The Big Bang Theory series finale aired last night and Raj didn’t find his one true love. Believe it or not, it’s OK he ended up alone.
After 12 seasons, it’s hard to believe Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, and Raj gave their final bow on Thursday’s Big Bang Theory series finale.
The two final episodes wrapped up of most of the characters’ storylines quite nicely. However, fans might feel Raj deserves justice, because unlike his friends, not only did he end up alone, his story was left open-ended.
Despite Raj meeting the Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself (yes, Sarah Michelle Gellar made a surprise cameo) on the plane to Sweden who he took as his platonic date to Amy and Sheldon’s ceremony for their physics Nobel Prize (they won!), the character beautifully brought to life by Kunal Nayyar still ended up alone.
Since the beginning of the series, Raj wanted to experience a real-life romantic comedy and find someone to love passionately, but that’s not how it worked out for him in the end.
And guess what? That’s OK.
Not everyone finds the one. Life isn’t a rom-com. Many romantic comedies have created false expectations when it comes to love. That doesn’t mean exceptional love stories don’t exist, but experiencing love in real life is vastly different than what is portrayed in movies.
Some fans may be annoyed by the fact that it seemed like Raj and Anu (Rati Gupta) were going to end up together. Why was she brought on in season 12 in the first place, especially if Raj was just going to end up all by himself? But, that’s the thing, he didn’t end up completely alone. He has the love of his close friends and even more so, Howard, his best friend.
Soulmates come in all different forms and Howard is Raj’s true soulmate. Heck, Howard even ran to the airport to stop Raj from making a big mistake by moving to London for Anu. If you think about it, Raj finally got his big rom-com moment courtesy of Howard, who even quoted Notting Hill. It may have not been how Raj exactly dreamed it, but it was still special.
Plus, Raj learned so much from his relationship with Anu — never settle just because you want something so badly, i.e. marriage and family. Yes, the series finale could’ve had Raj meet his soulmate without ever showing their happy ending, but it’s all right it didn’t happen that way.
Being single is OK and that’s an important lesson Raj discovered. You don’t need someone else to be happy. And just because Raj remained single in the end doesn’t mean he’ll be alone forever.
Like showrunner Steve Holland told The Hollywood Reporter about Raj, “We gave him a fun and emotional closure in episode 22 with him and Howard. It felt OK to leave him still searching for love — and I believe that he ultimately will find it someday, but we didn’t feel the need to have to show it.”
Former Steve Molaro added, “And I think this show started with these four guys all single. To honor the bones of the series, it’s OK that somebody still hasn’t found the right person.”
What fans should be thankful for is that Raj did end up finding love — with himself and with his friends. Furthermore, there’s comfort in knowing that Raj will eventually end up with someone who loves him for him and wants all the same things in life.
Nayyar did such an amazing job at portraying Raj, a male character who wasn’t afraid to express his emotions or gush about his love for both romance and rom-coms. Really, Raj was a true gift to TV and that is something to be beyond grateful for.
What did you think of The Big Bang Theory series final and Raj’s final storyline? Let us hear your thoughts.