The Choice Amy Made On The Big Bang Theory That Has Fans Quite Puzzled
In the Season 3 finale of "The Big Bang Theory," Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) are stunned when their attempt to find Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) a girlfriend works. Given her intellect and quirky nature, neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) quickly became a staple on the show as the ultimate match for Sheldon.
Throughout the series, Amy wants nothing more than for her relationship and friendships to thrive, especially after revealing that she was bullied as a child. Because of her past social experiences, her desire for connection can come off as intense. In fact, Amy regularly tries to move things forward physically with Sheldon, despite knowing that he has no interest in "coitus."
As for Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), who are friends before the latter's romance with Howard, Amy desperately wants to be a member of their group. An unforgettable example of this desire is in Season 5, Episode 17 ("The Rothman Disintegration"), when Amy gifts Penny a massive portrait of them together.
Given Amy's fierce hope to form strong bonds with the group, one particular decision that hurts a close friend is confusing for "The Big Bang Theory" fans to rationalize.
Amy excluded Penny from plans despite knowing how much it hurts
A sad moment for Amy comes in Season 5, Episode 8 ("The Isolation Permutation"), which sees Penny and Bernadette go bridesmaid dress shopping for the latter's wedding without her. The duo doesn't want this exciting day clouded by Amy's explanations of odd marriage rituals but feels horrible after realizing they've upset her.
Amy knows firsthand what it's like to be left out, yet she does the same thing to Penny in Season 7, Episode 21 ("The Anything Can Happen Recurrence"). As Penny spews constant complaints about her new movie "Serial Ape-ist 2: Monkey See, Monkey Kill," Amy and Bernadette have dinner without her and lie about it.
On Reddit, many fans found Amy's actions to be highly hypocritical. Redditor u/ICTheAlchemist said, "It seems that, given her reaction to being left out [and] uninvited to things in [Season] 5, she wouldn't have made it a point to do those things in later seasons." Another fan chimed in with, "It hurt her when she felt left out. Leaving someone else out doesn't hurt her? People can be hypocrites. Go figure."
Despite these occasional riffs, Amy and Penny remain close friends until the end of the series. In fact, the two actresses remain a part of each other's lives off-camera. While answering the web's most searched questions about herself for WIRED, Bialik briefly touched on her real-life friendship with Kaley Cuoco. "Well, we worked together for nine years. And I went to her wedding and celebrated things with her. I'd say we're friends," Bialik said with a big smile.