Within the first season of The Big Bang Theory, the main characters express wishes for a variety of different things to happen in their lives. As the Pilot sets up the romance between Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) to be a major storyline in the series, what these two characters want out of their love lives is a priority for the narrative. Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Howard (Simon Helberg), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) also mention (once or repeatedly) some personal and professional aspirations in season 1, which come true by the end of the series.
The regular Big Bang Theory cast would later expand to include some other characters, but the goals of the original five members are still at the core of the story. It takes a long time for them to get there when they make some poor decisions in their personal lives; however, the progression of their scientific careers and discoveries is interesting to watch through the lens of a sitcom. The Big Bang Theory makes use of all 12 seasons with a few of the storylines which show the characters achieving lifelong dreams.
One theory claims Young Sheldon’s series finale killed off The Big Bang Theory’s hero Leonard, but this seems like a stretch for numerous reasons.
10 Sheldon Wanted To Win A Nobel Prize
Sheldon always wanted to win the biggest prize in science.
There are some casual references to the fact that all the scientists in The Big Bang Theory, in the back of their minds, dream of someday winning the Nobel Prize for groundbreaking work in their field. Leonard laments that he will win a Nobel Prize and die alone in the first episode, while Sheldon complains about possibly having to share a Nobel Prize with Leslie (Sara Gilbert) after she fixes one of his equations (season 1, episode 5, “The Hamburger Postulate”). The prequel TV show Young Sheldon also showcases how the Nobel was a dream of Sheldon’s from childhood.
Suddenly, this monumental dream becomes a potential reality in the final season. The lead-up to the finale includes the storyline of Sheldon and Amy (Mayim Bialik) being considered for the Nobel Prize for physics for their “super asymmetry” theory and facing some competition. They eventually win out and the gang travels to Stockholm for the ceremony in the series finale.
9 Leonard Wanted To Marry Penny
Leonard falls in love with Penny in the Pilot episode.
One of the most remembered lines from The Big Bang Theory is Leonard’s assertion from the Pilot: “Our babies will be smart and beautiful.”Leonard has an instant crush on Penny when she moves in, while his friends are skeptical that anything will ever happen between them. It takes him a whole season to find the moment to ask her out, and another season to begin an official relationship with her.
Sheldon even references what Leonard said the day they met Penny in his Nobel acceptance speech and congratulates them.
Leonard and Penny have an on-and-off romance throughout the series (although the possibility of them breaking up seems to disappear by season 8 or 9). There are some moments where it seems like they are a thing of the past, and they are forced to work through different challenges in their relationship. However, by the end of the series, Leonard does get his wish of being married to Penny with their first child on the way. Sheldon even references what Leonard said the day they met Penny in his Nobel acceptance speech and congratulates them.
8 Howard Wanted A Beautiful Wife
Howard’s character arc includes meeting and falling in love with Bernadette.
Howard’s character in the first few seasons is certainly one of the harsh realities of rewatching The Big Bang Theory, constantly hitting on Penny with crude comments despite her having made clear her answer is no. Howard and the other guys all generally want to have a girlfriend or wife, with part of the humor being based on the stereotype that nerds can’t get women. Howard in particular makes a lot of comments about wanting to settle down with a woman he compares to an actress or model.
Howard meets Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) in season 3 when Penny sets them up per Leonard and Howard’s agreement when one of them gets a girlfriend. Howard becomes much less terrible because of this relationship, even telling Bernadette that she “made him a better man” when she finds out about his past weeks before their wedding. Ultimately, Howard does end up married to a beautiful woman who he is deeply in love with.
7 Raj Wanted To Be Able To Speak To Women
Raj gradually overcomes his selective mutism.
Also branching off from the series’ customary humor about the main characters being awkward around women is how Raj is first introduced as not being able to speak to women at all. Technically, he figures out a way around this midway into season 1 when Penny is mixing cocktails for the guys, and he begins speaking to her after having a drink (season 1, episode 8, “The Grasshopper Experiment”). Raj depends upon this in his dating life for the next few seasons.
Raj once again makes a leap forward by accident when he is devastated after a breakup and talks to Penny about it without realizing he has long sobered up. While Raj is still dealing with some inner turmoil that presents obstacles to finding a partner, he at least does not have to drink to talk to a woman anymore. This is the pretext for him having one of his strongest relationships yet with Anu (Rati Gupta) in the final season.
6 Penny Wanted To Quit Working At The Cheesecake Factory
Penny’s career doesn’t go the way she plans, but she gets out of a job she hates.
Penny moved to Pasadena to pursue a career as an actress and suffers the many pitfalls of this difficult industry for years. Penny eventually accepts that even if she finds success in Hollywood, the environment is not making her happy, and she needs to focus on the things that are good for her, prompting her to finally accept Leonard’s long-standing proposal. After this revelation, she accepts a job interview set up by Bernadette and gets a position as a pharmaceutical sales rep.
On the other hand, more than once throughout the early seasons, Penny complains about having to work at the Cheesecake Factory to pay her bills. It becomes clearer over time that being stuck at this job forever is something she fears. Penny deals with some other tough points in her career regarding how satisfied she is with her job, but she is more content and relaxed to get out of a work situation that was making her completely miserable.
The Big Bang Theory has 12 seasons’ worth of great episodes, but the best ones feature hilarious jokes and emotional moments that leave a mark.
5 Sheldon Wanted Leonard To Break Up With Leslie
Sheldon is always unhappy when Leonard rekindles things with Leslie.
Sheldon and Leslie’s ongoing rivalry is started when she hooks up with Leonard and fixes some of the equations on Sheldon’s whiteboard in the middle of the night, leaving Sheldon to face the unpleasant truth that Leslie might be smarter than him. Sheldon might not say it in direct terms, but it is clear that he would prefer Leonard not to continue his relationship with Leslie because of this incident. Sheldon gets a lucky break when it turns out that all Leslie wanted was a one-night stand, and she brushes Leonard off the next day.
To Sheldon’s dismay, Leonard and Leslie try to have a real relationship in season 2, episode 2, “The Codpiece Topology.” This time, Sheldon is much more vocal about his objections due to previous events. Sheldon gets what he wants again when Leonard and Leslie fight over what scientific theories they believe in, and she ends things. While Sheldon and Leslie have some other spats over the years, she and Leonard never get back together.
4 Penny Wanted To Be Able To Talk To Sheldon
Penny and Sheldon come to have one of the strongest friendships in the show.
Also in “The Grasshopper Experiment,” Penny makes a comment following Sheldon delivering a typical long-winded response that leaves her baffled: “I swear to God, Sheldon, one day I’m going to get the hang of talking to you.”Penny’s implicit goal comes true, somewhat ironically. Penny’s basic scientific knowledge gets better over the years, so she can keep up with what Leonard and Sheldon say about work. She also becomes an expert in Sheldon’s reasoning for certain things, like when she perfectly recites why his spot is the best place to sit (Season 3, episode 10, “The Gorilla Experiment”).
However, Penny and Sheldon’s relationship evolves beyond her understanding what he is saying in a literal sense.
However, Penny and Sheldon’s relationship evolves beyond her understanding what he is saying in a literal sense. Penny might not comprehend all the hard details of Sheldon’s scientific diatribes, but she understands his emotions and knows how to help him when he is stuck on a problem. They consciously and subconsciously learn from one another, bringing out the best in each other in surprising ways.
3 Leonard Wanted To Drive The Batmobile
Penny makes a gesture and grants a childhood wish of Leonard’s.
Leonard and Penny have a difficult discussion early in the final season where she tells him she doesn’t want kids (she changes her mind later). Leonard makes his peace with this, mentioning he always wanted a Batmobile too, but he also got a lot of things he never thought he would have. Because this is something he has “always” wanted, he did technically want it in season 1. Driving a Batmobile probably falls into the category of something they would all want if offered, like meeting James Earl Jones (which Sheldon does) or getting a million dollars.
However, as a gesture of appreciation for the compromises he makes for their marriage, Penny rents Leonard a Batmobile for a day. She has to correct him that it is a rental, she did not buy it, but he is still thrilled. He invites her along for the ride just before the episode ends (season 12, episode 3 “The Procreation Calculation”).
2 Penny Wanted To Date Someone Who Cares About Her
Penny breaks her cycle of bad relationships when she falls in love with Leonard in return.
Before she meets Leonard and for a while after she meets him, Penny is stuck in a cycle of dating guys who are all selfish and ultimately break her heart. It is something she sees as a flaw in herself, knowing she has a tendency to pick bad boyfriends. This comes to a head for her in the season 1 finale when her boyfriend publishes intimate details about them online, and she finds out that he “moved on” immediately afterward.
Penny is devastated and tells Leonard “just once, [she] would like to go out with someone who is nice, and honest, and who actually cares about [her].”She technically gets this wish immediately, as Leonard uses the comment as a segue into asking her out, and they go on a date in the same episode. However, her goal of finding a healthy, supporting relationship comes to fruition as she and Leonard get together, break up, work through their problems, and Penny herself is finally able to say she loves him.
The Big Bang Theory finale brought the show’s record-breaking 12-year run to an end. Here’s everything that happened in the last two episodes.
1 Everyone Wanted A Working Elevator
The broken elevator is one of the best running gags, leading to a great final twist.
Everyone involved would prefer to have a working elevator in the building where Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny live. This especially causes a problem in season 1 when Penny is trying to get to work, but the stairwell is blocked by a massive collectible the guys are trying to get into the apartment (season 1, episode 14, “The Nerdvana Annihilation”). Penny also complains that it is the guys’ fault she has to walk up and down the stairs every day when Leonard reveals to her how the elevator was broken (season 3, episode 22, “The Staircase Implementation”).
The finale has the amazing comedic beat of the elevator finally being fixed; the characters use the elevator every chance they get in the remaining episode, stuffing it to the brim with their luggage to go to Stockholm. At the time, Leonard and Penny are living in the original apartment, while Sheldon and Amy are in Penny’s old apartment, with Howard, Bernadette, and Raj still coming over often. It turned out to be the perfect way to finish The Big Bang Theory, by having the characters get something they all collectively wanted.
