Penny's Awesome, but This TBBT Character Was Perfect for Leonard
She was gorgeous, smart, funny, and very much into Leonard.
Summary
- Penny and Leonard are the most popular couple on TBBT.
- In Season 5, Leonard met his true soul mate.
- Unfortunately, he blew the opportunity to be with his perfect match.
Throughout The Big Bang Theory's extensive twelve-season run, Penny and Leonard's relationship was one of the main plots of the sitcom that seemed to have no plot at all. The will-they-won't-they excited many viewers as the two characters went from lovers, to friends, to lovers again, to friends again, and finally to marriage later on TBBT.
Frankly, there were many reasons why Penny and Leonard were so popular as a couple. First and foremost, the two characters had a genuine connection, which may have been due to their friendship. Their humor and backtalk made them fun to watch. And their love for each other was very mature, as it survived many difficulties along the way. But in fact, there was another character who was a perfect match for Leonard.
An Ordeal of Temptation
In Season 5, when Penny and Leonard were in their 'friends' phase and dating other people, Leonard was in a long-distance relationship with Raj's sister Priya. However, in episode 7, titled The Good Guy Fluctuation, he met another girl, Alice, in Stuart's comic book store.
Enormously attractive Alice was interested in the comic Leonard was considering buying and wondered if her flirting with him would make him give up the book in her favor. Leonard replied that it wasn't nearly enough for a piece as valuable as Next Men #21, in which Hellboy makes his first appearance. Impressed, Alice gave him her number and asked Leonard to call her.
The two dated for some time, even sharing a kiss in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment after Alice showed Dr. Hofstadter her personal comic book depicting her having sex with a man dressed as Chewbacca. However, Leonard was ashamed of cheating on Priya, so he and Alice never consummated their affair before they broke up.
A Pointless Sacrifice
Out of a desire to be a good guy, Leonard confessed to Priya that he had been seeing Alice for some time, only to learn that she had been cheating on him with her ex. Later, Leonard and Priya broke up, and he lost both his girlfriend and a woman who might have been his soul mate and a perfect romantic match.
Alice was very attractive. She and Leonard shared an interest in comic books and got along. They had a similar sense of humor, somewhat sarcastic and spiteful, but smart and intriguing. And most importantly, they had great chemistry together.
Sure, Penny is a great character, and she makes Leonard shine. But he and Alice seemed to complement each other, so it's a shame that their relationship was never explored on TBBT.