One of TBBT's Biggest Plot Mysteries is Still Unresolved (& Heart-Wrenching)

Summary

• The Big Bang Theory contained more than a few unsolved mysteries during its 12 seasons.
• One of them was the contents of a letter written by Howard's father to his son. The contents were known only to the gang, but not to Howard himself.
• Fans will probably never solve this mystery, but there is an incredibly heartbreaking and warm theory.

Over the course of its twelve-year run, The Big Bang Theory has had many mysteries that were never solved until the very end: What is Penny's maiden name? Why was the elevator in the complex never fixed? What does 'bazinga' mean and where does the word come from? Some of these moments were completely forgotten by the writers themselves, some were intentionally left unanswered so that we, the hardcore fans of TBBT, would still be puzzled over them 4 years after the show ended. Well, or hoping for new spin-offs that would answer those questions!

But one of the biggest mysteries in the show's history, however, turned out to be the real identity of Howard's father, Sam, who was never seen on screen, and what was contained in the heartbreaking final letter he sent to his son.

Throughout the story, we only knew of Howard's mother, Debbie Wolowitz, whose face was never shown, but whose presence was felt even after the character's death. Unfortunately, neither Sam's identity nor the contents of the letter were ever revealed by the writers. As such, fans are still trying to answer this question, actively theorizing and speculating.

The Gang Knew What Sam Had Written to Howard

Details didn't come until the sixth season episode The Closet Reconfiguration, when it was revealed that Howard had received a letter from his father. In a fit of rage and resentment against the man who ruined his and his mother's lives, Howard decided to burn the letter and cut Sam out of his life forever. However, Penny and Bernadette realized that it might contain something important, so they got the information out of Sheldon, who had managed to read the letter beforehand.

As a result, all the gang found out what it said, except for Howard. When they got together, they asked him to guess what was in it. Each of them gave an explanation, and supposedly only one of them had to be true. Raj said the letter was a Christmas card, Sheldon said it was a treasure map, Amy said Sam had been at his son's graduation, Penny pointed out that Sam had led a two-family life, and Leonard noted that his father had written about how important family was and how sorry he was that he'd left him and his mother.

So What Was the Actual Content of the Letter?

Fans deduced that Leonard was probably right, as others either said blatantly made-up things, like Sheldon referencing The Goonies, or were given away by their own emotions and diligent attempts to sound believable. Penny was also right because Josh, his paternal half-brother, later came into Howard's life.

Nevertheless, no matter what the letter said, no matter what Sam wrote to Howard, no matter which gang member was right and which one was lying, none of it is relevant. The beauty of The Big Bang Theory is that it's first and foremost a show about warm friendship overcoming differences and misunderstandings, a story about a found family. And despite the absence of a father figure in the life of the brilliant aerospace engineer, it was his friends who always supported him and were there for him in the most difficult moments (even when they mocked him).

Thus, it is likely that the writers deliberately chose to keep this moment a mystery, because everything that was said by the gang may have been contained in the letter, but it primarily reflected their feelings towards their friend: for example, Leonard's words perfectly represent how important the family values were to the main characters themselves.