The Maternal Congruence 

Leonard's mother makes a visit to his dismay and Sheldon's delight.

Director:

Mark Cendrowski

Writers:

Chuck Lorre (created by), Bill Prady (created by)

Stars:

Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Johnny Galecki	...	Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons	...	Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco	...	Penny
Simon Helberg	...	Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar	...	Raj Koothrappali
Christine Baranski	...	Dr. Beverly Hofstadter

Storyline

It's approaching Christmas, and Leonard's mother is coming for a visit, something Leonard fails to tell Penny. Sheldon surmises it's because Beverly Hofstadter will not approve of Penny as a suitable mate for her son. Leonard has not even yet told Beverly that Penny is his girlfriend. Conversely, when Beverly arrives, Leonard finds out that Sheldon knows more about what's going on in her life than he does. When Leonard does find out news about the senior Hofstadter household, he becomes emotionally distraught as what he deems important news to him was previously withheld. But more importantly, Leonard sees this action as a further demonstration of the poor relationship he has with his family. Meanwhile, Penny believes she has a way for Beverly to be a bit more emotionally expressive.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son hug | reference to the cheesecake factory | christmas episode | man wears a bathrobe | visit | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sheldon says that he would like to "depart[...] the starship Enterprise in a one-man shuttlecraft, headed to the planet I rule, known as Sheldon Alpha 5". He is referring to 'Ceti Alpha 5', the planet on which Captain Kirk's nemesis Khan was famously exiled in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Sheldon often refers to this movie and Khan, even quoting entire lines in The Big Bang Theory: The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary (2009).

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Goofs

At the bar when Penny and Beverly are drinking and Penny orders the final shot, she drinks it as soon as it's poured. The angle changes and the shot glass is suddenly filled again, even though no alcohol is poured into it, allowing Penny to drink it again before they leave.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Penny: Ah, I always tear up when the Grinch's heart grows three sizes.
Sheldon Cooper: Tears seem appropriate. Enlargement of the heart muscle, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is a serious disease which could lead to congestive heart failure.
Leonard Hofstadter: [to Deck the Halls] Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.
Penny: You really didn't like it, Sheldon?
Sheldon Cooper: No, on the contrary. I found the Grinch to be a relatable, engaging character. And I was really with him right up to the point that he succumbed to social convention and returned the ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

"CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #272 Is this a great world, or what? Happy holidays! From Chuck Lorre"

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Connections

References Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)

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Soundtracks

Deck the Hall
(uncredited)
Traditional tune
Lyrics by Thomas Oliphant
Performed by Johnny Galecki
[Leonard hums the song's tune when Sheldon talks about the heart in medical terms]

User Reviews

Best Christmas Theme Episode of BBT

Review Date 6/24/2019

I have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films and Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films.

It's Christmas time and Leonard mom comes to visit. Lots a huge laughs in this episode. Look at the final moment and it looks like Jim and Christine they unintentionally hit their heads pretty hard .

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

14 December 2009 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9