I remember the first time I watched The Big Bang Theory. It was a Sunday afternoon back in 2007 or 2008. I was still in High School and I was bored and probably trying to procrastinate from the massive pile of homework that I’d let build up over the week. I stumbled across it while channel surfing and wondered which show this was that had Billie from Charmed in it.
The five main characters wormed their way into my heart and became my new obsession for the next twelve years. I loved their nerdiness. I loved their dynamic. I loved that they never apologised for being smart. I loved that Penny, while not being the same smart as them, proved that emotional intelligence is just as important. It didn’t hurt that she was always trying to make them a little more street smart.
When Amy and Bernadette joined the show I was ecstatic! There were two more characters who reflect some aspect of me. Bernadette was sweet and smart and not afraid to let people know what she really thinks. Amy was a hugely intelligent woman who dressed the way that she wanted to but had been sidelined by others because of her interests and intelligence. All seven of the core characters had a love for each other that was so deep that they had formed their own little found family.
I very much liked that this duo receiving their Nobel Prize was the main plot point for the finale. It is the one thing Sheldon ever wanted and it is very inspiring to see a woman win a Nobel Prize in Physics!
This is a sentiment that I really latched onto in the show. Sheldon was like a child. When the show started, he was like a 10-year-old who was unsure of the world he lived in. As the show progressed he changed so much. Looking back in season one Sheldon, I never would have thought he would move out of the apartment, let alone have a girlfriend and get married. Leonard and Penny were his parents, disciplining him, teaching him and treating him. Howard and Raj took on the role of his siblings, Howard as the older who is constantly annoyed by him and Raj his younger brother who wanted approval.
This feeling was shared deeply in the finale. Sheldon’s speech upon receiving his Nobel Prize honestly did make me cry. The way that he called them all his family is truly amazing. I really do believe that your friends are the family that you choose for yourself, and for me, that is what The Big Bang Theory has all been about.
This final shot with the slowed down version of the theme tune was VERY RUDE!
You can love something and still have criticisms of it. Certain characters did not, in my mind, receive the same service as others. I know that Sheldon, Amy, Leonard and Penny were the main four, but I didn’t feel like Raj, Howard, and Bernadette had their stories wrapped up fully. I want to know if Raj finally found the love he deserved. I want to know if Howard and Bernadette were happy. Howard and Raj had the most beautiful friendship and I would love to see a spin-off of just the two of them. But none of their stories had the same level of completion that Leonard, Penny, Amy and Sheldon did. Raj always seemed to be the butt of the joke throughout, and the arranged marriage storyline did not show his character to its full potential.
Sure I have my criticisms, but it doesn’t dull my love for them. It doesn’t reduce how I feel for the show. In some respects, TV show characters can become your family – that is if you let them. Each and every single time I hear the theme tune, I instantly start singing. There are only a couple of shows that I do that with, and nothing will ever top singing this theme tune while the Barenaked Ladies performed live at Canada 150 in Nathan Phillips Square on the Friday Night of Canada Day 2017. Singing along with every other fan of the band, and with the band themselves, will be a highlight of the impact of this show.
I know the sound quality is a LITTLE off but I cannot find my original so now you get to put up with this…ENJOY!
Forget about the science and the geekery. Forget about the ‘Will-they-wont-they’ relationship between Leonard and Penny. Forget about the social commentary and speculation about Sheldon and trying to come up with an answer for why he is the way he is. At its heart, The Big Bang Theory is about family, how it changes you and how it inspires you. This show has inspired a whole new generation of scientists, geeks both male and female alike, and has inspired a generation of career women who see that what they want is achievable. I am going to leave you now with a quote from Sheldon’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech which I feel sums up this show, both between its characters and its fans:
I apologise if I haven’t been the friend that you deserve, But I want you to know, in my own way, I love you all.
And that is what this show has really been about – LOVE.
-Written by Christine
fangirlden.com 