The Big Bang Theory is, at heart, a question of relationships. The geek culture references, cameos and science talk are dressing-downs, and funny at that. But from the start, the series presented itself as an exploration of relationships: the interactions of the four main characters with each other; Howard (Simon Helberg) punctual because of its objectification of women; Raj (Kunal Nayyar) inability to start one with women due to his inability to talk around them; Leonard (Johnny Galecki) unrequited desire to begin a romantic relationship with the new neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco); and, in turn, Penny’s friendship with Leonard; and that of Sheldon (Jim Parsons) with its place.
Over time, these relationships, as well as the characters themselves, matured and grew, expanding to new additions, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and Amy Farrah-Fowler (Maïm Bialik), and possibly at weddings (except poor Raj). Yet the best, strongest, and undeniably strangest relationship in the series is between two characters and has no romantic entanglements: the inexplicable bond between Penny and Sheldon.
Polar opposite personalities clash in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
In the pilot of The Big Bang TheoryPenny is introduced as Leonard and Sheldon’s new neighbor, an aspiring actress from Nebraska. Over the course of the episode, the two are presented as polar opposites: Sheldon has quantum mechanics and string theory on his whiteboard, Penny suggests he’s “one of those Beautiful spirit genius guys”; Penny declares that she is Sagittarius, prompting Sheldon, in his Sheldon way, to claim that she is delusional. But the first volley of their rivalry occurs in the following episode, “The Big Bran Hypothesis”, in which Sheldon sneaks into Penny’s apartment to clean it at night, earning Penny’s ire. It’s the perfect summary of their disparate personalities: Penny is free-spirited, emotional and carefree, Sheldon is obsessive-compulsive, logical and rigorous.
The fact that everyone is equally strong-willed makes for some of the most hilarious episodes of the early seasons.. In “The Peanut Reaction”, Penny blackmails Sheldon into helping her plan a birthday party for Leonard by threatening to destroy his mint comic book collection. Sheldon banning Penny from their apartment escalates into a war between the street smarts and the book geeks, with Penny using Sheldon’s obsessive planning to her advantage by taking all the laundry supplies on “laundry day”, and Sheldon using his intellect to run his laundry over nearby telephone wires, in “The Panty Piñata Polarization”. And, in “The Terminator Decoupling”, Penny forces Sheldon to tell her about himself, like why he’s called “Moonpie”, before she releases the contents of the USB drive he left at home (Sheldon’s utter despair and frustration is priceless).
Penny and Sheldon form a family bond in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
But a different dynamic between the two begins in season 1’s “The Pancake Batter Anomaly.” In the episode, a cold renders Sheldon helpless and Penny, although reluctantly, takes care of him. They need each other: Sheldon needs help from others when he can’t function, and Penny has a need to help others. Let her sing “Soft Kitty” to him for the first time in this episode is meaningful and funny, in that regard.
The episode that sets them on the path to their deep relationship is undoubtedly “The Bath Item Hypothesis”, in which Penny gives Sheldon the perfect Christmas present: a dirty towel signed by Leonard Nimoy. It didn’t cost her anything, she wasn’t obligated to do it, and most importantly, Sheldon made it clear that he didn’t want a gift because it creates an obligation that he must give her something of equal value based on her gift and her perceived level of friendship. But Penny knew how much it would mean to Sheldon to have her, which turned out to be much more meaningful than she expected. No one else ever thought about doing anything meaningful for Sheldon, reasoning that it was unlikely he would ever show appreciation. Penny, ignoring preconceived ideas, released real emotion – and a bunch of bath products – to Sheldon, setting a new precedent for their relationship to come.
One of The Big Bang Theory’s Best Characters Only Appeared in 11 Episodes
“Holy Moly!”
Sheldon continued to help Penny in practical ways – taking her to the hospital after dislocating her shoulder in the bathtub, or lending her money for rent, for example – and acts as the only voice of encouragement when she makes the bold decision to quit her job and focus on acting. Penny, meanwhile, has helped Sheldon in emotional ways, such as talking to him about the anxiety of overstimulation in “The Celebration Experimentation”, a “Sheldon-Whisperer” who gains a trust from Sheldon that even Amy doesn’t have. And when they work together, they’re great, like they are in “The Scavenger Vortex“, where their respective forces lead to victory in Raj’s treasure hunt. Young Sheldon The series finale revealed that even years later, they remain in each other’s lives. Penny and Sheldon’s relationship goes beyond friendship and avoids romance to something deeper.: an unbreakable family bond, the best of The Big Bang Theory history.
