Howard's Redemption Arc In TBBT Actually Hurt The Show's Main Power Couple
But it's still great that we ended up with a decent male character.
Premiering in 2007 as a show about four geek scientist friends — Leonard, Raj, Sheldon, and Howard — CBS' The Big Bang Theory proved that even the weirdest and seemingly unrelatable characters can win the hearts of worldwide audiences. As the story progressed, the four friends underwent some huge personal transformations, and some of them seem to have come a longer way than the others.
At the beginning, Sheldon was the most socially awkward of the quartet (and remained to be until the end of the series), Raj was uncomfortable around women to the point of not being able to speak to one, Leonard was shy and insecure, and Howard… Well, he came across as a sleazy parody of a womanizer, using all kinds of manipulative techniques to woo ladies and creeping fans out along the way.
Episode after episode, viewers would cringe at Howard and his approach to women because even his eyes always had this kind of greasy glint in them. And whenever he opened his mouth, he managed to kill the last hope that he would ever change and become a decent man.
However, things started to change with the introduction of Bernadette in Season 3. After meeting his future wife, Howard began his transformation process from a failed gigolo to caring boyfriend and loving husband and father.
That was a clever move on the writers' part, as the Bernadette/Howard pairing really rescued the original character, whose arc would have definitely run its course by Season 3 or 4.
After forming a couple, Howard and Bernadette became very popular with fans, but there was just one problem with the pairing. You see, the only downside to their relationship going so well was that it didn't reflect positively on the series' main romantic couple — Leonard and Penny.
Howard and Bernadette's compelling dynamic made it hard to see why Leonard and Penny were destined to be together. On top of that, Howard's personal growth and ability to change for his loved one made Leonard look worse in comparison, as he didn't have to transform as much for Penny.
Don't get us wrong, Leonard and Penny were still a great couple. However, it's somewhat ironic that the character who started out as the most toxic member of the Pasadena gang ended up being the most mature one, enjoying a more balanced and happy relationship than the series' main couple.