Season 09
Episode 11 The Opening Night Excitation Thursday, Dec 17 2015
Episode 10 The Earworm Reverberation Thursday, Dec 10 2015
Episode 09 The Platonic Permutation Thursday, Nov 19 2015
Episode 08 The Mystery Date Observation Thursday, Nov 12 2015
Episode 07 The Spock Resonance Thursday, Nov 5 2015
Episode 06 The Helium Insufficiency Monday, Oct 26 2015
Episode 05 The Perspiration Implementation Monday, Oct 19 2015
Episode 04 The 2003 Approximation Monday, Oct 12 2015
Episode 03 The Bachelor Party Corrosion Monday, Oct 5 2015
Episode 02 The Separation Oscillation Monday, Sep 28 2015
Episode 01 The Matrimonial Momentum Monday, Sep 21 2015
SHELDON COOPER
Sheldon Cooper is a theoretical physicist at Caltech who lives with his best friend, Leonard Hofstadter. Sheldon is known for his brilliant mind but also his quirky behavior and idiosyncrasies. Sheldon has a hard time understanding sarcasm and is, with the exception of his close friends and girlfriend Amy, uncomfortable with most social situations. Sheldon is extremely logical, but this comes at a cost of often being rude of condescending to others. Although Sheldon’s friends are often the subject of his put downs and narcissistic behavior, they have generally learned to live with Sheldon’s quirks. Bernadette says that Sheldon doesn’t know when he’s being mean as “the part of his brain that should know is getting a wedgie from the rest of his brain”.
Sheldon has many interests, including comic books, video games and sci-fi TV shows. Sheldon’s favorite TV shows include Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Star Trek and Firefly. Sheldon knows many languages including Finnish, Spanish, Mandarin, Persian and Arabic (and Klingon).
Although Sheldon does not enjoy the sport, he has a strong understanding of American football, thanks to his late father. When Leonard wanted to learn more about football to ingratiate himself with Penny’s friends, Sheldon taught him football. When the guys spent Thanksgiving at Mrs. Wolowitz’s house, Sheldon bonded with Bernadette’s father, Mike Rostenkowski, over football and beer.
Sheldon generally avoids alcohol, drugs and caffeinated beverages, though he has made exceptions. Sheldon has been inadvertently drunk a number of times, usually at the hands of Penny. Sheldon voluntarily drank alcohol when he was nervous about giving a speech at an awards banquet. Sheldon also shared some beers with Bernadette’s father, Mike, one Thanksgiving.
Sheldon’s wardrobe includes a large number of superhero and other geeky t-shirts. He usually wears a different color long-sleeved shirt underneath his t-shirts.
Early Life and Family
Sheldon was born in Galveston, Texas, to Mary Cooper, a devout Evangelical Christian, and George Cooper, an alcoholic. Sheldon has an older brother and a fraternal twin sister, Missy. According to Mary Cooper, her two other children are “dumb as soup”. Sheldon’s father died when he was fourteen.
Sheldon has a loving yet complicated relationship with his mother, Mary. Although Sheldon greatly appreciates the love and support she gives him, he’s uncomfortable with her religious beliefs. When Mary comes to town, Sheldon looks forward to her taking care of him as if he was a kid again. Despite his fondness for his mother’s affection, Sheldon has at times longed for the sort of mother Leonard had in Beverly Hofstadter, a cold and distant mother with a brilliant analytical mind.
Sheldon speaks fondly of his grandmother, whom he calls Meemaw and who calls him Moonpie. Growing up, Sheldon’s grandfather, whom he called Pop-Pop, was the person who most encouraged Sheldon’s interest in science. Pop-Pop died when Sheldon was five years old.
Sheldon’s academic brilliance started at an early age. Sheldon started college at the age of eleven and graduate at fourteen. He was, at the time, the youngest person to receive the Stevenson Award, receiving it at fourteen and a half. Sheldon received his first doctorate at age sixteen. He spent a year as a visiting professor at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
Relationship with Amy
After Howard and Raj secretly set up an online dating profile for Sheldon, the website matched him with Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist. Howard and Raj blackmailed Sheldon into meeting Amy with the threat of a dirty sock. When Amy told Sheldon she only met with him because of an agreement with her mother to date once a year, and after she informed him that all forms of physical contact (up to and including coitus) were off the table, Sheldon offered to buy her a beverage.
After their first date, Amy and Sheldon texted each other for a few months. At the insistence of Penny, Sheldon and Amy went out on a proper date. Throughout this early stage of their relationship, Sheldon categorized her as a “a girl who is my friend but is not my girlfriend”.
When Stuart asked Amy out on a date, Sheldon experienced feelings of jealousy and eventually recognized his feelings for Amy. After Sheldon interrupted Amy’s date to convince her to stay with him, he and Amy officially become boyfriend and girlfriend with the signing of the relationship agreement. Their relationship grew closer when he cuddled an upset Amy after Bernadette and Penny left her out of wedding dress shopping. When the gang watched Howard’s space launch on TV, in one small step for Sheldon, he grabbed hold of Amy’s hand.
When Amy was sick with the flu, Sheldon took care of her as was his duty under the relationship agreement. Amy enjoyed Sheldon taking care of her so much that she pretended to be sick even after she had recovered. When Sheldon uncovered Amy’s deception, he chose to punish her by spanking her. After Sheldon lied to Barry Kripke about having a sexual relationship with Amy, Penny asked him straight out whether he would consider a physical relationship. Sheldon told her it was a possibility.
When the whole gang played Dungeons and Dragons one evening, Amy got upset that the guys were mocking her relationship with Sheldon. Amy asked Sheldon if he thought their relationship will ever get intimate. Sheldon told Amy he doesn’t consider their relationship a joke and that he would not rule intimacy out. Sheldon then played out the love potion scenario of the game with Amy, much to her delight.
For Valentine’s Day, Amy arranged a romantic weekend trip to Napa Valley aboard a vintage train. After Sheldon spent the journey with a fellow train enthusiast, Amy confronted him about his behavior. Sheldon made Amy admit she “manipulated” him with the perfect trip in pursuit of romance, so Sheldon sarcastically gave her the romance she wanted. Sheldon drank wine, stared into her eyes and then kissed her. Though he intended the kiss to be short and sarcastic, Sheldon lingered and seemed like he may have enjoyed it. When Sheldon spent Anything Can Happen Thursday with Penny, she took him to see a psychic. The psychic told Sheldon all his issues, personal and professional, would be solved if he commits completely to Amy.
When the girls decided to recreate their proms on the roof of the apartment building, Sheldon was worried Amy might be expecting an intimate evening, as is Sheldon, who didn’t attend his high school prom, was eager for his first prom to go well and chose to embrace all traditions associated with prom. When Sheldon picked Amy on the night of the party, he was overwhelmed and told her he couldn’t go. Sheldon later admitted he was worried that Amy would be expecting them to get intimate after the party. Amy told him that she is always hopeful for something to happen, but that she just wanted to have a nice time. When Amy tried to tell Sheldon something, telling him he shouldn’t feel any pressure to say it back, Sheldon jumped in and said “I love you, too.” Sheldon told Amy there is no denying he has feelings for her that can not be explained in any other way.
Sheldon upset Amy when he revealed he had signed up for a one-way trip to colonize Mars without even discussing it with her. Although Sheldon didn’t initially understand Amy’s anger, he later asked her if she would like to submit a joint application for them both to go to Mars. After Sheldon was not invited to a physics symposium, he and Amy talked about how badly it feels to be left out. Sheldon mentioned how he used to feel as a kid when his brother and sister would make forts in the living room and not let him enter. Amy suggested they spend the night building a fort in the living. Sheldon had so much fun he changed the parameters of the Relationship Agreement to allow Amy to spend the night.
After Sheldon interrupted their kissing to ask Amy whether he should watch a new TV show, Amy was angry that Sheldon wasn’t paying attention to her on their anniversary date night. Amy took a few days away from Sheldon to think about their relationship. When Amy contacted Sheldon again, she told him being his girlfriend was challening and she needed to take a step back and re-evaluate their situation. After the video chat ended, Sheldon turned to the Gollum figure on his desk to ask what he should do with a ring.
Notable Friendships
Sheldon’s best friend is Leonard, with whom he shares an apartment. Although Sheldon can be dismissive of Leonard and his accomplishments, Sheldon is very dependent on Leonard as a friend and a roommate. Leonard is put upon to handle many chores for Sheldon, including driving him about. Sheldon sometimes overlooks the sacrifices Leonard has made, such as not living with his fiancee, to accommodate Sheldon.
Sheldon has occasionally shown a softer side towards Leonard. When Sheldon heard Penny might be considering dumping Leonard, Sheldon asked her not to hurt his friend. When Leonard moved out of the apartment because of Sheldon’s annoying behavior, Sheldon tried repeatedly to get Leonard to return home. Sheldon was very concerned for Leonard when he needed minor surgery.
Sheldon initially took a disapproving attitude to Leonard welcoming Penny into their social group, though he has since come to value her as a friend. Sheldon has shown appreciation for Penny when she’s cared for him when he’s sick or taken him in when he’s locked out of his apartment. Sheldon has returned the favor by driving Penny to the hospital when she was injured.
Sheldon saves much of his condescension and scorn for Howard, whose career he looks down on with great pleasure. As a result of Sheldon’s antagonism towards him, Howard has not been as tolerant of Sheldon’s quirks as the other guys. Sheldon views himself as Howard’s slightly apathetic tertiary friend and described Howard as a treasured acquaintance, rather than a friend. In an effort to improve their friendship, Howard invited Sheldon along to see him give a speech at NASA in Houston. When their plane was hit by turbulence, Howard and Sheldon apologized to each other for their past behavior.
Sheldon and Raj’s friendship has also seen its share of drama, particularly when Sheldon offered Raj a job working with him.
Career
Sheldon was offered the opportunity to conduct a three month expedition to the North Pole to study monopoles. Despite their initial reluctance at spending three months in a ice cabin with Sheldon, the other guys accepted Sheldon’s request to accompanying him there. When the guys returned from the expedition, Sheldon was upset to learn the guys had manipulated his data with an electric can opener. Having already publicly announced his results, Sheldon returned home to Texas in shame. The guys flew out to pick him up and, when Sheldon got tired of his mother’s religious views, he returned to Pasadena.
Sheldon thought he discovered a technique for creating a new heavy element and was pleased when a Chinese research team reportedly tested his technique with promising results. Sheldon soon realized he made a mistake and was uncomfortable being praised for his accidental discovery. Leonard later disproved Sheldon’s discovery, forcing him to retract his findings.
After Sheldon grew frustrated at his lack of momentum in his string theory research, he decided to switch field and chose to focus on dark matter. Sheldon was angered when the university refused his request to switch his field of study. The university’s refusal was one of the reasons that led to Sheldon leaving Pasadena on a cross-country train journey. When Sheldon returned to the university, they found a solution to allow him to change his research as long as he teaches a class as a junior professor.
Trivia
- Full name: Sheldon Lee Cooper.
- Birth date: February 26, 1980.
- Home town: Galveston, Texas.
- Sheldon and Leonard are both named after the famed TV producer and actor Sheldon Leonard.
- Sheldon had 212 friends on MySpace.
- Sheldon is fluent in Morse code.
- Sheldon has an IQ of 187.
LEONARD HOFSTADTER
Leonard Hofstadter is an experimental physicist at Caltech in Pasadena. Leonard is currently engaged to Penny, whom he lives across the hall from with Sheldon Cooper.
Although Leonard has many geeky interests and hobbies, he has been the most willing of the guys to try and socialize with people. Leonard’s interest in Penny is the reason she became a part of their social group and helped bring the guys out of their shell.
Leonard is known for his black-framed glasses, natural-colored jackets and hoodies, which he usually wears over superhero or physics t-shirts, and he typically wears low-cut black Converse All Star sneakers.
Family
Leonard is from a high-achieving family and has often felt unloved and under appreciated. All the members of his family are accomplished scientists, except for his younger brother who is a tenured law professor at Harvard.
Leonard’s mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. At best her mothering style would be described as cold and distant. She did not heap love or praise on Leonard as a child. Growing up, Leonard’s birthdays were not celebrated, and for Christmas he was made to prepare a scientific paper for Santa which his parents would grade. Because of the lack of affection from his mother, Leonard developed a hugging machine.
Leonard’s mother has formed a bond with Sheldon, whose personality is similar to hers, much to Leonard’s annoyance. Beverly now keeps in closer contact with Sheldon than she does her own son, though Leonard is unlikely to want to hear from his mother more often than he already does.
When Sheldon and Leonard received an award for a paper they co-wrote together, their mothers both visited town at the same time. Leonard was angry at Sheldon for hogging Beverly’s attention. Seeing Mary’s loving, affectionate parenting style towards Sheldon, Beverly considered whether her style of parenting was too cold and detached. Beverly later promised to shower Leonard with unconditional love.
Relationship with Penny
Leonard’s infatuation with Penny began the day he saw her move into the apartment across the hall. Despite Sheldon’s disinclination to socialize with their new neighbor, Leonard invited her over for lunch. After a year of living across the hall from each other, Leonard finally asked Penny out – a proposal she accepted. After an “okay” date, Penny broke things off as she feared she wasn’t smart enough to date a guy like Leonard. The pair went back to dating other people.
When Sheldon was offered the chance to lead a three month research expedition in the Arctic, he invited Leonard, Howard and Raj along to help him. When Penny found out Leonard would be away for months, her feelings for him became clear to her, although she couldn’t build up the courage to tell Leonard not to go. When Leonard returned from the three-month trip, Penny kissed him and they soon started dating.
Leonard and Penny’s relationship came to an end when Leonard told Penny he loved her and she couldn’t say the same back. Despite the awkwardness, the pair vowed to remain friends even as they began to date other people. Leonard and Penny’s friendship suffered when he dated Priya, who told him he shouldn’t hang around with Penny any more.
After his relationship with Priya dissolved, Leonard spontaneously asked Penny out on a date, which she accepted. After a beta test where they tried to iron out the kinks in their new relationship, Leonard and Penny got back together and have remained a couple since. When Leonard was jealous about Penny having a male friend, Penny finally told him he’s the one she loves – the first time she was able to say she loved him. Later, Leonard left for a four month expedition in the North Sea, with their relationship on a solid footing.
Following a setback in her acting career, Penny proposed to Leonard while drunk. Leonard hesitated to answer, and later feared their relationship was over, but Penny assured him he made the right decision. Following another career disappointment, Penny vowed to start making better live choices, deciding she and Leonard should get married. At first, Leonard thought Penny only wanted to get married because of her career problems, but she told him she now knew what was important in her life. After Leonard was convinced she really did want to get married, he got down on one knee and proposed to Penny, handing her an engagement ring he’d been carrying around.
Following their engagement, the couple have not yet set a date for the wedding. Leonard and Penny have considered living together, but Sheldon’s dependence on Leonard has made this difficult. Sheldon agreed to let Leonard stay with Penny one night a week.
When Sheldon pushed Leonard and Penny to set a wedding date, they started to consider their wedding, even though neither one of them was in a hurry. After Leonard said it doesn’t matter whether they get married in a day or in fifty years, Penny started to think she would like to get married soon. Penny told Leonard she was free that night and that Vegas is not that far away. After Leonard said he was in, the couple drove to Vegas. On the way, Leonard confessed to Penny that during his North Sea expedition he kissed another woman. Penny told Leonard she wasn’t happy about the kiss, but she could get past it, so they carried on driving to Vegas.
Other Relationships
Not long after Penny moved in to apartment 4B, Leonard’s hopes of getting together with her were dashed when he saw her with another guy. In response, Leonard asked out Leslie Winkle, a fellow scientist from the university who greatly irritated Sheldon. Leonard’s dalliance with Leslie was short-lived as she wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. A year later, after Leonard’s ultimately unsuccessful date with Penny, Leslie decided she wanted a long-term partner but decided Leonard wasn’t a suitable mate because of a scientific disagreement.
Leonard had a relatively short relationship with Dr. Stephanie Barnett, a girl Howard initially picked up and had hoped to impress by letting her drive the Mars Rover. Howard was angered when Leonard stole his girl, though Stephanie told Leonard that Howard never had a chance with her – he was wearing an eye patch, after all. Leonard and Stephanie’s relationship was going well – even Sheldon liked her – until Leonard realized that Stephanie had moved in without him noticing. Fearing their relationship was moving too fast, Leonard tried to break up with her – but each time just led to sex.
Later, when Raj’s sister Priya moved to Pasadena, Leonard and her started a relationship after their previous one night stands. During their time together, Leonard’s friendship with Raj suffered, as he was unhappy seeing his friend date his sister, while Priya told Leonard not to see Penny any more. Leonard was angered when he found out Priya was moving back to India, but they tried to keep a long distance relationship going.
During his long distance relationship with Priya, Leonard met a comic book artist, Alice, and hit things off. Leonard and Alice shared a kiss, but Leonard was torn over whether he should have sex with her while in a relationship with Priya. Leonard ultimately decided to be a “good guy” and not sleep with Alice. When Leonard told Priya about Alice and his decision not to sleep with her, Priya revealed she had already cheated on Leonard with another guy, ending their relationship.
Living with Sheldon
Although Sheldon is Leonard’s best friend and roommate, living with him and being his friend is not without its troubles for Leonard. Leonard does his best to appreciate Sheldon’s quirks and eccentricities, but Sheldon can be very annoying.
Leonard not only has to put up with Sheldon’s quirks and demands, he has to perform a lot of errands for Sheldon, too. Sheldon has, at times, come through for his buddy, including the time he saved Leonard from exploding rocket fuel.
When Professor Proton asked Leonard why he put up with Sheldon, Leonard told him how Sheldon can be aggravating but he isn’t doing it on purpose. Leonard said Sheldon is loyal, trustworthy and that they have fun together. Leonard called Sheldon the smartest person he knew, and admitted that Sheldon’s a little broken and needs him, and that he needs Sheldon, too.
Leonard has, at times, threatened to leave Sheldon rather than submit to his will or the roommate agreement. When Sheldon annoyed him by waking him up in the middle of the night for an apartment safety drill, Leonard nullified their friendship. Later, after Sheldon spoiled the Harry Potter books for Leonard, he temporarily moved in with Penny.
When Leonard pointed out to Sheldon that he was the only reason Leonard wasn’t living with his fiancé, Sheldon suggested Leonard could gradually start moving out. They settled on Leonard staying with Penny one day a week, though Sheldon slept over at Penny’s apartment with them.
Notable Friendships
Leonard has close friendships with Howard and Raj, both of whom were his friends before he met Sheldon. Leonard has at times been Howard’s wingman, though after spending a night on the town with Howard, Leonard started to question whether Howard saw nearly as much action as he claimed. After Howard called on a pact he had with Leonard, he asked Penny to set Howard up with one of her friends. Penny set him up with Bernadette, at that time her co-worker at the Cheesecake Factory. Bernadette is now Howard’s wife.
Leonard’s friendship with Raj encountered trouble when Leonard started dating Priya. Raj was very unhappy about the relationship and this led to an evening where he got drunk with Penny, later ending up in bed with her. Leonard was angry at Raj for seemingly wrecking his chances with Penny, though things later cleared up. When Raj was tasked with recording a message for a NASA mission in case it encounters alien life, Raj and Leonard bonded over their role as the omega males in the group, feeling they are often pushed around by alpha males Sheldon and Howard.
Career
Leonard is an experimental physicist at Caltech. In his career, he has occasionally worked with Sheldon, often with mixed results. After Sheldon and Leonard wrote a paper on super-solids, Sheldon received a letter asking them to present their paper at a physics conference. Sheldon threw the letter away without asking Leonard, who later decided to present the paper without Sheldon. Sheldon showed up at Leonard’s presentation and derailed it, leading to a physical fight between him and Leonard that ended up on YouTube.
Leonard joined Howard and Raj as part of Sheldon’s team to study magnetic monopoles in the Arctic. Later, after Howard recommended him to Professor Stephen Hawking, Leonard was part of a North Sea expedition to test hydrodynamic simulations of black holes.
After Leonard had an idea for a new way to look at super fluids, he and Sheldon co-wrote a paper and published it online. Later, when the paper was mentioned in the Scientific American, Leonard was upset that his contribution to the paper was overlooked.
When Leonard was asked to give the commencement speech at his old high school in New Jersey, a flight cancellation almost meant he couldn’t do it. Penny was able to arrange for Leonard to give the speech via Skype from his apartment. Although Leonard initially spoke from his prepared notes, he was soon bored himself. Leonard spent the remainder of the speech talking to the invisible kids, like he was in high school. Leonard told the kids who didn’t fit in or have any friends that while they’re spending their time on their own, building computers or practicing cello, they’re really becoming interesting, and when people finally do notice them, they will find somebody a lot cooler than they thought.
Trivia
- Full name: Leonard Leakey Hofstadter.
- Born: May 1980.
- Leonard and Sheldon are both named after the famed TV producer and actor Sheldon Leonard.
- Leonard gets his middle name from Professor Louis Leakey.
- Leonard’s last name is in honor of Nobel Prize winning physicist Robert Hofstadter, who worked at Stanford University in the field of nuclear physics.
- Although Leonard’s IQ has not directly been mentioned on the show, he and Sheldon have said they have a combined IQ of 360. Sheldon has said his IQ is 187. Therefore, Leonard’s IQ is 173.
- Leonard is lactose-intolerant and can not process corn.
PENNY
Penny is a former waitress, actress and a current pharmaceutical sales rep. Originally from Omaha, Penny moved to California with dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress. Since 2007, Penny has lived in the apartment across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard, who is now her fiance.
Penny’s lack of education sets her apart from the guys and Amy and Bernadette, though she has street smarts which many of the others lack. Penny has also proved to be very handy as a result of growing up on a farm, where she rebuilt a tractor engine at the age of twelve. Penny has been called on by the guys to defeat spiders and online hackers. In 2012, Penny went back to school for some history and psychology classes, although she initially kept it quiet from Leonard who she felt would make a big deal about it.
Penny has usually had little interest in the guy’s geeky hobbies, though she has tried to get on board with some of them for the sake of her relationship with Leonard. In some instances, Penny has shown an interest in their activities, once even becoming addicted to online gaming.
During Penny’s time as an actress, she was often short of money and came to rely on the guys. Penny had a habit of eating their food without contributing and of freeloading on their WiFi, leading Sheldon to repeatedly change the password. The guys were once called on to retrieve money owed to Penny by her ex-boyfriend Kurt. After Penny received a royalty check from her commercial, she paid Sheldon and Leonard back by buying them mint edition Spock collectibles.
Not much is known at Penny’s family, not even their last name. Her father, Wyatt, visited Pasadena once while Penny and Leonard were broken up. Penny pretended to still be dating Leonard, whom Wyatt approved off, in a bid to keep him off her back about her otherwise bad dating choices. Penny has a brother who is a chemist of sorts (in a meth lab) and who may currently be on the run in Mexico.
Relationship with Leonard
From the moment he first saw Penny, Leonard was smitten with her. It took almost a year of Leonard pining over Penny before he finally asked her out, an offer which Penny accepted. After an “okay” date, Penny broke things off with Leonard as she was afraid she wasn’t smart enough for him. The pair then started seeing other people again.
Penny’s feelings for Leonard became clear when Leonard and the guys went on a three month expedition to the arctic. Before Leonard went on the expedition, Penny couldn’t work up the courage to not tell him to go. When the guys returned from the Arctic, Penny kissed Leonard and they then started a relationship.
When Leonard prematurely told Penny he loved her, she broke things off as she wasn’t in the same place he was. Following their break-up, despite things being awkward between them at first, Leonard and Penny worked to make sure they could still be friends. While they both dated other people, Leonard started a serious relationship with Priya, Raj’s sister. Leonard and Priya’s relationship was difficult to watch for Penny, who clearly still harbored feelings for Leonard, especially when Priya demanded Leonard no longer be friends with her.
When Priya moved back to India, her long-distance relationship with Leonard fell apart. Soon, Leonard took the bold move of asking Penny out to dinner on a date, an invitation Penny accepted. Following a beta test period of their relationship, Penny and Leonard got back together and have been in a relationship ever since. For a long time, Penny was unable to say “I love you” to Leonard, but finally told him when Leonard was worried about losing her to another guy.
Following a setback in her acting career, Penny proposed to Leonard in a drunken state. Leonard, realizing Penny wasn’t in the best frame of mind, hesitated, much to Penny’s initial anger. Although Leonard was worried it would end their relationship, Penny assured him they were still together. When Penny’s acting career took another hit as she was fired from a low-budget movie, she vowed to start making better decisions. She proposed to Leonard, who wondered whether he career troubles were the only reason she wanted to get married. After Penny convinced Leonard that wasn’t the case, he proposed to her and she accepted.
After their engagement, the couple did not rush to set a date for their wedding. Leonard and Penny have considered living together, but Sheldon’s reliance on Leonard made this difficult. Sheldon agreed to let Leonard stay with Penny one night a week, but he slept over in Penny’s apartment, too.
When Sheldon pushed Leonard and Penny to set a date for the wedding, they started to consider their wedding, even though they said they weren’t in a rush. After told Penny it doesn’t matter whether they get married in a day or in fifty years, Penny started to think she would like to get married soon. Penny told Leonard she was free that night and that Vegas is not far away. After Leonard said he was in, the couple drove to Las Vegas. On the way there, Leonard confessed to Penny that he kissed another woman while away on his North Sea expedition. Penny told Leonard she wasn’t happy about the kiss but she could get past it, so the pair carried on driving to Vegas.
Other Relationships
Apart from Leonard, Penny has only really had two other somewhat serious relationships that we know about. Penny moved in to her apartment following her break-up with Kurt, her hulking boyfriend. Penny asked Leonard and Sheldon to go get some of her stuff back from Kurt’s apartment, leading them to get “pantsed”. Leonard and Kurt would have other run-ins at Penny’s Halloween party and when Kurt owed Penny money.
Penny’s other serious relationship, eventually revealed to be more serious than either of them realized, was with Zack Johnson. Following her break-up with Leonard, Penny started dating Zack, a dim-witted guy who delivered the menus to the Cheesecake Factory. Following a one-night stand with Zack, Penny blamed Leonard for ruining her for dumb guys. She and Zack later got back together, though it’s not clear when they broke up. At Thanksgiving 2013, after Penny mentioned a “fake Vegas wedding” she and Zack had, Penny learned that she was married to Zack. Leonard helped Penny sort out the paperwork to have the marriage annulled.
Notable Friendships
Penny has a complicated friendship with Sheldon, who is very much her polar opposite. Though Penny is often the subject of Sheldon’s derision, she has a soft spot for him and has often been like a big sister to him. Penny has cared for Sheldon when he was sick, let him stay in her apartment when he was locked out of his, taken him to Disneyland, and run all manner of errands for him. In return, Sheldon has lent Penny money when she was hard up and has cared for her when she dislocated her shoulder. Still, it’s not all fun and games, especially for Penny, as Sheldon has tried to train her with chocolate, teach her as if she was a gorilla, and has even banished her from the apartment for breaking his rules.
Penny has had an uncomfortable friendship with Howard, who for three years tried in vain to pick up her. Penny found Howard’s advances disgusting, though over time she did start to feel compassion for the guy underneath the “creepy candy coating”. Since Howard settled down with Bernadette, Penny is much more comfortable around Howard and has occasionally been surprised by how mature he is now.
From the beginning, Penny cared for Raj, even though he could not talk to her. In the early days, Penny sometimes had to leave the room so Raj could speak. When Raj and Penny spent an evening drinking together, drowning their own respective sorrows over Leonard and Priya’s relationship, they inadvertently spent the night together. Penny feared she had ruined her friendship with Raj and her relationship with Leonard. Her concerns were allayed when Raj admitted they didn’t actually have sex.
When Penny accompanied the guys to the comic book store, she met Stuart, who made a drawing of her and asked her out on a date. Stuart and Penny went on two dates, but their relationship ended when Penny accidentally said Leonard’s name as they made out.
After Amy began dating Sheldon, she joined Penny and Bernadette for girls’ night. Since then, Amy has made herself part of Penny’s social network, and considers her and Penny “besties”. Penny has helped Amy overcome some of her awkwardness and Amy is thankful to Penny for giving her the social life she always craved.
Penny met Bernadette when they both worked at the Cheesecake Factory together. When Howard called on a deal he had with Leonard, Penny set Howard up with Bernadette. As Howard and Bernadette started dating, Bernadette became a part of the group and began spending more time with Penny and later Amy.
Career
Penny worked as a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory while she waited for her acting career to take off. Penny was already working at the Cheesecake Factory when she met Sheldon and Leonard and, as a result, the guys began to eat at the restaurant on Tuesday nights. Penny quit her job at the Cheesecake Factory in 2014 to focus on her acting career.
Penny moved to California to make it as an actress in Hollywood, though she struggled to break through and has only had a few paying jobs. After meeting Sheldon and Leonard, her first acting gig was in a one night showcase production of Rent, which Leonard and Sheldon avoided through a convoluted lie. She later starred in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank above a bowling alley, and had a part in a nationwide commercial for haemorrhoid cream.
Following a stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire, where Penny’s performance even impressed Sheldon, Penny’s big break was supposed to be a bit part on the CBS drama series NCIS. Penny was disappointed that her part on the show was cut, and she decided that to make it as an actress she should quit her job at the Cheesecake Factory and focus on acting full time.
Before Penny met the guys, she had a role in a low budget horror movie Serial Ape-ist. Though she didn’t learn the guys knew until 2013, Howard reportedly found the movie on the Internet the same day they met Penny. Penny was offered a part in the sequel to the film, “Serial Ape-ist II: Monkey See, Monkey Kill”, and initially turned it down. When the part became available again, Penny reluctantly took the job. After Penny was fired from the movie, she decided to take a break from acting, realizing she didn’t need a Hollywood career to be happy.
When Penny was without a job, having quit her waitressing job at the Cheesecake Factory and given up on her acting career, Bernadette got her an interview at her pharmaceutical company, Zangen. During her job interview, Penny was worried she wasn’t up for the job and made a bad impression with the interviewer. After Penny and the interviewer bonded over their mutual fear of Bernadette, Penny got the job. Penny has taken the job seriously since, even blowing off a night of Vegas fun so she could study up on her work material.
Penny’s newfound success as a pharmaceutical sales rep has caused tension with Leonard. When Penny and Leonard were interview on Wil Wheaton’s podcast, Leonard was initially upset when Penny considered taking a movie part rather than focusing on her career. Leonard wanted Penny to stick with her high-paying pharma job, but when he learned how much more money than him Penny makes, he started to have feelings of jealousy at the role reversal in their relationship. Leonard was uncomfortable with Penny not only being more successful, but also more mature than him. After Penny asked if doing something dumb like trying out for the movie would make Leonard feel better, he agreed she should audition for the film.
When Penny auditioned for the part in the Kevin Smith movie, all the negative feelings she felt in the acting came rushing back. Penny read for the part anyway and, in her words, “stunk up the place”. Penny came away with a new appreciation for her pharmaceutical job.
Trivia
- Penny’s surname has never been revealed on the show. She is the only main character whose last name hasn’t been mentioned.
- Penny is the youngest member of the gang, having been 21 when she moved in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon.
- Penny is a Sagittarius, placing her birthday between November 22 and December 21. Kaley Cuoco’s birthday is November 30, so it’s possible Penny shares the same birthday.
HOWARD WOLOWITZ
Howard Wolowitz is an aerospace engineer and former NASA astronaut who works at Caltech in Pasadena. Howard is married to Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz and is best friends with Raj Koothrappali.
Howard’s personality has changed over the years from an often inappropriate, budding ladies’ man to being the first of the guys to get married and settle down. Among his friends and on the Internet, Howard and his online alter-ego Wolowizard had a creepy reputation. Howard was known for his inappropriate advances on just about any woman he came in contact with and his various schemes to meet women.
Howard is known for his bright, tight-fitting clothes, which are usually worn with a turtleneck or dickey, and large collection of belt buckles. Howard’s style does include more mainstream elements like Vans trainers, denim and leather jackets. Unlike Sheldon and Leonard, Howard does not usually wear superhero or geeky t-shirts.
For a long time, Howard’s vehicle of choice was a Vespa scooter, though he now drives an SUV. Besides English, Howard speaks French, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Persian and Japanese (oh, and Klingon). Howard has described himself as “bad Jew” as he does not follow a kosher diet, often enjoying pork.
Howard’s mom and family
Howard is the product of an overbearing Jewish mother, Debbie Wolowitz. Although Howard was often angry about his mother’s dominance of his life, he undeniably remained dependent on her until his relationship with Bernadette started to get serious. His strong bond with his mother was likely the result of Howard’s father leaving him and Mrs. Wolowitz when Howard was young. Howard has described how when his mother started dating after her husband left, Howard was a jerk to her about it. As a result, Mrs. Wolowitz didn’t really date again and was always alone.
In February 2015, while on a trip to Florida, Mrs. Wolowitz passed away in her sleep. Howard has generally coped well following the loss of his mother, though he was incensed when the airline nearly lost Mrs. Wolowitz’s ashes. Following a power cut at Mrs. Wolowitz’s house, Howard and the gang gathered to eat all her leftover food in a final family dinner cooked by Mrs. Wolowitz.
Howard has not showed any interest in meeting or having contact with his absentee father. When Sheldon found a letter from Howard’s dad while clearing out Howard’s closet, Howard did not want to read the letter or know its contents. Howard’s friends gave him a number of possible scenarios for what the letter contained, so he could both know and not know what his father wrote to him for his 18th birthday.
When Howard got the title deed to his mother’s house, he made sure he didn’t have to have any contact with his father. Unexpectedly, a young man later showed up on Howard’s door step saying he was his half-brother, Josh. Although Howard was initially uncomfortable with the idea his dad had another family, Howard and Josh bonded over their similar personalities.
Marriage to Bernadette
When Howard called in a favor with Leonard, Penny set him up with Bernadette Rostenkowski, a microbiologist who worked at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny. Though Howard and Bernadette initially appeared to have little in common, they quickly bonded over their overbearing mothers and began dating. When Howard realised this could become a lasting relationship, he suddenly proposed to Bernadette. She did not accept the proposal, but the pair continued to date. Bernadette dumped Howard when she caught him having cyber-sex with “Glacinda the Troll” on World of Warcraft, though they got back together later.
After dating for a while, Howard proposed to Bernadette again and this time she accepted. After Wil Wheaton uploaded a video of Raj drunkenly describing some of Howard’s sexual conquests, Bernadette questioned their impending marriage. A heart-felt apology from Howard for his past behavior won Bernadette over and, true to his word, Howard has since left behind much of his previous creepy behavior.
Bernadette decided that they should get married before Howard went in to space. When the couple were unable to wed at City Hall, they agreed to marry on the roof of the guys’ apartment as the Google Earth satellite passed above. Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Raj and Amy became ministers and performed Howard and Bernadette’s wedding.
When Howard returned from space, Bernadette had to tell him to stop talking about his time up there – even though Howard thought it was likely to be the greatest accomplishment of his life. Following his return to earth, Bernadette insisted Howard finally move out of his mother’s house. Howard only recently noticed that when she’s angry, Bernadette sounds a lot like Mrs. Wolowitz.
Following Mrs. Wolowitz’s death, Howard and Bernadette moved into her old house, where Stuart was still living, and are in the process of fixing the place up. When Bernadette organized a garage sale to clear out some of the junk, she wanted Howard to sell his prized life-sized Doctor Who TARDIS. In the end, the guys had a ping pong battle to decide who should get to keep it, and Amy won. Howard and Bernadette tried to ask Stuart to move out, but they lost their nerve when he said it was his birthday.
Notable Friendships
Howard’s best friend is Raj Koothrappali. During Howard’s single days, they were particularly close. Beverly Hofstadter described their relationship as an ersatz homosexual marriage. Despite their close bond, Howard would often leave Raj if he thought he had the chance of hooking up with a girl.
Howard is frequently the butt of Sheldon’s jokes and the recipient of his condescension. As a result, Howard is not the most tolerant of Sheldon’s quirks and has, at times, played a number of practical jokes on Sheldon. Sheldon views himself as Howard’s slightly apathetic tertiary friend. When Howard first met Sheldon, he described him as a cross between C-3PO and Pee-Wee Herman (C3-Pee-Wee Herman). In a bid to improve their sometimes frosty friendship, Howard invited Sheldon along to see him give a speech at NASA in Houston. When their aeroplane was subject to strong turbulence, a terrified Howard and Sheldon both apologized to each other for their past behavior.
Howard and Leonard’s friendship is much simpler than his with Sheldon, as they both generally respect each other. Howard described how he and Raj only became friends with Sheldon because they liked Leonard.
From the moment they first met, Howard’s inappropriate hitting on Penny gave her the creeps, and she struggled to befriend him like she did the other guys. Over time, Penny got to know the nice and sometimes sad guy underneath Howard’s horny exterior, but she still was uncomfortable with his “creepy candy coating”. After Howard and Bernadette started dating, Penny has been impressed by how much Howard has matured and left behind his former sleaziness.
Howard and Stuart have generally had a cordial friendship, though they were never particularly close. When Howard went to space, Raj bonded with Stuart and, upon his return, Howard was somewhat jealous of their new friendship. Howard’s relationship with Stuart deteriorated when Stuart moved in, at Howard’s suggestion, with Mrs. Wolowitz to take care of her after an accident. Stuart become very close to Debbie and Howard thought he was mooching off her. Howard angered further when Stuart invited Howard’s cousin Jeanie to a party. Mrs. Wolowitz’s support as Stuart re-opened the comic book store also upset Howard, though he moved past this after Mrs. Wolowitz died.
Career
Unlike Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, Amy and Bernadette, Howard does not have a Ph.D., instead having a master’s degree from MIT. Sheldon is often condescending and derisory towards Howard for his lack of a degree and about engineering in general.
Howard’s work has often included projects for NASA, even though he once crashed the Mars rover in a ditch while trying to impress a woman. Howard co-designed the Pishkin-Wolowitz Liquid Waste Disposal system, though a fatal flaw which he was unable to fix caused a messy incident aboard the space station.
When NASA selected Howard’s team’s design for a deep field space probe, Howard got the opportunity to visit the International Space Station as a payload specialist. After a bad time in survival training, Howard’s mission to space was temporarily scrubbed, causing him some relief. When NASA later reinstated the mission, Howard had a heart to heart with Bernadette’s dad, Mike, who encouraged him to go to space.
Howard’s time in space was anything but pleasant as the other astronauts made him do grunt work and generally bullied him. Still, Howard couldn’t help himself from repeatedly bringing up his time in space when he returned to earth, much to the annoyance of those around him. When NASA offered Howard the opportunity to go back to space, he was eager to recreate his most important accomplishment. Bernadette and Raj attempted to talk Howard out of it and, when he found out he would have to do survival training again, Howard faked his medical so he couldn’t be part of another space mission.
Trivia
- Howard’s full name is Howard Joel Wolowitz.
- Howard’s astronaut nickname was “Froot Loops”.
- Howard wears an alien pin on his collar in every episode, though this has not been explained.
- According to Bernadette, Howard weighs 118 pounds.
- Howard lived with his mother in Altadena, California, until he moved out to live with Bernadette.
- Howard’s online username is Wolowizard.
- Howard is allergic to peanuts.
- The character is named after a former colleague of co-creator Bill Prady’s.
- Howard reportedly once went to medical school but dropped out as he can’t stand the sight of blood or injuries.
- Howard is the only one of the main five to have been born in California, though Amy and Bernadette also originate from the state.
RAJ KOOTHRAPPALI
Raj Koothrappali is an Indian-born astrophysicist who lives in Pasadena and works at Caltech. Until recently, Raj was unable to talk to women due to his selective mutism. Raj usually needed a beer in his hand before he could even talk to the girls, including Penny with whom he had a one night stand of sorts.
History
Raj was born in New Delhi, India, the son of a wealthy gynecologist. Although Raj has tried to play down his family’s wealth, Sheldon has seen notarized proof that the Koothrappalis are vastly wealthy – Richie Rich rich. During his childhood, Raj’s parents employed a number of servants and his dad drove a Bentley. Raj has four siblings including Priya, his sister who dated Leonard. Before moving to Pasadena, Raj completed some of his education at the University of Cambridge, where he fell in love with astrophysics.
Raj’s parents often contact him via video chat from their home in India. Raj had talked about how his parents were in a loveless marriage and recently his got parents divorced. Raj’s father visited Pasadena for Christmas 2014 following his divorce. When Raj’s father decided to cut him off financially, Raj played his newly divorced parents against each ohter in a bid to get money from them.
Raj’s fashion style usually includes sweater vests, khakis or cargo pants. Apart from his familiar purple jacket, many of Raj’s clothes are in olive green or mustard yellow color. Despite being proud of his Indian heritage and culture, Raj is not a fan of Indian food, unlike the rest of the gang.
With his balls-to-wall moisturizing regime and his love of “chick” flicks and literature, Raj’s metro-sexuality has been a long running joke. Despite this and his very close friendship with Howard, described by Beverly Hofstadter as an ersatz homosexual marriage, Raj has insisted he likes women and their skin care products. Being unable to talk to women sober for a long time, Raj struggled to start proper relationships – though he seemed to “get lucky” more often than the other guys.
Notable Friendships
Raj has admitted he was lonely when he first moved to America, but this changed when he met Howard as they could be lonely together. Raj has spoken fondly of Mrs. Wolowitz who welcomed him into her home when Howard was his only friend.
From the beginning, Penny had a soft spot for Raj, even though he couldn’t speak in her company – at least not without a beer for six years. Penny accompanied Raj to the People Magazine banquet when he was included on their 30 Under 30 To Watch list, though Raj’s drunkenness spoilt their night. His friendship with Penny was almost ruined when they had a one night stand, of sorts, at the end of the fourth season. After Raj admitted to Penny that they didn’t actually have sex, the pair patched things up.
Despite Howard being his best friend, Raj did have an infatuation with his then-girlfriend Bernadette and wrote crude poems about them. When Howard and Bernadette got engaged, Raj’s feelings eventually subsided. Given his closeness to Howard, Bernadette has spent a lot of time with Raj and has often tried to help him with his relationships. Howard and Bernadette got Raj a dog, Cinnamon, to keep him from being lonely. Raj’s close relationship with his dog has raised eyebrows, as did his “relationship” with the iPhone’s virtual assistant, Siri.
When Howard was in space, Raj formed a close friendship with Stuart, who moved into Raj’s apartment. Raj has helped Stuart throw parties at the comic book store. They both signed up for an online dating service together and went to a mall to try meet women.
Career
Dr. Koothrappali is an astrophysicist at Caltech. When he discovered a planetary object beyond the Kuiper belt, 2008 NQ17 (which he nicknamed Planet Bollywood), Raj was included in People magazine’s “30 Under 30 To Watch”.
When Raj’s research into trans-Neptunian objects came to an end, his working visa expired and he was threatened with deportation. Raj tried to take another job at the university, but the presence of a female professor required him to drink during the interview, leading to him making inappropriate comments. Sheldon offered Raj the option of working for him. Raj eventually accepted Sheldon’s job offer, though working for him was not easy.
Relationships
Although Raj’s selective mutism didn’t stop him from having a few one night stands, he was generally unable to start a lasting relationship with a woman. When Sheldon’s sister, Missy, visited, Raj was able – with the help of experimental drugs – to charm Missy, but his chances with her fizzled out when the drugs wore off. Raj had a short-lived relationship with a deaf woman, Emily, who was only using him for his family’s money.
When Raj helped Stuart throw a Valentine’s Day party at the comic book store, Lucy approached Raj and the pair went out for coffee. Raj fell into a depressed funk after Lucy climbed out of a bathroom window at the coffee shop. When Lucy explained her social anxiety to Raj, he agreed to meet up with her for a proper date. Raj decided their first date should be a silent “texting date” in a local library.
After Raj and Lucy had been dating for a few weeks, Raj wanted Lucy to meet his friends, but she was nervous of meeting the whole group. Raj chose for her to meet Amy one-on-one, but after they started bickering about Lucy’s social anxiety, she locked herself in the bathroom. Raj talked Lucy into attending a party at the apartment where she could meet the whole group, but on the night of the party she text him to say they shouldn’t see each other any more.
Lucy dumping Raj was the catalyst for him working through his selective mutism. The night after Lucy dumped him, Penny stopped by Raj’s apartment to check on him. As Raj told Penny how he felt unlovable, Penny said it was just the booze talking, but Raj revealed he hadn’t drank since the night before. Although Penny cried when Raj could talk to her, the girls were soon wishing he would shut up.
When Emily contacted Raj on a dating site, he didn’t want to come on too strong so he had Amy write a message to Emily. After chatting with Amy, Emily decided she didn’t think she was right for Raj as he was too shy and passive. When Raj interrupted Amy and Emily at a coffee shop, she thought he was weird and lacked boundaries. However, when Raj later ran in to her by chance at a coffee shop, they agree to go out on a proper date.
When Raj and Emily had a double date with Howard and Bernadette, Emily realized she once met Howard before when he clogged her toilet and climbed out her bathroom window, giving him the nickname “Clogzilla”. Emily’s dark side, which includes watching gruesome horror movies, has concerned Raj, though he has tried to look past it.
Raj’s close relationship with both Emily and his dog, Cinnamon, led Howard to invent a game “Emily or Cinnamon?”, in which players decide whether a creepy statement from Raj was about his girlfriend or his dog.
When Emily left Raj alone in her apartment, he took the opportunity to snoop around her bedroom, inadvertently breaking one of her dresser draws. After Emily returned home, the couple have the first fight of their relationship. Emily got her own back on Raj by suggesting there was something he shouldn’t see in her closet, prompting Raj to worry given Emily’s darker side.
Raj considered breaking up with Emily because their personalities are so different. When Emily invited Raj to a picnic at a graveyard, Raj tried to break up with her. Sensing what was coming, Emily told Raj he will have to get to the point if he wants to break up with her, she wouldn’t do it for him. Instead, Raj told her that he was trying to say he loved her.
Trivia
- Raj was born on October 6, 1981.
- Full Name: Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali, Ph.D.
- Raj’s selective mutism was inspired by a former colleague of The Big Bang Theory’s co-creator Bill Prady back in his computer programming days.
AMY FARRAH FOWLER
Amy Farrah Fowler, PH.D. is a neurobiologist from Glendale, California. Amy met Sheldon Cooper after Howard and Raj created a fake dating profile for him, and Amy’s profile was matched to his.
Amy’s introduction to Sheldon led to her becoming his friend (a friend who is a girl but is not my girlfriend, as Sheldon characterized it) and becoming a part of Sheldon’s social group. Though Sheldon’s friends were initially uncomfortable with Amy, finding her too much like Sheldon, Amy made inroads with Penny, who she would describe as her “bestie”, and then with Bernadette. Amy and Sheldon officially became boyfriend and girlfriend with the signing of the Relationship Agreement. Amy recently put their relationship on hold.
Though Amy and Sheldon share similar personalities, they do have some notable differences. Amy is far more open to socializing and is very appreciative of her new social life. Amy does not share Sheldon’s interest in science fiction or comic books. Much than Sheldon, Amy wants to make their relationship more intimate, though she is understanding of Sheldon’s discomfort and has been willing to wait for him to grow more open to a physical relationship.
Early Life
Amy is originally from Glendale, California. Amy has described her high school years as lonely, saying she used to eat lunch with the janitor, and that only her mother signed her yearbook. Amy has studied at Princeton, Harvard and spent a semester in Norway.
Relationship with Sheldon
When Amy’s online dating profile was matched to one Howard and Raj set up for Sheldon without his knowledge, Sheldon was blackmailed by Howard into meeting Amy. After they met at a coffee house, Amy admitted she only met up with him because she has an agreement with her mother to date once a year. Amy told Sheldon that all forms of physical contact, up to and including coitus, were off the table. When Sheldon offered to buy her a beverage, Amy asked for a tepid water.
After their first date, Amy and Sheldon texted each other for a few months. At the insistence of Penny, Sheldon and Amy went out on a proper date. Throughout this early stage of their relationship, Sheldon categorized her as a “a girl who is my friend but is not my girlfriend”. Soon after, Amy began to hang out with the group and come to value her friendship with Penny, who she considers her “bestie”.
When Amy visited the Comic Center for the first time, Stuart took an interest in her. After confirming Amy wasn’t in an official relationship with Sheldon, Stuart asked her out and Amy accepted. As Amy’s date with Stuart approached, Sheldon wrestled with feelings of jealousy. Sheldon interrupted Amy’s date with Stuart to tell her he would not object to no longer characterizing her as not his girlfriend. After Sheldon drew up a relationship agreement, he and Amy officially become boyfriend and girlfriend. Sheldon and Amy’s relationship grew closer when he cuddled Amy, comforting her after Bernadette and Penny left her out of wedding dress shopping.
When Amy was sick with the flu, Sheldon took care of her as is stipulated in their relationship agreement. Amy enjoyed the nurturing side of Sheldon so much that she pretended to still be sick after she had recovered so he would continue looking after her. When Sheldon figured out Amy’s deception, he decided he had to punish her. Sheldon settled on spanking her, which Amy seemed to enjoy.
When the gang played Dungeons and Dragons one evening, Amy got upset that they were mocking her and Sheldon’s relationship. In private, Amy asked Sheldon if he thought their relationship will ever get intimate. Sheldon told Amy he doesn’t consider their relationship a joke and that he would not rule intimacy out. Sheldon then played out the love potion scenario of the game with Amy, much to her delight.
Amy’s relationship with Sheldon took a big step forward when Amy arranged a romantic weekend trip to Napa Valley aboard a vintage train. Sheldon spent the initial part of the journey with a fellow train enthusiast, leading an upset Amy to confront him about his behavior. Sheldon made Amy admit she had manipulated him with the perfect trip in pursuit of romance. Sheldon then sarcastically gave her the romance she wanted: he drank wine, stared into her eyes and then kissed her. Though he intended the kiss to be short and sarcastic, Sheldon lingered and seemed to may have enjoyed it.
When the girls decided to recreate their high school proms with a party on the roof, Sheldon was willing to go along with all the usual prom customs as he never attended his. After Sheldon learned that many people have sex after their proms, he began to worry that Amy was expecting something to happen. When Sheldon picked Amy up to accompany her to the party, he was overwhelmed and told her he couldn’t to the party. After Amy went to his bedroom to check on him, Sheldon admitted he was worried that she would be hoping for them to get intimate after the party. Amy told him that she is always hopeful for something to happen, but that she just wanted to have a nice time. As Amy went to tell Sheldon something, telling him he shouldn’t feel pressured into saying it back, Sheldon jumped in and said “I love you, too.” Sheldon explained to Amy that there is no denying he has feelings for her that can not be explained in any other way.
Notable Friendships
Amy became friends with Penny when she invited herself to a girls’ night that Penny was spending with Bernadette. Amy would come to value her friendship with Penny so much that she labeled them “besties”. At times, Amy’s adoration for Penny would manifest itself as inappropriate, almost sexual comments, though this died off as Amy’s relationship with Sheldon got more serious. Amy once bought Penny a huge painting of them together which she said was originally painted with them in the nude.
Amy is also close to Bernadette, though not as close as she is with Penny. Amy and Bernadette are both scientists so can speak at a more intellectual level than Penny. When Sheldon and Howard argued over a parking spot at the university, things got tense between Amy and Bernadette. Bernadette keyed Amy’s car and had it towed when it was parked in the contested spot. Amy and Bernadette fell out when they spent time together at a convention and discussed each other’s partners. When they were hit on by two guys who were like Howard and Sheldon, they realized they each had a thing for the guy who was more like the other’s better half.
Amy and Leonard did not get on at first, with Leonard finding her judgemental and obnoxious like Sheldon. Leonard slowly warmed to Amy, though they rarely hang out alone. Leonard found it odd when Amy stayed late at the apartment, even after Sheldon had left, oblivious to the fact Leonard would have preferred to be alone. Amy invited Leonard as her date to a wedding she was about to attend, explaining that Sheldon was a terrible guest at a previous wedding because there were no physicists his age there. When Leonard stayed with Amy and Bernadette at a bar after they had lied to Sheldon and Penny, Leonard wondered why he and Amy didn’t hang out together more often. Amy said it was weird when they did.
Amy and Howard have not often spent much time together. When they were paired up together for the scavenger hunt, Amy said it was partly because when she first met him Penny warned her of his creepy personality. During the scavenger hunt, Howard and Amy bonded over their mutual love of the singer Neil Diamond.
Amy has often been a sympathetic friend towards Raj. She is the only one of the group who regularly refers to Raj as Rajesh. Amy and Raj have supported each other when they felt down about their love lives. When Raj joined the girls for a ladies’ night out, Raj hurt Amy’s feelings after he admitted she was the only one of his female friends he hadn’t fallen for. Raj asked for Amy’s help to send a message to Emily, a woman he met on a dating site.
When Amy first visited the comic book store, she met the owner Stuart. He later asked Leonard if Sheldon was dating Amy or if she was open to dating him. As Sheldon considered his feelings for Amy, she and Stuart went out on a date. Sheldon interrupted their date to ask Amy to be his girlfriend.
Trivia
- Amy plays the harp. Songs she has played include the Diff’rent Strokes theme song, “The Girl from Ipanema”, “Everybody Hurts” and “Wanted Dead or Alive”.
- Amy made her own secret language, Op. The word for Elephant is Tweepadoc.
- Amy is allergic to avocados.
- Amy and Howard share a love of Neil Diamond’s music.
- Amy’s apartment number is 314, very similar to the number of pi, which is roughly 3.14.
BERNADETTE ROSTENKOWSKI-WOLOWITZ
Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski-Wolowitz is a microbiologist who is married to Howard Wolowitz. Bernadette has a high paying pharmaceuticals job at Zangen, where she helped her friend Penny get a job.
Although Bernadette is generally nice and good-natured, she has shown a dark side and admits she is a very vengeful person. Howard and the gang have noticed that when Bernadette is angry she sounds a lot like Howard’s late mother, Debbie Wolowitz.
Early Life and Family
Bernadette is from Yorba-Linda, California and is of Polish heritage. Bernadette’s father, Mike Rostenkowski, is a retired police officer who reportedly holds many right-wing views. When Howard first met Mike, Bernadette told Howard to avoid the following subjects: Jimmy Carter, Gardeners, Foreigners, Homosexuals, Sean Penn, Vatican II, Gun Control, Organic Food, the designated hitter rule, recycling and Howard being Jewish.
Bernadette comes from a large Catholic family with five sisters and brothers. During her childhood, Bernadette often took care of her younger siblings, which is one of the reasons she doesn’t like kids.
Relationship with Howard
Howard was introduced to Bernadette by Penny, who was a waitress with her at the Cheesecake Factory. Howard and Bernadette soon bonded over their overbearing mothers. When Howard realized this could become a lasting relationship, he impromptly proposed to Bernadette. She did not accept his proposal, but the pair continued to date.
Towards the end of Season 3, Bernadette abruptly broke things off with Howard. It was later revealed she dumped Howard after catching him having cyber sex with “Glacinda the Troll” on World of Warcraft. Howard and Bernadette got back together early in Season 4 with Bernadette wanting to take it slow. When Howard proposed to Bernadette near the end of Season 4, she accepted.
When Wil Wheaton uploaded a video from Howard’s bachelor party of Raj drunkenly describing some of Howard’s sexual conquests, Bernadette questioned their impending wedding. A heart-felt apology from Howard for his past behavior won Bernadette over.
After gaining her PhD in micro-biology, Bernadette was head-hunted by a big pharmaceutical company and offered a well paying job. Bernadette’s higher earning potential than Howard has occasionally caused a rift in their relationship. Howard’s desire to start a family has also created tension in their marriage as Bernadette does not like children and doesn’t want to put her career on hold.
Although she was initially against Howard becoming an astronaut, Bernadette eventually supported her fiance in his dream to go to space. As Howard’s space mission approached, Bernadette decided that they should get married before he goes into space. After the couple were unable to wed at City Hall, they agreed to marry on the roof of the guys’ apartment as the Google Earth satellite passed above. Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Raj and Amy became ministers and performed their wedding.
Bernadette supported her husband Howard while he was in space and, when he returned home and wouldn’t shut up about it, helped him adjust back to civilian life. Bernadette was not in favor of living at Mrs. Wolowitz’s house as a married couple. After Bernadette finally convinced Howard to move his stuff away from his mother’s house, his sentimental story of how he helped his mother through her husband leaving her gave Bernadette second thoughts.
For the anniversary of their first date, Howard decided to write a song for Bernadette and have his friends sing it to her. After an accident at the lab, Bernadette didn’t make it to the date. Instead, Howard and his friends visited her in quarantine to sing the song, titled “If I Didn’t Have You”, for her.
Following Mrs. Wolowitz’s death, Howard and Bernadette moved into her old house. Bernadette is taking the lead on renovating the house. When Bernadette organized a garage sale to clear out some of the junk, she wanted Howard to sell his prized life-sized Doctor Who TARDIS. In the end, the guys had a ping pong battle to decide who should get to keep it, and Amy won.
Notable Friendships
Bernadette first met Penny when they were both working as waitresses at the Cheesecake Factory. Penny set Howard up with Bernadette after he invoked a pact he had with Leonard. When Howard and Bernadette got back together again, Bernadette started to spend more time with the gang and Penny, in particular.
Bernadette is good friends with Amy, though not as close as they both are with Penny. As the two female members of the group with advanced degrees, Bernadette and Amy have enjoyed speaking at a more intellectual level than they can with Penny. Bernadette and Amy had a bitter spat when Howard and Sheldon fought over a parking spot at the university. Bernadette showed by scary side by keying Amy’s car and having it towed. When Amy and Bernadette spent time away at a science conference, they were hit on by two guys who were like Howard and Sheldon. Bernadette and Amy realized they each had a thing for the guy who was more like the other’s better half.
Bernadette has shown a compassionate and understanding attitude when dealing with Sheldon. When Sheldon was stuck on a physics problem and stayed up for days on end, Bernadette was able to convince Sheldon to go to bed. Bernadette also helped Sheldon overcome his fear of birds. When Howard was punishing Sheldon by making him do embarrassing tasks in return for introducing him to Professor Stephen Hawking, Bernadette sympathized with Sheldon. Bernadette said Sheldon doesn’t know when he’s being mean to Howard because “the part of his brain that should know is getting a wedgie from the rest of his brain.”
Bernadette has a warm relationship with Leonard. Soon after she met Leonard, Bernadette showed an interest in Leonard’s work, prompting feelings of jealousy in Howard and causing Penny to try learn more about science. Leonard saw a darker side of Bernadette when they were paired up in the gang’s Scavenger Hunt.
Bernadette’s relationship with Raj is more complicated than with the rest of the gang. Although Bernadette has been supportive of Raj and helping to find him a partner, his feelings for Bernadette caused tension between her and Howard. Bernadette has also been put out by how close Raj is to Howard. When Raj stayed with them, Bernadette and Howard were both angered by Raj’s meddling in their marriage.
Bernadette has a cordial relationship with Stuart, though it’s become more strained by Stuart living in their house after Mrs. Wolowitz’s death. While Stuart started living with Mrs. Wolowitz, Bernadette tried to calm Howard down when he’d get angry about Stuart’s close relationship with his mother. As Stuart tried to re-open his comic-book store with help from Mrs. Wolowitz, Bernadette tried to make Howard see that the used furniture was a reasonable price to pay to get Howard out of his mother’s house. After Mrs. Wolowitz’s death, Stuart continued to stay at her house, even as Howard and Bernadette moved in. Bernadette and Howard tried to ask him to leave, but they gave up when Stuart said it was his birthday.
Career
Bernadette worked at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny as she studied to become a microbiologist. After getting her degree, Bernadette was offered a high-paying job at a pharmaceuticals company called Zangen. Bernadette has had the occasional accident in her lab, leading to stays in quarantine.
TRIVIA
- When Bernadette gets angry, she sounds uncannily like Howard’s mother. Howard says “she sounds sexy when she’s angry.”
- Bernadette is Catholic.
- Bernadette is of Polish-origin and her family lived near Howard’s family in 20th century Poland.
- Bernadette is from Yorba Linda, California.
STUART BLOOM
Stuart Bloom is the owner of The Comic Center of Pasadena, the comic book store the guys frequent. Stuart is a talented artist and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.
In Stuart’s first appearance on the show, he asked Penny out on a date. Before his second date with Penny, Stuart asked for Leonard’s advice on dating her. Leonard, feeling threatened by Stuart, gave Stuart bad advice. Although Stuart and Penny’s second date went fine, when they were getting romantic Penny mistakenly called him “Leonard”, putting an end to their relationship.
Stuart has also shown a romantic interest in Amy. When Amy visited the comic book store, Stuart inquired about her relationship status and they later agreed to go out on a date. A jealous Sheldon interrupted their date at the cinema to ask Amy to be his girlfriend, although Stuart still finished the date and walked Amy home.
Although the guys appreciate Stuart’s personal touch when buying their comics, it doesn’t seem Stuart is well rewarded for his job. Stuart has made frequent mentions of the fact the store is struggling and that he now has to live there. Stuart has revealed he works 70 hours and clears an average of $1.65 per hour. When Penny asked for advice on comic books, Stuart told her not to own a store that sells them. Stuart has felt threatened by a competing comic book store, Capital Comics, whose rude boss is a jerk to him.
When Howard was in Space, Stuart become close friends with Raj and began hanging out with the gang. Before accepting Stuart as a member of the gang, Sheldon quizzed him on his education and only allowed him to be in the group as “fake Wolowitz”. When Howard returned from space, Sheldon initially wanted to dismiss Stuart from their group. Sheldon relented when Stuart offered him a 30% discount at the Comic Center.
When Stuart’s comic book store burnt to the ground in an accidental fire that was definitely not started for the insurance money, Howard offered Stuart a live-in role caring for his recently injured mother. Despite the job involving humiliation, degradation and verbal abuse, Stuart enjoyed taking care of Mrs. Wolowitz and developed a close bond with her. Stuart’s friendship with Howard suffered as he lived with Mrs. Wolowitz, with Howard thinking Stuart was mooching off his other.
When Stuart re-opened his comic book store, Howard learnt the news that his mother had passed away. Stuart was deeply appreciative of Mrs. Wolowitz for taking him in after his comic book store burnt down. Since Mrs. Wolowitz’s death, Stuart has continued to live at Mrs. Wolowitz’s house, even as Howard and Bernadette even moved in. Howard and Bernadette tried to ask Stuart to move out, but they lost their nerve when they learnt it was Stuart’s birthday.
Trivia
- Stuart’s store is called the Comic Center of Pasadena.
- Stuart’s mom used to refer him to as her “little possum”.
- Stuart studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design.
- Stuart’s middle name is David.
The Big Bang Theory 更新至 S09EP12 The Sales Call Sublimation
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