Now airing on Thursday nights, The Big Bang Theory continued season 10 with “The Fetal Kick Catalyst.” It’s a light-hearted episode that follows the three main couples in their own storylines. If you ship any of them, then this was the episode to watch for adorable and hilarious couple moments.
We Have a Kick!
Howard and Bernadette continue to be the epitome of relationship goals in this episode. During the night, Howard feels their baby kick while cuddling his wife. He’s amazed, but quickly realizes that they’re nowhere near ready to have an infant in the house. The next day, he and Raj go out to buy baby stuff — including a crib and minivan — much to Bernadette’s surprise. However, when they try to take the crib out of the van, Howard throws out his back. Cue trip to the emergency room.
Howard’s scene while feeling the kick was extremely cute. He’s so in awe of the fact that Bernadette is actually pregnant, which leads to several hilarious quips from her. Her best response was, “Oh yeah, that’s where I put it” when Howard says there’s a baby in her belly. It’s clear that he really does love her and their baby. It’s pure, and it’s happy.
On the other hand, Howard and Raj’s friendship seems to have never been stronger. The minivan dealer thought they were husbands (which was also the consensus at the ultrasound). Later, they try to activate the van’s foot lift-gate together. This causes Bernadette to sarcastically say, “It’s weird that guy thought you were a couple.” And finally, Raj knows exactly which Batman cartoon calms Howard down on the way to the hospital. Sometimes their friendship seems a little too close considering Howard’s married, but it’s nice to see them bond.
Trial Brunch
As they continue to live together, Sheldon and Amy’s relationship becomes more domesticated. Sheldon surprises Amy by planning a brunch for them to host, which she loves. He invites over Bert, Stuart, and their downstairs Romanian neighbor, Mrs. Petrescu for a trial run. It goes great, until Stuart finds out that it’s a trial run. He reveals that he feels unappreciated within their main friend group and starts to leave. However, Sheldon stops him and makes a toast to him. By the end of the episode, they are drunkenly complimenting each other.
The Shamy moments before the brunch are what every shipper lives for. The way Amy’s face lights up when Sheldon tells her about the brunch is precious beyond words. Her ensuing hug — and the way he returns it — show just how far they have come and how much they appreciate each other. They’ve also come far in another way as well, as Sheldon openly pats her butt after she makes him “all randy” from complicated thought.
The most hilarious moment of the night came with Mrs. Petrescu. According to Sheldon, she’s been learning English from television. So whenever she says something, she adds a TV phrase like, “Story at 11” or “Now, back to you.” Her funniest line, however, was after Bert said they watched Sheldon try to open a bottle for 15 minutes. She quotes a commercial in response, saying, “15 minutes can save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.”
The Cost of Fame
The final plot of the episode features Penny and Leonard. Penny gets invited to do a signing at a small convention for her Serial Ape-ist movies, and Leonard goes with her. The fans she signs for, however, turn out to be creepy or, at times, innocently insult her performance. One even repeatedly denies that Leonard is her husband. This leads Leonard into telling a group of fans how he landed Penny as a wife.
Leonard and Penny’s chemistry with each other really shines as they commiserate over the bad fans. Even as Leonard describes how he wore her down into marrying him, they still support each other. In addition, Leonard’s fixation with his change maker (which he sadly doesn’t get to use) leads him to his funniest line of the night. Penny thinks the change maker is hot, and in return he says, “That’s right. I’m her change daddy.”
All in all, “The Fetal Kick Catalyst” is a casual episode that gives the characters a break from any major events. We get to see some awesome teamwork and growth, as well as the continuing saga of Bernadette’s pregnancy. Judging by where things ended, however, it’s probable that next week’s episode will see Howard in the emergency room for his back.
