The Stockholm Syndrome

The Big Bang Theory"The Stockholm Syndrome"
Season 12
Number 24
Episode information
Directed by	Mark Cendrowski
Original air date	May 16, 2019
The Big Bang Theory Episodes
Previous	"The Change Constant"

The Stockholm Syndrome is the twenty-fourth and series finale episode of Season 12 of The Big Bang Theory, airing immediately after the penultimate episode, The Change Constant. 

Synopsis

The gang goes to Stockholm, Sweden so Sheldon and Amy can win their Nobel Prize, Howard and Bernadette leave their kids behind, and Penny reveals that she’s pregnant.

Plot

Taking place two months after the previous episode, Sheldon and Leonard have finished putting Sheldon’s DNA model back together, which took almost six days but was rather enjoyable for Leonard. Sheldon constructed the genetic code for an advanced race of human beings. Penny and Amy arrive with the dresses for the Nobel Prize ceremony; Amy’s dress had to be let in, and Penny’s had to be let out. Sheldon and Amy go to their apartment so Amy can show him her dress, and Sheldon can practice his speech. After they leave, Penny reveals that she’s pregnant, which happened when she and Sheldon went for a drink.

At the Wolowitz house, Bernadette tells Michael that she and Howard are going to be gone for a few days. Halley has become a big girl having just used the potty. They have no qualms about leaving their kids with Stuart and Denise, and feel good to finally feel good to get some time to themselves again. Meanwhile, Raj leaves Bert to look after Cinnamon, hoping that he can attract some girls with her; Bert then makes a joke that he’ll get another dog just like her if she dies.

Amy is trying on her dress, while Sheldon is practicing his speech to get through it within 90 minutes. Amy proposes that he leave out his childhood, and all the people he thought would never get a Nobel Prize.

As they prepare to head to the airport, Sheldon and Amy tell everyone that they are ambassadors for them and to be on their best behavior, and give them advice on how to interact with the Swedish people. Sheldon also reminds Penny to go easy on alcohol on the flight, though Penny says that she’s not drinking; she doesn’t drink on flights. They try to go down in the newly repaired elevator with their luggage, but it becomes clear there’s no way they can all fit in the elevator with their luggage, so they end up going down the stairs while their luggage goes down in the elevator.

While on the plane, Bernadette is watching Jack Reacher movies, while Howard is feeling uneasy about Michael and Halley; Raj is sitting with Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Meanwhile, Sheldon is concerned because Penny has gone to the bathroom five times in the past two hours. Amy makes the assumption that Penny is just airsick. When Penny comes out of the lavatory and immediately goes back in, Sheldon goes over to Leonard and expresses his concerns. Penny returns and tells Sheldon he has nothing to worry about, she’s just pregnant. Relieved, Sheldon tells Amy the good news. Leonard is disgusted that Sheldon isn’t a little more happy for Penny.

Amy is furious that Penny kept her pregnancy a secret. Bernadette comes over and Amy tells her about Penny’s pregnancy; for a second, Bernadette is thrilled before she, too, gets angry that she wasn’t told about it. Penny explains that it just happened when she and Sheldon went out for drinks.

Later, at the hotel, Bernadette talks with Stuart on Skype to make sure everything’s okay. Stuart tells her that Halley lost a tooth while rolling down the stairs, and Neil has a fever. Penny is helping herself to pickled herring, while Leonard is still very disappointed that Sheldon wasn’t a little more happy for him and Penny. Sheldon comes over to apologize to them and say congratulations. Howard arrives to say that he and Bernadette are thinking about going home because they’re worried about the kids, and when Sheldon tells him to keep it together, he decides he’s definitely going home. Fed up with Sheldon’s behavior, Leonard and Penny are leaving as well.

As he and Amy are getting ready for the ceremony, Sheldon expresses his disgust that their friends are choosing to leave them on their big day. Amy promptly explains they’re leaving because he unintentionally offended them as he always does, and they only put up with it because they’re his friends, adding that it’s true for her as well now and then.

Penny is sick from eating all that food. Even though she and Leonard are mad at Sheldon, they still want to be there to support him and Amy because they care about him. Leonard states that Sheldon has been their practice kid, in a sense. They then get a call from Howard, who tells them that they decided to stay; Bernadette’s parents are filling in for Stuart and Denise, and Mike accidentally broke one of Stuart’s ribs while hugging him.

At the ceremony, Sheldon and Amy are awarded their medals as the gang looks on; Raj brought Sarah Michelle Gellar as his guest. Amy gives a shoutout to young girls around the world, saying that winning a Nobel Prize is a great honor and that anyone interested in science should go for it, because it is the best job of all. Sheldon puts his long self-centered speech aside, and instead says that if it weren’t for his family and friends, he would never have reached his lifelong dream of winning a Nobel Prize. He always foolishly believed that his accomplishments were his doing. He always had support from his wife and friends; he then acknowledges Raj, Howard, Bernadette, Penny, and Leonard. Calling Penny and Leonard his dearest friends in the world, he recalls the day they first met, and that Leonard said they would one day have beautiful and smart kids. Penny is very touched by this, as she had yet to tell her parents. He then apologizes for being such a bad friend in all the time that they have known him, and says that he loves all of them in his own way, and Amy, too. Thanking all of them, he and Amy are met with applause.

Back in Apartment 4A, Bernadette, Howard, Leonard, Penny, Sheldon, Amy, and Raj are all having takeout food, talking and laughing, as an acoustic version of the show’s theme song plays in the background.

Cast

Main Cast

• Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
• Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
• Kaley Cuoco as Penny Hofstadter
• Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler
• Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
• Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz
• Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali

Guest Cast

• Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom
• Nate Ash as Neil-Michael Wolowitz
• Sailah Nicol as Halley Wolowitz

Gallery

The closing scene for the episode; ironically, it is reminiscent of the opening scene for every episode.

External Links

v - e - d

Media The Big Bang Theory • Young Sheldon • Video Characters Main Characters: Leonard Hofstadter • Sheldon Cooper • Penny Hofstadter • Howard Wolowitz • Rajesh Koothrappali • Amy Farrah Fowler • Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz • Stuart Bloom • Emily Sweeney • Leslie Winkle Recurring Characters: Barry Kripke • Wil Wheaton • Althea • Kurt • Eric Gablehauser • Mary Cooper • Debbie Wolowitz • V.M. Koothrappali • Mrs. Koothrappali • Mike • Stephanie Barnett • Beverley Hofstadter • President Siebert • Zack Johnson • Priya Koothrappali • Wyatt • Mike Rostenkowski • Mrs. Rostenkowski • Alex Jensen • Janine Davis • Lucy • Professor Proton • David Gibbs • Claire • Stephen Hawking • Alfred Hofstadter • Colonel Richard Williams • Denise Minor Characters: Christy Vanderbel • Lalita Gupta • Toby Loobenfeld • Dennis Kim • Dimitri • Missy Cooper • Blain • Tom • Octavia • Maria • Lourdes • Ramona Nowitzki • Kathy O'Brian • David Underhill • Alicia • Mikayla • Captain Sweatpants • Lonely Larry • Dr. Crawley • Bethany • Sarah • Skeeter • Professor Laughlin • Abby • Martha • Officer Hackett • Sandy • Glen • Venkatesh Koothrappali • Sebastian • Louie/Louise • Joyce Kim • Mrs. Gunderson • Joy • Mrs. Fowler • Angela Page • Professor Glenn • Mrs. Latham • Todd Zarnecki • Susan • Randall • Colonel Richard Williams Episodes Season 1: Pilot • The Big Bran Hypothesis • The Fuzzy Boots Corollary • The Luminous Fish Effect • The Hamburger Postulate • The Middle-Earth Paradigm • The Dumpling Paradox • The Grasshopper Experiment • The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization • The Loobenfeld Decay • The Pancake Batter Anomaly • The Jerusalem Duality • The Bat Jar Conjecture • The Nerdvana Annihilation • The Porkchop Indeterminacy • The Peanut Reaction • The Tangerine Factor Season 2: The Bad Fish Paradigm • The Codpiece Topology • The Barbarian Sublimation • The Griffin Equivalency • The Euclid Alternative • The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem • The Panty Piñata Polarization • The Lizard-Spock Expansion • The White Asparagus Triangulation • The Vartabedian Conundrum • The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis • The Killer Robot Instability • The Friendship Algorithm • The Financial Permeability • The Maternal Capacitance • The Cushion Saturation • The Terminator Decoupling • The Work Song Nanocluster • The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition • The Hofstadter Isotope • The Vegas Renormalization • The Classified Materials Turbulence • The Monopolar Expedition Season 3: The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation • The Jiminy Conjecture • The Gothowitz Deviation • The Pirate Solution • The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary • The Cornhusker Vortex • The Guitarist Amplification • The Adhesive Duck Deficiency • The Vengeance Formulation • The Gorilla Experiment • The Maternal Congruence • The Psychic Vortex • The Bozeman Reaction • The Einstein Approximation • The Large Hadron Collision • The Excelsior Acquisition • The Precious Fragmentation • The Pants Alternative • The Wheaton Recurrence • The Spaghetti Catalyst • The Plimpton Stimulation • The Staircase Implementation • The Lunar Excitation Season 4: The Robotic Manipulation • The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification • The Zazzy Substitution • The Hot Troll Deviation • The Desperation Emanation • The Irish Pub Formulation • The Apology Insufficiency • The 21-Second Excitation • The Boyfriend Complexity • The Alien Parasite Hypothesis • The Justice League Recombination • The Bus Pants Utilization • The Love Car Displacement • The Thespian Catalyst • The Benefactor Factor • The Cohabitation Formulation • The Toast Derivation • The Prestidigitation Approximation • The Zarnecki Incursion • The Herb Garden Germination • The Agreement Dissection • The Wildebeest Implementation • The Engagement Reaction • The Roommate Transmogrification Season 5: The Skank Reflex Analysis • The Infestation Hypothesis • The Pulled Groin Extrapolation • The Wiggly Finger Catalyst • The Russian Rocket Reaction • The Rhinitis Revelation • The Good Guy Fluctuation • The Isolation Permutation • The Ornithophobia Diffusion • The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition • The Speckerman Recurrence • The Shiny Trinket Maneuver • The Recombination Hypothesis • The Beta Test Initiation • The Friendship Contraction • The Vacation Solution • The Rothman Disintegration • The Werewolf Transformation • The Weekend Vortex • The Transporter Malfunction • The Hawking Excitation • The Stag Convergence • The Launch Acceleration • The Countdown Reflection Season 6: The Date Night Variable • The Decoupling Fluctuation • The Higgs Boson Observation • The Re-Entry Minimization • The Holographic Excitation • The Extract Obliteration • The Habitation Configuration • The 43 Peculiarity • The Parking Lot Escalation • The Fish Guts Displacement • The Santa Simulation • The Egg Salad Equivalency • The Bakersfield Expedition • The Cooper/Kripke Inversion • The Spoiler Alert Segmentation • The Tangible Affection Proof • The Monster Isolation • The Contractual Obligation Implementation • The Closet Reconfiguration • The Tenure Turbulence • The Closure Alternative • The Proton Resurgence • The Love Spell Potential • The Bon Voyage Reaction Season 7: The Hofstadter Insufficiency • The Deception Verification • The Scavenger Vortex • The Raiders Minimization • The Workplace Proximity • The Romance Resonance • The Proton Displacement • The Itchy Brain Simulation • The Thanksgiving Decoupling • The Discovery Dissipation • The Cooper Extraction • The Hesitation Ramification • The Occupation Recalibration • The Convention Conundrum • The Locomotive Manipulation • The Table Polarization • The Friendship Turbulence • The Mommy Observation • The Indecision Amalgamation • The Relationship Diremption • The Anything Can Happen Recurrence • The Proton Transmogrification • The Gorilla Dissolution • The Status Quo Combustion Season 8: The Locomotion Interruption • The Junior Professor Solution • The First Pitch Insufficiency • The Hook-up Reverberation • The Focus Attenuation • The Expedition Approximation • The Misinterpretation Agitation • The Prom Equivalency • The Septum Deviation • The Champagne Reflection • The Clean Room Infiltration • The Space Probe Disintegration • The Anxiety Optimization • The Troll Manifestation • The Comic Book Store Regeneration • The Intimacy Acceleration • The Colonization Application • The Leftover Thermalization • The Skywalker Incursion • The Fortification Implementation • The Communication Deterioration • The Graduation Transmission • The Maternal Combustion • The Commitment Determination Season 9: The Matrimonial Momentum • The Separation Oscillation • The Bachelor Party Corrosion • The 2003 Approximation • The Perspiration Implementation • The Helium Insufficiency • The Spock Resonance • The Mystery Date Observation • The Platonic Permutation • The Earworm Reverberation • The Opening Night Excitation • The Sales Call Sublimation • The Empathy Optimization • The Meemaw Materialization • The Valentino Submergence • The Positive Negative Reaction • The Celebration Experimentation • The Application Deterioration • The Solder Excursion Diversion • The Big Bear Precipitation • The Viewing Party Combustion • The Fermentation Bifurcation • The Line Substitution Solution • The Convergence-Convergence Season 10: The Conjugal Conjecture • The Military Miniaturization • The Dependence Transcendence • The Cohabitation Experimentation • The Hot Tub Contamination • The Fetal Kick Catalyst • The Veracity Elasticity • The Brain Bowl Incubation • The Geology Elevation • The Property Division Collision • The Birthday Synchronicity • The Holiday Summation • The Romance Recalibration • The Emotion Detection Automation • The Locomotion Reverberation • The Allowance Evaporation • The Comic-Con Conundrum • The Escape Hatch Identification • The Collaboration Fluctuation • The Recollection Dissipation • The Separation Agitation • The Cognition Regeneration • The Gyroscopic Collapse • The Long Distance Dissonance Season 11: The Proposal Proposal • The Retraction Reaction • The Relaxation Integration • The Explosion Implosion • The Collaboration Contamination • The Proton Regeneration • The Geology Methodology • The Tesla Recoil • The Bitcoin Entanglement • The Confidence Erosion • The Celebration Reverberation • The Matrimonial Metric • The Solo Oscillation • The Separation Triangulation • The Novelization Correlation • The Neonatal Nomenclature • The Athenaeum Allocation • The Gates Excitation • The Tenant Disassociation • The Reclusive Potential • The Comet Polarization • The Monetary Insufficiency • The Sibling Realignment • The Bow Tie Asymmetry Season 12: The Conjugal Configuration • The Wedding Gift Wormhole • The Procreation Calculation • The Tam Turbulence • The Planetarium Collision • The Imitation Perturbation • The Grant Allocation Derivation • The Consummation Deviation • The Citation Negation • The VCR Illumination • The Paintball Scattering • The Propagation Proposition • The Confirmation Polarization • The Meteorite Manifestation • The Donation Oscillation • The D & D Vortex • The Conference Valuation • The Laureate Accumulation • The Inspiration Deprivation • The Decision Reverberation • The Plagiarism Schism • The Maternal Conclusion • The Change Constant • The Stockholm Syndrome Locations The Apartment Building • Apartment 4A • Apartment 4B • The Elevator • California Institute of Technology • Wolowitz House • The Comic Center of Pasadena • Pasadena • The Cheesecake Factory • Raj's Apartment • Amy's Apartment • Howard and Bernadette's Apartment • The Stairs • Sheldon's Old Office • Raj's Old Office • Sheldon's New Office • Howard's Lab • The University Cafeteria • Kripke's Plasma Lab • International Space Station • The Kinetics Lab Songs Transportations See Also Unaired Pilot