"The Fetal Kick Catalyst" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on October 27, 2016. Directed by Mark Cendrowski. Teleplay by Steven Molaro, Saladin K. Patterson and Anthony Del Broccolo, based on a story by Steve Holland, Tara Hernandez and Jeremy Howe.
One night, Howard feels Bernadette's belly and then the baby kick, causing him to worry he's not ready to be a father. The next day, Howard goes buy a crib and a minivan. Trying to unload the crib from the minivan, Howard injures his back, so Bernadette drives the minivan to take Howard to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Penny's invited to attend the Van Nuys Comic Con as a celebrity guest, on account of the notoriety of her rôle in Serial Ape-ist.note Penny thinks of turning it down, but Leonard convinces her to go.
At the convention, Leonard's looking forward to giving out change for Penny's autograph signatures on photos: black and white costs $4.75 each, $9.95 for color. The first autograph seeker is Daniel (Bryan Safi), who says he loves her in the movie, but also insults her by asking if she was deliberately acting so badly. And Leonard's annoyed that Daniel pays $5.00 even and doesn't want the change.
Some of the other guys to queue up for Penny's autograph wind up being more impressed with Leonard, after first being skeptical that someone like Leonard could have married someone like Penny.
Amy wants to host brunch in Apartment 4B. Sheldon eventually agrees, and invites Bert (Brian Posehn), Stuart (Kevin Sussman) and Mrs. Petrescu (Michelle Arthur), a Romanian woman who lives in the same apartment building as Amy and Sheldon. Amy thinks this is a rather odd assortment of guests.
Tropes
- *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": In trying to show off the minivan's features, Howard throws out his back and has to be taken to the hospital in said minivan.
- Even Nerds Have Standards: Leonard is interested in going with Penny to the Van Nuys Comic Con, even though he just called it sad. "But it's not pathetic; that's where I draw the line."
- Feeling the Baby Kick: Howard feels his unborn baby kick for the first time, which causes him to fully realize he's about to be a father. He subsequently goes overboard preparing to be a parent.
- Give Geeks a Chance: The people who went to see Penny soon become more enthralled with Leonard for being married to her.
- Gold Digger: Discussed. A nerd asks Leonard if Penny is only with him because he's rich. Leonard replies that she makes more money than him.
- It Came from the Fridge: Bert once drank orange juice that was on his fridge so long it tasted like mimosa. He doesn't remember much after drinking it.
- Just Here for Godzilla: In-Universe. Quite a few people who watch Serial Ape-ist claim the shower scene Penny acted in as their favorite.Penny: Been hearing that a lot today.
- So Bad, It's Good: In-Universe, Penny finds out that Serial Ape-ist has a fan following because of this.Daniel: I love your movie.
Penny: Well, thanks.
Daniel: It has got to be one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life.
Penny: Your love confuses me. - Speaks in Shout-Outs: One of the guests at Sheldon and Amy's brunch is Mrs. Petrescu, who is just learning English from watching television, and can only speak in lines from TV shows and commercials.
- The Unreveal: The Serial Ape-ist movie poster is framed so that Penny's last name on the poster is always hidden.
