Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz was one of the most underrated characters in The Big Bang Theory. Many people wrote her off because of her small stature and cute dresses, but there was far more to her than just her aesthetic. Just like the core group of guys, Bernadette was one of the most intelligent characters.
She earned a degree in microbiology before getting her doctorate and landing a high-paying job. She was belittled by Sheldon (and even her husband) but the joke was on them. Bernadette always had the last laugh and was smarter than her friends gave her credit for.
When Howard and Bernadette got married, she became the breadwinner, earning more than him. Howard didn't always like the fact that his wife made more than he did, but he enjoyed the perks of having money.
In one scene, Raj and Howard's sweet friendship involved getting dolls that looked just like them. Raj convinced Howard that it was a good idea to buy a 3D printer because they'd save money in the long run. As expensive as it was, Howard knew Bernadette had money to spend and didn't think she'd care. But the second Bernadette found out how much the printer cost, she was having none of it. In this scenario, Bernadette was far smarter than Howard because she knew how senseless a 3D printer was. They could have used that money for other things.
In the seventh season, an iconic scene involving Amy and Bernadette occurred at the Cheesecake Factory. Amy admitted how tiring it was when Sheldon was learning how to use humor. Bernadette told her that the easiest thing to get through a bad joke was to fake laugh. Howard was confused at Bernadette's comment and said she could never fake a laugh around him because he would know right away.
Bernadette proved how many times she outsmarted him by faking a laugh so jolly that everyone in the Cheesecake Factory stopped what they were doing to look at her.
When Bernadette became pregnant, the first thing she was concerned about was her job. As a microbiologist who loved her work, she knew who competitive the field was and that she could lose certain opportunities because of maternity leave, etc... More than that, she didn't want her colleagues treating her differently because of the baby.
As sad as it was, she wasn't naive to the fact that women in science sometimes have it harder than men, and she didn't want to jeopardize her career. But when Penny accidentally told everyone at work that she was pregnant, Bernadette questioned her friendship with Penny. Because of Penny's mistake, Bernadette had no choice but to remind her boss that just because she was a pregnant woman didn't mean she should lose out on opportunities.
Bernadette and Sheldon weren't always friends. She was one of the few who constantly reminded him how rude he was to her husband and that she didn't tolerate it. But before Sheldon's personality grew annoying to Bernadette, she was kind to him.
In "The Einstein Approximation," Sheldon was sleep-deprived from work, and nothing Penny or Leonard did could help him relax. When Bernadette saw how delusional Sheldon was, she had the smarts to treat Sheldon like a child and send him to bed. She reminded him that the human brain doesn't work well when it's tired and that it was best that he went to sleep. And he listened!
When Howard was awarded a parking space at work to accommodate his new car, the spot he was given was actually Sheldon's. Sheldon didn't own a car or drive to work, so Howard was someone who could actually use it. Sheldon was not pleased with this because his parking spot was "his spot." Their argument sprawled into a fight between Amy and Bernadette.
However, one of Bernadette's shadiest burns on The Big Bang THeory was when she outsmarted everyone and had Amy's car towed from the parking spot. With her car gone, Howard could now park his.
Bernadette and Howard were the only two people in the group to have kids. Penny and Leonard found out she was pregnant at the end of the series but fans never got the chance to see them parent.
Bernadette and Howard did a good job of keeping parenting duties equal but it eventually caught up to Bernadette. With two kids at home and a full-time job, she had the emotional intelligenceto realize she was burnt out. She needed an hour to herself where she could feel like a human again. Instead of stressing herself out even more, she took an hour after work and hid in her kids' outdoor playhouse to recharge before jumping into mom mode. It was smart of her to take notice of her feelings instead of burning herself out even more.
When Raj threw a scavenger hunt for his friends, Bernadette was paired up with Leonard. While it's Leonard's work and brain that's usually depicted on the show, it was Bernadette's brilliance that shined. Leonard was too busy over-thinking his relationship with Penny to think about any of the tasks in the scavenger hunt. His whiny behavior actually made Bernadette wonder she was friends with Leonard in the first place. She had a killer instinct to win and if it weren't for Bernadette, the pair wouldn't have finished the game.
As an only child, Howard was all his mother had. Bernadette hated the fact that Howard had no backbone against his mother but didn't want to be the one to stand in between them.
In one episode, Howard had to help his mom with a new ointment for her back. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he realized how emotional and worn down he was from helping her. No one understood why Howard was acting so differently until Bernadette put two and two together. The cream Howard was using on his mom was strong estrogen cream. Without gloves, Howard had too much estrogen in his system that made him overly sensitive. Dr. Rostenkowski-Wolowitz for the win.
At the start of Howard and Bernadette's relationship, Bernadette wanted to be involved in Howard's extracurriculars to spend more time together. The Big Bang Theory fans know this didn't make sense for Bernadette's character in later years because she later has zero interest in Howard's gaming or comics.
Bernadette was smart not only because she convinced Howard to let her join game night, but she also got him to buy her a brand new laptop. Although the guys were better than her at the game, she still did well enough to win a few points and earn a "purple robe."
Except for Howard and Penny, everyone in the friend group had their doctorate. Bernadette was the last one to get hers, but she seemed to earn it quickly. Some fans may find this to be a plot hole in the sitcom, but couldn't it just be that Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz really is the smartest character in The Big Bang Theory?
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