The Mommy Observation Season 7, Episode 18 -  Aired March 13, 2014

The Mommy Observation

When Sheldon stops by his mom's house in Texas, he must learn to deal with her new romantic status. Meanwhile, Raj throws a "Murder Mystery" party for the gang, leading to tension among the friends.

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Guest Stars: Laurie Metcalf as Mary Cooper, Kevin Sussman as Stuart

Writers: Jim Reynolds (Story), Steve Holland (Story), Maria Ferrari (Story), Steven Molaro (Teleplay), Eric Kaplan (Teleplay), Anthony Del Broccolo (Teleplay)

Director: Mark Cendrowski

Viewers: 17.34 million Households Rating: 11.5/19 Adults 18-49 Rating: 4.9/17

Available on iTunes

Episode Notes

  • The title refers to Sheldon seeing his mother in an intimate situation.

> Relationship Agreement

According to Amy, her relationship agreement with Sheldon covers a wide array of scenarios, including career changes, financial instability and intelligent dog uprising. In the event the latter comes to pass, Amy and Sheldon apparently plan on selling out the human race hard.

> Sheldon's Knock

Sheldon uses his knock once on the door of his mother's house in Texas.

Episode Quotes

Sheldon: Well, this is confusing for me. But I don't want to stand in the way of your happiness. So, I will condemn you internally while maintaining an outward appearance of acceptance.
Mary: That is very Christian of you.

Leonard: You don't go into science for the money.
Bernadette: Speak for yourself. Last month my company both invented and cured restless eye syndrome. Ka-ching, ya blinky chumps!

Raj: It's too late. He's been murdered by someone in this room. Welcome to another classic Koothrappali murder mystery dinner.
Amy: I'm leaving.

Sheldon: Well then why are you doing it?
Mary: Because I'm not perfect, Shelly. And that man's booty is.

Sheldon: Aren't you gonna come with me?
Howard: While you confront your mother about her sex life? I'd rather go back to that bar in assless chaps.

News Stories

Title Date Posted
7.18 'The Mommy Observation' Ratings March 14, 2014

Last night's The Big Bang Theory dominated its time slot to rank as the night's most-watched and highest-rated show. The Big Bang Theory will be the highest-rated show of the week in the key 18-49 demo.  Full story

7.18 'The Mommy Observation' Pictures March 9, 2014

Pictures from the next episode of The Big Bang Theory, "The Mommy Observation", have been added to our gallery. Laurie Metcalf returns as Sheldon's mom, Mary, in this episode.  Full story

7.18 'The Mommy Observation' Press Release March 6, 2014

CBS has put out the press release for next Thursday's episode of The Big Bang Theory. Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) reprises her role as Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother, in this episode.  Full story

Recap

As the gang eat dinner in the apartment, Raj is sitting in Sheldon's spot since he's away with Howard in Texas. After Stuart arrives, the guys wonder how they should spend their evening. After Stuart says he's not feeling well and drops to the floor, Raj tells them it's too late to do anything, Stuart has been murdered by someone in the room. Raj welcomes them to another classic Koothrappali murder mystery dinner.

Penny wonders if Raj is going to make them pretend to be a bunch of lame characters with silly accents. Although Amy thinks it would be fun to be someone else for the night, Raj tells them they're going to be themselves. Raj hands out cards telling them secret facts about themselves and which one of them is the murderer. Elsewhere, as Howard drives Sheldon to his mother's house, he thanks him for not making fun of him during his speech.

Back at the apartment, as the mystery continues, Bernadette finds a receipt for a cup of coffee twenty years in the future, Raj reveals that one of them came back from the future to kill Stuart. Meanwhile, Sheldon and Howard arrive at his mother's house. As Sheldon approaches the house and peers in through a window, he immediately turns back and returns to the car. He tells Howard he just saw his mommy with a naked man and she was trying to be a mommy again.

At a bar in Texas, Howard tries to get Sheldon to talk about what just happened. Sheldon tells Howard he's not nearly drunk enough to want to open up. Howard suggests he never mention it to his mother, but Sheldon thinks it will ruin their relationship if he doesn't tell her how disappointed he is with her. Back at the apartment, Raj tells them they're now twenty years in the future, and he hands them more facts to help them figure out who killed Stuart. When Raj tells Leonard and Penny they drifted apart after she became a famous actress and he became a successful professor, Leonard worries that they might actually drift apart if their careers take off. Penny thinks Leonard would move with her if she makes it as an actress, but Leonard wonders what would happen if he was offered a tenured professorship.

After Howard drives Sheldon back to his mom's house, Sheldon goes to talk to to her. When Sheldon admits he saw her having sex, Mary tells him about the guy she's been seeing. After Sheldon talks rudely to his mother, she sends him to his room. Back at the apartment, Leonard wonders why Penny thinks her acting career is more important than his success in science. Amy is surprised Leonard and Penny never talked about this before. Stuart tells Leonard and Penny he thinks they'll still be together in twenty years as they're the best couple he knows, angering Amy and Bernadette. Penny is heartened by Stuart's comments and admits she now feels bad for murdering him, ruining Raj's game.

Howard goes to Sheldon's old bedroom to check on him. Howard tells Sheldon how he went through something similar when his mom started dating again after his dad left. Howard says he was kind of a jerk to his mother about it, and he feels bad that his mother has been single ever since. Howard tells Sheldon he might not want to get in the way of his mom's happiness. Later, in the living room, Sheldon tells his mom he's ready to discuss the situation like adults. Sheldon tells his mother what upsets him most is her hypocrisy, as this seems to contradict the religious rules she's espoused her whole life. When Mary admits she's not perfect and is struggling with the same feelings, Sheldon decides to condemn her internally while maintaining an outward appearance of acceptance.

Back at the apartment, Penny apologizes to Raj for ruining his game, as Amy and Bernadette admit it was actually fun. When Bernadette says she hopes they will all be together in twenty years, Leonard says they should all promise to be in front of the building in exactly twenty years from then. Everybody agrees and adds the date to their phones, except Stuart who has to write it on his hand. Twenty years in the future, Stuart's the only one who shows up.