What's a sitcom without its fair share of hilarious or dramatic arguments? The best storylines unfold through character disagreements and changes over the course of either one little episode, or years of the show being on the air.
As true fans all know, The Big Bang Theory has 12 seasons of undeniably funny and heart-wrenchingly upsetting issues that the characters eventually work through. Whether it's Penny's struggles to excel as an actor, Sheldon's emotionless and sarcastic comments, or Howard's excessively loud conversations with his mother, the CBS hit involves a whole lot of disagreements amongst the main characters. After all, it wouldn't have captured as many hearts as it did had The Big Bang Theory left out so many issues between the beloved characters. Most might believe that many of the screaming arguments were the biggest ones of all time, but the most impactful arguments are the ones to talk about.
Leonard Rejects Penny's Drunken Proposal
This one is certainly a short one, but reflecting on how effective it is between the rollercoaster-ride couple, it's one of their most interesting road bumps.
Penny sure knows how to drink and keep her liquor down as she playfully, yet seriously, proposes to Leonard. But of course, no one can ever forget Leonard's line in response that's just sizzling with discomfort, when he says, "Um." This argument results in even Sheldon asking Leonard if the relationship is over. Poor Leonard now has to come to terms with why he really rejects Penny's proposal.
Sheldon Defending His Parking Spot
Sheldon really will not let anyone take his spot—anywhere. Even though he doesn't even have a car at the moment, he still feels the need to defend his possessions against Howard, who is given the parking space because it's vacant. The two go far enough with their war by taking each other's belongings, as Howard takes Sheldon's diploma and Sheldon takes Howard's Iron Man mask.
Even Amy and Bernadette get mixed up in the battle. The two women suddenly start to throw jabs at each other as each insults the other's partner, while Penny's just in the middle trying to lighten the mood. To think that this is all because of a parking spot.
Amy's Fight With Sheldon's Grandmother
Perhaps the correct name is "Meemaw." This argument is one of the most significant because it's also the moment when it's revealed that Sheldon was going to propose to Amy before she broke up with him.
Meemaw has no problem exhibiting her ingrained dislike of Amy, to which Amy then fights back. While the two eventually come to some form of peace in the end, it's still a turning point in Sheldon and Amy's relationship because he defends Amy against his beloved meemaw. Without this heated fight between the two women, Sheldon may not have shown how much he values Amy.
Penny Accuses Leonard Of Effortless Relationship
It's true Penny definitely doesn't hold back in telling Leonard what's bothering her as their relationship matures over time. "The Romance Recalibration" opens with Penny coming home after work to Leonard making her favorite dinner and giving her wine, all for a too-good-to-be-true romantic moment. And, as viewers find out within a few seconds, it really is too good to be true because now Penny sits near Leonard, who's in his underwear watching TV, not paying much attention to his wife.
Leonard really takes this one to heart because (as he even mentions it), he made a ton of effort into finally dating the girl he was so head-over-heels for in the beginning. But Penny questions where that all went. The couple finds that they need to hash this dilemma out, and end up asking Sheldon to create a relationship agreement for them. Yes, it gets that bad apparently.
Raj Tells Howard To Lay Off The Mean Jokes
Can't remember this one? Then how is this moment one of the biggest arguments? The answer is simple. It's because Howard gets put in his place about how he cracks jokes about other people.
"15 years of constant ridicule," Raj says to Howard, as he explains why Howard's weight jokes, among many others, are hurtful to constantly hear, whereas Howard thinks that it's just his way of proving their friendship. The argument doesn't quickly fizzle out because Raj can't even sit near Howard due to the "emotional abuse," rightfully so. This is a lesson that Howard learns from in the end.
Penny Finds Out Leonard Has A Secret Bank Account
Isn't this moment super awkward? Finding out that her spouse has kept a secret bank account hidden from her is a serious moment for Penny.
After Sheldon, while playing "Never Have I Ever," playfully indicates that Leonard did this behind Penny's back, he admits to her that he doesn't want to "share everything," including her credit card debt just because they're married. Both ultimately reach an agreement at the end, but this short battle certainly shines a new light on Leonard, who viewers always thought would give Penny everything.
When Howard Doesn't Want To Work With Bernadette
What a slap in the face this is for Bernadette as Howard desperately scrambles for a more polite way to admit this to her.
Bernadette is pretty hurt by the notion that Howard doesn't want to both live and work with her every day, even asking him if it's because she's "too bossy." One thing's for sure about Bernie, though, and that's the fact that she won't hold back her feelings. She really lets Howard have it in this scene.
Penny Uneasy About Leonard's Proclamation Of Love
This is a bit of a spat between the couple in the earlier stages of their relationship. Penny starts to get a little testy towards Leonard when she feels like he's hovering over her a little too much.
After Leonard tells Penny he loves her, she outwardly becomes severely uncomfortable. This leads her to snap at Leonard several times, especially when they all go bowling and Wil Wheaton gives her the last nudge to break up with Leonard. Although Leonard doesn't argue with her, it's still one of their biggest arguments because Leonard doesn't see how he's been over-the-top with their relationship in Penny's eyes.
Sheldon & Howard's Ongoing Astronomical Argument
Being that this disagreement between Howard and Sheldon doesn't actually cease until the very last episode, the several season-long debate is worth mentioning. For a brief recap, Sheldon constantly denies that Howard is an astronaut at one point and is a hardworking engineer.
The reason why this argument is so "astronomical" is because Sheldon literally refuses to even think of Howard as an astronaut, even though he goes to space once during the show. It's Sheldon's complacency that takes over in belittling Howard.
Sheldon Humiliating Leonard In His Speech
In Season 1, Episode 9, Leonard is in the middle of presenting the paper that he and Sheldon worked on. The only problem is, Sheldon doesn't want to present their research to an audience.
Sheldon accuses Leonard of needing recognition from other people, or "lesser minds," as he so bluntly calls the audience. What a debacle this turns out to be between the two brainiacs.