This TBBT Scene Was A Huge Mistake. Even The Creators Admitted It
If we asked you what happened in the Season 4 finale of The Big Bang Theory, would you be able to recall?
Summary
- The Big Bang Theory has at least one storyline that didn't sit well with viewers.
- The arc served as the final cliffhanger of Season 4 and drove fans mad for months.
- Fortunately, the creators eventually realized their mistake and found a way out of the mess.
The reason for the blank spot in your memory is not general forgetfulness, but most likely your psyche's defense mechanism. You see, the episode, The Roommate Transmogrification, ended on a very questionable and problematic cliffhanger that drove fans crazy until the Season 5 premiere.
What happened?
The episode in question shows Leonard in a toxic relationship with Priya, and Raj having to temporarily move in with Sheldon. When Penny stays for dinner, she and Raj get drunk, and with Raj's mutism momentarily cured, they have a frank conversation in which Penny confesses that she misses Leonard.
The heart-to-heart has unexpected results. The next morning, the two wake up naked in the same bed. When others see them, Penny simply utters 'it's not what it looks like' and walks out of the apartment, leaving both characters and viewers confused and frustrated for several months.
Even the creators ended up hating the arc
Jessica Radloff's book of interviews about the show revealed that the idea for the cliffhanger came from Chuck Lorre. The Big Bang Theory creator wanted to shake things up for the Pasadena gang.
But fans didn't like the idea of putting Penny and Raj in the same bed. It was just too far away from both characters as we knew them, and it really hurt the chances of Penny and Leonard being the endgame.
And as it turns out, Steven Molaro, one of the head writers, shared the fans' opinion. He told Radloff that he went on hiatus with a heavy heart and raised the issue with Lorre as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
'I really did not like that season finale ending,' Molaro said (via TVLine). 'I spent the entire hiatus being upset about it… I went upstairs to [Lorre's] office right when we got back to work [on Season 5] and said something like, "This is really bothering me. I think I have a way that we can… get out of it and preserve the characters as they are."'
At first Lorre was reluctant to change his plan, which seemed to be playing with the unlikely couple a bit more, but in the end he saw how important it was for Molaro and gave in. In fact, it was he who came up with the perfect way out of the awkward situation.
The Season 5 premiere revealed that the sex never happened because Raj suffered from premature ejaculation, so while Penny was embarrassed, she was able to save face and the group dynamic didn't suffer too much.
What a relief for the Pasadena gang, Molaro, and The Big Bang Theory fans!
Source: TVLine.