# The Big Bang Theory, Season 9, Episode 2 (September 28, 2015) -- "The Separation Oscillation" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854 "2015-09-28T18:14:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/21 "2015-09-29T13:17:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 1. We finally heard Penny’s last name. And what a coincidence! It’s the same as Leonard’s. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/22 "2015-09-29T13:41:51Z")
What, nobody else was repulsed by the very thought of Howard manscaping? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/23 "2015-09-29T14:16:34Z")
Why was Bernadette so jittery about discussing marital fidelity, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/24 "2015-09-29T14:25:14Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Why was Bernadette so jittery about discussing marital fidelity, I wonder? Wasn’t it because she had spilled the beans about something earlier and didn’t want to be caught out? (I need to go back and watch the episode on-line to be more specific.) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/25 "2015-09-29T14:26:03Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Why was Bernadette so jittery about discussing marital fidelity, I wonder? Because she didn’t want Penny to know she knew about Leonard and didn’t tell her. Oooooor, she’s been banging Raj on the side. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/26 "2015-09-29T14:26:32Z")
It’s not the fidelity part. It’s that she knew about it for years and didn’t tell Penny. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/27 "2015-09-29T14:27:22Z")
Well, I was afraid that this whole Leonard / Penny “infidelity” fiasco would be a season-long arc. I’m glad that they put it behind them. Not such a great episode, though. Did Raj ever mention Emily? I’m wondering if they are still dating at all… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/28 "2015-09-29T14:29:01Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Because she didn’t want Penny to know she knew about Leonard and didn’t tell her. Oooooor, she’s been banging Raj on the side. No, she was playing his clarinet. Not really, she knew about Leonard and Mandy but never told Penny. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/29 "2015-09-29T14:33:29Z")
How would Leonard have told _her_? Did he brag about it to Howard and he passed it on? Or maybe she has a little secret of her own. I hope so, anyway. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/30 "2015-09-29T14:35:29Z")
Bernie got it from Howard, who got it from Leonard. It wasn’t so much a brag as it was a confession, I’ll bet. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/31 "2015-09-29T14:40:40Z")
It was nice that Leonard and Penny got their issues worked out. And now we can spend a few episodes with Amy and Sheldon hating each other… ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/32 "2015-09-29T14:42:02Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Well, I was afraid that this whole Leonard / Penny “infidelity” fiasco would be a season-long arc. I’m glad that they put it behind them. Not such a great episode, though. > > Did Raj ever mention Emily? I’m wondering if they are still dating at all… IMBD shows her being in only five episodes in 2015. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/33 "2015-09-29T14:53:56Z")
> [@Master\_Wang-Ka](#): > > It was nice that Leonard and Penny got their issues worked out. > > And now we can spend a few episodes with Amy and Sheldon hating each other… **Master Wang-Ka** , I was hoping you’d make a comment about “Sheldon’s left hand” comment. Of course, a show that makes masturbatory jokes is running out of material. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/34 "2015-09-29T15:00:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > **Master Wang-Ka** , I was hoping you’d make a comment about “Sheldon’s left hand” comment. > > Of course, a show that makes masturbatory jokes is running out of material. I chuckled at Sheldon saying that because it is likely that he wasn’t even thinking of masturbation at the time. That was my take on it, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/35 "2015-09-29T15:15:30Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > How would Leonard have told _her_? Did he brag about it to Howard and he passed it on? > > Or maybe she has a little secret of her own. I hope so, anyway. I’m beginning to think you missed a few key scenes. Howard told Bernie. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/36 "2015-09-29T15:20:50Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > **Master Wang-Ka** , I was hoping you’d make a comment about “Sheldon’s left hand” comment. > > Of course, a show that makes masturbatory jokes is running out of material. By this metric they were running out of jokes in the very first episode since there were a ton of jerk off jokes at the sperm bank. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/37 "2015-09-29T15:37:49Z")
IIRC it was Sheldon’s _right_ hand, not left. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/38 "2015-09-29T16:17:52Z")
That Mandy scene felt like she was almost a Frank Grimes (or "Grimey as he liked to be called) character: a “real” person pulled into a Sit com to call a character out on their Sit com dysfunction. She really did nail that scene. I predict that actress either becomes a bigger part of the show or will get casted somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/39 "2015-09-29T17:49:34Z")
I found the scene in the cafeteria where Howard and Raj were making crude jokes about Mandy very off-putting. But she was funny, and Leonard was able to introspect enough to figure out both he and Penny were feeling insecure about each other. I thought the make up scene was nice. Sheldon is getting mean. It’s not funny. I would have loved if the Sheldon/Penny make out scene had been real. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854/40 "2015-09-29T17:51:21Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Oh, _that’s_ what the rocking chair was talking about in the other thread. Gave me the willies, it did. yep, that was it. it was rather odd. people went a bit nutso on twitter. perhaps if they cut the bit about it being a dream, they would have a tad more standing. poor leonard does dream about sheldon quite a bit… if you watch on [cbs.com](http://cbs.com) the episode is at 19:20. that is really horrible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-2-september-28-2015-the-separation-oscillation/732854.md?page=3)