Rajesh Koothrapali was one of The Big Bang Theory's most unique characters, known to have had an overzealous and extravagant personality. Perhaps one of TV’s most loveable astrophysicists, he never failed to make the audience laugh with sarcastic comments regarding his personal life.
Over time, the audience has watched Raj develop his self-esteem, which made us laugh in the process. Raj has often tried to overcompensate for his lack of confidence which has contributed to some of his worst and best actions.
Best: The Time He First Spoke To Penny
In the season 1 episode “The Grasshopper Experiment,” Raj speaks to Penny for the first time, forgetting his fear of speaking to women. Although it was a huge step for Raj, the audience later finds out that it is with the help of alcohol that he was able to do so.
However, in season 6 episode 24 “The Bon Voyage Reaction,” Raj truly overcomes his fears and is able to speak freely without the help of alcohol, which is the best thing he could have done for his self-esteem.
Worst: The Time He Was Featured In People Magazine
In season 2 episode 4, Raj is honored with a feature in People magazine for his achievements as an astrophysicist. Getting treated like an A-list celebrity by People, Raj gets a boost of self-esteem, which is a contrast to his usual sad demeanor. At first, the rest of the gang are in support of Raj’s achievements until fame leads him to become egotistical and quite obnoxious.
Raj is the worst in this episode, as he isn't true to himself, making everyone around him tired of his behavior. As a result of this bit of attention he gets from People, Raj did one of the worst things he could do, which was being prideful.
Best: When He Helped Howard & Bernadette Throughout Their Pregnancy
Raj was always a helpful and encouraging friend to Howard. As a result, when Bernadette got pregnant, Raj was ready to help and offer any service to both Howard and Bernadette. He often overstepped his boundaries while helping the couple, but this just showed his dedication to them.
Although he was appointed to be the Godfather of their child, Howard often took advantage of Raj’s willingness to help. Raj was highly underrated here, although it was the best thing he could do as Howard's best friend.
Worst: When He Held A Focus Group For His Ex-Girlfriends
Throughout the series, Raj was in numerous relationships. In fact, he ended up being single in the series finale due to his constant struggles in relationships. Back in season 10, episode 14, "The Emotion Detection Automation," he tried to get down to the root cause of his issues by holding a focus group for his ex-girlfriends to find out why their relationships did not last.
Although he was warned by Howard and his exes that this was a bad idea, Raj decides to follow through with this idea. His ex-girlfriends explain to him that there were certain aspects of his personality that were off-putting. They mention that after dating him, they found out exactly what they didn’t want in a man. It goes without saying that Raj is a gentle and kind-hearted character, but this moment is one of his worst actions as he led his exes into an awkward and unwanted conversation.
Best: All The Times He Bought Up Interesting Discussions And Debates
Throughout the series, Raj was always the devil’s advocate. He was always able to give a new perspective on whatever discussions the gang was having. His contributions always led to interesting and hilarious debates between himself, Howard, Sheldon, and Leonard, for example, if mummies or zombies are the same.
This can be seen as his best attribute, as without Raj, the group's discussions would mostly be less engaging and entertaining.
Worst: The Time He Made Sure Everyone Knew He Was Coming
Raj has always had a ‘diva attitude’ inside of him. In the season 3 episode "The Excelsior Acquisition," Raj decides to let his inner diva shine as he shamelessly walked into the comic store with the Star Wars Imperial March theme song playing from his speaker shirt.
When Leonard asked him to turn his shirt off, Raj simply states, “People will know I’m awesome and to be feared.” This is one of his worst actions Raj did, as he put on a display of fake confidence in order to feel good about himself.
Best: All The Nice Things He Did For Lucy
Lucy was one of Raj’s most significant girlfriends, mainly due to their similar personalities, and they both struggled with social anxiety and lacked self-esteem. Raj learned to respect Lucy’s space, and there was progress in their relationship.
Raj was undervalued by Lucy and she never truly appreciated his efforts and gestures. Whenever Raj and Lucy would go on dates, Lucy was found on multiple occasions to have escaped the situation through bathroom windows. Although Lucy was not the main reason why their relationship didn’t turn out well, Raj made efforts to make her comfortable, which showed he was romantic.
Worst: When He Hosted The Scavenger Hunt
Raj was also the entertainer of the group and he liked to throw murder mystery dinners and fun events for the gang, all of which were initially never appreciated. However, when he suggested a scavenger hunt, the gang congratulates him on the great idea. The season 7 episode “The Scavenger Vortex” enabled the group to have fun while getting to know each other better, thanks to Raj’s planning and showmanship.
However, when it was revealed he hadn't planned for any specific member of the group to win the scavenger hunt, the group was upset. This can be seen as one of his worst decisions, as he misled all of his friends in their excitement.
Best: Every Time He Cooked For The Gang
Raj was also always committed to mastering his cooking skills. Throughout the series, he showcased his skills in the kitchen and did so with time, effort, and much practice.
In season 7, episode 9 “The Thanksgiving Decoupling,” Raj shows the audience how far he has come in the kitchen, taking lead as head chef for Thanksgiving dinner. Putting so much care in his food, Raj showed how much he valued his friends, proving this to be one of his best moments.
Worst: When The Girls Would Try And Talk Him Up To His Partners
Raj always found it difficult to feel confident and often needed the encouragement of others to feel good about himself. Whenever he was single, Penny, Bernadette, and Amy would always cheer him up and speak to him positively. This would also happen when Raj met possible love interests.
When he first met Emily in season 7, episode 17, Amy reinforced to Emily what a good guy Raj is and Penny and Bernadette did the same in the season 12 episode “The Tam Turbulence” to Anu. They often propped up Raj’s qualities to the point where they were overrated. This was one of the worst things Raj let his friends do, as it only raised questions instead of promoting his actual personality.