The Maternal Capacitance is the 15th episode of the 2nd season of The Big Bang Theory.
Leonard's mother, Beverly (Christine Baranski), comes visit Leonard, bringing the news that Uncle Floyd died. Beverly meets Penny and psychoanalyzes her, severely depressing the young woman. Leonard also finds his mother depressing.
Commiserating with wine and shots at Apartment 4B, Leonard and Penny almost have sex. But Leonard messes it up by bringing up his mother at the worst time. Thrown back to Apartment 4B, Leonard is only slightly fazed to see Beverly and Sheldon bonding over a music video game.
Tropes
- Awful Wedded Life: Leonard recalls building a machine in his youth that would simulate a mother's hug and patting him on the back. It turns out his father would borrow it. Beverly also tells Sheldon it was immediately a Sexless Marriage, save for the wedding night and when trying to have children. She didn't see the problem with this, but Alfred clearly did.
- Brutal Honesty: Beverly tells Leonard that Uncle Floyd has passed away.Leonard: Oh my God! What happened?
Beverly: His heart stopped beating. - The Bully: Beverly turns out to be a huge one, destroying other people's self-esteem unless they're accomplished scientists following cold logic and are arrogant just like her (she found Sheldon to be the only one like her).
- Commonality Connection: Beverly and Sheldon get along very well with each other and acknowledge it based on the fact that they're both very psychoanalytical and find themselves superior to everyone else, especially Leonard.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Back in Apartment 4A, Beverly is contemplating Sheldon's "suggestion." She is not sure if it's appropriate with her son's roommate, but they both agree they'd be very good together. They play Rock Band together.
- Dreadful Musician: Raj. The episode opens with Sheldon, Raj, and Howard playing "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Rock Band. Penny overhears them and says that Raj's singing sounds like a cat being run over by a lawnmower.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Penny and Leonard get drunk to drown out the bullying Beverly inflicted on them.
- Get Out!: Penny forcefully tells Leonard to get out after he brings up their parental issues during intercourse, complete with a shot of him running out of her apartment.
- Inelegant Blubbering: In the time it takes to get from the lobby up to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, Beverly has reduced Penny to this.
- Kick Them While They're Down: Howard joins in on bullying Leonard with Beverly.
- The Dog Bites Back: Leonard then proudly tells Beverly that Howard still lives with his mom and Raj suffers from selective mutism so that he can't talk to women.
- Lampshade Hanging: Beverly is introduced looking at the elevator's out of order sign and makes academic guesses over just how long this has been the case. She reasons the elevator has been out of service far longer than would normally be the case, chalking it open to indifference from all concerned parties.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Beverly and Leonard have nothing in common other than the fact they both wear glasses.
- Mood Whiplash: Leonard's story of the hugging machine he built as a child is described as quite sad. Leonard saying his father borrowing is described as really sad, but in a different way.
- Ms. Fanservice: This is the first episode of the series in which Penny is seen in only her bra.
- Mistaken for Gay: Howard and Raj by Beverly.
- Not Helping Your Case: After Beverly leaves the table with Leonard, Howard and Raj take offense to being Mistaken for Gay, only to carry on like squabbling lovers.
- Oh, Crap!: Howard and Raj when Beverly mistakes them for a guy couple, much to Leonard's delight.
- Parental Favoritism: In clinical fashion, Beverly cites the accomplishments of Leonard's brother and sister (Harvard law professor and medical researcher, respectively). She doesn't object to Howard pointing out they're so much more successful than Leonard.
- Retargeted Lust: Unintentional on Leonard's part, which Penny lampshades. "So... you're not having sex with me, you're having sex with your mother?".
- Too Much Information: Beverly keeps announcing "I have to urinate" to those who aren't eager to hear about it.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Both Leonard and Penny struggle with winning over their parent's affection and approval (Leonard with his mother Beverly and Penny with her father Wyatt).
- After Beverly learns that she is an actress she observes that, “There are many studies that suggest that people who go into the performing arts suffer from an external locus of identity." By the time they reach Leonard's apartment, she is in tears talking about her own childhood and trying to win her father's approval.
