Unpopular Opinion Claims Howard Had the Best Character Arc on TBBT
Okay, so apparently using the word "popular" prefaced by "un-" followed by "opinion" can be very triggering.
This probably comes as no surprise considering there's an entire Subreddit devoted to "unpopular opinions." Reddit thread comment sections are one of the most underrated forms of entertainment ever.
Recently, much to the chagrin of fellow readers, one Reddit user voiced their personal BBT un-pop-op. Users didn't take issue with the opinion itself. The OP was of the opinion that of all the Big Bang Theory characters, Howard Wolowitz had the best character arc.
Character development can be tricky. As we know, growth begins with change. Deciding how a character will change and what journey they'll take to get there means taking a risk that the audience won't find it relatable or authentic and will lose interest.
Generally, character arcs are less difficult to pull off if the character in question starts out as an inherently bad person. A character that realizes what they've done wrong, then sets out to repair the damage they've caused to be a better person is usually winner winner chicken dinner. Like Drake said, "[...] started from the bottom now we here." Audiences root for a truly repentant bad bro or bad Betty.
If, however, the character is just plain boring, that might be problematic. The boring blah-ness of Howard on BBT could only be remedied by one of two options. Dispense with the character entirely or make him interesting. So, like any good teen-targeted 80s rom-com (i.e., Can't Buy Me Love) the nerdy Howard evolved into, well not quite Don Juan, but he got dates.
Injecting Bernadette into Howard's life opened up so many possibilities. Blonde, bespectacled Bernadette was a feisty, intellectual woman. She gave Howard, let's call it, "permission", to be an adult. In fact, she insisted on it. The "mama's boy" moniker had to go.
With a successful career and love life, the natural progression was to start a family. This step wasn't without problems. Citing concerns for both mama's and baby's health, Bernadette's doctor put her on bed rest, which might sound nice, but in reality, is a special kind of hell.
Nevertheless, the couple endured. Howard and Bernadette seemed as happy as any couple deserves to be in this crazy, mixed-up world. When the sitcom ended, the only Wolowitz children were the couple's son and daughter. Little Howie had finally grown up. From a desperate creepy loser who gives a Teddy cam to a girl to spy on her to a NASA astronaut and loving family man, Howard has come a long way.