# The Big Bang Theory, Season 12, Episode 7 (November 1, 2018) -- "The Grant Allocation Derivation" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838 "2018-11-01T14:52:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/1 "2018-11-01T14:52:13Z")
I am starting this thread in anticipation of tonight’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/2 "2018-11-02T10:30:04Z")
That was okay. I laughed a couple of times, it had a good mix of all the characters, and a bunch of nice guest turns. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/3 "2018-11-02T11:04:52Z")
Josh Malina two episodes in a row! Loved that. Lots of laugh out loud moments. I thought it sweet that Howard knew all along Bernie was decompressing in the playhouse and was understanding. Penny liking decisive Leonard was great. I thought this was a well done episode. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/4 "2018-11-02T13:21:30Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Josh Malina two episodes in a row! Loved that. > > Lots of laugh out loud moments. I thought it sweet that Howard knew all along Bernie was decompressing in the playhouse and was understanding. Penny liking decisive Leonard was great. I thought this was a well done episode. I agree, it was pretty good! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/5 "2018-11-02T13:35:57Z")
Definitely the best episode so far this season. But I continue to be irritated with Sheldon remaining as obnoxious as ever. Every time he seems to show a little personal growth, they toss it away and he goes back to Season One Sheldon. Are the writers really that unimaginative? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/6 "2018-11-02T13:38:43Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Josh Malina two episodes in a row! Loved that. > > Lots of laugh out loud moments. I thought it sweet that Howard knew all along Bernie was decompressing in the playhouse and was understanding. Penny liking decisive Leonard was great. I thought this was a well done episode. But that is no excuse for not having life insurance though. Are they rekindling the ersatz homosexual relationship between Howard and Raj by having them in the hot tub together? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/7 "2018-11-02T13:50:45Z")
I don’t think it was ever unkindled. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/8 "2018-11-02T15:12:58Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Josh Malina two episodes in a row! Loved that. > > Lots of laugh out loud moments. I thought it sweet that Howard knew all along Bernie was decompressing in the playhouse and was understanding. Penny liking decisive Leonard was great. I thought this was a well done episode. I never would have expected Howard to become the mature one in the group, but this week and last week, he has been that guy. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/9 "2018-11-02T15:30:22Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I never would have expected Howard to become the mature one in the group, but this week and last week, he has been that guy. Not really. He had a chance there in the hot tub and the writers blew it. He could have confessed that he knew Bernie was decompressing in the playhouse and ended with “That’s what married people do.” But no, he had to continue and show that he’s still a self-centered jerk like the rest of the guys. No growth at all. Otherwise a pretty goo episode. We actually chuckled a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/10 "2018-11-02T15:48:15Z")
Why didn’t Howard say, “That’s what married people do”? Because that would not be funny. This is, after all, a sitcom. And it makes sense to me that he’s acquired more maturity than the rest, given that he’s the only father among them. (Cinnamon doesn’t count.) In the real world, I have seen guys grow up once they’re responsible for a baby. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/11 "2018-11-02T15:57:23Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > But that is no excuse for not having life insurance though. > > Are they rekindling the ersatz homosexual relationship between Howard and Raj by having them in the hot tub together? Did you miss the planetarium scene? ROFL! “Are you CRYing?!?” I was a bit relieved by the decisive Leonard plotline. I had begun to think we might end the show with Leonard and Penny’s divorce. “That’s not a hat!!!” If the high we go out on is the Stewart/Raj double wedding, they’ve got a long way to go making Raj’s relationship seem feasible. Question from a couple of weeks ago: Where is Stewart’s room? During the “smooth operator” scenes it seemed as if he was staying in the dining room which would mean they had to walk through his bedroom to get to the kitchen? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/12 "2018-11-02T16:22:55Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Question from a couple of weeks ago: Where is Stewart’s room? The last time I remember it being mentioned, Stewart slept in the garage and used the downstairs bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/13 "2018-11-02T16:42:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why didn’t Howard say, “That’s what married people do”? Because that would not be funny. This is, after all, a sitcom. And it makes sense to me that he’s acquired more maturity than the rest, given that he’s the only father among them. (Cinnamon doesn’t count.) In the real world, I have seen guys grow up once they’re responsible for a baby. Exactly. And the whole bickering spouses thing with Howard and Bernadette is kind of a shout-out to the Jewish Catskills comedians’ acts, I suspect, considering that Helberg and Rausch are both Jewish, and a longstanding joke in the show is the interaction between Howard & his overbearing Jewish mom / Bernadette. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/14 "2018-11-02T17:35:28Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The last time I remember it being mentioned, Stewart slept in the garage and used the downstairs bathroom. Speaking of living quarters, is Raj still living above Bert’s garage, or did his planetarium gig enable him to find a better place? If the latter, I missed that show. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/15 "2018-11-02T17:59:39Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Speaking of living quarters, is Raj still living above Bert’s garage, or did his planetarium gig enable him to find a better place? If the latter, I missed that show. It’s not been mentioned, but the fact that Raj is now planning to marry the woman his father chose for him should get Raj back his huge allowance from his father. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/16 "2018-11-02T19:25:08Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > It’s not been mentioned, but the fact that Raj is now planning to marry the woman his father chose for him should get Raj back his huge allowance from his father. I remember that Raj actually gave that up mostly voluntarily? If so, I don’t see him going back on the daddy dole. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/17 "2018-11-02T19:35:53Z")
Even without his father’s money, he’s probably making enough and reduced his standard of living to the point that he should have paid off some or all of the debt he was in. So he _should_ no longer need to live in poverty. In other words, just how much debt did he have? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/18 "2018-11-02T20:53:02Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I remember that Raj actually gave that up mostly voluntarily? If so, I don’t see him going back on the daddy dole. I don’t see him turning it down if it’s offered - but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/19 "2018-11-02T22:25:53Z")
I thought he wasn’t in debt, just living way beyond his means (cleaning services, way too expensive apartment & car, spending sprees, etc.), that would all get paid with his parent’s money at the end of the month. When he cut himself off, he really had only one month (or less) excess to pay off, followed by finding alternatives _within_ his means (e.g., a more modest apartment). Even without the planetarium job, he should make a reasonable salary. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-12-episode-7-november-1-2018-the-grant-allocation-derivation/823838/20 "2018-11-03T01:12:02Z")
While it wasn’t early-season good, I thought this was the best episode in a long time. It wasn’t anything special. No tricks, no big events, no stunt guest stars. Just solid, believable interaction amongst the gang. I especially liked the crow stuff. Random, yet consistent with what I’ve read about crows.