The Birthday Synchronicity Season 10, Episode 11 -  Aired December 15, 2016

The Birthday Synchronicity

As Sheldon and Amy are about to enjoy their annual tradition of coitus on her birthday, the whole gang is called to the hospital where Bernadette is in labor.

After helping Bernadette prepare for this moment for nine months, Raj is upset when he's not with the expectant couple in the delivery room.

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Guest Stars: Kevin Sussman as Stuart, Vernee Watson as Althea, Pamela Adlon as Halley

Writers: Chuck Lorre (Story), Steve Holland (Story), Maria Ferrari (Story), Steven Molaro (Teleplay), Eric Kaplan (Teleplay), Tara Hernandez (Teleplay)

Director: Nikki Lorre

Viewers: 15.96 million Households Rating: 10.1/17 Adults 18-49 Rating: 3.4/13

Available on iTunes

Episode Lists

  • Howard & Bernadette: Key Episodes Howard & Bernadette: Key Episodes

    The key moments from Howard and Bernadette's relationship including their first date, Howard's proposal, their wedding, and the births of their two children.

Episode Notes

  • The title refers to the birth of Howard and Bernadette's baby, Halley, on Amy's birthday.

Episode Quotes

Amy: What is this?
Sheldon: A functional MRI of my brain. I did Sudoku before they took it so I'd be ripped.
Amy: I love it. Thank you.
Sheldon: And it's not just an MRI. The orbitofrontal cortex is lit up because I was thinking of you.

Penny: Howard and Bernadette's kid might be born on your birthday. How cool is that?
Amy: Yeah, but I thought this baby was supposed to ruin their sex life, not mine.

Raj: Don't come to the hospital. We're headed home.
Penny: Oh, that was fast. Did she sneeze the baby out?

Sheldon: Five minutes? We must be doing it wrong. It took us hours.

Sheldon: You know, I just learned Amy went to a theme park without me, but I'm not going to ruin her birthday. I'll wait, and ruin 24 individual hours sprinkled throughout the year.

Recap

Howard is freaking out in the car as Raj drives Bernadette, now in labor, to the hospital. When Bernadette has another contraction, Stuart asks them to step it up so Raj decides to drive like he was in India. 

In their bedroom, Sheldon wakes Amy up at midnight to wish her a happy birthday. He gives Amy her birthday present: an MRI scan of his brain taken while he was thinking of her. Just as Sheldon and Amy get ready to move into the annual coitus section of her birthday celebrations, Penny knocks to tell them she and Leonard are heading to the hospital. 

After Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Stuart arrive at the hospital, Nurse Althea wonders why there are three men there with her. Althea is surprised to find out the contractions are twelve minutes apart. Since there is no need for them to be there yet, Althea tells them to go home and come back when the contractions are five minutes apart for one hour. 

As Leonard and Penny, Sheldon and Amy walk down the stairs of the apartment building, Penny wonders what took Sheldon so long. Sheldon explains he needed his bubble gum cigar incase Howard handed out cigars. After Leonard goes back to the apartment to get his inhaler, Penny gets a phone call from Raj telling them not to come to the hospital. When Amy asks if they should go back up to their apartments, Penny suggests going out to a diner or something. When Penny doesn’t pick up on Amy’s apprehension about going out, Leonard points out that Amy doesn’t want to go out because she and Sheldon are wanting to have sex. The couples both head back to their apartments. 

In Howard and Bernadette’s kitchen, Raj is filming the expecting couple for a video for the baby. When Howard tells Raj to knock it off, Raj says it’s not for him, but for the baby because some day she’ll want to see it. Bernadette and Howard are shocked and upset that Raj ruined the surprise of their baby’s gender so close to the birth. They are even more annoyed when Stuart reveals that Raj had told him, too. 

Back in their bedroom, Sheldon and Amy try to get things started again but Sheldon has trouble getting into the mood. When he says it feels forced, not organic like earlier, Amy has a surprise for Sheldon that might help things get back on track. Elsewhere, Leonard has found his backup inhaler and wonders if Penny wants to have sex. Just as they start kissing, they are interrupted by Raj who has been kicked out by Howard and Bernadette. 

Sheldon is sitting on his bed with his eyes closed waiting to see Amy’s surprise when she comes out wearing a Harry Potter costume. Sheldon is excited by Amy’s outfit, but he’s soon upset when he realizes that Amy went to the Wizarding World theme park without him. When Sheldon tries to move on and kiss Amy, Raj knocks at the door to say he has been kicked out by Leonard and Penny. After Amy closes the door on Raj, Penny calls to say Bernadette’s water broke and they’re finally going to the hospital. 

As Stuart drives Howard and Bernadette to the hospital, Howard wants Stuart to speed up and stop driving like an old man. Meanwhile, Leonard is driving Penny, Sheldon, Amy and Raj to the hospital. Amy is unhappy that the birth is ruining her sex life, while Raj is upset hat he’s not with Howard and Bernadette right now since he’s spent nine months helping Bernadette prepare for this moment. 

At the hospital, Howard is comforting Bernadette and timing her contractions. After Stuart eats Bernadette’s ice chips, Howard sends him to go get more. After he leaves, Howard and Bernadette talk about baby names now they know it’s a girl. Howard is sad that his mother isn’t around for the birth of her grand-daughter. 

In the hospital lobby, the gang talk about how they can’t believe Howard is having a kid. When they talk about how far they’ve all come, Raj thinks they’re saying he’s the only one not to have done anything worthwhile. After Stuart points out that he’s no better off than he was ten years ago, Raj takes no comfort in being compared with Stuart - much to Stuart’s offense. Meanwhile, Howard is Bernadette to breathe as she paces around the room in pain. Raj was going to join see Howard and Bernadette in their room, but he left after seeing Bernadette yelling. 

Back in the lobby, Leonard says he’s come to peace with his relationship with his parents, while Sheldon’s personal growth is that he recently tried eating Swiss chard. When Raj returns to the group, Stuart mocks Raj for thinking he’s better than him. Later, Penny comforts Raj, saying he’s being too hard on himself. She points out that when she met him he couldn’t even talk to women without being drunk. 

When Howard runs to the lobby to say their baby has been born, everybody congratulates him. After Howard reveals that they have named her Halley, he thanks them for staying up and being there for him and Bernadette. Howard says can’t wait for her to meet her aunts and uncles, and godfather Raj. Raj is thrilled by the honor, and the fact he’s better than Stuart again. 

When the gang go look at nursery to try see the baby, they don’t know which one is Halley as they can’t read the name tags. After Raj says he’ll know Halley when he sees her, one baby starts crying loudly and hoarsely. They realize that is Halley. 

Later that day, Sheldon and Amy climb the stairs of the apartment building wearing Harry Potter memorabilia, having just been to Wizarding World. Before they go into the apartment, Sheldon says he wants to complete Amy’s birthday celebration with “Hankius Pankius”.