picks up the phone. Instead of calling Zack, he is calling Sheldon and wants Penny to repeat her last statement to his condescending friend.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Brian George as Dr. Koothrappali
 * Brian Thomas Smith as Zack Johnson
 * as Anu
 * Lindsey Kraft as Marissa
 * Shay Ali as Greg
 * Chip Chinery as Bob
 * Teleplay: Maria Ferrari, Eric Kaplan & Dave Goetsch
 * Story: Chuck Lorre, Steve Holland & Jeremy Howe

Critics
To be entered.
 * IMDb user review

Trivia

 * Half-way through the last season.
 * Zack's request could push Penny enough to want kids with Leonard since another couple want him to be the father of their kids.
 * Audiences will get to meet Zack's new wife Marissa for the first time. It was revealed in "The Cognition Regeneration" (S10E22) that he was engaged to a woman named Sarah, but it now appears that their engagement broke off.

Quotes
To be entered.

Gallery
[[Category:T]]