The Conference Valuation

"The Conference Valuation" is the seventeenth episode of the twelfth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

Summary[]

When Penny and Bernadette go to San Diego for a pharmaceutical sales convention, Wolowitz is in charge of the kids. Also, Sheldon finds a book on experimenting on kids, and the guys including Amy make a day of it.^[1]

Extended Plot[]

At Zangen, Penny is conducting a sales meeting discussing their product Inflaminex drug and pushing their slogan “It’s a brand new day,” which Penny came up with. Bernadette comes in wondering why they are still there. Karen exclaims that they are happy to be there because “It’s a brand new day.” As it is since it was now 12:15 A.M. Bernadette tells everyone to go home, but they don't move until Penny agrees. Bernadette also happy that everything is working out since her team is scared of both of them, and Penny is scared of Bernie. The system works!

Bernie is coming down the stairs with her luggage on the way to their conference to launch Inflaminex. Howard is in charge of the baby sitting. Bernadette reminds him that it's “parenting”. She gives him a quick quiz: Where at the kids? “Upstairs” replies Howard. “They’re at daycare!” That wasn't really true because his wife was messing with him.

As Penny is getting to leave, Leonard is worried that because of all of her luggage, she might be leaving him. Penny just wants things to go well. The Coopers burst in because Sheldon has a bet with Amy. Since Penny is heading to San Diego, she needs to look for people walking around in superhero costumes. He contends that since ComicCon is in San Diego and people wear their costumes to ComicCon, some in San Diego wear them all year round. Also, Sheldon left something in one of the meeting rooms and wants Penny to check on it.

At the comic book store, Leonard is wondering what to do over the weekend since he is alone. Sheldon invented a new version of chess while Howard invites them over to play board games AND help watch the kids. Sheldon doesn't want to spend time around loud sticky children.

At the conference, Penny is pushing their drug and ending her pitch with “It’s a brand new day!" Bernadette thinks she is doing great. Penny adds, “Mediocre actress, great drug pusher. Who knew?” Another guy named Danny Jacobs approaches who Bernadette hates since he works for their competitor. Their inflammation drug is also coming out the same time.

At home, Howard has the kids down while Leonard and Raj set up a card game. Sheldon and Amy come in. Sheldon has decided to spend some time with the Wolowitz kids since he found a book on 50 experiments one could perform on children. Howard doesn't like the idea so Sheldon pushes it as playing with Halley and Michael.

Later Amy is looking through the book and finds that the experiments are as simple as letting the baby discover his reflection in a mirror. Amy can find the projects adorable, but when Sheldon proposes it, it just sounds creepy. Raj finds an experiment where you can check the kids hand dominance or whether they are right or left handed. Amy thinks that it is more like playing games with them. Howard agrees that they can try it when his kids wake up.

When Bernadette comes to take a phone call, Danny then approaches Penny. He knows that Bernadette doesn't like him. Then he tells Penny that she is doing a great job launching their product and that they are always looking for great sales people and that they could make Penny happy. Penny claims to be happy; while Karen, her team member, claims that she could be happier.

Bernadette received a call from Howard who wants to know where the barbeque tongs are. She asks if he was going to grill, but they were playing a game with the kids and he hangs up. The guys are dangling objects over Michael and Halley. Sheldon wants to up the experiment so that they will have something to publish.

Danny is still talking to Penny when Bernadette returns. She tells him to leave and wants to know what he wanted. Karen blabs that Penny was offered a job.

While Sheldon sets up the experiment on the subjects, Leonard feels like something was very familiar about what was going on. He had been experimented all throughout his childhood by his mother. Raj and Sheldon are trying to get reactions from the kids and Halley calls Raj “Unka Koo”. Sheldon is very excited about working with the kids and wants to do a feeding experiment when it comes time for the kid's dinner. Raj is surprised that Sheldon is so happy around babies. He finds it interesting that they found the book the same day that Sheldon and Amy were going to hang out with Howard's children. Leonard is having flashbacks of being experimented on when he was a kid.

Back in their hotel room, Bernadette is peeved that Penny took Danny's business card. Penny figures she should at least take his card, while she was flattered by his comments. Bernadette tells Penny that she gave her the job since no one else wanted to head the sales team. Penny gets mad and leaves and telling her that she did thank her by sending her a fancy box of pears. Bernie yells back wondering what she could do with them. Have a pear party?

Raj comes into the living room eating a pear. He sits down with Amy while Howard and Sheldon are giving the kids a bath. Raj asks if she thinks she can trick Sheldon into liking kids. She did get him to sleep with her and marry her. Sheldon comes down talking about all the experiments they did and he gets excited that maybe they could take them to the park the next day. She glances back at Raj to show him that she knows what she is doing.

Leonard is still there talking to his mother who admits to performing thousands of small experiments on him as he was growing up and that the experiments are still going on. She also admits that watching him grow up, develop and tracking his progress were some of her fondest memories of him.

CV31 — Fifteen? That's a lot of children.

Penny is having a drink with Danny as he proposes to offer her a new Mercedes if she joined them. He's willing to make an offer, while Penny wants him to write it on a napkin and slide it over to her like they do in the movies. After he writes it down, Bernadette storms in, grabs the napkin and says that Penny is amazing. She is the best salesperson and the hardest worker Bernie has ever seen. Penny says that she is happy where she is, but still wants to see the offer on the napkin. Bernie sasks her "What napkin?"

Finally, Sheldon and Amy are crawling into bed as Sheldon says that he had a good day and that he was thinking about their future children. That surprises Amy though there is a slight smile on her face. Sheldon still seems to want fifteen kids, three sets of quintuplets or five sets of triplets - as long as it's divisible by three. Amy admits that that is a lot of children, but not for a frog adds Sheldon. Amy apologizes for not being a frog. Sheldon gives her a kiss and tells her that she is good enough for him.

Credits[]

Guest starring:

- Christine Baranski as Beverly Hofstadter
- Pamela Adlon as Halley (Voice Only)
- Chasty Ballesteros as Karen
- Jason Kravits as Danny Jacobs
- Andre Boyer as Kwame
- Ben Rauch as Darren
Teleplay: Steve Holland, Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe
Story: Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan

Notes[]

Title Reference: The title refers to Penny attending a drug conference and feeling valued when another company offers her a job.
Taping date: February 12, 2019
This episode was watched by 12.99 million people with a rating of 2.1 (adults 18–49)
This episode aired in Canada on March 7, 2019.
Chuck Lorre's vanity card. [1]

Critics[]

Nicholas Graff at ScienceFiction.com ...This was an odd episode in a lot of ways because while it did not deliver many laughs at all, it did not feel as bad as other episodes this season. I still enjoyed the story for the rest of the gang in LA, and liked the momentum of the Amy/Sheldon seasonal plotline, as I think we all knew the subject of kids was going to come up soon. The whole convention story with Bernie and Penny seemed like they were desperate for something for Penny to do, some story-line to keep her occupied this season, and it is a shame that they have to waste Bernadette's character on Penny's stories this way. They just have not known what to do with Penny ever since she married Leonard and got a career, clearly having forgotten that the best comedy comes from conflict and struggle... [2]
IMDb user reviews [3]

Trivia[]

Third episode of the last ten episodes.
After taping, the studio audience was treated to the third and last TBBT flash mob produced by Kaley Cuoco.
Stage 25 was officially named after the show while this episode was being rehearsed.
Sheldon's interest in kids is piqued with the help of Amy. Amy is having second thoughts about having children since Sheldon wants a lot of children.
- As a young man, Sheldon did not expect to ever marry or have children. However, in old Sheldon's narration for the Young Sheldon episode "Vanilla Ice Cream, Gentlemen Callers, and a Dinette Set", after young Sheldon draws up a relationship agreement for his grandmother and his mentor, old Sheldon says "I would go on to draw up such contracts throughout my life. With roommates, with my wife... even with my own children." One of those children, Leonard Cooper, was mentioned by name in narration for the Young Sheldon episode "A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth".
Sheldon tests the Wolowitz kids like Beverly, who is very similar in personality to Sheldon, did to Leonard.
Penny gets head-hunted by another pharmaceutical company.
Penny no longer needs to feel like she isn't good at anything.
Christine Baranski returns as Beverly Hofstadter.
Bernadette is worried that Penny will take the other job.
Leonard was upset at first that he was being experimented on as a child and his mother didn't love her. After speaking with her, Leonard appeared to be okay with being experimented on and becoming a better person for it - only to be told by Beverly that the "experiment" was not yet over.
Penny was offered a lot of money from a rival company, but Bernadette doesn't trust this company. Penny is happy where she is and without Bernadette she wouldn't be there.
Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Ben Rauch (Darren) are siblings in real life.

Milestone[]

Stage Plaque — Stage 25 at Warner Bros. Studios was officially named after the show while this week's episode was being rehearsed.

Quotes[]

Penny: I want to be really prepared for the conference.

Bernadette: You’re gonna do great.

Penny: You really think so?

Bernadette: Of course. They’re scared of you. You’re scared of me. The system works.

Penny: [Repeated] It’s a brand new day.

Raj: So you really think you can trick Sheldon into liking babies?

Amy: I slept with him. I married him. You want to bet against me?

Bernadette: Do you realize how amazing this girl?

Penny: Aw, you think I’m amazing?

Bernadette: Stay out of this! Not only is she a helluva salesperson, she the hardest worked I’ve ever seen.

Sheldon: You know spending time with Michael and Halley today really made me think about our future children.

Amy: Huh, what an interesting and completely unforeseen development. What are you thinking?

Sheldon: Well, I just can’t decide. Either five sets of triplets. Or three sets of quintuplets. You know what? It doesn’t matter as long as they’re healthy. And divisible by three.

Amy: That’s a lot of babies, Sheldon.

Sheldon: Oh, only for humans. For frogs, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

Amy: Well, I’m sorry I’m not a frog.

Sheldon: Oh, don’t feel bad, Amy. You’re good enough for me.