‘The Big Bang Theory’ recap: Bernadette the bully

Image features Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and Melissa Rauch (Sonja Flemming/CBS) (�©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Fans have known for a while now that while Bernadette’s vocal pitch may right on par with Minnie Mouse, there’s a raging temper lurking under the surface.

It turns out, her coworkers are well aware of it too. At a work function Penny learns that Bernadette struck fear into her boss at the company picnic the year before after he and his grandson caused her to lose a three-legged race. While reminiscing she tells him she remembers his wuss of a grandson, because as she told Penny, it’s no longer okay to call someone a sissy.

Penny makes Bernadette privy to the fact that all of her coworkers fear her, which comes as a shock. After all, she describes herself as someone who should be “living in a tree and baking cookies.” Bernadette explains that her father taught her to be tough at a young age because as he put it, “Nobody likes a crybaby except for their mommies and Democrats.”

Horrified to learn that everyone she works with hates her, Bernadette attempts to leave the party, but Penny encourages her to confront the issue. After apologizing to her boss Dan she learns the company has been paying for coffee for months out of fear of disappointing her. Her mean streak is also what led to her getting her very own bathroom. When she begins to cry, Dan learns the only thing scarier than an angry Bernie, is a sad Bernie. He allows her to keep the bathroom and even offers to buy her an espresso machine for her office. While we may be seeing a softer side of Bernadette in the future, she definitely won’t lose her edge.

Meanwhile Sheldon and Amy are hard at work filming the final episode of Sheldon’s webseries “Fun with Flags.” It had a good run, 232 episodes to be exact, but between working full-time and dating Amy, Sheldon just can’t give the show the attention it deserves. Countless clips are shown, but the two best feature Amy dressed as a kangaroo and Sheldon in a Betsy Ross costume. Even LaVar Burton shows up, although it is under the condition that Sheldon destroy all of his contact information. “Fun with Flags” ends with Sheldon wiping his tears with a white flag.

Leonard, Raj and Howard are given the dull task of cleaning out a deceased professors office. Inside they find dozens of notebooks as well as a bottle of champagne from fifty years earlier, with a note from the teacher’s mother, telling him to drink it after his first major breakthrough. After a little more digging the guys learn the professor never did make any big discoveries, all his work will end up in a garbage can. Feeling down, they make a pact. Whenever one of them come into some professional success, they’ll pop open this bottle to remember Professor Roger Abbot. And also to throw it in Sheldon’s face.

Success comes much earlier than planned when Sheldon discovers that someone has made a comment on the final episode of “Fun with Flags”. It’s enough to have him call off the cancellation and before Leonard can stop him, he pops open the champagne to celebrate. Not to drink it of course, just because he wanted to hear it pop.