The Big Bang Theory: The Six Times the Six Main Characters were at Their Worst
One of the reasons I have a habit of watching The Big Bang Theory reruns whenever I can't find anything else is, in addition to still getting laughs despite seeing the jokes dozens of times, it is one of the few shows that I legitimately cared about the characters. However, I am also one of the first to admit the six main characters also weren't always the best people, both to themselves and others.
Here are what I feel were the worst moments for each of them:
Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) betrays his friends/business partners. Sheldon had a "condition" that gave him plenty of awful moments, but I think this was the biggest one. The guidance system Sheldon built with Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Howard (Simon Helberg) wouldn't have happened without all three of them working as equal partners. So, when Sheldon went behind their backs to redesign the system for the military by himself, it was a pretty big betrayal that frankly probably should have ended their friendship.
Amy Fowler (Mayim Bialik) fakes being sick. I struggled with this one because while she had her share of not-so-great moments, most of them, like Sheldon, could be contributed to her own set of quirks and she honestly should be considered a saint for sticking by Sheldon even as he treated her somewhat poorly early in their relationship. Pretending to be sick so Sheldon would continue to take care of her was one of many attempts to make her boyfriend show more of his caring side, but it was the one that required him to continually go to her apartment and cause him to grow concerned enough to secretly run lab tests to figure out why she wasn't getting better.
Howard stalks the contestants on America's Top Model. Howard was already a bit creepy in the early seasons, but hacking a military satellite to find the house they were staying in then visiting it in person took it to a whole new, illegal level. And yes, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) was with him. However, I am going to consider him more of a follower than an instigator because he would never have considered that on his own.
Raj breaks up with Emily (Laura Spencer). Here's the thing, I know there are those who will disagree with me, but I liked Emily. She had just the right number of quirks to fit in with the group, was one of the few characters to put Sheldon in his place and get him to issue a sincere apology and cared enough about Raj to accept even his most bizarre character traits. The fact he broke up with her because he had a crush on another woman (Alessandra Torresani) he just met. What a jerk. No wonder he was single at the end of the series.
Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) sabotages Penny's (Kaley Cuoco) career. Bernadette was a tricky one because two of her character traits was having a short fuse and being manipulative. However, I think quite a bit of what she did could also be justified solely because she was married to Howard and her conflicts with the group usually involved someone who was equally at fault.
I could probably even make the same argument for Bernadette going out of her way to keep Penny from interviewing with a rival pharmaceutical company because who accepts a job interview in front of their current boss/friend who got them their job? Yet, the way she was quick to keep Penny from even seeing the offer they were making did make me question her motives.
Penny dates Dr. David Underhill (Michael Trucco). While she obviously had the right to date whomever she wanted, this season 2 relationship just never sat right with me. Penny knew Leonard had feelings for her and didn't even take that into consideration when she started dating the scientist he was currently working on a project with. It was honestly kind of cold and reinforced the belief she wasn't dating Leonard because of his looks, not because he was too smart for her.
Leonard pushing Penny into breaking up with him. While he did get better after they were married, I never thought of Leonard wasn't always the best boyfriend. He was insecure, jealous and would sometimes try to make decisions for Penny, which came off as controlling even if he had good intentions. Wil Wheaton's influence aside, their breakup in season 3 was 100 percent Leonard's fault because he went out of his way to make her feel like garbage for not being ready to tell him she loved him.
Not to mention, he was in bed with another woman just two episodes later.
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Here are some similar entries:
The Big Bang Theory Versus Friends: Comparing the Couples
Seven Character-Changing Moments from The Big Bang Theory
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