The Countdown Reflection

The Countdown Reflection is the twenty-fourth episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. It is the final episode of the season. It aired on May 10, 2012.

Summary
Howard Wolowitz and his two fellow astronauts (Dimitri Rezinov and Mike Massimino) are on the launch pad waiting to go to the International Space Station. Howard tells them that he does not want to go as the other guys, thinking that he was joking, laugh it off. The gang is gathering in front of the television in Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment, getting ready to tune into Howard's launch. Amy is more fascinated by Sheldon’s recitation of the ingredients of the Pringle’s can due to his eidetic memory. Raj is nervous and has been gaining weight from all the stress-eating that he is wearing his fat pants. Sheldon scares Bernadette by saying that soon, Howard will have tons of fuel igniting under his butt so Bernadette yells someone to give her the Pringle's can and starts stress-eating. Meanwhile, back inside the capsule, Astronaut Mike Massimino mentions that “Froot Loops” was just married as the most recent part of Howard's life passes in front of his eyes.

Howard gives Bernadette a necklace with a star on it which he plans to take into space with him as a gift that no one else could give to her, since the star will then actually be in space. Bernadette is thrilled and tells him that she wants them married before he takes off in two days. They go to Sheldon and Leonard's apartment and the whole gang is invited to meet them at the city hall. Amy is furious about not being able to be the maid of honor she dreams of at a conventional wedding reception, but does get to wear her bridesmaid dress and her tiara. At he city hall Amy wonders if seeing couples in love gets Sheldon thinking about it though it makes him bring up Leonard’s marriage proposal to Penny while they were having sex. The proposal surprises the others and “thrills” Penny that everybody knows. It is announced that only three more weddings can be performed that day and Howard’s attempt to tell the clerk at the city hall that he has to go into space doesn not work. Amy decides to check out the other couples hoping that one of the last couples needs a maid of honor.

Later at the Cheesecake Factory the gang is discussing other wedding possibilities and Raj suggests that they do it on the roof of the apartment building as the Google maps satellite passes overhead on Sunday morning, before Howard leaves for Kazakhstan. As for a minister to conduct the ceremony, Penny tells that anyone can become ordained at sites on the internet. Sheldon offers to do it in Klingon which Bernadette objects to. Annoyed, Sheldon asks Howard what he sees in Bernadette.

On Sunday morning, Howard gives the guys a copy of The Fantastic Four comic as groomsmen gifts where Reed Richards and Sue Storm get married. Worth $100, Sheldon give Howard $12 to cover the difference from his wedding gift so that he will not be indebted to him. Howard’s mother sits off camera talking through the whole ceremony. Her father brings Bernadette down the aisle as Penny, Amy, Leonard, Sheldon and Raj perform the ceremony as ordained ministers. Raj was so touched by the love Howard and Bernadette shared, he could not finish. Penny talked about how it did no matter how and where they got married, as long as they had each other. Sheldon hoped that they would be as happy together as he was alone, which did not thrill Amy. He also tried squeezing in some Klingon. Amy thanked Bernadette for letting her be the maid of honor and would be happy to do it again if this marriage craps out. Leonard talked about best friends who fell in love with each other because at its core are kindness, patience, and respect obviously referring to Penny. Howard and Bernadette exchange their brief vows as the camera pulls back from the roof and to a view of the whole planet.

In the present, the rocket lifts off with the two regular astronauts yelling that they love this part and Howard objecting. Penny comes in late to watch with the gang. Nervous Bernadette takes Raj’s hand, Penny takes Leonard’s hand and a very surprised Amy has her hand taken by Sheldon who wishes Howard well with “Boldly go, Howard Wolowitz.”

Quotes
Howard: Let's get married!

Howard:'' Who's gonna do the ceremony? ''

Sheldon: ''I'll do it! Provided I can perform the ceremony in Klingon.''

Bernadette: No.

Sheldon: (To Howard) What do you see in her?

Sheldon: Boldly go, Howard Wolowitz.

Howard: I change my mind, I don't wanna do this.

(Sheldon is speaking in Klingon)

Bernadette: ''Sheldon! I told you no Klingon!''

Sheldon: ''Fine! I'll do it in English.''

Howard: ''Close your eyes. Put out your hand. I got you something special.''

Bernadette:'' Come on, Howard. I'm not falling for that again.''

Howard: No, here. (Gives her a small box)

Bernadette: ( Opens the box and takes out a necklace) ''Oh, Howie! A little star. It's beautiful! Put it on me.''

Howard:'' Okay. But I'm gonna have to get it back from you, so that I can take it to the International Space Station. That way, when I come home, you will have a star that was actually, in space.''

Bernadette: My God!

Howard: Take that, every guy who's ever bought you anything!

Bernadette: This is the most amazing gift I've ever gotten.

Howard: ''Really? If you like it that much, close your eyes, and put out your hand.''

(They start kissing)

Mrs Wolowitz:'' I'm going to the supermarket to get some snacks for your trip. Do you want me to get those little boxes of Froot Loops you like?''

Howard: ''No, when I eat Froot Loops, the other astronauts make fun of me! ''(Slams his bedroom door shut)

Bernadette: Howard, I don't want to wait until you get back to get married.

Howard: What?

Bernadette: ''I want to be married to you before you get in that rocket. ''

Howard: But I'm leaving in two days.

Leonard: Come on, Raj, we're ready to start.

Raj: ''We're ready, when I say we're ready. ''

Howard: How much urine do these suits hold?

Howard:  (Shouting) Ma, you wanna move your chair over here, so you can see?

Raj: Howard and Bernadette, the five of us stand before you as your friends and newly ordained ministers.

Mrs. Wolowitz: LOUDER!

Bernadette: ''They all got ordained. They’re all going to marry us. It’s adorable. You want to hear it come closer.''

Raj: ''Please, guys. When I look at the two of you starting your lives together it fills… my heart… it fills my heart. Forget it, I need a minute.''

Penny: ''All right. Howard and Bernadette. I know you two planned on getting married in a big fancy wedding, but when you’re in love in doesn’t matter where or how these things happen. It just matters that you have each other.''

Leonard: Hmm.

Penny: Problem?

Leonard: No.

Sheldon: I think the revered Hofstader is making an ironic connection between your statement about love and your rejection of his proposal in the bedroom.

Penny: Oh, grow up.

Leonard: I didn’t say it.

Amy: That’s enough from the both of you.

Penny: Well, he started it.

Amy: ''Well, I’m ending it. Bernadette, I want to thank you for allowing me to be your maid of honor. I also wanted you to know that I will be happy to do it again if this marriage craps out.''

Leonard: ''Thank you, Amy. Very touching. Howard and Bernadette. You are lucky enough to be best friends who love each other and that’s the strongest kind of love because at its core it has kindness, patience and respect. Qualities that are hard to find in people these days.''

Sheldon:'' Would you like some aloe vera? Cause you just got burned. All right, my turn. Howard. Bernadette.'' (Starts speaking in Klingon)

Bernadette:'' Sheldon! I told you no Klingon!''

Sheldon:'' Fine, I’ll do it in English. But it loses something. The need to find another human being has to share one’s life has always puzzled me. Maybe because I am so interesting all by myself. With that being said, may you find as much happiness with each other as I find on my own. The Klingon would have made you cry.''

Raj: I believe you two have prepared vows.

Bernadette: ''Howard Joel Wolowitz, like you this is going to be short and sweet. I love you with all my heart and soul and promise to be with you forever.''

Howard: Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski.

Mrs. Wolowitz: SPEAK UP.

Howard:'' From now on she’s the only one that can yell at me! Until I met you I couldn’t imagine spending my life with just one person. And now I can’t imagine spending one day of it without you.''

Ministers: By the power invested in us by the state of California..

Sheldon: ...and the Klingon High Council…

Ministers: ..we now pronounce you husband and wife!

Trivia

 * Mike Massimino will make another guest-appearance, playing himself, after first appearing in The Friendship Contraction.
 * In The Friendship Contraction, it was stated Expedition 31 crew members would include Commander Tom "Tombo" Johnson, astronaut Mike "Supernova" Novachelic, and payload specialist Howard "Froot Loops" Wolowitz. In The Launch Acceleration, it was revealed the Soyuz capsule failed the pressurization test, so the mission had been scrubbed. However, NASA really wanted Howard's telescope up on the space station and put him on an earlier launch. In The Countdown Reflection, the crew includes Howard Wolowitz, Mike Massimino, and Dimitri Rezinov. Aboard another spacecraft in the Soyuz fleet, this crew is launched into space, despite a fuel leak.
 * A botched pressure test of the real Russian space capsule slated to launch the next crew to the International Space Station forced NASA and its partners to delay the planned liftoff for more than a month. The Soyuz's crew capsule, one of three modules that make up the entire Soyuz TMA-04M vehicle, had been scrapped after an accident during testing caused it to spring a leak in one of its descent module's rocket thruster fuel tanks. (See the article Damaged Russian Spaceship Forces Big Launch Delay for Next Station Crew.)
 * When the scene of Howard and Bernadette's wedding is captured from space, Mrs Wolowitz can actually be seen, although not her face but certainly, there is a woman dressed in pink donning a pink hat. This would be the first time in the entire series where Mrs Wolowitz is seen physically and not just heard.
 * The wedding music is the first movement of Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring) from Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Reference

 * Taping report provided by 123sprinkles at fanforum.com