The Big Bang Theory has gone on to become a veritable institution over the years. The popularity of The Big Bang Theory seems no signs of slowing down despite its final episode having aired more than half a decade ago. What makes The Big Bang Theory such a resounding success is the impeccable camaraderie between it's three leading characters i.e. Sheldon, Howard, and Leonard. Apart from this, the storylines, replete with humor, have been a bonus.
While Sheldon, Howard and Leonard went on to have partners that eventually became good friends together, the relationship between Leonard and Priya has been markedly polarizing. There has been a sizable section of the audience that has always maintained that Leonard and Penny were 'the' couple from the show, whereas another section firmly maintains that Leonard would have been better off had he continued his relationship with Priya.
Although Priya's relationship with Leonard was fraught with several ups and downs, it did have its bright moments. Even Johnny Galecki, the actor who portrayed the character of Leonard, stated in an interview with TVLine that he considered Priya to be intellectually equal to Leonard, further adding that the two shared a remarkably better chemistry together.
Here we take a closer look at the relationship between Leonard and Priya, taking into account their several detours, and also explore whether their relationship was toxic or not.
Leonard and Priya's relationship on The Big Bang Theory explored in detail
Priya Koothrappali's character made her first appearance on the show in 2005, when Howard and Leonard pledged to Raj that they would not hit on her since she is Raj's sister. However, it is soon disclosed on the show that Leonard and Priya slept together. Things took off between them and the two developed a relationship which they had to keep under wraps as Raj would never accept the two of them being together.
Priya subsequently went back to India for work. It did come as a surprise to viewers that Priya didn't consider Leonard as a serious partner and didn't reveal his identity to her parents, who would have rather preferred someone of their nationality. Priya also objects to Leonard's relationship with Penny, who is his ex at this point, and has Leonard cool off ties with Penny.
Priya seemed to be able to match up with Sheldon's intellect on The Big Bang Theory, and yet the two often grew wary of each other. This was intensified when Sheldon could no longer stand Priya and once had to take recourse to visiting the girls' night to escape her presence. The relationship between Priya and Leonard eventually deteriorated after Priya cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend. Leonard, too by this point, had cheated on Priya after he ended up kissing Alice whom he had met at a comic books store.
Although Priya is Leonard's emotional equivalent in many respects, she did come across on The Big Bang Theory as someone who didn't wish to have a serious and long-lasting relationship with Leonard. Thereafter, the two gradually drifted apart, with Priya's appearances on the show becoming few and far between.
Johnny Galecki speaks about the Leonard-Priya chemistry on The Big Bang Theory and more details
The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki spoke in an interview with TVLine back in 2011 where he highlighted his character's love-life in detail. When asked about the relationship between Leonard and Priya, Galecki remarked:
"I thought it made a whole lotta sense. She did one episode this season, and we just really loved Aarti (Mann), and her work ethic kind of melded with everybody else’s. And it makes sense as far as the characters. She is Leonard’s sort of intellectual equivalent, so they’re able to communicate more effortlessly than Leonard and Penny (Kaley Cuoco), certainly."
He then went on to speak about whether Penny would be jealous of the chemistry between Leonard and Priya:
"I don’t know if I would call it jealousy as much as her realization of her own limitations in the ways of love. I don’t think she didn’t return the sentiment of love to Leonard because she doesn’t love him; I just think she’s emotionally incapable of nurturing something like that. They’re young and so without the tools to really connect, especially because they’re from such different universes."
One of the points of contention in Leonard and Priya's relationship has always been Raj's disapproval. This was established early on in the show when Raj made Howard and Leonard promise him that they wouldn't hit on her sister. When asked if his relationship with Priya made Leonard's relationship with Raj strained, Galecki answered:
"I don’t know, but it makes me laugh so hard. Raj is not handling it well! I love how the writers treat (the boys’) romantic relationships because it’s never fully convenient. The more Raj understands that this is not some cheap fling but a substantial relationship, he’s less bothered by it."
The Big Bang Theory star, Galecki, lastly summed up his take on his character's evolution on the show:
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"It’s always interesting for me to watch the pilot of an established show because you see how the writers and actors weren’t really sure what the show was and what the dynamics were. If you look at the pilot for Seinfeld, for example, it’s practically unrecognizable. We’ve always talked about the growth of these characters being extremely slow — a lot of two steps forward, three or sometimes four steps back — but I did feel that Leonard having his heart shattered is a real defining moment in somebody’s life. After something like that, it seemed unrealistic for him to, for example, let Sheldon (Jim Parsons) exasperate him the way he did before. Leonard has now seen worse days than Sheldon being a difficult roommate. He’s maturing as slow as molasses, but he is a maturing character."
Although the fate of Priya was never explicitly spelled out in The Big Bang Theory, it was hinted during a conversation between Raj and his father that she was married.
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