Raj's Relationship Fail is One of TBBT's Biggest Missed Opportunities
The Big Bang Theory was an amazing show for so many reasons. But perhaps one of its most endearing and stand-out qualities was its exploration of relationships.
When we first meet our four heroes, Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Rajesh, they are all single. One happily so, while the others yearned in their own ways to have a special someone to share their lives with.
Over time, we watched each of the male main cast members grow and evolve.
Sheldon came to not just tolerate, but actually need human connection, which ultimately led to his marriage to Amy. Howard abandoned his notion of ending up with unrealistic celebrities and found true love in the form of Bernadette, who became his wife and mother of his two children. And Leonard, after much pain, frustration, fights, break ups, make ups, and learning to love and appreciate each other's differences rather than push against them, married the love of his life, Penny.
Which only leaves Rajesh at the end of the series finale without a partner. He had been dating Anu, and was all set to jet off to the UK to propose to her, but was stopped by Howard at the airport. In one of the most touching scenes in TBBT, Howard convinced Raj that he did not need to give up his job, friends, and life for love. Howard was able to see that Anu was not the right woman for his best friend, and had to take action.
But this has left fans feeling like Raj missed out.
While all the leads in the show found their happily ever after, Raj remains single. Some speculate that Jim Parsons (Sheldon) choosing not to return to the show for a further season is the reason for this seemingly loose end.
After Parsons announced his desire to leave, creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady decided to close the series after 12 successful seasons.
The thought that Raj may have found his true love in a later season is not out of the realm of possibility. And to have him leave California to marry Anu would have been a grave mistake.
Sure, he would have had a partner, but he would have lost everything and everyone else in his life to get her. And even though Anu was beautiful, intelligent, strong, and kind, was she right for Raj? Her dislike of music, movies, and all his most treasured passions would suggest otherwise.
Fans do lament Raj not ending up with a partner, feeling this was an opportunity the show missed out on due to it ending sooner than originally planned. But thinking about the character development of Raj, his ending is actually kind of perfect.
He struggled to find his ideal partner because he never took the time to discover what he wanted in a relationship. He seemed to be so afraid of being alone, he would pair up with any woman he could and stay with her no matter what. Even if he was miserable or knew the relationship simply was not working, he would refuse to end things unless he had another girl ready to step in.
Instead, he has finally learned that love is possible and that his ideal girl is out there for him somewhere. And most importantly, that he does not need to abandon himself or his friends to find her. And that is a pretty beautiful ending for this wonderful character.