Stuart.
The Monopolar Expedition.
Bernadette behaving like Howard's mom.
If you're a "Big Bang Theory" fan, you know these storylines, and probably despise them.
Those and more, coming up.
Leonard cheating on Penny was completely out of character, given how innocent and devoted
he has been shown to be in his affection toward her throughout the series.
"It was just a kiss, why would you even tell her?"
"Because I didn't want there to be any secrets between us."
As much as the show played into geeky tropes, like the nerd falling head over heels for
the popular girl, there was something wholesome about Leonard's interest in Penny, and fans
couldn't help but root for them.
This is part of the reason it felt so cheap to keep stalling the relationship just to
keep fans on the hook.
Whether this manipulation was real or imagined, fans resented the various sidesteps.
One of fans' least favorite diversions was Leonard's relationship with Stephanie.
Although there was some opportunity here to explore Leonard's chemistry with an outside
character, it seemed rushed, both as it began and as it ended.
The two hook up almost immediately after meeting each other.
Then, after Leonard asks her to move out via text, she's never heard from again.
Distractions aside, Leonard and Penny had the potential to be, and at many times were,
a really sweet couple with a great love story.
But they were dealt a tough hand by the writers, who, in the pursuit of introducing obstacles
and "keeping things interesting," often ended up missing the point.
By having Leonard confess that, after all those diversions, he also cheated on her while
he was traveling for work, the show's writers only cheapened the love story more.
Stuart's misery is simply used as a gag without real character development, and as much as
he wants to gain the acceptance of the gang, the writers seemed to decide that he was much
funnier in depression.
The poor guy became hard to watch after a while as he never really changed in any substantive
way.
Audiences loved him for the well-meaning, goofy outcast he was.
But it never seemed like the writers or the core characters agreed.
Instead, Stuart was milked for all the awkward sympathy he was worth, but really only enjoyed
cursory storylines.
Case in point: The actor Kevin Sussman, who played Stuart, was upgraded to a main cast
member during the seasons Howard was away in space and Raj desperately needed someone
to hang out with.
When Howard returned, Sussman was downgraded to a recurring character once again.
Whether comedic or tragic, the character simply existed to fill out a lineup.
While the group obviously has its ups, downs, and petty squabbles over fixations only nerds
would dwell on, the "Monopolar Expedition" episode really makes the guys seem like horrible
friends who didn't even like each other.
This is a bit confusing, considering that the entire show is based around their friendship.
The episode starts off with everyone getting excited at the prospect of, essentially, getting
rid of Sheldon for three months after his grant to go to the magnetic North Pole is
approved.
When he suggests that the three of them come along, they are extremely resistant to spending
three months with, quote, "an anal nut bag."
Howard even goes as far as to say that this kind of scenario could be the one that flips
the switch and turns him into the guy who goes crazy and kills Sheldon.
And all that happens before they even make it to the pole!
Raj is probably the most dateable guy on the show, one who actually wants a family and
is loyal and kind.
Often, being too sweet and emotional too fast is what damages his relationships: When he
suffers selective muteness, Penny introduces him to Emily, who seems like a perfect match
because she's deaf — but she seems to help him open up a little too much, as he basically
tells her he loves her immediately, only to find out later that she's using him for his
family's money.
Even when the series teases a romantic interest for Raj, it rarely lasts.
As yet another example, what happened to Yvette the vet?
She sort of disappeared, so what was the point in introducing her in the first place?
Raj is perhaps the greatest victim of the show's sacrifice of personal development and
happiness for the sake of weak plots and gags.
One of Raj's main relationships, more successful than most in the pitiful context of his love
life, is the one with Anu, although this partnering ends up feeling forced and dragged out.
Even the couple themselves acknowledges that there's no romance, tries to create some,
fails, and gives up.
The writers seemed to have given up on Raj's love life long before.
Throughout the series, we watch Amy being spurned time and again in terms of intimacy
with Sheldon.
These awkward encounters were used for comedy, as a running gag, but in real life, it would
be incredibly hurtful for a woman to be constantly denied affection and intimacy, especially
as prolonged as the situation was.
Whether Sheldon means to or not, he's actually subjecting Amy to a lot of emotional turmoil,
and worst of all, her plight pretty much exists for us to laugh at.
The lack of intimacy almost certainly feeds into some degree of insecurity in the relationship.
TV tropes often inflate gender stereotypes for comedic effect, which results in characters,
especially women, being taken advantage of for the sake of a joke.
Seeing a nerdy girl questing so desperately for love is quite easy for audiences to make
fun of, which only adds insult to injury.
This entire arc of Bernadette basically becoming Howard's mother develops, essentially, for
the sake of a joke, since Howard has a famously weird relationship with his mom.
"Where you going?"
"To the toilet!
Is that OK with you?"
But it doesn't honor Bernadette's character whatsoever and is also kind of unsavory to
watch.
One of the first things the two bond over is the fact that they both have overbearing
mothers.
Instead of growing together from their pasts, both of them return to the toxic roles they
understand.
Plus, it's a little creepy to hear Howard say Bernadette is sexy when she's angry, while
we as the audience are uncomfortably aware of how similar Bernadette is to Howard's mother
when she's enraged.
Even entertaining the pairing of Raj and Penny is enough to make a lot of fans cringe.
There are some lines in every show that you just don't cross, and some characters you
just don't pair up.
Seeing Raj wake up in bed with Penny crossed that line.
It was later revealed that they hadn't done the deed, and that this moment was basically
used for shock value as a cliffhanger at the end of a particularly important episode.
Still, fans weren't impressed at all.
And the twist meant that the writers didn't even have to commit to their decision, which
almost made it worse.
They led fans on with a polarizing choice that then turned out to be a red herring.
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