The Big Bang Theory gifted us with the likes of Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, Amy, and Raj. For 12 seasons, viewers sat and laughed at Sheldon’s brainy awkwardness and the trouble this group of geniuses found themselves in.
However, one important segment of the series was their own personal relationships. And while fans were crazy for the cat and mouse relationship between Leonard and Penny, others were longing for a happy ending for Amy and Sheldon. But what about Howard and Bernadette? They weren’t quite as drawn out as Penny and Leonard’s love story and not as complex as Amy and Sheldon’s, but their romance was still important to the series.
Without Bernadette, Howard would still be a lonely and horny engineer. These two brought a lot out in each other and made each other’s wildest dreams come true before they were even ready for them. Let’s take a look back at 10 of the sweetest moments between the two.
HOWARD WROTE HER A SONG FOR THEIR ANNIVERSARY
In the episode “The Romance Resonance,” it’s Howard and Bernadette’s anniversary. Howard has been working with Raj on the perfect song to sing to Bernadette, to prove how much he loves her. Their original date idea, however, was thrown in the garbage after Bernadette almost got infected by a raccoon virus at work.
Instead of ditching his plan completely, he brought the gang and his keyboard to the hospital where they sang to her on the other side of the glass. Bernadette is filled with emotion and loved the song for being so personal to their relationship.
BERNADETTE HELPED HOWARD CARE FOR HIS MOM
The relationship between Howard, Bernadette, and Howard’s mom is a tricky one. Howard is stuck between a rock and hard place with his mother because she relies on him heavily. It’s hard for Howard to move on and start an independent life with Bernie because his mom gets so lonely without him there.
Howard eventually found his footing and moved into Bernadette’s apartment but when his mom got injured, he moved back in to help her. Now that the couple was married, Bernadette also tagged along to help Howard and her new mother-in-law even though she dreaded doing it. She loved “Howie” so much that she would do anything to help.
HOWARD ALLOWED BERNADETTE TO MAKE HIS MOTHER’S HOME HER OWN
After Howard’s mom passed away in the eighth season, Howard and Bernadette moved out of her apartment and into his childhood home. However, everywhere Bernadette looked she saw his mother. Howard was so attached to his mom and her home that he didn’t feel comfortable making so many changes.
Eventually, though, he let go of his control and wanted to see Bernadette happy in their new home. He agreed to her renovating the kitchen and dining room first until he was eventually ready for the entire house to be redone. By letting his wife replace his mother’s things with her own proves how much Howard loves Bernadette.
BERNADETTE BOUGHT HIM A ROLEX
Next to Penny, Howard is the only one in the group without his doctorate. He’s an MIT trained engineer with a master’s degree and he’s more than okay with that. Bernadette also got her doctorate after the two began dating and she gained a “butt load of money” because of it.
With a new title and a new job, Bernadette made way more than Howard, which made Howard feel like less than a man. To show how much she loves Howard, she gifted him a very expensive Rolex because she wanted her “baby to have pretty things.” Howard felt uneasy with the gift but the sentiment was there.
HOWARD GIFTS BERNADETTE A STAR-PENDENT NECKLACE BEFORE HEADING TO SPACE
In the episode “The Countdown Reflection,” Howard is gearing up for his space expedition. He tried to play it cool but he was terrified for his journey.
As a going-away gift, Howard gifted Bernadette a beautiful star-pendent necklace. She was in awe of his sweet gesture but he asked for it back because he wanted to take it to space and bring it back to her as a “star from space.”
BERNADETTE AGREES TO HAVE CHILDREN FOR HOWARD
In the fifth season, once Bernadette and Howard are engaged, we learn that Bernadette isn’t really fond of children. She loves her life and her career and she doesn’t want kids to ruin that for her. Howard felt like this declaration was upsetting because he just assumed she wanted to start a family.
The two eventually agreed that if she were to ever get pregnant, she would go back to work and Howard would stay with the kids. Bernadette clearly saw how badly Howard wanted to be a dad - since his own dad left him - and she later got pregnant to bring new light to their life.
HOWARD BOUGHT A MINIVAN FOR THEIR GROWING FAMILY
In season 10, we finally see Bernadette pregnant with the couple’s first child. While both Howard and Bernadette were nervous for their first baby, it didn’t really set in for Howard until he felt the baby kick. It was then that it became real to him.
After getting freaked out by the kick, Howard also panicked and went to the store to buy a very expensive crib and an even more expensive minivan. Bernadette didn’t understand where Howard’s trepidation was coming from but appreciated his desire for a safer environment for their baby.
BERNADETTE LETS HIM GO TO SPACE
When Howard got the call that he was one of the select few to go to space with the Russians, Howard was both thrilled and anxious over it. It’s been his dream since he was a little boy about going off into space and now he had the opportunity to do it.
Unfortunately for Howard, he never really discussed it with his fiance Bernadette. He just accepted it without hearing what she had to say about it. She initially told him he wasn’t allowed to go (in fear of losing him) but came around to the idea after everyone explained how selfish she was being. That was a big moment for Bernadette and an even bigger moment for Howard standing his ground.
HOWARD PERFORMED A SONG FOR HER IN FRONT OF THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
The odds of Bernadette and Howard actually working out from the beginning was low. Howard was oddly full of himself and never made the right impression on a woman. The only reason Bernadette went out with him was because Penny set the whole thing up. However, the two bonded over their crazy families and fell for one another.
After a few weeks, the two broke up after Bernadette found Howard virtually cheating on her with a troll in a video game. To make it up to her and to prove to Bernadette that he loved her, he wrote her a special song and sang it to her while she was working at the Cheesecake Factory. Penny was horrified by the performance but Bernie loved it.
BERNADETTE SURPRISED HIM WHEN HE WAS TRAINING WITH NASA
While Howard was training for his mission to space, he would Skype Bernadette and tell her about the horrors he was dealing with. He even asks her to mail him some extra boxers because he’s ruined all his…
Seeing how anxious and upset Howard was, she flew down for a couple of days to relax and spend some time with him. Howard loved that Bernadette came to visit but it was also awkward because Bernie then realized that his mother was actually already there…
