"The Consummation Deviation"[1] is the eighth episode of the twelfth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
Summary
Sheldon tries to bond with Amy's father, but when Wolowitz lures Mr. Fowler away with magic tricks, Sheldon has no choice but to bond with Mrs. Fowler. Also, Koothrappali and Anu try to get physical for the first time.[2]
Extended Plot
While setting up for take-out, Raj asks if they have any plans for Valentine’s Day. He wants them all to come to India for his and Anu’s wedding. The gang is all excited including Sheldon who wants to feed the elephants peanuts. Raj is sure they can have a wedding in only three months because he talks to her family all the time. They all discuss their relationships with their in-laws including Sheldon who never talks to Amy’s folks. Also Raj doesn’t want Anu to have to sit on the floor like Raj always does. Overreacting, when Anu arrives, everyone else is on the couch.
Driving home, Raj complains about all the dumplings he ate, while Anu announces that they should have sex. Raj almost wrecks the car. Anu plans to get a room in her hotel. Raj says that he is very confident. Anu just wants to make sure that they are compatible.
Room for two more!
Amy wakes up and finds Sheldon planning a day of fun for her while Sheldon has other plans. He wants to get to know her family better. Amy thinks that their put-offish relationship is perfect. Amy’s mother is difficult so Sheldon is planning a day with her dad. Larry arrives and calls Amy "pumpkin". Sheldon calls her spaghetti squash. He starts to call his father-in-law Larry, but then decides to pick a vegetable name.
While Leonard and Howard play a video game, Raj wants to talk about his pending coitus. He is pretty anxious and wonders what happens if they don’t connect. He also wonders if that will make them breakup or if he going to have a lifetime of mediocre sex. Leonard’s first time with Penny was awesome, while Howard was just worried about his mother walking in on them.
Talking to Bernie and Penny, Bernie tells Raj to lock the door of their hotel room. Penny is sure that everything will be fine and that Anu is also probably nervous.
Spending the day with Dad.
Sheldon brings Larry into another of his favorite places, the comic book store. Previously, Sheldon took Larry to the train store where Larry bought a train whistle. Sheldon blows it. Howard then makes the whistle disappear amazing Larry. He wants Howard to show him how he did it and offers Howard a hundred bucks for the secret, but he can’t find his wallet because Howard picked his pocket.
At the hotel Raj calls Penny to talk about how nervous he was. Penny again says that everything will work out. Her first time with Leonard was nothing to write home about, but it gets "better" with time. Anu arrives and Raj tries to say "hi", but can’t utter a sound because is selective mutism returned. Raj grabs the champagne and heads into the bathroom worrying Anu. Raj comes out and Anu asks him what the problem is. Raj wants to explain, but knows that it’s not a good story.
At the Wolowitzes, Howard is teaching an excited Larry the magic rings trick. Sheldon tells "Turnip" that they need to leave; however, Larry is having a great time. Sheldon would rather go the train station. Sheldon tells Howard to stop bonding with his his father-in-law and go do it with his Bernie’s father. Howard offers to trade him fathers-in-law. Then, Sheldon goes to visit Amy’s mother and bond with her.
Raj explains to Anu his previous problem of not being able to talk to women except when drunk. Anu wonders if he’s been drunk the whole time they’ve known each other. Raj denies it and that he was just nervous that night. He hadn’t told her because he was embarrassed. Anu can identify with the problem because she gets embarrassed to tell people that she doesn’t like music. Any music. They both admit that they have their eccentricities, they laugh about them and then embrace.
At the Fowler’s, Sheldon is to Mrs. Fowler talking about his foot fungus which she finds very disturbing. Mrs. Fowler doesn’t want to discuss her body with Sheldon, who then decides to take a selfie with her. In it they look like they are two peas in a pod. Sheldon then wonders if he can call her “Old Lady Green Bean”.
In Apartment 4A, Leonard tells Penny that he was reliving their first night together. Penny tells him to not beat himself up because now the sex is great. Amy runs in worried that Sheldon is hanging out with her mother. She had been telling her mother that she couldn’t visit her because of Sheldon. She loves her Mom, but she doesn’t want to spend a lot of time with her.
What is going on, Raj?
At the Fowler’s, Sheldon wants to play twenty questions about Nobel Prize winning physicists. Amy calls him and asks how things are going. Sheldon says that he is bonding with her and that he thinks that she likes him. Mrs. Fowler shoots back that she’d like him better if he didn’t keep Amy away from her. Sheldon denies it and asks Amy who doesn’t want to broach the subject. Amy tells Sheldon to not listen to her mother because she is crazy. “Hello, Amy”, her mother tells her. Amy was unknowingly talking to her and then offers to have Thanksgiving dinner with them. Mrs. Fowler tells Sheldon that she should be angry at Amy and not Sheldon who starts to bond because he is also mad at his wife. Then they also bond over not liking Howard. Sheldon still defends Amy because he loves her; however, he still calls his mother-in-law a delight.
In the morning, Anu brings Raj some coffee. She found that the previous night was wonderful and that Raj was talking to her again. Raj wonders if they should wait for another night, while Anu insists that Raj join her in the shower.
In Apartment 4B, Mrs. Fowler thanks Amy for having them over for dinner. Amy could not think of one reason why they couldn’t and she had tried. Larry wants to show everyone a magic trick and he makes a steak knife disappear. Amy is amazed while Larry’s hand starts to bleed. He runs off to the bathroom. Mrs. Fowler doesn’t see the point of magic, which pleases Sheldon greatly.
Credits
- Guest starring:
- Rati Gupta as Anu
- Teller as Larry Fowler
- Kathy Bates as Mrs. Fowler
- Kevin Sussman as Stuart
- Teleplay: Eric Kaplan, Andy Gordon, & Adam Faberman
- Story: Chuck Lorre, Steve Holland & Maria Ferrari
Notes
- Title Reference: The title refers to Raj and Anu consummating their relationship.
- Taping date: October 30, 2018
- This episode was watched by 12.85 million people with a rating of 2.3 (adults 18-49).
- Total viewers including DVR users 17.92 million.
- This episode aired in Canada on November 8, 2018.
- Chuck Lorre's vanity card. [1]
Critics
- Caroline Preece at Den of Geek! - Sheldon who decides it's time to get to know his wife’s parents better after Raj points out that he’s already quite friendly with Anu’s family. It’s a largely unselfish act from someone who almost never does anything without a reward, even if Sheldon does go about things with his usual oblivious cheek...And so Sheldon must retreat to plan B, and get to know Amy’s mother - now and forever known as ‘Old Lady Green Beans’. When she seems even more hostile than expected, we learn that Amy has been using Sheldon as an excuse as to why she can’t come over for dinner for often. Soon they’re bonding over the things that annoy them in their spouses, including putting ketchup on their eggs. Urgh...The courtship between Raj and Anu continues to be great, with the pair this week deciding that they should probably have sex before they get married. But there are some obstacles - Raj works himself up about the date at a hotel room that he finds he cannot speak when Anu walks in. It’s a great callback and Kunal Nayyar does a wonderful job of communicating the panic of losing your confidence just when everything seemed to be coming together. [2]
- IMDb user reviews [3]
Trivia
- Larry Fowler is amazed by Howard's magic even though the actor Teller is an accomplish magician.
- Sheldon makes Amy uneasy with his behavior including bonding with her mother when she is uncomfortable around her.
- Part of this episode resembles "The Thanksgiving Decoupling", where Howard tries to bond with his father-in-law, but he starts to bond with Sheldon instead. In this scenario, the roles are reversed, where Sheldon tries to bond with his father-in-law, who bonds with Howard instead.
- In Raj's plot to this episode, his selective mutism briefly returns.
Quotes
- Sheldon: Can I feed peanuts to the elephants at your wedding?
- Raj: That is such a stereotype!
- Sheldon: There won't be any elephants?
- Raj: Of course there'll be elephants. It's a stereotype that you feed them peanuts.
- Amy: Hi, daddy.
- Larry Fowler: Hey, pumpkin.
- Sheldon: Pumpkin! I've been calling her Spaghetti Squash. It's amazing that one woman can be different vegetables to different men.
- Leonard: It's... just don't put so much pressure on it. I-It's always a little awkward in the beginning. I remember the first time I slept with Penny.
- Raj: It was bad?
- Leonard: Oh, dude, it was awesome! I will replay it in my head until the day I die.
- Anu: Hi. [Unable to talk, Raj waves]
- Anu:[Awkwardly waving back] Everything okay? [Raj heads to the bathroom]
- Anu: Why are you acting so weird? [Raj takes a bottle of champagne and closes the bathroom door]
- Anu: Raj? What's going on?
- Raj: Be right out! You look beautiful!
- Raj: Okay, you wanted the truth, here it is.
- Anu: You have a drinking problem.
- Raj: No. I, uh, I have a talking problem, and a drinking solution.
- Raj: For most of my life, I got so nervous around women that I couldn't talk to them without alcohol.
- Anu:So you've been drunk every time we've seen each other?
- Raj: No. No, it hasn't happened in a long time. And I really thought I was over it, but I guess... I don't know, I guess I-I wanted so much for tonight to go well, that I stressed myself out. It came back.
- Penny: Hey. You look deep in thought.
- Leonard: Ah, I'm just reflecting.
- Penny: About what?
- Leonard: The first time we slept together.
- Penny: Oh, honey, don't beat yourself up. It's great now.
- Amy: Guys, focus. My mom thinks that Sheldon is the reason I don't spend a lot of time with her.
- Penny: Well, why would she think that?
- Amy: Because I told her. Do you need a cup of coffee? Wake up!
- Amy: Sheldon, don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about. She's crazy!
- Mrs. Fowler: Hello, Amy.
- Amy: [weakly] Hello, mother. Great news. We-we can come for Thanksgiving this year.
- Mrs. Fowler: Thank you, Amy. It's so nice of you to have us over for dinner.
- Amy: Couldn't think of a single reason not to.
- Sheldon: Yeah, and boy, did she try.
References
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| Episodes | Season 12 | ||||||||||||
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