TBBT's Bernadette And Amy Wouldn't Have Remained Friends If It Weren't For Penny

The Big Bang Theory excelled at showcasing an ensemble cast with niche interests and personalities. While the sitcom focused on a group of friends, it became clear in later seasons that two characters were only friends because they had to be: Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz (Melissa Rauch).

Amy and Bernadette met when they started dating Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and slowly became close friends as they got to know each other better. Penny (Kaley Cuoco) was the glue that held the group of women together, but by season 6, it was clear that if it weren’t for Penny, Amy and Bernadette would have never remained friends.

TBBT Season 6 Proved Amy & Bernadette Only Remained Friends For Their Partners

In season 6’s “The Parking Spot Escalation,” Howard bought a new car and was excited to drive it to work, where he was given a new parking spot at the university. The parking spot wound up belonging to his dear friend Sheldon. Instead of rightfully giving the spot to Howard because he didn’t own a car, he fought with Howard for the spot.

The arguing didn’t end with the men, of course. As a sitcom, their partners, Amy and Bernadette, got involved. Amy defended Sheldon’s decision to keep his spot (even without a car), and Bernadette supported Howard. Bernadette even had Amy’s car towed after it was parked in Sheldon’s spot.

After Amy finds out that Bernadette had her car towed, she grabbed her purse and swung it towards Bernadette’s head. Instead of hitting Bernadette, however, she smashed Penny square in the face.

Eventually, the men solved their problems, and the women waved their white flags, but Amy and Bernadette’s true natures were revealed. They were all too happy to unleash on each other when they got a chance. “The Parking Spot Escalation” wasn’t the last of their low blows, either, furthering the notion that they merely tolerated each other.

A similar duel occurred in “The Imitation Perturbation.” After Howard dressed as Sheldon for Halloween, Sheldon didn’t appreciate that his likeness was being used as a joke. Amy supported Sheldon and encouraged him to dress as Howard and Bernadette for Halloween to get back at Howard.

Howard and Sheldon always find a way to reconcile and appear to genuinely care for one another, while it’s obvious that Amy and Bernadette’s differences keep them from becoming closer. In fact, if it weren’t for Penny acting as the intermediary between the two, it’s hard to believe the women would hang out at all.

Penny Held The Big Bang Theory’s Group Of Women Together

Mayim Bialik's Amy Kaley Cuoco's Penny and Jim Parsons' Sheldon stand together in The Big Bang Theory

Penny is theoretically the leader of the female characters, since she lived across the hall from the guys and had a deeper relationship with all of them, not just her boyfriend (and later, husband), Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki).

Penny introduced Bernadette to Howard and later became a pivotal figure in Amy’s life when she started dating Sheldon. The women rarely had things in common, but loved gathering in Penny’s apartment to complain or brag about their romances and things in their lives.

Some self-proclaimed nerds of The Big Bang Theory hated the way Penny treated the friend group, saying she looked down on them. But her bond with the women was sincere.

By season 4, Penny, Bernadette, and Amy were known as Penny’s Posse. She merged both worlds with her empathetic nature and ability to unite a scientific world with pop culture. Amy and Bernadette became social butterflies with Penny’s influence, while Penny learned more about the sciences.

When Penny and Leonard had their issues on The Big Bang Theory, Amy and Bernadette were almost in an idle state without their ringleader. Without Penny’s guidance in The Big Bang Theory, it’s hard to say if Bernadette and Amy would remain close friends.