The Maternal Combustion

Not to be confused with The Maternal Capacitance or The Maternal Congruence.
"The Maternal Combustion" is the twenty-third episode and penultimate episode of the eighth season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, April 30, 2015.
==Summary==
While both Sheldon and Leonard's mothers visit to see their sons get an award, Bernadette wants more help around their new home from Raj, Howard and Stuart.
==Extended Plot==
While setting up dinner, Leonard, Sheldon, Penny and Amy are discussing the upcoming the visits of the guys' mothers to see them get an award. Leonard knows when his mother reaches California airspace by feeling a disturbance in the Force. Sheldon is preparing a bowl of yellow roses for his mother. If Amy asks for roses, then he calls them a "bouquet of severed plant genitals". Sheldon did get her a rotting log that produced mushrooms for Valentine's Day (Amy points out that while flowers die, a moist rotting log will produce mushrooms for 2–3 years). Penny wonders if she should get something for Beverly since she is not that excited about her relationship with Leonard. Leonard suggests her getting a Ph.D. overnight, though Penny points out that it did not work for him and his mother. Will the two different women get along? One is brilliant while the other is sweet and simple according to Sheldon who compares it to his relationship with Leonard, much to Leonard's chagrin.
Sheldon is having tea with his mother who is proud of both of them, but can't understand the research paper they wrote about understanding the universe as an n-dimensional super-fluid. And the God saving the world with an Noah's ark story is nonsense? Sheldon wants his mother to keep the Bible babble down when talking to the brilliant psychiatrist and woman of science Dr. Beverly Hofstadter. Mary wants to know if Sheldon is ashamed of her. Sheldon does love her, but is embarrassed by the things that she believes, does and says.
Leonard and his mother are climbing the stairs, while she asks about a wedding date. Leonard and Penny are taking it slow. "I see," comments Beverly. After seeing each other for seven years, she wonders if the sex between them is satisfactory. Leonard reluctantly agrees. "Only satisfactory?" Leonard changes his answer to that it's very hot and then Beverly wonders why he is trying to impress his mother with his sexual prowess. Leonard then asks his mother not to do all her analysis in front of the sweet religious Mary Cooper. Beverly assures him that she knows how to address other people's walks of life, until she finds out that Mary is from East Texas.
Entering the apartment, Sheldon goes to greet Beverly who read their paper and called it brilliant. She didn't say anything to Leonard. She feels that is a mother's job to make sure that her child's self-esteem is not dependent on any else's approval, to which Leonard laughs at the idea that his mother thinks he has self-esteem. Mary and Beverly meet and shake hands. Both had good flights, though Mary felt like someone, she's not saying who, was watching over her. Beverly asks if she was kidding. Leonard then tells his mother "Subtle, Mom. Real subtle.".
In her house, Bernadette comes into the kitchen and finds Stuart in his underwear taking care of an itch on his posterior. Bernadette doesn't mind him living there, but among the rules, he has to wear pants. Howard then enters the kitchen in only underwear and socks. 
Mary tells Beverly that she must be very proud of her son. She replies that he is arguing his first legal case in front of the Supreme Court. "He did?" asks Mary. "Oh, you mean Leonard?," says Beverly. A moment of silence, she says in apparently unconvincing tone "Yeah, he's terrific." Sheldon starts to show Beverly the math he worked out for his hypothesis. Oops, Leonard's hypothesis. Beverly wonders when Mary first knew that Sheldon was going to have such a remarkable mind. When he was thirteen he tried to build the nuclear reactor to supply electricity for the whole town because he was always concerned about the well-being of others. This statement confuses Leonard. To power the reactor he had arranged to get some yellow cake (uranium) from a warlord in Chad (Africa). His mother thought he was getting some Twinkies from a local friends. Leonard wants his mother to tell the story about how he made a Van de Graff generator out of their vacuum cleaner. Beverly merely says that he broke the vacuum cleaner.
Howard and Raj are playing a video game in the living room, while Stuart is reading a magazine and wearing pants. Bernadette returns after doing a lot of errands of washing the car, picking up cleaning supplies and going to the bank and declares that she is going to stop being the mother of three lazy teenagers. She wants them to clean the kitchen from top to bottom including Raj who is doing his laundry at their house. 
Sheldon is showing Beverly pictures of when he got his bachelor of science degree. Sheldon doesn't look happy because he just began puberty. Mary says that Shelly does not like change. Penny pops in the door and apologizes that she got caught up at work. She rushes over and hugs Beverly who says, "Oh, okay." Hugging Mary she gets a much sweeter greeting. Penny shows off her engagement ring that Sheldon announces was made from a re-purposed diamond drill bit. Leonard denies that and then wants to talk to Sheldon alone. Leonard tells Penny that it came from Tiffany's, though Sheldon is sure that only the box came from that store. He asks Leonard if he means that, but Leonard ignores the question and crossly orders Sheldon to keep walking. Penny doesn't care how much Leonard spent on the ring, she thinks.
Entering Leonard's room, Sheldon wonders if he misspoke abut the ring. Leonard confirms it and he feels that Sheldon is hogging the attention from both mothers like a seal pup or a "Super weaner". Leonard does think he is being a super wiener. Sheldon feels that the situation is like when two mothers faun over the same pup making him a "double mother suckler", which Leonard also agrees with.
Penny admits that they aren't in any rush to set the date for the wedding. Mary tells her it doesn't matter and that the moment a woman lays with a man, they are married in the eyes of the Lord. Beverly sighs "Ugh." Mary then asks if the Bible is "ugh" to her. Beverly apologizes and says that she forgets how much a person's superstitions mean to them. Mary counters that she read Beverly's books that Sheldon sent her about superegos and ids and she wonders what bull dropped that on the barn floor. Sigmund Freud. Penny tries to get them together because they both like Jewish guys with beards. Mary tells her to stay out of this. Mary's bearded guy teaches love and compassion while Freud wants to talk about why you want to hold your poop and crawl back into your Mamma. Beverly counters asking how can someone an enlightened as Sheldon comes from someone like his mother. Beverly is not going to like the answer. While driving to church and pregnant with Shelly, she prayed that her son was smarter than his dumb-ass daddy and she saw a bobble-head of Jesus in the next car nodding yes. Beverly hits her forehead in frustration. Mary tells her to keep doing it and maybe it'll knock some sense into her head. Penny wants to change the subject to shoes or how cute tiny Chinese babies are. Leonard and Sheldon come back out with Sheldon saying that it's not his fault that Beverly likes him better than she likes Leonard. Leonard gets angry with Sheldon and angrily yells at him telling him not to flatter himself and that Beverly likes everyone better than she likes Leonard (Which doesn't make any sense because she doesn't like Howard and Raj much either). Now Penny hits herself in the head.
The Wolowitz household guys are cleaning out the kitchen. Raj is working on the refrigerator. Howard apologizes to them, but Stuart says that Bernadette does work hard around the house. Raj tells Howard that she should stop babying him like his mother did. Howard agrees and that he has to start acting like an adult in their marriage. He decides to take out the garbage. Picking up the bag, it splits, spilling the contents all over the floor.
Beverly and Sheldon are having tea in a café and Beverly apologizes for upsetting Mary. Sheldon replies her mother will forgive her since if she doesn't she'll go to hell. Beverly also mentions she can't help but notice how Mary's unconditional love for Sheldon is diametrically opposed to her own parenting style. Sheldon describes her style has doling out affection as a reward for achievement, a proven way to raise a child or train a rat. Sheldon still turned out very successful under his loving mother. Leonard's brother and sister are very successful under Beverly's style while Sheldon's brother and sister are mouth breathing idiots. Beverly asks if he would have flourished more under a reward based childhood. Sheldon answers perhaps but his mother made him spaghetti with bits of hot-dog in it whenever he wanted, so he doesn't care.
Leonard and Penny are talking to Mary as Leonard complains that he never got any love or affection from his mother for just being himself and that he always had to earn it. Mary assures him that she loved him in her own godless way and she feels bad about the fight. Penny assures him that he doesn't have to earn her love and he knew that when he bought her that princess drill bit diamond ring. Though she is aware that it really isn't because of Leonard insisting on it, she still jokingly makes a drilling gesture. Mary plans to apologize to Beverly just like a good Christian, though a real Texan would have shot her. Then she asks them if anyone is in the mood for spaghetti and hot dogs. Leonard doesn't feel like he deserves it.
Howard is finished cleaning up the big sticky mess of the garbage spill. Bernadette comes in and tells them how impressed she is that they did everything by themselves, especially Howard, who was able to clean the trash spill from before. Howard agrees, but then first his shoe and then his sock sticks to the floor, much to Bernadette's amusement.
Beverly and Mary shake hands and agree to respect each other's beliefs. And Mary will pray for her. Leonard wants to get his mother quickly back to her hotel. Beverly admits that she always made him earn his affection, but she wants to initiate a new protocol to shower him with unconditional love. When will that start? Beverly then calls him so needy. She opens her arms and asks him to come to Mommy. They have an awkward hug. Beverly: (Unemotionally) Oh my, son. Leonard: Oh, my mother. Penny: Oh, my God.
Still cleaning up the kitchen, Raj starts to whistle "It's a Hard-knock Life" from the musical Annie. They all join in singing it enthusiastically. Bernie comes in and immediately leaves without saying a word.
==Credits==
* Guest starring:
** Laurie Metcalf as Mary Cooper
** Christine Baranski as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter
* Teleplay: Chuck Lorre, Jim Reynolds & Maria Ferrari
* Story: Steven Molaro, Tara Hernandez & Jeremy Howe
==Notes==
*Title Reference: The title refers to the friction that occurs between Dr. Beverly Hofstadter and Mary Cooper during their mutual visit.
*Taping date: April 14, 2015
*This episode was watched by 13.85 million people with a rating of 3.4 (adults 18–49).
*Total viewers including DVR users 18.54 million.
*The Big Bang Theory was ranked #1 for the week ending 3 May 2015.
*This episode aired in Canada on April 30, 2015, with 3.16 million viewers with a weekly ranking of #1.
*Screened in Great Britain on E4 on Thurs 10 June 2015
*Broadcast sixteen days after being taped. Not a record, but very quick turn around time. 
*IMDb user reviews 
*Chuck Lorre Vanity Card 
*Episode transcript 
==Critics==
* Jesse Schedeen at IGN - It was also fun to see the dynamic between Beverly and Mary steadily degenerate from polite friendliness to all-out disdain over the course of the episode. Their nonstop barrage of insults and exasperated responses was entertaining, especially with Penny caught in the middle and struggling and failing to keep the peace. It was a rivalry born out of a very natural place of misunderstanding and mistrust, which is more than can be said for some of the contrived arguments on the show...We've been waiting a long time for Leonard and Sheldon's mothers to butt heads, and this episode didn't disappoint in that area. The tension between Beverly and Mary wasn't just amusing, it shone a light on their sons' emotional woes and the challenges they face as adults.
* IMDb user reviews 
==Trivia==
*Third consecutive episode in Season 8 where Amy only appears in one scene. Mayim Bialik took some time off to spend time with her family following her father's death. Because of this, Amy's chance to meet Leonard's mother for the first time and once again interact with Sheldon's mother throughout this episode is blown and it is not even explained in the episode where she is and why she isn't there and Mary does not even ask Sheldon about her, which is quite a plot hole.
*Howard, Bernadette, Stuart and Raj are only seen at the Wolowitz House in this episode and they do not come to Apartment 4A to visit Leonard and Sheldon's mothers and share a scene with Leonard, Penny and Sheldon. Also, they don't share the one scene with Amy she was seen in with Penny, Sheldon and Leonard in the opening Apartment 4A scene of this episode either.
**Once again as of this episode, Bernadette still hasn't met Sheldon's mother since her absent appearances in Season 4's "The Zazzy Substitution" (S4E3) and Season 5's "The Rhinitis Revelation" (S5E6) nor has she met Leonard's mother since her absent appearance in Season 3's "The Maternal Congruence" (S3E11).
**Also, as of this episode, Stuart hasn't met Leonard and Sheldon's mothers.
**Amy, Bernadette and Stuart don't get seen with Leonard's mother until the next season's episode of "The Celebration Experimentation" (S9E17) without a chance of speaking to her. Then in the season's penultimate episode, Beverly properly meets Amy and Bernadette and talks to them for the first time. She also sees Stuart in these two episodes, but they still don't talk until the Season 10 premiere episode "The Conjugal Conjecture" (S10E01).
**Bernadette and Stuart don't get seen with Sheldon's mother Season 10 premiere episode "The Conjugal Conjecture" (S10E01), without a chance of speaking to her.
*First physical appearance on TBBT set of Beverly since "The Maternal Congruence" (S3E11).
*First appearance of Beverly in Pasadena since Season 3.
*First appearance of Mary in Pasadena since Season 5.
*This episode aired on both Kunal Nayyar's 34th Birthday and Johnny Galecki's 40th Birthday on April 30, 2015.
*For the first time ever, Penny calls Sheldon's mother 'Mary' rather than 'Mrs. Cooper' when talking to her.
*Amy only met Sheldon's mother once in Season 4's "The Zazzy Substitution" (S4E3) and that is two times she hasn't met her again in both this episode and in Season 5's "The Rhinitis Revelation" (S5E6).
*The idea of Beverly and Mary meeting and facing off has been in the works since season 6 as revealed in interview with the writer on various occasions, but due to both actresses not being available it was postponed to this season.
*Sheldon has prepared his mother a bowl of yellow Rose|roses, the unofficial flower of Texas as in: There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see...
*Considering how close Amy and Sheldon are getting, it is usual that she did not sit down with Sheldon's caring mother. But this is very unlikely to happen in future episodes because Sheldon's Meemaw mentions during her first appearance in "The Meemaw Materialization" (S9E14) that Sheldon's mother is okay with Amy and it is also revealed in "The Matrimonial Momentum" (S9E1) that during Mary's nightly prayers, Amy is in them.
*Sheldon revealed that Penny's engagement ring was made from a re-purposed diamond drill bit that they bought online. Interestingly, this also means that he knew that Leonard was going to propose to Penny, yet was still surprised (and troubled) by the engagement in the season 7 finale (S7E24: "The Status Quo Combustion")
*Second episode where characters sing as they work. First was "The Work Song Nanocluster" (S2E18).
*Sheldon has previously mentioned his mother's favorite dish spaghetti and hotdogs. Mary Cooper offers to fix it in this episode. Penny fixed it in "The Spaghetti Catalyst" (S3E20) and Amy fixed it in "The Launch Acceleration" (S5E23).
*Sheldon referring to himself as "Sheldon Cooper: Boy Genius" is a nod to the Nickelodeon show, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
*The story of Sheldon attempting to build a Nuclear Reactor will be depicted in the Young Sheldon episode A Nuclear Reactor and a Boy Called Lovey. However, there is an inconsistency as Mary says that Sheldon was 13 when that event happened while in the episode He's around 9 or 10 years old.
*Leonard's brother Michael and their sister are mentioned for the first time since "The Pants Alternative" (S3E18) and the "The 43 Peculiarity" (S6E8), respectively; however, they were also mentioned as 'We' in "The Santa Simulation" (S6E11) when Leonard was talking about them and their parents leaving research papers for Santa.
*Leonard's father (name revealed later to be Alfred) is not mentioned at all in any of the talking between Penny, the boys and the mothers.
*We see Leonard calling his mother 'Mother' once again since he didn't do so in "The Raiders Minimization" (S7E4) and in "The Status Quo Combustion" (S7E24), while in all of Beverly's other previous appearances, we've heard Leonard calling her 'Mother'.
* Mary mentions that she prayed for Sheldon to be smart while she was pregnant with him, unlike [[George Cooper Sr.|her husband}}. This suggests that either they didn't know at the time that she was pregnant with twins, she was worried of how George Jr. turned out and didn't want a repeat, or that she wasn't worried of how Missy would turn out because she assumed any daughter of hers would be better than Junior.
*Leonard says his mother likes everybody else better than she likes him, but this quote doesn't quite make sense because she only seems to like Sheldon better than anybody else, seeing as she has also annoyed and belittled Howard and Raj.
* Despite Mary and Beverly apologizing to each other, it is suggested they that they only gave something closest to an apology and that the peace made between them didn't genuinely occur, likely suggesting that at the end, they actually truly hated each other, in a similar way of Emily and Penny's parting and saying 'I hate her' in "The Hook-up Reverberation" (S8E4). This is shown in their next appearance together when in their next appearance together in the Season 9 finale "The Convergence Convergence" (S9E24) where they again fight, Mary not happy of having Beverly in her presence and when Mary bonds with Leonard's father over their mutual hatred of Beverly.
==Goofs==
*When Leonard hugs his mother, Beverly says 'Oh, my son.' Leonard replies 'Oh, my mother' and Penny responds with 'Oh, my God', Mary doesn't even react to the blasphemy, much less chastise Penny for it. This is completely out of character for her, a devout Christian.
*In "The Maternal Capacitance" (S2E15), Beverly when asked if she's proud says "Why? They're not my accomplishments". In this episode when asked if she's proud she says "Oh, yes".
==Quotes==
:Penny: It's so nice, she's going to love it.
:Amy: Sure, his Mom gets roses. When I want them, they're a "bouquet of severed plant genitals". 
:Sheldon: You act like I didn't get that severed mushroom log on Valentine's Day.
:Amy: He's right. Roses die, but a moist rotting log will pump mushrooms for two or three magical years.
----
:Mary: You can believe that, but God filling an ark with animals two-by-two is nonsense.
:Sheldon: What did they feed the lions, Mother?
:Mary: The floating bodies of drowned sinners, of course.
----
:[The scene of a not-so-happy Bernadette entering the kitchen of the Wolowitz house looking very cross. Only to see Stuart in his t-shirt, socks and boxers scratching his rear end and putting the jug back on the coffee maker]
:Bernadette: [she speaks softly and firmly] Stuart.
:[Stuart turns around and faces Bernadette]
:Stuart: [he's greeting to her rather nervously] Morning.
:Bernadette: [she gives Stuart a little firm advice] We talked about this. I don’t mind you still living here, but we got to have some rules. And rule number one is pants.
:[a badly-conditioned and messy-haired Howard (wearing vest, socks and boxers) enters the kitchen scratching his tummy].
:Howard: Hey.
:[Then Howard scratches his rear end and reaches for the wall cupboard. Bernadette immediately gets more fed up and cross by all of this].
----
:Beverly: You’ve been on and off with this woman for seven years and engaged for one year. One has to wonder if there’s a problem. Are you having satisfactory intercourse?
:Leonard: Yes, Mother.
:Beverly: Only satisfactory. I see.
:Leonard: I change my answer. It-it’s amazing. It’s hot. We can barely keep our hands off each other.
:Beverly: Seems odd to try and impress your mother with your sexual prowess. But then, you always did have that unresolved Oedipal complex.
----
:Mary: You must be very proud of your son.
:Beverly: Oh yes. He recently argued a case before the Supreme Court.
:Mary: He did?
:Beverly: Oh, you mean this son. (A distraught look is now on Beverly's face) Um, (unconvincingly) sure, he’s terrific.
----
:Leonard: So Mom. You haven’t seen Penny since she got engaged.
:Penny: Oh yeah, let me show you the ring.
:Beverly: Oh, lovely. It must have been very expensive.
:Sheldon: Oh no, not at all. No, we found a place online that, uh, re-purposes diamond drill bits.
:Leonard: We did not. That’s not true. Can I speak to you alone for a second.
:Sheldon: Oh, sure.
:Leonard: It came from Tiffany’s.
:Penny: Oh.
:Sheldon: You mean the box, right?
:Leonard: Keep walking!
----
:Mary: The Bible is “uck” to you?
:Beverly: No. I’m sorry. That was inappropriate. AS a psychiatrist I know how important people’s superstitions can be to them.
----
:[The scene of the messy living room at the Wolowitz house where Raj and Howard (still not dressed) are playing a video game on the settee while Stuart (who is still in his t-shirt) reads a comic on the arm chair. Stuart now is now wearing pants]
:Howard: I mean, for a while, everything was vampires. Now it’s all zombies. I wonder what the next monster fad will be.
:Raj: We haven’t had a good invisible man in a while.
:Stuart: Clearly, you’ve never seen me try to talk to a woman.
:[The pretty angry Bernadette enters the messy sitting room with shopping bags and she immediately tells the guys off]
:Bernadette: [she is so very cross with the guys attitude] Guys. In the time you’ve been sitting here playing video games, I got the car washed, picked up cleaning supplies and went to the bank.
:Stuart: [he speaks with a nervous smile] I put on pants.
:[Stuart flutters his eyes for a few seconds and faces Howard for a second]
:Howard: [he grumbles to Stuart] Kiss-ass.
:[Stuart now plods his head down to his comic and twitches his lips for one second]
:Bernadette: [she's getting more crosser] Okay, I don’t know when I became the mother to three lazy teenagers, but it stops today. [she punishes the guys immediately] You guys are cleaning the kitchen, top to bottom.
:[Bernadette now angrily slams a shopping bag down onto the couch next to Raj]
:Raj: [he speaks dissapointingly] Hey, I don’t even live here.
:Bernadette: [she is still very cross] Yes or no, do you have clothes in my laundry right now?
:Raj: I do.
:[Bernadette is now enormously cross at Raj's 'I do' comment]
:Raj: [he speaks in a rather shifty way] And some of it’s wool, so dry flat if possible.
:[Bernadette now continues to get even more crosser with a 'get yourselves organized right now' expression on her face].
----
:Beverly: I’m terribly sorry that I upset your mother.
:Sheldon: Oh, it’s all right. She’ll forgive you. She has to or she goes to hell.
:Beverly: I can’t help but notice how her unconditional love for you is diametrically opposed to my own parenting strategies.
:Sheldon: Well, you doled out affection as a reward for achievement, a proven way to raise a child. Or train a rat.
:Beverly: But look how well you turned out.
:Sheldon: I’d feign modesty at this point, but who would believe me? Still, you need to consider how successful Leonard’s brother and sister are.
:Beverly: I suppose.
:Sheldon: While my brother and sister are mouth-breathing idiots.
:Beverly: Do you suppose you would’ve flourished more in a reward-based environment?
:Sheldon: Perhaps. But my mom made me spaghetti with chopped-up hot dogs whenever I wanted, so who cares?
----
:[The kitchen scene at the Wolowitz house where the three guys are cleaning the kitchen as a punishment that Bernadette had given them]
:Raj: How old is this Jell-O?
:Stuart: Well, it’s carrots, so gonna say very.
:Howard: Sorry we have to do this.
:Stuart: Bernadette’s not wrong. She does work hard around here.
:Raj: Yeah, maybe it’s a good thing if she stops babying you so much.
:Howard: She doesn’t baby me.
:Stuart: I saw her pull you home in a wagon.
:Howard: For your information, I twisted my ankle chasing the ice cream truck.
:Raj: Face it, dude, Bernadette treats you the same way your mother used to, and that was not a healthy relationship.
:Howard: You’re right. It’s time for me to act like an adult in this marriage. Starting with my husbandly duty of taking out the trash. (bag rips, trash spills onto floor) Bernie, I made a mess.
----
:Leonard: Not once did my mother ever give me any love or affection for just being myself. I always had to earn it.
:Mary: Oh Leonard, I'm sure she loves you very much in her own cold godless way.
:Penny: Yeah, and you certainly don’t have to earn my love.
:Leonard: Thank you.
:Penny: Of course you already knew that when you bought me this princess-cut drill bit.
:Leonard: That’s not what it is.
:Penny: I know. I know. {Whizzzz.}
:Mary: When your mom gets back, I’m gonna need to apologize for the way I spoke to her.
:Penny: Well, come on now, she did kind of start it.
:Mary: Doesn’t matter, a good Christian would’ve turned the other cheek. On the other hand, a good Texan would’ve shot her, so, I just kind of split the difference. Hey, who’s in the mood for spaghetti and hot dogs?
:Leonard: Oh, me.
:Penny: Yeah, me, too.
:Mary: Coming up.
:Leonard: I don’t really feel I deserve it.
----
:Beverly: There’s something I need to say to you.
:Leonard: Oh really? That’s too bad.
:Beverly: Leonard: I always made you earn my affection, but today I realize that there’s more than one way to raise a child.
:Sheldon: I taught her that.
:Beverly: Therefore I would like initiate a new protocol where I shower you with unconditional love.
:Leonard: Wow. When does that start?
:Beverly: So needy. (Holding out her arms) Come to Mommy.
:Penny: It’s okay. Go ahead.
:(Awkward hug)
:Beverly: (Unemotionally) Oh, my son.
:Leonard: Oh, my mother.
:Penny: Oh, my God.
----
:Beverly: Mary, I am curious. When did you first realize that your son had such a remarkable mind?
:Sheldon: Oh, good question. Everybody loves stories about Sheldon Cooper, boy genius.
:Mary: Well, I’ll have to say when he was thirteen and tried to build a nuclear reactor in the tool shed.
:Sheldon: Oh, this is a good one.
:Mary: Now the first thing you have to know about Shelly is ever since he was a little boy he was always concerned with the well-being of others. And he didn’t think it was fair for people to pay for electricity, so he was going to power the entire town for free.
:Sheldon: Tell her about the uranium. Tell her about the uranium.
:Mary: Oh, well. Oh, this is adorable. When he arranged to get some yellow cake from Chad, I thought he was talking about Twinkies from one of his friends.
:Sheldon: Yeah, but wasn't. ‘Cause I didn't have any friends.
:Mary: No. It turns out that this scallywag was trying to use my Visa card to buy uranium from an African warlord in the country of Chad!
----
:Mary: What bull dropped that on the barn floor?
:Beverly: His name is Sigmund Freud.
:Penny: Hey, look at that. You both believe in bearded Jewish guys.
:Mary: Stay out of this.
:Penny: Mm-hmm.
:Mary: At least the bearded man that I believe in preaches love and compassion. All yours talks about is why you hold in your poop and want to crawl back inside your Mama.
:Beverly: It’s fascinating. How can someone as enlightened as Sheldon come from someone like you?
:Mary: I know the answer. You’re not going to like it.
:Beverly: (takes off her glasses) Try me.
:Mary: When I was pregnant with Shelly, I was driving to church, and I was praying to the Lord to give me a son smarter than his dumb-ass Daddy. And I looked over and I saw a Jesus bobble-head in the Subaru next to me nodding yes.
:Beverly: {Hits herself in the forehead.}
:Mary: What is that supposed to mean?
:Beverly: It means – I can’t believe were having this conversation.
:Mary: Well, do it some more. Maybe you can knock some sense into yourself.
----
:[The ending scene in the kitchen of the Wolowitz household where the three guys are doing more cleaning the kitchen and Raj starts whistling the first two lines of "It's a Hard Knock Life" for ten seconds, Howard then hums the next two lines of that tune for twelve seconds and Stuart sings the last line].
:Stuart (singing): It’s a hard-knock life.
:Together (singing): It’s the hard-knock life for us, it’s the hard-knock life for us. ‘Stead of treated, we get tricked, [Bernadette crossly enters, immediately turns around to exit with silent rage without saying anything at all and completely ignores their song. She has had enough of them by this point]. ‘stead of kisses, we get kicked, it’s the hard-knock life.
:[The kitchen door is now closed as Bernadette is finally gone]
:Howard (singing): Got no folks to...
:Together (singing): speak of so it’s the hard-knock row we hoe, cotton blankets
:[Raj hits the cooker, Stuart stamps his foot and Howard hits his brush on the bucket top as a beat to which they all do at the same time].
:Together: (singing): ‘stead of wool, empty bellies
:[Raj hits the cooker, Stuart stamps his foot and Howard hits his brush on the bucket top as another beat to which they all do at the same time again].
:Together (singing): ‘stead of full, it’s a hard-knock life.
----
==Gallery==
sopenny.jpg|Penny in the middle of an argument between the mothers.
hmmmn.jpg|A discussion of religion is heating up.
saywhat.jpg|Both mothers are discussing Sheldon's brilliance and Leonard is jealous.
kindleipadlook.jpg|Sheldon showing pictures of his first college graduation.
hownice.jpg|Penny was detained by her job.
lookingring.jpg|Penny showing off her engagement ring.
meeting.jpg|Mary and Beverly meet.
TBBT Awkward hug 8x23.jpg|Trying an awkward hug
Moth5.png|Bernadette is tried of being a mother to three teen-aged boys.
Moth4.png|"It's a hard knock life for us..."
Moth3.png|Maybe there is a different way to raise children...
Moth2.png|Mom! Okay.
Moth1.png|Leonard is tired of everyone talking about Sheldon.
The Maternal Combustion 30.png|I'm proud of my other son.
The Maternal Combustion 22.png|Preparing dinner and discussing the impending visits of their mothers.
The Maternal Combustion 21.png|The roses he got for his mother.
The Maternal Combustion 19.png|Amy.
The Maternal Combustion 17.png|Having tea with his mother.
The Maternal Combustion 16.png|After calling her son lion chow.
The Maternal Combustion 15.png|Don't analyze the sweet religious Mary Cooper.
The Maternal Combustion 14.png|Leonard's mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter.
The Maternal Combustion 13.png|Dr. Hofstadter, it is good to see you again.
The Maternal Combustion 12.png|It's good to see you again, Sheldon.
The Maternal Combustion 11.png|It is a pleasure to meet you.
The Maternal Combustion 10.png|You know who - watched me on my flight.
The Maternal Combustion 9.png|You're kidding, aren't you?
The Maternal Combustion 8.png|How was your flight?
The Maternal Combustion 7.png|Finding Stuart in his underwear.
The Maternal Combustion 6.png|Scratching his posterior.
The Maternal Combustion 5.png|Stuart in the morning.
The Maternal Combustion 4.png|Bernadette telling Stuart to wear "Pants!"
The Maternal Combustion 3.png|Preparing dinner.
The Maternal Combustion 2.png|Thanks, mother.
The Maternal Combustion 1.png|Howard isn't wearing pants either.
The Maternal Combustion 60.png|Raj asking "Is that jello?"
The Maternal Combustion 59.png|What did she just say?
The Maternal Combustion 58.png|Meeting her future daughter-in-law.
The Maternal Combustion 57.png|Good hug from Mary.
The Maternal Combustion 56.png|Okay!
The Maternal Combustion 52.png|Mary Cooper.
The Maternal Combustion 48.png|Penny visiting with the mothers.
The Maternal Combustion 46.png|"You are going to clean the kitchen" Bernadette says crossly.
The Maternal Combustion 45.png|Stuart.
The Maternal Combustion 43.png|Lazing about playing video games.
The Maternal Combustion 42.png|Tell her about....
The Maternal Combustion 41.png|Tired of hearing about Sheldon.
The Maternal Combustion 40.png|Proud of her little boy.
The Maternal Combustion 36.png|Sheldon talking about Sheldon.
The Maternal Combustion 35.png|I was entering puberty.
The Maternal Combustion 33.png|This is a good story about me.
The Maternal Combustion 32.png|When did you notice Sheldon's brilliant mind?
The Maternal Combustion 31.png|He did?
The Maternal Combustion 30.png|I am proud of my son.
The Maternal Combustion 29.png|Getting to know each other.
The Maternal Combustion 28.png|It's nice that you think I have self-esteem.
The Maternal Combustion 27.png|Amy smiling at Sheldon.
The Maternal Combustion 26.png|If I want roses they're "bouquet of severed plant genitals".
The Maternal Combustion 23.png|Amy in her one scene.
The Maternal Combustion 21.png|Sheldon and the yellow roses he got for his mother.
The Maternal Combustion 20.png|pHD? It didn't work for you.
The Maternal Combustion 19.png|It's so nice that your mothers are both coming.
The Maternal Combustion 18.png|You could get a pHD overnight.
Mary smiling 8x23.jpg|Mary smiling at Leonard and Penny being happy.
The Maternal Combustion 85.png|Admiring Beverly wanting to give Leonard unconditional love.
The Maternal Combustion 83.png|Wow, when does that start?
The Maternal Combustion 81.png|Let me shower you with unconditional love.
The Maternal Combustion 79.png|Howard loses his sock.
The Maternal Combustion 78.png|Talking about Beverly raising him.
Come to Mommy.jpg|Come to Mommy.
Penny convinces Leonard 8x23.jpg|It's okay. Go ahead.
The Maternal Combustion 77.png|The kitchen looks clean and you did it yourself.
The Maternal Combustion 76.png|You don't have to earn my love.
The Maternal Combustion 74.png|Your reward system is a proven way to raise a child or train a rat.
Café 8x23 TBBT.jpg|Beverly and Sheldon in the café.
The Maternal Combustion 73.png|Staurt says "Bernadette does do a lot of work around here".
The Maternal Combustion 71.png|Keep doing it. Maybe it'll knock some sense into you.
The Maternal Combustion 70.png|I can't believe I'm having this conversation.
The Maternal Combustion 69.png|And the bobble-head Jesus in the Subaru next to me nodded yes.
The Maternal Combustion 68.png|Penny listening to Mary and Beverly argue.
The Maternal Combustion 67.png|Beverly listening to Mary's beliefs.
The Maternal Combustion 66.png|See, you both believe in bearded Jewish guys!
The Maternal Combustion 65.png|Penny after Beverly calls religion superstition.
The Maternal Combustion 64.png|Howard's efforts in taking out the trash fail.
The Maternal Combustion 63.png|Howard working in the kitchen.
The Maternal Combustion 62.png|We'd love spaghetti and hot dogs.
The Maternal Combustion 61.png|Penny can't believe Beverly's comments.aw.
The Maternal Combustion 55.png|Oh, okay.
The Maternal Combustion 54.png|Sorry, I was held up at work.
The Maternal Combustion 53.png|You don't look happy. I was entering puberty.
Mary and Beverly bury the hatchet.jpg|Burying the hatchet
==References==
* Taping Report by Mamallama.
Category:Season 8 (The Big Bang Theory)
Category:Howard Wolowitz
Category:Rajesh Koothrappali
Category:Amy Farrah Fowler
Category:Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz
Category:Penny
Category:Sheldon Cooper
Category:Leonard Hofstadter
Category:Howard-Bernadette
Category:Shamy
Category:Beverly Hofstadter
Category:Stuart
Category:Awards
Category:Raj-Emily Together
Category:Argument
Category:Episodes
Category:Wolowitz House
Category:Penny's Short Hair
Category:Episodes with musical numbers
Category:Music
Category:Wars
Category:Raj Talks Without Alcohol
Category:Mrs. Wolowitz Mentioned
Category:Penny has a job