‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 10, episode 11 review: Meet Halley Wolowitz
Tonight, we had the “Big Bang Theory” episode that so many people were likely waiting for: Howard and Bernadette welcoming their first child into the world. It was clear that this was going to be a significant and emotional moment in their lives, so for us the more important thing over the course of this episode was seeing whether or not the show would make this into something special.
The moment that we had Raj yelling at people in the car, all indications were that this was going to be funny, and we’re glad Stuart was along for the ride. The tension between Stuart and Raj over being the best godparents possible remains one of the funnier parts of the past few episodes.
As for other sources of comedy, let’s turn to Amy’s birthday. Coitus (Sheldon’s favorite term for sex) may not be an annual tradition at the moment, but it’s close enough since it feels like something that could happen annually from here on out. The two were starting to get somewhere when Leonard and Penny told them that the baby was coming, and then they were interrupted. As they later found out that the child wasn’t quite ready to come out, the two tried to “get things back on track” — complete with some Harry Potter role-play. Unfortunately, all of this was interrupted once more by Sheldon getting jealous about Amy going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter without him … and then Raj (more on that in a minute) and Penny, telling them that Bernadette’s water actually broke this time.
Raj’s dilemma – Well, let’s just say that after the first failed attempt at delivering the baby at the hospital, Raj accidentally spilled the beans to Howard and Bernadette that both he and Stuart had known for some time: They were having a girl! Unfortunately, the parents-to-be weren’t thrilled with this, and he spent some time wandering from place to place until Penny came to deliver the news. Raj was especially funny in all of this, especially since he seemed to get more enthusiastic every time someone didn’t want him crashing at their place.
Now, back to the baby – By the time their baby was actually ready to come, ironically almost everyone else was miserable. Amy was upset about her sex life being ruined, Raj wasn’t thrilled that he wasn’t with his friends, and Sheldon was still Sheldon.
As Howard and Bernadette waited to meet their child, we had a nice bit of reflection on Howard’s mother, a nice move given how big a part of the show she once was during the early seasons. It was a chance in general for everyone to reflect, a moment that felt all the more important given that this was the winter finale. Unfortunately, all of this reflection made Raj realize how little his life had changed since the beginning of the series — he was basically Stuart with a higher income.
Eventually, he got over the depression upon learning that he was the official godparent to a baby named Halley Wolowitz — we’re not sure precisely of the spelling just yet, but since they compared her name to the comet on the show that’s how we are spelling it for now. The gag with the baby crying like Howard’s mom may have been a little much in the closing minutes, but this is a broad comedy — did you really expect the end of the episode to end on a muted note? Howard and Bernadette have a child; now, they have to figure out a way to take care of her. Good luck with that based on that crying.
In the closing seconds, we learned that Amy and Sheldon got their chance to sleep together, after all — complete with more costumes. All is right with this world, or as right as it’s going to be.
Overall – A very funny, surprisingly meaningful way to end the first half of the season. While not every story in the past year was a home run, kudos to the writers for coming up with some of their best material for this moment. Grade: B+.
Next time – There may not be a whole lot of details available at the moment, but you can head over here to see when the show will be returning with new episodes. Also be sure to leave us a comment and tell us if you think the new baby is going to bring all sorts of comedy gold to Bernadette and Howard’s storyline. (Photo: CBS.)