Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
The season opens with Leonard and Penny marrying in Las Vegas, though Penny is upset that Leonard kissed a colleague during his North Sea expedition and still works with her. After they return to Pasadena, they try to repair the breach and begin married life cautiously. Leonard and Sheldon remain in 4A while Penny has 4B; the newlyweds decide to split their time between the flats instead of moving together. Sheldon and Amy’s breakup is more final: after he keeps pressing for an answer, Amy ends the relationship. They keep seeing each other in the group, forcing Sheldon to confront the loss.
Sheldon’s interview about Spock brings his feelings for Amy into focus, but he finds her kissing another man when he first tries to reconcile. They later spend Thanksgiving together as friends, and Amy asks if he is ready to resume their relationship; Sheldon declines because he is still struggling with the breakup. A Beach Boys song finally helps him understand that he wants Amy back, and they reunite after he interrupts her date. For Amy’s birthday, Sheldon skips the new Star Wars film to spend the evening with her, and they choose to have sex for the first time.
Howard and Bernadette learn they are expecting their first child, and Howard’s initial excitement gives way to worries about becoming a good father. Raj begins dating Emily and Claire at the same time, leaving his friends to question the arrangement. Penny and Leonard decide to hold a second, non-legal ceremony for family after Beverly admits she was hurt by their elopement. Their season ends at the pre-wedding dinner, where Leonard and Sheldon discover that their respective parents, Alfred and Mary, have gone off together, an awkward complication rather than a wedding-day resolution.