The Big Bang Theory: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Bernadette
Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory was the little spitfire that the show needed when she came on to the scene in season 3, but there were certainly quite a few inconsistencies with her character. Played hilariously throughout the show’s run by Melissa Ivy Rauch, Bernadette was not afraid to speak her mind and she was more than able to tame aspiring womanizer Howard Wolowitz. She even became a successful microbiologist with her Ph.D. and achieved her life-long ambition of becoming a scientist.
Over 12 seasons, the characters of The Big Bang Theory grew and changed as they experienced life’s struggles and breakthroughs. These changes were often a good thing, but they also opened the door for inconsistency and continuity problems. The Big Bang Theory has a cult following where every detail is fact-checked and scrutinized by diehard fans, which makes many of the show’s continuity problems all the more obvious. Though she was a supporting character, many things about Bernadette in The Big Bang Theory didn’t make much sense.
Bernadette’s Voice Lost Its ‘Squeak’ Over Time
Bernadette debuted on The Big Bang Theory in season 3, episode 5, “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary”, and was set up on a blind date with Howard after Leonard had made him a promise to find him someone to date from Penny’s pool of friends. Bernadette and Howard bonded over their mutually domineering parents, and Bernadette was something of a caricature with her signature high-pitched squeaky voice. However, as she continued to appear in the show more frequently, Bernadette lost her squeaky voice, with no reason given as to why.
Bernadette Was Pregnant For Almost A Year
Bernadette became pregnant with her first child, Halley, around Valentine’s Day in season 9, episode 15, “The Valentino Submergence.” It wasn’t said how far along she was then, but it can be assumed that it was in the early stages considering she and Howard had just found out. Oddly enough, the episode after Halley’s birth was season 10, episode 12, “The Holiday Summation”, meaning Halley was born around the Christmas holidays. Assuming the facts presented in the episodes are consistent, that would mean that Bernadette was pregnant for much longer than the typical nine months.
Bernadette Had Five Siblings But They Never Showed Up
Early in Howard and Bernadette’s relationship, she mentioned that she’s not fond of kids because she had five brothers and sisters. With such a big family, it would make sense for her siblings to pop up in an episode eventually, but they never did. Considering the fact that her parents lived near her in the show, her siblings would also likely not be far. Her siblings could have moved away from their hometown, but what makes the least amount of sense is that they weren’t even at Bernadette and Howard’s wedding in The Big Bang Theory season 5, episode 24, “The Countdown Reflection”.
Bernadette’s Mom Ran An Illegal Daycare Center Despite Working Full-Time
Before she became a mother herself, Bernadette was often unsure about children, and she mentioned in season 3, episode 14, “The Einstein Approximation” that her reticence stemmed from the time she assisted her mom run an illegal daycare. What doesn’t add up is Bernadette said she had to help with the daycare because her mom was working full-time. It was never explained whether Bernadette ran the illegal daycare alone, or if her mother’s full-time job was also in child care.
Bernadette And Howard’s Break-Up Rumor
In The Big Bang Theory season 4, episode 20, “The Herb Garden Germination”, rumors started spreading that Bernadette was going to break up with Howard. Amy and Sheldon found the rumor intriguing and started their own theory on rumors, but the specter of the former’s breakup still loomed. At the end of the episode, the gang was shocked when Howard showed he had matured by proposing to Bernadette and were even more shocked when she said yes. The topic of her breaking up with Howard was never mentioned again, and it was never made clear whether it was all a rumor, or if Bernadette had merely changed her mind.
Bernadette’s “Me Time” Could Be Hypocritical
At the beginning of Howard and Bernadette’s relationship on The Big Bang Theory, she seemed to light up at Howard’s jokes and supported his quirks. As the series went on, that mentality changed, and he could often grate on her nerves. Following their marriage, the duo had frequent spats over Howard spending too much time with his friends. However, in season 12, episode 7, “The Grant Allocation Derivation” Bernadette began lying to Howard, saying she was coming home late from work. In reality, she was drinking wine in Halley’s playhouse in the backyard. If Bernadette craved alone time, she’d likely recognize Howard’s similar desire.
Bernadette Changed From Meek To Bully
In season 5, episode 11, “The Speckerman Recurrence”, Bernadette and Amy had a heart-to-heart with Penny about her past and made it clear that Penny was the bully women like Amy and Bernadette feared in high school. Bernadette forced Penny to accept this and apologize which allowed Penny to grow and change. Oddly enough, as time went on Bernadette went from shy and introverted to a bully herself and bullied her boss, her co-workers, Howard, and anyone around her. What’s worse is she cried when Penny confronted her about it in season 8, episode 10, “The Champagne Reflection”, but she didn’t change her ways.
Bernadette Continued To Work At The Cheesecake Factory
One of the defining aspects of Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory was her higher education journey and her long path toward getting a Ph.D in microbiology. What didn’t make much sense though, was why she continued to work at The Cheesecake Factory as she pursued her academic climb. Working at The Cheesecake Factory added nothing to her degree except for money to make payments towards college, and at that level of academics, it would have made more sense for her to work in higher education as many graduate students do.
Bernadette’s Mom Picked Out Her Clothes
While on their wholesome first date in The Big Bang Theory season 3, episode 5, “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary”, Bernadette and Howard went back and forth about their controlling mothers, and bonded over their strained familial relationships. Eventually, Bernadette noted that her mother still picked out her clothes for her each day, but that arrangement didn’t match Bernadette’s circumstances. Bernadette was already a fully independent adult by then, and she was a student with her own apartment. It seems highly unlikely that her mother could come over every morning to pick her clothes, especially considering how hard her mother often worked, according to Bernadette’s other stories from the past.
Bernadette Was A Devout Catholic But Wasn’t Married By A Priest
From her first appearance on The Big Bang Theory, Bernadette wore a cross necklace, and from the outset, it was clear that her father’s strict conservative views didn’t mesh with her dating, or even marrying, a Jewish man like Howard. Though she wasn’t as strict in her beliefs, it was clear that her Catholic faith was very important to her, but Bernadette seemed to put it aside on her wedding day. Despite marriage ceremonies being a sacred event for people of the Catholic faith, neither Bernadette nor her father had any issue with Raj, Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, and Penny officiating instead of a priest.