Это видео недоступно.
Сожалеем об этом.
The Unfortunate Problem With Big Bang Theory's Raj Koothrappali
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 апр 2023
- Big Bang Theory was a force to be reckoned with when it was at it's peak on CBS. Though not all of Big Bang's characters got the same treatment when it comes to meaningful story telling. Raj Koothrappali was the one main character on Big Bang Theory that seemed to be more caricature than real person. Even when finally given a meaningful story line, the writers were quick to course correct and undo everything they had built.
#thebigbangtheory #rajkoothrappali #nerdstalgic
Written by Brian Long
Edited by David Sadvari
Thanks to everyone for requesting we cover "The Problem with Raj". What other TV characters had problems that were too big to miss?
Hindi language, not hindu.
That's the extent of my knowledge.
Maybe you could talk about Suki from avatar last airbender?
Personally I felt she had too little involvement in the series. And especially for being one of the main characters helping in the final battle, she deserved much more screen time.
I know many like her, I do too. But I don’t view her in the same way like the others again due to much less screen time.
Raj and Stewart started to have a great relationship. Homophobia stepped in instead.
I’ve always felt that Joey from Friends deserved a better ending than he got. As taking a page from Barney in HIMYM, Joey could have been involved with a love interest towards the later seasons that could’ve led him to be in a better place romantically by the series’ conclusion. Instead, we got Joey and Rachel’s foolish romantic storyline.
I feel like you could do one of these on every single character in the "Big Bang Theory." Especially Amy Farrah Fowler. Her character goes from a copy of Sheldon to his emotionally abused wife for... reasons? Never have I started off loving a show and ended up HATING a show so much as "The Big Bang Theory."
I love how the writers wanted Raj to find that special someone, as if they don't have 100% control over that fact.
I thought they would just bring in one of his exes Nell, Claire or Emily by the end.
The reason why Raj didn't find anyone is because his girlfriend would be one more character - one more actress to be paid. Remember the financial problems when Bernadette and Amy became main characters? This is why so many characters in many shows have different random hookups instead of one meaningful relationship. It's cheaper for the producers of the show.
They should of kept Emily
they surely don't have 100% control
@@goranmilic442 makes sence.
Stuart felt more like a main character than Raj by the end of the show. Stuart found happiness while drowning in misery throughout the show. Raj just remained the same " funny Indian guy"
I thought he is more “main” not just because he found happiness. But he was more “main” than Raj because he showed more character growth towards the end
Yup. Super duper racial
A little reminder that THIS is the guy who the stupid comedian who took Apu away from the Simpsons said was GOOD indian representation, what a joke
Probably didn't want to be accused of having a token black guy
“Funny”
The Raj-Howard dynamic was funny early in the show, but I always felt like they had no idea what to do with Raj once Wolowitz got a girlfriend. They gave Raj the ability to speak, only to discover that they had nothing for him to say.
Excuses
Very well put. Terrible writing.
I think they should've make Howard more of a ladies man. I've met guys like Howard in real life. They do very well with the ladies. The same is applicable to Raj.
They are usually ladies men in very different ways. Howard would've be a ladies man in a more textbook sitcom Bad Boy fashion. Raj is more as somebody girls find to be sweet and want to be with.
I totally loved their bromance. But once Howard went from wannabe creepy Casablanca to whipped husband then Raj was the "worst" person of the duo and so he was no longer endearing.
@@MsJubjubbird Nan
We later find out Raj is wealthy. We also find out that he is very savvy about fashion. Yet he never stopped wearing his ridiculous clothes that were specifically supposed to look mismatched. Raj would never wear that crap, but they always forced him to.
Raj on big bang didn't make sense. The mutism was a brave choice, most nerds barely can speak causally... Then it got dumb... How could nerd become a hedonistic metrosexual, he was a scientist who spent his days among other nerdy men. I like that but put in a different person, say someone named Vincent, let Raj gradually become NORMAL not a weirdo. .. . . But the actors did great with nonsense given them... The show chickened out on the women dynamic, these nerds like many should have attracted lower income ambitious women Penny and Pennylite and maybe 1 scientist so Amy, , , but the show decided can't have golddiggers in any degree and Penny became a salesman earning more than Leanard and Bernadette too, quite a leap for 2 waitresses.... But the show was well above average, it dealt with wanting friends and mates and anything being better than loneliness, but as said it made everyone into career successes to not allow golddigging reality.... Raj... Maybe if he took acid and his parents died and he got maimed, then this shocked him into epic life change he'd make sense, but they skipped this.....
I think later in the series it should focus more on Raj. Penny and Leonard is just boring after season 4 and if you really think about it Leonard isn't a good guy. He act all sweet and adorbale but he is actually very problematic. Raj should become the main focus.
It is similar to in Friends, after season 4 Monica and Chandler is the focus. Ross and Rachel is just the comic relief. I think the focus should be more on Raj in later seasons and the dynamic with Raj between Emily, Lucy, Claire and bring back Summer Glau and Abby. I also would've love that Penny and Leonard won't work out (because that is what will happen in the real world) Now Raj must choose between 6 women. Raj is very much a ladies' man. How they portray him as can't get girl isn't making any sense. It is not consistant with his character.
I think the reason Raj never dressed how he wanted to was because the others would make fun of him. So he just dressed how his friends dressed.
I think the idea is that he is a closet metrosexual , possibly even bisexual. He's not that fashionable, he's just into girly stuff
The most racist sitcom ever, the writers treated Raj and Howard the worst.
Speaking as an Indian, it's virtually impossible to not know Hindi if you grew up in New Delhi.
The language actually originated in Delhi area (and just north of it) if I remember correctly!
I’m actually surprised that’s the thing about this show that you brought up. How about 12 seasons of pushing the only brown dude down for no reason other than he was brown. Even creepy Howard and asexual Sheldon found love but for some reason it was a bridge too far for Raj to have it
The thing is Raj actually spoke Hindi in the show, whichever episode it was when Sheldon tried learning Finnish or something.
@@Retro_Redthe big problem with sitcoms is they don’t keep track of their continuity well like full house having Jessie attend his high reunion in episode then in later seasons he is out of the blue a dropout
@@kevin10001 just bc he dropped out doesn’t mean he couldnt go to the reunion. he still attended the school, just didnt finish it lol
Raj’s relationship with Emily is one of my favorite parts of TBBT. Both truly care for each yet are also honest and sympathize with each other. It’s a shame they didn’t became a thing in the end.
Soo true really thought they’d end up together in the end
It really seemed like they wanna keep him miserable
What made Emily work so well is while Raj attempted to force her growth, his growth occured thanks to getting the chance to know her.
As is she was a lovable character, up there with Zack. Both deserves the spinoff treatment.
@@user-yj8xv2cw5l This! It's like they said "well, what are the odds that all of them would actually end up in a happy, long term relationship? Not likely..."
I think they felt the Raj and Emily were too normal to be in a comedy focus show. Emily was for the most part devoid from quirks other than her love for horror movies and stuff iirc. Raj was also fairly normal after he got over the speaking thing at least until they exaggerated all his quirks to add comedy. Among the cast he is often pretty socially adept, good a public speaking and fairly successful not to mention rich.
As an Hindu who speaks Hindi as a second language (Marathi is my first language), whatever Sheldon said was practically undecipherable. I'd have the same reaction.
Sheldon also learned it as a kid, likely self taught. He can read/write it fine. He's never had a conversation in Hindi.
It was not Hindi at all. Clingon perhaps
@@PiyushGupta-vx6qithat's what we say about heavily accented English.
No really none of those words belong to hindi
@@PiyushGupta-vx6qi It's the exact same thing when people try and speak English. WE get a lot og garbled nonsense because it's unfamilliar. But if we can't make fun of your parents who haven't gotten rid of the accent in 20+ years, why can you make fun of SHeldon?
It's not only about Raj. They hated Leonard and Penny in the later seasons as well. Bernadette was turned into an irredeemable sociopath. Howard and Sheldon had to carry the show hard.
Also you asked a good question. The show was always about laughing AT the geeks, not with them
Finally someone said that about bernadette
then you look at futurama which is a far better geek show
I loved the show in the early seasons, and still was ok with it in the later seasons but it certainly got worse.
I’m glad someone else saw issue with Bernadette later on, she was so cruel and overbearing as the show went on. Everyone bowed to her will as if they feared her and I never got why nobody ever stood up to her being such a bossy ass while also being so cruel. I liked her early on in the show but as time went on she became incredibly annoying.
@@juanncarrizo9508 No its been said all over reddit.
The most impressive thing about the show was how four actors dressed in three tops never appeared to sweat under bright hot studio lights.
lol
You know there's powerful air conditioning on all the sets
Yeah the clothing being the same makes it hard to take serious., At least make them realistically take the jacket off or the waistcoat.
Isn't Pasadena hot?
@@kedrprao And most lights are LED now
@@cujoedaman even back in 2007?
everyone got a happy ending, even freaking Stuart, but not Raj. i wanted to see Raj get his big, beautiful Bollywood wedding. that's the thing that bugs me most. Raj deserved so much better
Not sure why only happy ending is being in relationship.. plenty of single people have happy lifes or struggling to find partner
@Laura Strēle but that was Raj's goal during the series was to get married and have a family. it feels like a waste the one character who WANTED marriage and kids didn't get it
Except Raj went from socially shy around women to being an asshole who cheats on them and then complains about why no one loves him. He dumps Emily before Valentine’s Day just to try and ask someone else out who also rejects him.
@DarkEclipse23 well that's just bad writing, another way the character was screwed
@@DarkEclipse23 true
It is SO bizarre that Sheldon of all people evolves enough to get married and yet Raj is just a jerk and never learns lessons from the people he loses through his mistakes.. Frustrating.
Sheldon only "evolved" because the writers turned him into an innocent infant. The writers only saw Sheldon as a selfish asshole, or a naive child who doesn't know right and wrong. Nothing in-between.
That being said, I never understood the "Raj become a jerk" arc. All the main characters are kinda jerkish. Raj is the only one who doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.
@@futal1000Most of the characters were massive jerks. Sheldon, Penny, Howard, Raj, Bernadette, even Amy at the beginning of the show. Amy is the only one that isn't a jerk by the end of the show
@dvornikovalexei amy isn't flawless herself. She was very obsessive over sheldon and forcing him to speed things up when he clearly isn't comfortable doing so. Plus she always got jealous about Penny having other friends because it's her bestie
@@futal1000 I didn't say any of it
@@dvornikovalexeinever understand why people liked bernadette
They had great potential with Emily. She was quirky, educated, and a little scary. She also mixed will with the other characters.
Early in the show Raj not being able to speak to women worked for his character for two reasons, 1 it shows potential character growth and 2, it made comedy out of his social insecurity which is far more dynamic and relatable than making jokes about his ethnicity. As the show went on the writers failed to capitalize on any of this since his potential growth boiled down to him just "getting over it" and once he did "get over it" the writers couldn't think to do anything else except make jokes about his ethnicity at his character's expense.
Whats' worse is, it got old after the 1st few seasons. Yet, they kept it going for some reason. Like, we get it. He cant talk to women; its not funny after 6 years
@@MyZ001that’s probably why it just vanished with no in universe explanation as to why he can now talk to women
@@kevin10001 " why it just vanished with no in universe explanation as to why he can now talk to women'
err, because Penny.
she was a catalyst, Raj finally became so comfortable around her he forgot to be nervous.
" the writers couldn't think to do anything else except make jokes '
after he began to speak he- entered into a relationship showing he was massively desperate, then tried to be a playboy, then began to mature and treat women w respect, then fell in love with a woman for who she was instead of for the fact she was dating him, then became more successful in his occupation, to the point of being able to get a public speaking position at a planetarium.
he had PLENTY of character growth.
I always felt like they made him unable to speak to women just for the lols, realized it's kinda hard to have such a character around long term and came up with a cope-out solution
Poor Raj the writers did him dirty. It’s almost like they wanted him to be like “Fez” from that 70s show. But unlike that show Fez won a lot, Raj just ultimately kept loosing all the time. Just sad. 😢
Raj had quite a few wins in the first few seasons. He didn't get pathetic until Bernadette showed up.
Most accurate discription ever
Honestly as an Indian American I always found this portrayal much more offensive and harmful than Apu, probably because these were negative stereotypes I actually had to deal with instead of "you own 7/11 lmao"
@@chonchjohnch problem was never really with Apu himself. He embodies everything truly incredible about the South Asian immigrant and the ridiculous sacrifices many make in the hope of a better life. It was the racists and particularly their kids who used Apu as a means to discriminate and abuse Indians growing up in the West. With Apu it was a lot of misplaced anger that wasn't properly directed at the problem. Raj however genuinely deserves infinitely more hate given just how much this character has actually ruined and destroyed the lives of Indian men living in North America, Europe and Australia.
@@chonchjohnch if they only give 1 role for indian american, it better be batman like role.. because unlike white ppl roles which are wide spread across the acting spectrum, if people want associate indians with something, its only going to be apu. now thats a problem . they associate all brown skin(mexican, middle east, south asian) convenience store guys as indian. either that or doctor. ppl need more to relate us
@@chonchjohnchfr, when you think about it, he is a hard working successful business owner with a wife and kids who he loves,
The writing for apu was amazing the problem was that the voice actor was not Indian so it came off more as racially insensitive stereotypes when he would invoke Indian culture. They could have just given him a different voice actor but I feel the manufacturered backlash against the character was over corrected
You are American, not Indian American...
Raj was always just used for the most insensitive jokes. They made fun of his social anxiety, his race, his "femininity", constant gay jokes with him and Howard.
The other guys all had quirks that were made fun of, but they were also given redeeming qualities to balance them. Sheldon is legitimately the most brilliant. Leonard is the least socially inept one, who actually manages to land the "hot chick". Howard is the first to have a family, and becomes an astronaut. What was Raj's thing? Maybe one could argue that he was the most emotionally intelligent?
i somehow also don't think it's a coincidence that the only asian guy is the character constantly made fun of for his lack of manliness and acting gay.
Atleast raj was the only one who didn't let sheldon get under his skin, him frustating sheldon over that office desk without screaming or yelling is just perfect, wish leonard knew how to keep sheldon in line, leonard always got tag teamed by sheldon and his mother and just insulted him in his face, wish leonard grew stronger by the end, but he just became a sane dude who doesn't get in conflicts
Getting the 'Hot Chick' is a redeeming quality ?
@@bbo40 It is presented as a "win" for his character, especially given that the premise of the series is that the male leads are socially inept and unpopular with women. As I said, Leonard, Howard, and even Sheldon all overcome this in some way. Raj? The best he gets is just being able to speak to women by the end.
Hey now, Raj discovered alien life and you give the guy no credit!
I wish that they'd let Raj have his own happy ending, since he's the only one of the main seven who isn't in a committed relationship by the end, unless you count Sarah Michelle Gellar. He deserved better than to be used as a walking punchline.
Was that even a relationship?
@@ascended1924 no
Remember how his problem with Leonard dating his sister was simply "he's a white guy"? Raj was a racist a-hole. He never apologized for that either. He didn't deserve a happy ending.
@@JZBelexes I mean it’s bad but it isn’t that bad of a thing where Leonard didn’t forgive him for it, and raj too did eventually accept it so it would be too far to say that raj doesn’t deserve his happy ending just for that but you could argue he doesn’t deserve it because he tried to steal bernadette from Howard and penny from Leonard in the earlier seasons which is really not cool
@@JZBelexes dude they made fun of him being like 100 times. They well established the racist tone of their dynamic long before Leonard dated his sister
Love hearing the part about how side characters can become what we remember, because I solely started rewatching Zack and Cody so that I could see everyone *besides* the twins again. Moseby is truly the main character.
Anytime it was more focused on London and/or Maddy, I thought it was a good episode.
I agree, Moseby, Esteban, Arwin and Maddie where the most entertaining, hell, Moseby goes from the funniest guy ever to the most relatable guy ever when you grow up.
The twins were good too btw but imo the funnier episodes where those that focused on the hotel staff in general
Fun Fact: Been thinking about this show so much that I just dreamed up a whole nonsense episode about it where London is just sitting in a corner with some gravel on the floor and wacky things keep happening.
When you get older, Moseby and his actions makes more and more sense
@@Falkuzrules Disney hire this man
I actually liked his relationship with Anu. The fact that it was a well-working relationship (and not some overly romantic fairy-tale thing) seemed healthy and just what he needed. There was balance between her matter-of-fact approach to life and his naive and unrealistic romantic way of thinking. I really hate how Howard ruins his friend's chance to happiness for such a stupid reason.
The romance with Lucy also had a very interesting premise. Two broken people, finding comfort in each others flaws, sharing that burden of struggling in social situations. There was lots of room for character grow, relatable stories and interesting experiences there. Instead they choose to make him an insufferable ass towards Lucy. :(
Also, how many ppl got together through friends & family's matchmaking. This is the way i saw Raj and Anu. Plus, if they got these two together earlier in the show the Anu could've also grown more 'romantic' and Raj appreciating her logic. As for Lucy, i totally agree with that. Even the other girl, the dermatologist, they seemed like a good couple and i hate the reason for their breakup. And what about that time where Raj got his exes together to help him understand where he went wrong, that was painful to see. Wasn't the hearing impaired girl just after his family's money anyway?
That said, i still like the show but some parts i just skip
Raj & Anu are mismatched. They have very different personalities & want different things out of life. Their relationship only starts because they both dislike being single.
@@andrewq159 That's basically Leonard and Penny. Not only do they not have anything in common (which is frequently lampshaded in-universe); Penny actively mocks his interests, mooches off him, acts kind of condescending etc. They're only together because the plot demands it.
The ironic thing is Leonard could actually do better. He has gotten woman who are more suited to him. So even from a desperation perspective, I never understood him obsession with Penny
@@futal1000 People don't like partners who are easy to get. Leonard and Penny were so out of each others' leagues was what made them so desirable to each other. That's what the jealousy stems from as well, like Penny with Alex/Priya or Leonard with Zack and that British student.
@@dvornikovalexei"people dont like partners who are easy to get" but scientists DO, as a *_statistical reality_*. And if I met someone dismissive towards my field of research that would automatically nullify any possible interest I have in them. This show exemplifies the problem of letting writers write scientists.
This is actually a deeper problem with many of Chuck Lorre's shows. I feel like he is very cynical about humans in general. If you think about it, many of the characters in TBBT aren't that good. Bernadette actively enjoys working for a big evil pharma company. Penny is somewhat shallow when she's considering breaking up with Leonard because he's not the kind of guy she imaged herself to be with. Their relationship is anything but healthy. Leonard is a "too nice" neurotic guy who keeps penny around by making her feel guilty. His mother is horrible. And Anu was definitely a pretty horrible person. It's surprising that Howard, who was initially shown as a creep, in the end was probably the best person among them.
Howard...and maybe Amy are the only two people who got truly positive growth through the show.
Oh finally someone says this!! Thank you! But I dont get the Anu part. Oh, and I loved Amy 🥰
Every sitcom lives from the fact that the protagonists more or less act out their childish neuroses. If it were otherwise, I don't think we'd have much to laugh about.
I think they were forced to changed Howard's personality for social reasons. Characters like him were normal and uncontroversial in the 2000's, and earlier, but with the rise of feminism that happened shortly after TBBT started, his kind of behaviour was under heavy criticism. Hardly any TV shows from the past 10 years have characters like him, whilst it use to be a common type of character for comedies in the 00's. I can't prove it, but I reckon they forseaw heavy criticism coming their way if they didn't change his character quickly. Probably they already had feminist lobby groups and DEI advisers contact them and suggest they do something about Howard.
"Hardly any characters were like him" meanwhile we have an actual man child who breaks up with women because they don't fit his "ideal check list" and a womanizer that emotinally and sometimes physically manipulates women just to sleep with them and yet it's called "the best sitcom of the 2010's". And yes, I'm talking about How I Met Your Mother@@iss2075
I do wish Raj did have more of a better ending. Everyone else, especially Sheldon, evolved and evolved well. I felt Raj didn’t as much
Sheldon didn’t evolve as much as his fanboys want us to believe cause he had no character development until season 10 and I have heard the autism spectrum argument but that would have been some character development if they actually did that but they didn’t they just kept his season 1 personality for 9 seasons
I dont really think Sheldon evolved much at all by the end of the show. He was always self centred and selfish and only does the right thing when he is berrated by someone else into correcting his behaviour. Whenever he apologises, he takes one step forward and then immediately says something to piss the other person off again. He is also fully aware that his nagging is what gets him what he wants. Even in the season finale, Amy tells him how he is wrong and how he is treating his friends badly when everyone wants to leave the nobel prize ceremony.
i guess that is reality, some people do not evolve.
I don't think it was just Raj, the writers seemed to have contempt and hatred for the characters. There are scenes where people describe horrible physical abuse each suffered constantly in the past and the laugh track plays. The joke is the abuse, the writers think it is so funny that no actual joke is needed. The writers come off really badly from the show.
It's not real. Back in the generation of the writers, people didn't take everything literally and it was seen as physical humour. This is a generation that were entertained by The Simpsons and Mr Bean
@@MsJubjubbirda "less painful and devastating" form of abuse may be considered physical humor, but raw and literal abuse kinda crosses the line, don't you think?
@@ultronic2765 nope because people understand it's a story and its not real. It's just an exaggeration and these aren't real people - as someone was actually abused.
Some of the abuse they described was funny tho
Some people can't tell the difference between a sitcom and reality. That's so sad
They did him wrong. The one person who always dreamed of finding love ending up with nobody😢
I think they should have given Raj and Missy a romantic storyline. She was interested of him when they first met, but he couldn't speak to women then. They could have explored that in later episodes more.
Imagine if he married her that would be a fairly solid storyline for he and Sheldon to go through .
When Sheldon and Amy got married he was the one who picked Mary and Missy uo from the airport and when Missy said she was divorced/getting one, he had interest of hitting with her
@@nizamartinezeven when she was heavily pregnant at that point. In Young Sheldon it is mentioned that Missy is remarried and has even more kids with the guy she married to. And I am possibly thinking it's Raj. And Raj being brother in law to Sheldon makes sense since he can tolerate him without getting bothered like🤷♀️ despite racist comments by Mary Cooper.
@@samriddhigupta5514 this this is everything why did they fumble such a perfect story line 😭 😭😭
@@samriddhigupta5514I don’t think Mary is comments were racist just ignorance
Raj's best episodes were, in my opinion, when he was working with Sheldon, who was forced to apologize to him after admitting that Raj was right and he was wrong. Also, the whole desk-off was hilarious. I also loved the tiny cameo he had as a child in Young Sheldon, where he looks quite happy studying in his room with no overbearing parent in sight or sound.
The worst aspect of Raj's writing is when the writers randomly decided to have him break up with Emily on their anniversary to pursue a new girl, then had that new girl also dump him. Then had Emily go crazy and manipulate him into sleeping with her again, and then some seasons later they brought her back to have her say he was inadequate in bed and a terrible boyfriend. It really felt like Chuck Lorre forgot which show he was writing for a moment and thought Raj was Alan Harper.
thats so true
They could have delved into why he couldn't talk to women more and based the romance arch on that. He at least could have gone to London to have him end with some autonomy and confidence.
Sending him to London to start a new life with a woman would have been the ultimate character arc for him, why the writers denied him W is suspicious to me
@@johnnydeleon8210idk racism?
As an Indian person, I feel like Raj embodies everything that's wrong with how Indian people are portrayed in American TV. I hate how this show portrays nerds as asshole losers, so keep that in mind with what I say next. Why is it among all of the "loser" characters, why does Raj have to be seen as the biggest one?
Well on the other hand, his sister was the opposite stereotype - successful and beautiful but ultimately unfaithful. Stereotypes against Indians really seems to be the strongest and most common ones, even (or especially?) in Asia itself.
@@LegioXXI yeah, it definitely seems that way. There's starting to be some more nuance, but it's been slow.
@@LegioXXI That last one was introduced to write her off the show despite an otherwise healthy relationship.
I never felt like Raj was merely shoehorned in during the early years of the show. It certainly failed him in the final seasons, but it failed everyone toward the end.
Yeah I didn't like any of the final relationships. Leonard and Penny were just so toxic. Howard and Bernadette just didn't match well at all. It's like Howard never had to grow up or change or become a better person, they just gave him a new "mom". Sheldon and Amy were the closest to a functional relationship that seemed to be somewhat satisfying.
@@olandir every time I hear people say Leonard and Penny are toxic I just roll my eyes, a toxic relationship is one where one or both parties goes out of their way to be malicious, emotionally abusive, or physically abusive. A couple that fights for control over the relationship and doesn't care about trying to be a better person.
Leonard and Penny are flawed insecure individuals and have a messy relationship as a result. Taking jabs at each other is the way they generally show affection, by the time they permanently get together 100 episodes in to the show they not only are comfortable enough to be exactly who they are, but they are not afraid to fight because their fights are not about winning but making sure that they understand each other better, they may not be the best communicators, but they always try, they make an effort in their relationship and most of their intentions come from loving each other, even if it backfires at first because again they are flawed insecure people.
If you want a real example of a toxic relationship look no further than Ross and Rachel, always having to be right, constantly trying to control the relationship, and couldn't put aside their egos to be together for 10 years.
@@joshz2491 Leonard/Penny are definitly toxic from S2-6ish(mainly leonard, Penny is just screwing up). But Leonard really did get less petty/mean and by S7 it's only people screwing up normally.
@@joshz2491Holy fuck, what a massive W comment😂. It's very rare in the TBBT fanbase but someone who actually understands how relationships should work.
@@kyleellis1825At the start of the show Leonard was petty and Penny was damaged. They got better, though still actively mocking each other always but it's a comedy show afterall
The way Raj was written reminded me of Joey from Friends, and the way they were both handled was incredibly disappointing... Neither of them had grown or really changed at all by the final episode, I ended up really liking Stuart's growth and wondered why they didn't do the same for Raj 🤔
You could make the case that sometimes in life that's the way it is for some people. Sometimes when everyone gets what they want at the end it becomes too perfect
Atleast joey got days of our lives and began earning well. His career improved. Here it felt like the writers singled out Raj. It feels a bit racist.
But unlike Joey, Raj isn't going to get a spin-off series to continue his story
@@eaglesandowls but what is the harm in that? its a comedy. and when its over people want to remember their faves being happy. You don't get any points for having your characters be sad in the end b/c of "realism" -- nothing about a sitcom is "realistic".
Parks and Rec ended with everyone happy and people love that ending and will always remember the series fondly as a result. In general, sitcoms that have a happy ending are more fondly remembered than those that go for some realism twist.
I need to rewatch the show lol..I felt the opposite with Stuart. When he ask penny out. He was a cool innocent guy.. then the show made him more and more pathetic for comedic relief
I don’t know what show you watched but Raj was consistently one of the most amusing, whimsical & entertaining characters, so it did work
Raj’s arc throughout the TBBT was pretty underdeveloped. It seemed the writers didn’t even care to give him a happy ending or the hint of a better life; unlike even Stuart, who was also a punching bag in the show, but ended up with a romantic partner by the show’s conclusion. I personally feel the writers in season 12 should have replaced (at the very least) Anu, with a love interest that Raj could’ve “rode off into the sunset” with. For Raj, most of his relationships felt like they were meant solely for comedic antics, rather than sincere storylines. It’s too bad as well that Raj didn’t become more independent as a character sooner in the show (e.g., when he stopped taking his parents money and changed his hairstyle) as he could’ve received better character development in later seasons if the show had made these changes earlier on.
He’s definitely the character who gets hit with the gay jokes because of how he can be which could have had pay off if he did come out. He’s got the old married couple dynamic with Howard, and then there’s how he is about Cinnamon (one gag is the Emily or Cinnamon scene).
"didn’t even care to give him a happy ending or the hint of a better life; unlike even Stuart, '
i think most everyone here is suffering from romance bias.
take away the fact he was still single, and his character arc was as great as the others and had him ending happily, with success in research and a speaking job at the planetarium, where he was apparently well liked.
the ONLY thing he didn't get was a gf.
you now, some successful ppl never do.
@@vforwombat9915 Raj still wanted someone. If he would have been happy alone, it would have been fine.
@@vforwombat9915the thing is, he wanted someone the entire fucking show, and it's the only one who didin't get it?
By the end there they had practically written him out.
Completely honest tho... I have never really been a huge fan of Raj to begin with. But I do think part of it is because how badly they handled him
As sad as it sounds. I think is a cool detail to make Raj unsatisfied at the end. The show works on relatability, and Raj not getting what he dreamed for is the most common thing in our society, it felt relatable to me. Life long friendships over “love” is also a win.
Chuck Lore was clearly jealous that the actor who played Raj was more muscular than him.
Honestly, that would make sense. Something about Chuck has always come across to me as petty and spiteful in retrospect, especially considering the Two and a Half Men finale.
Also, it’s probably due to the fact that Raj’s actor in real life is handsome, charismatic, and is married to an Indian model. Yeah, I’d say your theory checks out.
Not only did Big Bang Theory mistreat Raj, but I'd go so far as to say the show is racist. CONSTANTLY belittling him and his culture for the sake of cheap laughs. BBT is often accused of being "nerd blackface," and while that's debatable, given its reception among internet nerds, I think it's undeniably racist and sexist.
uèèèèèèèèèèèèèèèèèè
They never wanted to give my guy a love interest and made sure to pair everyone up but him at the end. They had him as an after thought. 😭
I didn’t see the last season and I am shocked he and Anu broke up. Was there a problem he couldn’t transfer to London? Like that’s it, love is done? Raj has some family in London for support and his job can be anywhere.
What a lame bust! 😒
I have plenty fam in the uk, I’d might make the move for love.
@@WiseAilbhean Raj had some weird love interests. I found Anu annoying from what i remember its been a while.
I just looked up Anu and they said she is described as being a dominant person which is a “good fit” for raj. I’m all for women being dominant if they choose but Raj was constantly being dominated by his friends and letting them dictate his actions. Howard even talks him out of moving to UK as video mentions.
The last thing he needed was another person to control him.
Raj and Howard always felt like secondary characters, but there was obvious care put into Howard when Bernadette came into the picture. I never really thought about Raj not getting enough due because that's just who he was. When the series was coming to an end, I didn't want him to be with Anu, but I was also disappointed that he was the only one who didn't have a significant other, even though Leonard and Penny seemed to be less prominent in the last few seasons. Leonard and Penny's dynamic changed so much (probably because of their relationship outside the show) that they didn't seem like they were working in the show, anymore. I also didn't like how that concluded.
.. I forget was Bernadette always a biology student, so a genius working as waitress?. I could see a low income simple women settling for Howard but no normal college woman would. He's a midget who dresses dumb and is creepy, like me, yet they said his wonderful woman chose him? It made zero sense.. I suspect they didn't want a 2nd Penny low income woman, they went Woke... Fine, but unbelievable this hidden biology genius liking Howard, in a city of 5m normal men... I like the show..
I liked Raj character. He was the one with the most realistic plot line for a nerd when it came to romance
If you look at most of the writing staff of tbbt, it's really not too hard to see why Raj got the treatment he did.
There's always one arsehole who has to drag the conversation down.
Well done.
@Daniel Mills you didn't have to out yourself, but you do you.
Racism will end on the day that idiots like you allow negative traits to be associated with non White characters.
Would have this issue, if the forgotten character was White?
It shows horrendous racism on your part, that you can't see the person as a human, only as the "Indian character"
Grow up.
@@danjonmillsyou mean you?
The problem is, you said look at the writing staff. That makes your judgement just as terrible as the one you are claiming the writers have.
You instead should have said "Look at the other stuff the writers have done. No diversity anywhere except in token form."
BBT just did go on for far too long and became way too serious. the first seasons were much lighter, the quirky characters worked well and they were just sketches basically, then they decided to go on and on and suddnely there are people in their 40s that actually look 40 going around in comic books t shirts speaking like teenagers and inbroiled in difficult decisions and serious relationships. The show basically became a series equivalent to the meme with mr burns with beanie and black t shirt
It's 3 different shows. S1-3 is the 4 nerdy single friends and the hot neighbor. S4-7 is the dating version of the show. S8-finale is the family drama portion of the show.
the show was its own worst enemy. Initially it was laughing at nerds. But the show itself made nerds cool. Now who do they laugh at?
plus they had to have character growth and hence put the people into relationships and having kids and such. But if the characters are growing to be normal people, then they are no longer weird nerds and you have another series of Friends on your hands
I really enjoyed the earlier seasons when the joke was on the nerds, and the season revolved around geekdom issues and Leonard wanted to get the girl. It was unique.
Then as it went on, it turned into a generic relationship drama sitcom, where typical relationship issues became the focus, and there was only a slight theme of geekdom.
In the later season, when Leonard had already secured the girl, Sheldon became the main character.
THe thing that I came to dislike about the show was how it wasn't laughing with geek culture, it was laughing at it, whilst also making the protagonists enablers of really toxic behaviours
All went south for him after the Emily storyline. It waas weird to not give Raj a proper romantic storyline since Kunal is arguably the most attractive out of them 4 and the character had a lot of traits that would theoretically work for him (rich, romantic, fashion oriented, a great cooking, etc…). That’s why I am inclined to believe the rumors that floated around back then, that the actress who played Emily was meant to become main cast as Amy and Bernardette had before, but someone of the main cast got angry/jealous and threatened to leave, so creators had to scrap their storyline and were left unsure with what to do with Raj so they ended up treating him like a secondary character. Also it really rubbed me the wrong way that the only non white person of the main cast was mocked up as effeminate and his culture constantly made fun of
The Emily storyline is a Catch 22. If they're all in relationships then the whole premise of the original show is lost. But if he's with Emily then his character is growing with the rest of them. But all the characters were made fun of. It had nothing to do with race. Sheldon was probably the one who was presented as the biggest weirdo. Howard was Jewish sleazebag mamas boy, Penny was a dumb blonde, Bernadette was a nasty Catholic and Leonard was the straight man
@@MsJubjubbird That could have been avoided if the never made the show about relationships in the first place. Basically only Leonard and Penny should have been a thing, since that's the whole premise of the show. Bernadette and Amy should never have been mains
@@futal1000 I totally agree. By doing that they turned it into Friends 2.0. aybe have Amy and Bernadette inf or a few episodes, but more for the comedy value of Howard and Sheldon dating equally socially awkward woman(because initially Amy was also highly unlikeable and Bernadette was comically preppy). But then write them off like they did with Raj's girlfriend who had social anxiety
He was one of my favorite characters and got some of the best one liners
He was great; it just would have been nice to have a few more episodes featuring him instead of Howard.
One of my guilty pleasures is to watch clips of Sheldon's "witty banter" with the laugh track removed. It's...uncomfortable to watch, but I love it.
That thanksgiving (I think) scene at Howard and Bernadette's house where he and Leonard have a big fight at the dinner table has to be the best scene to watch with the laugh track removed.
Ah, a fellow non-fan! This video is really for the fans, more specifically those who appreciated the show at its best but are the discerning type rather than the fanboy type, who are willing to be critical and hold it to standards. Still, I enjoyed it too.
Sometimes it was legit laughter. That's why there is a pause in the acting. They are waiting for the laughter to die down.
that is not a bad idea. I like the premise of the show and the characters, but i hate the pov that the characters are somehow to be laughed at for being themselves, which is forced by the laugh track or audience laughter. it might be less comedy and more slice of life without it, but it might be watchable.
Raj never knew how to talk to girls because he never had any context for what to say or do, but after he finally genuinely connected to a girl emotionally, he did
He has 3 sisters.
@@kyleellis1825he was brought up in a different culture.
im indian and can speak hindi but the moment where sheldon speaks hindi was complete gibberish
Raj definitely deserved better in many ways (and it feels like the writers felt it too, hence the rushed arc of rapidly changing his clothing style, hair, job, brief break up with howard to make up for the lost time) but it is somewhat satisfying to see a character not forced into relationship just bc the show ends. To both reiterate that platonic partnership can and does often provide more stability and happiness than a romantic one and/or that sometimes no matter how hard you crave love and intimacy - you still might not find the right person. Super sad but yeah, that’s life and a lot of us are also single and not too happy about it.
On the side note it would be really interesting to have him marry Anu just for the sake of positive arranged marriage rep and general cultural background diversity, but at the same time yeah I can live with them not going through with it. If only Raj’s character hasn’t been butchered for years in every other aspect…
Excuse me why would there need to be positive arranged marriage rep?
@@cipher8293 assisted marriage perhaps, i think it’s called that now. i’m not talking about old school tradition of giving away children accordingly to how well it suits the parents’ interests. but assisted marriage is still a big cultural thing in many places so to just look at it and brand it as malpractice bc it doesn’t fit western society norms isn’t helpful. like it or not, people do live outside of us and europe and often have a different mentality. both raj and anu are from developed regions of india, come from relative wealth and have very lenient parents it seems. so it’s no harm imo if they choose to follow the example of people they know in making a family consciously and on pre discussed terms. it may be hard to understand but like. okay. the show might’ve addressed the poor examples of the practice across the world in a way that was more like ‘yes it is often problematic however let’s also look at this particular situation and see if we can try to understand a different culture’. not in a way ‘this will serve us a handful of culturally insensitive jokes, yay! the only problem we see with this is that raj is a romantic and a loser to get so desperate. but not to worry, we’re not going through with this plot and his faith in american romcom ideals will be restored when he breaks up with anu’
The reason I personally love Raj is because I feel connected to him. I too am a social anxious person who struggles to talk to women I find attractive, but unlike Raj, alcohol doesn't help me. I do tend to be a comedic fella for my group of friends in an awkward kind of way, but it's enjoyable. To me Raj feels more grounded and although a different character would've been good in a sense, I wouldn't change him
Well it wasn’t women he found attractive- it was all women. Like we’re some kind of different species
I also felt identified with him because I used to get very nervous around girls and I was very upset about how pathetic the character became, as the video explains at some point most of the jokes Raj was involved in was at his expense, that was one of the reasons I stopped watching the show, that and the new protagonism of Amy.
Since I got my dreamed job I've been improving the social part nonetheless, I gained a lot of confidence and i stopped caring haha, just as additional fun fact
@@joseafalvel I guess as a woman I don't understand being nervous around all women. I understand being nervous around someone you have a crush on. but women are just..... people. I guess you cant help your feelings but I definitely would like men to just treat me like a person the way they treat other men.
It’s more realistic that not ALL of them end up with a healthy relationship. Remember, this is a show about socially awkward people who understand a lot more about their interests than they do about actual humans. Anyone who knows real life “geek culture” knows how unrealistic it is for THAT MANY of them to end up in healthy relationships, especially Sheldon who is clearly autistic. Raj still being alone because of his social awkwardness and fanciful idea of love is actually the most believable part of the show.
Would be interested to hear your thoughts on Mom, the show nobody seems to talk about, yet got eight seasons and reinvented itself to such an extent that the cast changes almost completely by the third season, and main cast members of season one just disappear.
Raj had my favourite line in the entire show, "So you say you can't pay your rent."
I agree, Raj is sweet and deserved better treatment. Especially compared to Howard who had no character growth at all. Anu was great and I was also super disappointed that not only she wasn't endgame, but dismissed in favor of Howard, who had always been a bad influence.
Anu was perfect for Raj. She was the exact type of woman who make a great wife and she'd give birth to the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if Raj gave up his work and decided to be a house husband. Raj wasn't just looking for love he was looking for family. Howard convinced him that they'd be family enough for his. This is so unfair because Howard asked him to give up his potential for a family of his own to be a fun uncle to his children.
It's always infuriated me that raj was the only recurring character to never end in a relationship, arguably one of the few one
Stewart & Zach where in relationships
Raj Exs all got into relationships
Very few characters ended without every being married and or single
I felt like the show meandered around way too long to actually figure out when and how they wanted to end but that's a whole different subject. Raj was definitely one of my favorite characters but I can agree they didn't give him Justice.
They did lack diversity of jokes about India because they kept going back to the population. Duhhh
Raj's sudden ability to talk to women while sober feels as out of left field as Fex on That 70s Show randomly becoming a ladies' man in the final couple of seasons...
It was very sad that Raj ended up alone
I never had that big of a problem with Raj, I liked that he never ended up with someone it felt more realistic, not everyone finds someone.
Especially when they are minority and brown lul what a huge coincidence, as per the script he didn't end up with anyone...
Nah he's rich, short but not short short and the only one who takes care of himself.
It's weird that he didn't meet someone and telling that in real life is married to a model
But he *DID* find someone. He only broke up because of his friends' influence, because even tho his relationship with Anu was very fast paced, there were no major issues after they reconciled.
@@reedOsama why do you guys keep comparing raj to the actor who portrays him? This doesn't mean anything, it just tells how good of an actor Nayyar really is.
And he was the only person of colour, what a coincidence 😂
honestly the immediate removal of his mute status was what killed the character, did it get repetitive? absolutely, but it made him stand out and allowed for situations you just couldn't with other characters.
honestly i'm surprised they didn't play on his anxiety more, like he's the laid back one in the group. sheldon has more anxious meltdowns than the guy whos literally scared into silence by women.
but even if they had to remove his main character trait they should have done it more tactfully, he can talk to his sister cause he's lived with her for a long time, makes sense he'd start being able to talk to penny in an emotional moment, but him immediately doing girl talk with amy and bernadette? especially with how everyones terrified of bernadette, could have opened up comedy with bernadette getting annoyed at raj still not talking to her after the other girls or amy trying to study his progress but doing that absolutely kills it.
hell the deaf girlfriend idea would actually be great while still mute by simply making him be the one to know sign language, could actually be the catalyste for breaking his muteness from him communicating with a brand new woman and even hooking up via a different form of communication.
like i'm actually so confused why they took away his defining character trait so fucking stupid lol
it's all true... but Raj's situation is realistic too: sometimes, in real life, some people don't get a fairy tale romance nor a series finale miracle, they just stay single or alone or jumping through realtionships for most of their lives.....
That argument COULD work if the show hadn't taken an asexual, narcissistic bully like Sheldon and had him go so far as to have sex and find empathy...
yeah and that should’ve been howard not raj. howard deserved to be alone
Realistic? Ok in what reality does Lenny, a neurotic short nerd, get to bang hot women CONSISTENTLY without paying? Come on, bro, they made Lenny into a pimp and Raj into a low-key gay character.
I think Raj’s personality goes perfectly with his ending. He was so obsessed with all the wrong things about love - dates, movies, superficial stuff. Emily was great, but he couldn’t get over the fact that she was “different”. He failed to love himself and be comfortable with himself enough to invite someone else over. He was so into an alternate reality where perfect romance exists, & the show highlights selective mutism, something associated with people who are not in touch in reality. I was happy he didn’t end up with Anu - he wasn’t in it for the right reasons. He was playing catch up. He deserved to find love naturally - when he’s comfortable with himself.
This was a really nice refreshing take thank you. Sometimes people forget that they are professional writers and if everyone got the ending that they deserved, then Raj did too and we just have to think deeper instead of assuming we know better than these clearly experienced and intelligent writers.
@@ShaylaSujan very well said - I’m sure writers have seen sooo much of life and hence write about it. Sometimes it’s the imperfections of life that make it what it is
I actually felt the opposite, I thought he was one of the better characters up until he could talk to women. Went off a cliff after that though
the writers always thought of his as an after thought
In my head canon Raj started dating and possibly married to Missy once the events of the shows ended.
In fairness, Raj's lack of a romantic partner does nicely tie into his arc, where he leaves his parent's money behind to become more independent. He doesn't need the approval of someone else and is okay just being himself.
Tbh, I don’t know why kunal put up with such lousy character for so long.. his character was the least attractive in terms of personality they gave him. While this character has the huge potential for character development. When your character is mute by choice for more than 1 season, you know it’s not main character, and it is gonna grow at all.
When they introduced Issabella in S10 I was excited. Someone that was just a regular person that challeneged Raj. He put real effort into trying to start a relationship. It felt like a call back to early Raj that spoke about his live in "help" growing up, but now it showed that he wasn't above them. Kind of lame the show just mentioned they broke up with zero explanation.
Raj was the Joey of Big Bang Theory
is that a good or bad thing? because Joey was the second worst main character. dumb characters just aren’t funny
@@markjackson6431 I'm saying that the same way the writers for Friends never thought of cared to develop Joey's character beyond the good looking, womanizing, goofball and didn't even bother to wrap his arc up in a nice little bow like they did for the other Friends is the same way that Raj's character was treated/written on The Big Bang Theory
So... awesome?!
And they canceled Apu. Apu was a successful Indian guy while Raj became the comic relief guy..
I always thought it would have been better to make Raj gay. Rather than the fear of talking to women, he'd initially have anxiety about facing his sexual identity, coming to terms with it, then embracing it, coming out, and dealing with the ramifications of telling his family. I'm often put off by the "gay" jokes in the series. The writers went for the easy laugh, when they could have actually developed a character who evolved over the seasons as the others did.
I think a comparison between silicon valley and big bang theory would be interesting in comparing the comedic 5 human band archetype.
That's a good point considering the treatment Nanjiani's character got in that show. I actually enjoyed Silicon Valley a lot, but it was a little sad to see them subtly treat Dinesh like Raj in parts of the show
Just to say that I recently watched a video comparing tragic scenes in 'HIMYM' and 'TBBT' and if you're cool with it, it would be awesome to see a video comparing serious and emotional scenes in B99 and TBBT (about discussing whether or not to have kids and trying to have kids etc) and/or why B99 is so much better than TBBT, in general. No worries or pressure either way, though. Thanks. :)
I like the first 2 seasons of TBBT better but vastly prefer seasons 3-7 of B99. B99 had some weird stuff early (and the last season got weird with the Covid time skip).
Yeah, Jake and Amy getting together was so great, S5 and S7 are my faves but each season has a lot of brilliant episodes/moments, imo.
I long thought that there should have been a reveal showing that Raj also had a secondary friend group where he could be himself a lot more. It never rang true that Raj had no Indian friends from India or California. It made no sense he didn’t have any friends of other ethnic groups too. It’s Los Angeles, a quite diverse city.
Well, Raj makes a point of expressing how much he hates his own culture at almost every chance.
@@kyleellis1825 People roast their own culture, doesn’t mean they hate it.
@@rnb8220 The only time I can think about Raj having a positive thought about his culture, is the bollywood dance dream sequence.
I just personally don't see Raj as having a group of Indian friends on the side, not after 11 seasons of him always hating on his culture.
@@kyleellis1825 I have witnessed plenty of people of color roast their culture regularly and it’s because they ultimately love it. Do people not understand you don’t have to love every part of your culture but still love it? People acting a bit different with different friends is normal too.
@@rnb8220 My point is, in 11 years of the show, I can only think of a single time Raj thought of his culture positively.
That's not roasting his culture regularly. That's genuine dislike of his culture. Howard, Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny all make fun of their home areas, but they also all apreciate things about their culture nearly as many times.
If Raj even had a couple positive thoughts about his culture each season, I might be convinced.
Raj was my favorite character on the show and I liked the show because it reminded me a bit of my circle of friends. I'm glad you made this video because I completely agree that the show often did feel like it wasn't treating Raj the same way as the other characters. When they introduced Anu in the last season I thought that finally the writers were going to take Raj seriously as a character and develop the character up to where the others were. Instead, they have Raj and Anu break up. I was fine with the slow pace of the relationship between Sheldon and Amy and even of their slow pace at character growth. It felt like it made sense for the characters. I didn't mind the breakup of Leonard and Penny and the direction those characters ultimately went (although I was a bit annoyed that the show ends with Penny being pregnant, but mostly because there had been multiple times in the series after the two married where that could have happened and the writers seemed to bring it up just to drop it and then here it was on the final episode so now it's like "Hey audience who has been waiting for this, here you go now bye leave us alone"). Even Stuart grew as a character and started to feel like one of the main cast members. Heck, I remember watching the show with a friend once who had never seen an episode and because Howard and Bernadette have two kids and that episode seemed so focused on them they thought Howard and Bernadette were the stars of the show not Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny. Like the most character growth came to Howard and Bernadette. I kept watching the show because I watched as the characters grew and changed, and yet Raj always seemed left behind or playing catchup. When the series ended and Raj still wasn't even dating anyone, let alone married, I was upset that the writers just didn't seem to want to invest in the character they created. I mean, they certainly each season kept talking at Comic Con or in interviews about doing more for Raj's character, but they never really did. I mean, I'm gay so I'm used to tv shows not really following through on things with characters. I mean how many LGBTQ+ characters ever really got to develop beyond mere stereotypes in tv shows back in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s?! Of course Raj isn't even a gay character (though they did make jokes about him and Howard....which honestly annoyed me and is one of the reasons I enjoyed Troy & Abed's friendship better on Community as it finally represented two straight dudes who have a close friendship without making gay jokes, which to me felt more real since I have straight male friends who have similar friendships and I often disliked when people new to my larger circle of friends would make gay jokes about them...not just because I'm gay and found the jokes unfunny, but because it was like they were mocking straight guys for forming real friendships), so it was frustrating that they literally have a character that shouldn't be that difficult to write relationships for without upsetting anyone. Like Anu was an arranged relationship and most of my Indian and Nepalese friends said they felt it was done respectfully with what they had experienced as living in America as a Hindu Indian/Nepalese person with parents back in India/Nepal.
Thanks for the video! Great video! Maybe someday we'll get a special made-for-tv movie or something and the writers can correct their errors with Raj in how they show him then. Though, I'm not holding my breath on that.
Raj was the Tina Yothers/Jennifer Keaton of TBBT. If either of that week's shows plotlines had focused on them, I tuned out. The "poor me. Ill never find love" gets old really fast.
The show started to fall apart when Sheldon stopped being wacky. About the same time has he started a "real" relationship with Amy. mid to late season 9
I got pretty far into Big Bang Theory and at a certain point it just feels like all the characters hate each other
If you watch the original pilot, the original Sheldon was split into two characters- Sheldon and Howard. Leonard from the original pilot was nearly the same as he in the actual show, thus Raj was just an afterthought from the beginning.
Well savage moment of Raj with desk scene. One scene enough to remember him
The talk about a cultural shift of the perception of nerds/geeks makes me happy 🥲 I was most definitely an out and proud nerd before it was cool to be labeled as such.
Yep.
Nerd culture got absolutely destroyed about a decade ago.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd Fair enough. I think that's all about perspective though. Did the term nerd get watered down by the shift? Heavily. But in the end, true nerds know what it actually means to be one. It does make me happy that my kid-on-the-way can be celebrated for being a total nerd instead of incessantly bullied for it though.
My favorite part of big bang was the credits.
that Barenaked Ladies song is a bop
I think the character arc for Raj was more how, from the very get go and repeatedly throughout, he was completely desperate to find a relationship with a woman that he lost all agency over himself. For a while personified in his selective mutism, which he was eventually able to overcome when he started to relax and find confidence (granted, it was false confidence given to him by alcohol, but the effect remains). As he was able to form relationships with women, again and again he was shown to just be so desperate that he'd put any desires he had for himself out of his mind purely for the sake of being in a relationship. At the end of the story, he's once again put in a position where he's asked to put his own desires aside just to be in a relationship, but he finally comes to realize that's not the be-all and end-all, that his desires do matter and he does have agency in his choices. If Season 1 Raj had been asked by a woman to marry him and move out of the country, he would have followed along silently without a second thought. But instead, he's grown to the point where he can make the choice for what he really wants without falling to pieces over being single.
Absolutely. I think Raj had a great character arc, it's just that his arc is more subtle and internal than someone like Sheldon. But he really grew and changed, and not in the typical "everyone gets a happy ending" sort of way. It was grounded and authentic. He grew in confidence and learned to love himself. Instead of needing a girl to complete him, he found his own worth and was willing to wait until he found the right person, not just any person. He never felt like an after thought to me, he just had a different and deeper arc.
Thank you for making this video. Raj is my favorite character on the show because he likes fancy things. I'm still sour that they didn't give him a happy ending. I couldn't care less about Sheldon's Noble prize.
Cry me a river
I really liked Rajs muteism. It feels a bit like that nerd that doesnt dare to talk to a girl that is "out of his league". Really would like to see them work more with that
I think a further discussion needs to be had about how the writers not only didn’t want to give him a love interest but also couldn’t give Raj any serious achievements. From what i remember all of them achieve something. Howard became an astronaut, Sheldon/Amy won the Nobel prize, Leonard several notable papers from what i recall.
Bernadette gets an FDA approved drug green-lit
Raj became a visual tour guide and a magazine mention.
Hell even Penny got into pharmaceutical sales and started to kill it in that field.
common denominator with all the characters mentioned that aren’t raj?
Raj was a great character. Always enjoyed him.
Maybe the story of Raj is a life lesson : not everyone will find a perfect match but he will still live a joyful and rewarding life
As a Pakistani and fellow brown person I was so hurt by how badly they treated Raj. I am sure it was not driven by any racial prejudice but it just feels bad. Especially since how great the character development Howard had so why not Raj. Howard the “jew” got find a great wife, beautiful kids and became a better man but the “brown” guy remains a failure. Just saying
As a fellow Pakistani I feel exactly the same as what you are saying.
The epidemy of a Token Character.
Do you mean epitome?
They didn't even bother showing Raj and Emily break up that's how obssessed the show was with Lenny and Shamy. Even Howards kids played very little part later on in the show.
I'd probably say Howard is the Ringo because...well...look at him. Raj is more like George as he was the quiet one.
it's funny how the show tried to make it seem like no woman would ever go for these men, especially raj, when jim parson thought kunal nayyar was the most handsome man ever when he met the cast
Such a racist portrayle for the character, and this isn't a virtue signal, I'm brown guy who slowly stopped watching this show after realizing it
THe fact that they couldn't see Raj ended up with someone like Emily or Anu whilst Sheldon actually has a partner and Leonard and Penny get together after however many seasons of crappy behaivour from them both shows how much they just want him to suffer as a character.
To me the ultimate insult about the fact that he’s the only main character who doesn’t end the series married is that by the end of the show they gave Stewart a long term girlfriend. Stewart’s whole joke was being the loser, barely even part of the friend group, with almost everyone acting like they’d be okay if they never saw him again. He gets an endgame relationship, but not Raj. At that point it honestly starts to feel racist, like seriously the loser above all the rest is allowed to find love before the only non white main character?
Would say humor is at audiences expense.
He is stereotyped as a Indian in a foreign land which might have been the case during globalization but even after Indian students are shown to be just as confident as the westerners are if not more in real life , the char never grows he is still the punching bag of the show like Joey from Friends was.
That's why when ppl say BS like western shows are already inclusive , feel like beating the crap out of em along with some sense into them by saying : "stereotyping isn't representation , it's discrimination and frankly bloody fking insulting to Indians or any race if u are talking on representation of that side & there is no consolation prize for getting a westernized non-american act like a stereotype so either do the char justice or don't fking write them into the show if u don't understand em"
Thank you
@@jinpei05 for what? O.O
Just said what I feel.
The biggest culprit being Mindy Kaling
@@ak-ub1ym just agreeing with you like The Office gif
@@balpreetsingh6834 is she even considered to be indian now? Dunno much how she is perceived in India or by Indians. She looks Indian but that's about it & everything she does and speaks is showing her western heritage not a shred of Indian culture and heritage can be seen . Am I right or wrong here?
Since all I see is a westerner trying to imitate a Indian in Mindy.
Being an Indian guy, I frequently resent how Indians are portrayed as the “funny” characters, especially if they speak with an Indian accent. Raj is a good example of this. I wish that that could change going forward.
Raj was just one of those "one-note" characters which the show clearly didn't know how to evolve. Same as "Joey" in Friends, "Kenny" in South Park, "Meg" in Family Guy or many other examples. If the character is only there as a setup for jokes, or because of one thing they are known for, it's hard later to try to rewrite that introduction.
While I appreciate a character being left single IT SHOULD BE THEIR CHOICE. Raj always wanted a relationship. They wrote him dreaming about it. But then, they didn't give him one.