The Big Bang Theory Season 12, Episode 22. Recap: Leonard and Beverly Just Broke My Heart

The second to last episode of The Big Bang Theory is in the books, and you'll probably need someone to sing "Soft Kitty" to you after you watch. Or at least to give you a hug. Christine Baranski and Johnny Galecki brought the house down with their raw, emotional portrayals of Beverly and Leonard, and their relationship will never be the same. Same for Raj, who made the biggest decision of his life. You know what that means: Spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.

"The Maternal Conclusion" starts with the reveal that Beverly is coming to visit. She's never had a strong relationship with her son, so it's no surprise that Leonard is reluctant to pick her up from the airport. If it were up to him, he'd just leave her there to fend off L.A. traffic on her own. Sheldon is appalled by Leonard's reluctance to pick up his own mother. He offers to do it for him, but he doesn't drive (even though he has a license). Leonard says Sheldon can’t pick Beverly up because that will make him look like a bad son. And as Penny points out, Beverly gave birth to Leonard and that pretty much equals no-strings-attached airport rides. Leonard reluctantly agrees.

Later in the car, Leonard tells Beverly he and Penny wouldn’t be offended if she wants to stay at a hotel. But Beverly surprises Leonard by saying she’s actually been looking forward to staying at Casa Hofstadter. Something's off.

Over at the Wolowitz house, Raj tells Howard and Bernadette that Anu’s been in London for work, which has given him time to focus on himself. Except that hasn’t been going well, which is why he's now over at their house. Denise walks in, which prompts Raj to comment that she’s been over a lot lately. Howard says Raj only knows that because he’s over a lot as well. Bernadette says Raj is right. Denise has been over every night this week.

Back at Casa Hofstadter, Penny tells Beverly about Leonard’s new position as co-lead of the photon entanglement team. Leonard is surprised when Beverly says she’d like to see the lab. I am too. Who is this woman? “Clearly one of us is dying,” he quips to Penny after Beverly heads to the bedroom to unpack. Penny tells him not to read into it. Leonard has accomplished something great; obviously Beverly is proud of her son. Leonard’s pretty sure it’s the wine talking and dismisses Penny's theory.

Later that night Raj and Anu video chat. Anu says she’s staying in Notting Hill, which to a rom-com fan is pretty exciting, but Anu isn't that person. It's obvious Anu doesn't appreciate just how much that means to Raj. But perhaps Anu has her mind set on real-life scenarios, because moments later she tells Raj she's been offered a big job in London and won't be coming back home. Raj is thrilled for her, because apparently that’s been her dream. The downside is that she has to start right away. That means either Raj heads to London, or the relationship is done.

Anu asks how committed Raj is to staying in California, and he says that Pasadena is home to his work and his friends. All true, of course, but Anu wants to know if he's actually happy in California. “Not for years. What’s your point?” he says.

We’ll have to wait a little longer to find out, because in the next scene we’re back to the Wolowitz Hotel. Howard overhears Denise tell Stuart that she’ll see him later tonight. Howard wants to know why Stuart doesn’t hang out at Denise’s place more often. Or why Stuart doesn't just ask Howard if it's OK to have Denise over all the time. Stuart says it's because her roommate is kind of creepy, but that's not enough for Howard to justify another person basically living at his house. Howard suggests Stuart spend half the week at Denise's, but Stuart says this goes against what Howard and Bernadette told him when he moved in: that he could have girls over. Turns out, Howard didn't mean it. "We were making fun of you!” he says. Stuart is not impressed.

Over at Leonard’s lab, Beverly shows a strong interest in her son’s work project, which continues to baffle him. Even when Sheldon comes over to try and steal Beverly away, she turns down his gesture, saying Leonard’s project is actually quite interesting. Sheldon then brings up Nobel Watch 2019, but Beverly still turns him down, saying she’d prefer to spend time with Leonard. Guys, someone kidnapped the real Beverly, and I'm beginning to get concerned.

Perhaps as a way to distract us, the episode now jumps back to Stuart and Denise, who are having movie night at her place. Denise’s creepy roommate, Mitch, has joined them, making me question why Denise ever allowed such an odd guy to move in with her in the first place.

Meanwhile, Raj tells Howard and Bernadette about Anu’s plan to move to London. He says he’s going to ask Anu to marry him again because they both want to start a family. Also, there are stars and astronomy in London, so victory for all. Howard can’t believe what he's hearing. Neither can I. Although I like Anu and Raj, their relationship is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. But Raj didn't ask me. That's why he tells Howard and Bernadette that he's flying to London tomorrow to surprise Anu with the ring. While I’m not on board with his expedited plan, I am totally on board with Raj wanting his own Notting Hill moment. Further proof that we could have been great friends.

Now we're finally back to Beverlygate 2019 to discover what's really going on. Penny tells her mother-in-law that she's delighted she's getting along so well with Leonard. “Of all of my children, he’s the most docile,” Beverly says. When Penny mentions that Leonard loved showing Beverly around the lab yesterday, Beverly has an odd response. “Would you say that that made him much happier than usual?" she asks. "Somewhat happier than usual? Or as happy as usual?” Penny says she's going with option D, which is, "That’s a weird question.”

Anyway, Leonard says it made him really happy to have Beverly there because they haven’t always had the easiest relationship. “Looking back, I guess you were just pushing me to be the best version of myself,” he says.

But that’s when Beverly asks if her parenting strategy—although difficult at times—has directly contributed to Leonard's current success. Penny says she might have had something to do with Leonard’s success, because he doesn’t wear his superhero underwear as often as he used to. Beverly says that’s a fair point because she hadn’t considered Penny’s influence. Beverly then asks Leonard and Penny to observe their relationship tomorrow, which raises a red flag for Penny. And then, as if this whole thing couldn't get any stranger, Beverly admits she’s visiting Leonard as research for her new book on how various parenting strategies affect children as adults.

Leonard is stunned.

“This has all been work to you?” he says, choking back the disappointment in his voice. “I thought we were enjoying each other’s company, but I guess it was just research.” Beverly says she was enjoying it because she loves research. Ouch.

Leonard can't believe it, and Beverly comments that Leonard seems angry. “Of course I’m angry!” he shouts. Beverly wants to know if he's very angry or somewhat angry, and Leonard full on looks like he’s going to strangle his mother. On a side note, it’s one of Johnny Galecki’s strongest and most emotional performances to date.

Meanwhile, Sheldon can’t understand why Beverly still won’t spend time with him. When Leonard storms into Sheldon and Amy's apartment to tell them that Beverly was just using him for research, Sheldon breathes a sigh of relief because it proves she wasn't mad at him. It really is just Sheldon’s world and we just live in it.

Across town, Raj is preparing to board his flight to London while Howard and Bernadette sit at home questioning his decision. They reckon that Raj—a hopeless romantic—is off to try to be with a woman who doesn’t believe in romantic comedies. “You can’t really think this is a good idea,” Bernadette tells her husband. “Of course I don’t,” Howard says. When he questions what else there is left to do, Bernadette urges him to run after Raj and get his best friend back. Maybe it’s Bernadette’s voice, but Howard is out of there faster than Usain Bolt.

Back at the Hofstadter’s house, Penny tells Beverly to apologize to Leonard, but she refuses in the most monotone, emotionless voice. I don’t know why I never realized this before, but Beverly is so Miranda Priestly.

Meanwhile, Leonard wants to know why he so desperately wants his mother’s approval. “You’d think I would have learned,” Leonard says. “It’s too bad you didn’t,” Sheldon says. Yes, it really is a shame Beverly isn’t Sheldon’s mother.

Over at the comic book store, Denise tells Stuart that if he'd have moved in with her when she asked, they wouldn’t be in this weird situation with her roommate. Stuart says she’s right, but when he had the chance he was scared. Now he says he wants to move in with her. The two engage in witty banter about comic books that I don’t understand, further proving that everyone’s person is out there.

A good 45 minutes away, Howard rushes to the airport to stop Raj. “If you’re getting on the plane because you love Anu and can’t imagine spending another day without her, then go. If not, then stay here, with the people who love you.”

Raj is perplexed. “But what if this is my last chance at marriage and family?” (Well, if that’s the case, then me and a bunch of other 30-something singles are all screwed.)

Howard promises it’s not his last chance. Somewhere out there, there’s a woman who loves cooking shows and sweater vests and all the other dumb things he loves. "And I don’t think she’s waiting for you in England," he says. "When you propose to someone in Notting Hill, it should be to someone who knows what that movie is." Howard usually annoys me, but I'm here for his TED Talk.

Raj's response is brilliant. "Are you saying you’re just a boy standing in front of another boy saying you don’t want him to leave?”

“Sure,” Howard says, reluctantly. Then the two best friends hug. The airport lounge bursts into applause. And with that, Raj is returning home. But is this really the end of Anu? Or will she decide she can't live without Raj?

While all of this is going down, Leonard storms into his apartment, prepared to have it out with Beverly. She asks if he’s calmed down. “No, I’m not calm! You really hurt me,” he says. Beverly says it wasn’t what she intended, and Leonard says it doesn’t matter. “What matters is the way you made me feel. Actually, the way you’ve always made me feel.” (Yes, Leonard!)

Beverly—giving us her best Miranda Priestly impression—says, “I see. You’re here to tell me all the ways I’ve failed you as a mother.” Leonard says yep, and it’s a long list. But then he adds it doesn’t matter because she’s never going to change. “If I want you to accept me for me, then I guess I’m going to have to accept you for you," he says. "So…I forgive you.”

Beverly says she didn’t ask for forgiveness, but Leonard says too bad. It’s so heartbreaking and honest and once again a reminder that Johnny Galecki has never gotten the critical acclaim he deserves on this show. Leonard, with his voice cracking, says he forgives himself for taking so long to make peace with the fact that his mother will never change.

He says it feels good to get that all out, and Beverly surprises him by admitting that it actually means a lot that he’s forgiven her for being such an out-of-touch parent. She slowly walks over to her son and puts her arms around him. There's no dialogue, but the moment speaks volumes. And then, Leonard stands up to reciprocate his mother's affection. The scene fades to black. Or maybe that’s just my tears clouding the screen. Hard to tell.

For the last scene, Stuart asks Mitch if he’ll consider moving out, but Mitch wants to know if Stuart loves Denise. Denise tells Stuart he doesn’t need to answer that, but without hesitating, Stuart says he does. “Then tell her,” Mitch says. Stuart turns to Denise, and they both say "I love you." It’s sweet and romantic, until Mitch says he also wants them to say it to him. Hey, you can never have too much weird in your world, right?

Next week: The two-part series finale. If you think tonight’s episode was emotional, take it from someone who was at the finale taping: You haven't seen anything yet.

Originally Appeared on Glamour