{"id":624812,"date":"2026-08-07T05:27:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/624812\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T05:27:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:27:14","slug":"stuart-creators-on-melissa-rauchs-return-in-magic-themed-episode-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/624812\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stuart\u2019 Creators On Melissa Rauch’s Return In Magic-Themed Episode 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode 3 of HBO Max\u2019s Stuart Fails To Save the Universe<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another episode of Stuart Fails To Save the Universe, another surprise \u2014 and dark \u2014 OG return. In Episode 3, it was Melissa Rauch reprising her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski.<\/p>\n

Like in Episode 2, where Penny, in an alternate universe, is with her former boyfriend Zack with no trace of her Big Bang husband Leonard, Bernadette does not have Howard\u2019s last name and appears very much single. <\/p>\n

She is the focal point of a scene that skewers the 2023 WGA strike with \u201cinside jokes that will be amusing to only 4,000 people in the world,\u201d said Zak Penn<\/a>, co-creator of the spinoff alongside Big Bang creators Chuck Lorre<\/a> and Bill Prady<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Episode 3 world is ruled by magic<\/a>, so, to fix their broken alternate reality-hopping machine, Stuart (Kevin Sussman) and Kripke (John Ross Bowie) seek out Bernadette, a renowned local sorcerer.<\/p>\n

Turns out she is \u201call out of abracadabra.\u201d <\/p>\n

What happened?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wizards Guild of America claimed I used my powers while we were on strike,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you on stwike for?,\u201d Kripke asked in his signature speech pattern where \u201cr\u201ds and \u201cl\u201d are replaced by \u201cw\u201ds.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter dental, residuals for eternal spells. It\u2019s ridiculous, we were out for six months, and basically everyone got a handful of magic beans,\u201d Bernadette said. (You can watch the entire scene below.)<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, the Wizards Guild of America shares the same moniker, WGA, with the Writers Guild of America, which Stuart Fails to Save the Universe creators are all members of. <\/p>\n

The 2023 WGA strike lasted five months with a minimum wage increase, viewership-based streaming residuals and AI protections among the gains in the new agreement<\/a> with the studios. <\/p>\n

\"\"Melissa Rauch in Episode 3 of \u2018Stuart Fails To Save the Universe\u2019<\/p>\n

Bernadette tells Stuart and Kripke that she was expelled from the guild for using her powers during the strike to bring her neighbor\u2019s son\u2019s adorable rescue dog Chocolate Chip back to life after he was hit by several cars. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see how that\u2019s bweaking a stwike,\u201d Kripke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d Bernadette said, adding, \u201cLet me tell you something about Wizards Guild of America. 90% of them don\u2019t even work, and yet they get to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the percentage is not that high, non-working writers are the majority, representing more than 50% of the full WGA membership that gets to vote to authorize a strike and then to ratify a deal. That has been an ongoing gripe for some established writers and a cause of divide within the union.<\/p>\n

There was some difference of opinions among the Stuart Fails To Save the Universe creators too during a lively \u2014 and funny \u2014 interview with Deadline about the WGA strike jabs, which you can (and should) watch below.<\/p>\n

WGA members caught performing writing services during the strike get expelled, which happened again in 2023. <\/p>\n

Claiming that an appeal is not an option, Bernadette floats a reversal spell that would give her her powers back that requires \u201cblood of an innocent,\u201d which Stuart qualifies for and provides.<\/p>\n

Later in the episode, Big Bang\u2018s Wil Wheaton shows up to reveal to Stuart that Bernadette is in fact a demon<\/a> and is killed by Bert (Posehn) in a magic power duel. The episode ends with Bernadette, in a full-on demon form, terrorizing Pasadena and hunting for Stuart & Co.<\/p>\n

Lorre, Prady and Penn all participated in the 2023 strike and were on the picket lines. Penn has been the most active and public in his pro-WGA stance, having previously served on the WGA West Board of Directors and the union\u2019s Negotiating Committee.<\/p>\n

\"\"(L-R): Bill Prady & Chuck Lorre during the 2023 WGA strike in front of a \u2018Big Bang\u2019 banner outside the Warner Bros. TV lot.<\/p>\n

DEADLINE: This seemed to me like I could hear Chuck\u2019s voice, all the stuff about Wizards Guild of America. Chuck, you write that speech? And is this what you really think about this writers strike?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LORRE<\/strong>: (laughing). <\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: Oh, this is the Wizards Guild of America, an entirely different organization of wizards. <\/p>\n

LORRE<\/strong>: Of wizards, yes. The wizards are striking for all the good reasons, and strike breaking is\u2026<\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: It\u2019s possible that section may include some inside jokes that will be amusing to only 4,000 people in the world.<\/p>\n

PENN<\/strong>: Also, we have different opinions on this issue, I\u2019d like to say. There\u2019s a continuum of opinions about those issues, but the joke, it can\u2019t be pro-WGA and still be funny. Although let me point out, the WGA rep is right because she is a demon.<\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: That\u2019s right, Zak is right. The Wizards Guild of America is entirely correct in this episode. <\/p>\n

LORRE<\/strong>: She broke the strike by bringing Chocolate Chip back to life.<\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: That\u2019s a lie, that whole chocolate chip story is a lie. <\/p>\n

PENN<\/strong>: Yeah, she\u2019s a demon.<\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: She\u2019s a demon. <\/p>\n

LORRE<\/strong>: Well, yes, but she was also using her powers, and she was supposed to not use her powers during the strike, right? <\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: Well, we have a different understanding of the episode. I think that entire story is made up. <\/p>\n

LORRE<\/strong>: Oh, I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

PRADY<\/strong>: She makes up that story to get them to give her the blood. I think she made up the whole thing.<\/p>\n

PENN<\/strong>: You\u2019re getting a little taste of the writers room. <\/p>\n

With her Demonic transformation, Rauch added a whole new shade of dark to Big Bang alums\u2019 returns for the spinoff, following Kaley Cuoco\u2019s ruthless Penny in Episode 2 and Kunal Nayyar\u2019s deeply depressed Raj in Episode 1. <\/p>\n

The series\u2019 creators spoke about\u00a0Big Bang\u00a0OGs relishing going dark in the spinoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond,\u201d Prady said.<\/p>\n

Added Lorre, \u201cBeyond. It was fun to do something different, that was part of the promise, come and play with us, and we\u2019ll make sure that you\u2019re playing a version of your character you never got to play before, an entirely different approach to the character, and that was fun for the actors.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode 3 of HBO Max\u2019s Stuart Fails To Save the Universe.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624813,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[265],"tags":[200553,39385,18,117,19,17,5150,169221,128,258724],"class_list":["post-624812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-bill-prady","tag-chuck-lorre","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-qa","tag-stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe","tag-tv","tag-zak-penn"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117052575577690317","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}