Fantastic episode, laughed more than I had during a ‘The Big Bang Theory’ episode in a while.

The episode opens with Sheldon, Leonard, Penny and Amy discussing the upcoming visit from the guys’ moms, with Sheldon dutifully arranging a vase of flowers while Amy looks on sadly, saying that he never gets her flowers, to which Sheldon points out that he bought her a mushroom log once. (apparently flowers die too quickly, but a mushroom log keeps growing mushrooms for a long time). Penny asks is there’s anything she should get for Leonard’s mother as she has never really approved of their relationship, but Leonard points out there’s not enough time for her to get a PhD. They discuss whether or not their moms would get along, with Sheldon pointing out that they might be friends, as one is brilliant and the other is simple and kind, kind of like their sons.

Mrs. Cooper arrives first, having a conversation with Sheldon about how Leonard’s mother is a brilliant woman of science, with Sheldon asking his mother to keep the church talk to a minimum. She asks whether Sheldon is ashamed of her, and Sheldon politely lies to her. As Mrs. Hofstadter arrives, she points out how long Leonard and Penny have been on and off, and asks whether their sex is satisfactory, letting Leonard know his mother has not changed. The mothers meet, both doting over Sheldon, who enjoys all of the attention.  Leonard grows annoyed at being ignored, and pulls Sheldon into the other room, leaving Penny alone with the two moms. While the boys argue over Sheldon’s ability to steal the love of both of the moms, Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Hofstadter begin to discusses their differing beliefs with Penny caught in the middle. (and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting’s reactions to the 2 veteran actresses jibes is classic, you can tell she’s just barely keep her composure). As the mothers fight about God and Freud, the boys come out of Sheldon’s room still arguing, with Sheldon pointing out that it’s not his fault Leonard’s mom loves him more.

Deciding a little space is needed, Sheldon takes Mrs. Hofstadter out for coffee, where they discuss how Sheldon was raised with unconditional love and came out much more intelligent and driven than Leonard, making Mrs. Hofstadter wonders if she made mistakes with her son. Sheldon reminds her that her other two children came out much better, while his siblings are not that intelligent. Meanwhile back at the apartment, Mrs. Cooper tells Penny and Leonard that she should have been a good christian and turned the other cheek (or a good Texan and just shot the woman), and says she will apologize when Mrs. Hofstadter returns. When Sheldon arrives home with Mrs. Hofstadter the ladies make amends, and Mrs. Hofstadter suggests a new protocol with Leonard, where she offers to attempt to show him unconditional love. They have an uncomfortable hug, accentuated with one of my favorite quotes of the night:

MRS. HOFSTADTER: Oh, my son.
LEONARD: (uncomfortable in the hug) Oh my mother.
PENNY: (watching in fascination) Oh my God.

As for the rest of the gang (minus Amy, who was only in tonight’s opening scene, much like last week), Bernadette grows tired of playing mommy to the pants-less men in her house (and Raj who shows up later with laundry for her), and demands that the guys put on pants and clean up the kitchen. While cleaning, Raj and Stuart point out that Bernadette does often baby Howard, similar to how his mother babied him, and Howard realizes he needs to step up. He tries to accomplish the manly task of taking out the trash, and spills it everywhere, than fails to clean it up properly, leaving the floor so sticky he loses a shoe and a sock. In the episode’s final moments, the guys are completing their kitchen clean up when they start to hum “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” breaking into full song by the end.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

SHELDON: (on his issues with Noah’s Ark) What did they feed the lions, mother!?
MRS. COOPER: The floating bodies of drowned sinners!

MRS. COOPER: (after Sheldon asks her to keep down the Bible talk) Are you ashamed of me?
SHELDON: Of course not. I’m just embarrassed by the things you believe, do and say.

LEONARD: (assuring Penny her engagement ring is not a repurposed diamond drill bit) It came from Tiffany’s.
SHELDON: You mean the box, right?

LEONARD: (on Sheldon being similar to a seal pup stealing the milk off two mothers) Yes! You are a super weaner!

RAJ: Maybe it’s a good thing she [Bernadette] if stops babying you so much.
HOWARD: She doesn’t baby me.
STUART: I saw her pull you home in a wagon.
HOWARD: For your information, I twisted my ankle chasing the ice-cream truck.

MRS. COOPER: (on Mrs. Hofstadter’s relationship to Leonard) I’m sure she loves you very much, in her own cold, god-less way.

The ENTIRE ‘Hard Knock Life’ song sequence at the end, complete with Bernadette coming in, seeing the guys singing, and walking out in disgust.

Definitely one of the best, if not THE best episode of the season, making me wish they could bring on Sheldon and Leonard’s mother’s more often, as their interactions with their sons and their friends is always entertaining. Even the B story of cleaning the kitchen was funny, though it did make me a little sad that both Bernadette and Amy haven’t gotten much screen time the last couple of weeks, as I love their characters and what they bring to the show. Keep ’em coming ‘Big Bang Theory’ !