Why ‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 10 needs to launch Raj into a brighter future
During the winter finale of “The Big Bang Theory” season 10 earlier this month, we had a beautiful moment for Howard and Bernadette transposed against a rather depressing moment for Raj. While he has made a major milestone in terms of his ability to communicate with women, and even has had some long-term relationships, his position is relatively similar to where it was in the pilot. He’s single, he still struggles with the right thing to do in some social situations, and his career is almost always on the back-burner in terms of screen time to many of the other characters on the show.
Of course, there’s that part of us that wants to see Raj move forward romantically, whether it be having Lucy / Emily back or introducing someone entirely new. However, at the same exact time we understand the value in him being single: Variance. His status (and also that of Stuart) are a reflection of many people in life — not everyone is married or with children in a long-term relationship that could lead to an engagement. Everyone is in their own place, and that’s totally fun! If you give everyone at how the same relationship, it all starts to become a tad boring.
What we do feel is that the time is ripe for Raj to have a great career achievement beyond just his job title, whether it be him discovering a new planet, learning something new about an existing one, or uncovering some other great mystery of outer space. We’re not talking about something that gets him an article in a journal somewhere, but something that gets him on CNN or a profile in the New York Times. Mainstream coverage, and something a little more long-lasting than Howard being an astronaut. It’s a little unrealistic to say that Ellen DeGeneres is going to be putting an astrophysicist on her show, but he should get wrapped up in whatever level of fame he gets and be celebrated by those around him for it. It’d be a change beyond just being complimented for his cooking.
From this vantage point, there’s one clear reason to push away with this story: Sheer envy from Sheldon. His reactions to the success of others are always entertaining, and it would be even more so that it is Raj, the guy not involved in the government project, and the guy who is rarely ever discussed in terms of his career achievements. He is someone who does love the glamorous side of things, so imagine Raj with more money that he feels is legitimately his own rather than gifted to him from his parents. Picture him getting wrapped up in celebrity in a way where he cannot constantly be at Howard and Bernadette’s beck and call, and where there are a wide array of interested female parties and he struggles to figure out if they are interested for him or the attention associated with him. This could be very fun, but also reflective and challenging at times.
What a career achievement for Raj would do at this point is get him on a different path than everyone else on the show, one that changes him, while also still allowing him to be a part of the group and the same character we’ve come to know and love. Kunal Nayyar is a tremendously funny guy, and to see him take on a story with this much potential for humor, and this emotional weight since it means leaving some parts of his old life behind, would create an exciting new dimension for the show.
Ultimately, we’ll start to see what happens when “The Big Bang Theory” returns with new episodes in a week’s time. Fingers crossed that Raj blasts off into a different orbit.
For now, let us know what you want to see for Raj in the comments, and you can head over here to get some specific information about the next new episode. (Photo: CBS.)