The Shiny Trinket Maneuver

The 99th episode of *The Big Bang Theory*, and the 12th of its fifth season, is titled "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver." CBS broadcast it on January 12, 2012. Two storylines run through the episode. In one, Amy is upset when Sheldon fails to acknowledge her big news. In the other, Howard has second thoughts about his future with Bernadette after discovering she does not like children.

On a date, Amy tells Sheldon her paper has been accepted by *Neuron*, a top scientific journal. Sheldon, distracted by his Twitter feed, does not react. When Amy steps away, Penny explains to Sheldon that Amy is hurt by his lack of enthusiasm. Sheldon later asks Leonard for advice, and Leonard suggests buying a gift. At a jewelry store with Penny, Sheldon is drawn to a pocket watch, but Penny keeps him focused. He buys Amy a tiara. When Amy learns he bought her jewelry, she calls him shallow—until she sees it is a tiara, and then she hugs him, delighted.

Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette are putting together a magic show for a child's birthday party. The topic of kids comes up: Bernadette admits she is not fond of them, while Howard has always assumed he would have children, partly to please his mother. At the party, Bernadette grows annoyed with children who interrupt Howard's act. The show ends badly when she pours milk from the wrong pitcher, soaking the front of Howard's pants. Bernadette explains that she raised her own misbehaving younger siblings, which is why she dislikes children. A discouraged Howard talks it over with Leonard, Raj, and his mother. Bernadette later comes to his house and proposes that he stay home with the kids while she continues working. Howard agrees, and pulls out a condom.

For the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, Mayim Bialik submitted this episode for consideration in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category. She later said she did not think it was her best work, but many people urged her to submit it.

The episode aired on CBS at 8 p.m. on January 12, 2012. It was watched by 16.13 million Americans and earned a Nielsen rating of 5.3/15 among viewers aged 18–49. In Canada, CTV aired it the same night, drawing 3.566 million viewers, making it the most-watched program that week. In Australia, Nine Network broadcast it on February 13, 2012, reaching 1.347 million households, the fifth most-watched show that night. In the UK, it aired