Howard Realizes He’ll Never Speak To His Mother Again
In Season 8, episode 18, “The Leftover Thermalization,” Howard is distraught when it hits him that the food his mother had stored in the freezer was the last meal she’d cooked before she passed.
He invites all his friends for dinner as a tribute to his mother, but in a moment of weakness, Howard tears up and admits to Bernadette that he’s still stricken with grief over his mother’s passing, as he knows that he’ll never talk to her again.
2
Sheldon Genuinely Requests Penny To Spare Leonard’s Feelings
In Season 6, episode 2, “The Decoupling Fluctuation,” Amy spills it to Sheldon that Penny plans to break up with Leonard. Sheldon goes through the whole episode hilariously trying to cover this up since he’s unable to keep a secret.
However, he eventually approaches Penny and, in an uncharacteristic bit of modesty, genuinely requests of Penny to not hurt his best friend, which makes Penny realize that Sheldon’s main problem is his reluctance to see Leonard heartbroken.
3
Amy Breaks Up With Sheldon Not Knowing He Wants To Propos
In the Season 8Â finale, Amy has serious doubts over her relationship with Sheldon after putting up with years of neglect from him. To this end, she breaks up with him when she feels he’s not going to commit to her.
Sadly for Sheldon, he had planned on proposing to her before Amy broke up with him, and he then ponders over what to do with the ring he had gotten for her.
4
The Friends Read The Letter From Howard’s Father, Who Abandoned Him
In Season 6, episode 19, “The Closet Reconfiguration,” Howard finds out his father had sent him a letter for his 18th birthday, but he destroys the letter without reading it. However, Sheldon had already read it, and after encouragement from his friends, Howard agrees to know of its contents.
To shield him from feeling hurt, the friends devise a different letter. They read both letters aloud to Howard so he can choose which one is the most comforting to him.
5
Sheldon Is Comforted By Leonard After Professor Proton’s Passing
In Season 7, episode 22, “The Proton Transmogrification,” Leonard informs Sheldon that their childhood hero, Professor Proton, has passed. Sheldon claims he’s unaffected and doesn’t attend Professor Proton’s funeral either.
After the event, by which point Sheldon has confronted the fact that he’s avoiding the grief by being in denial, Leonard visits Sheldon in his room and the latter instantly hugs him as a way of acknowledging his grief over losing his idol and his appreciation of Leonard’s care for him.
6
Amy Tells Sheldon He’s Broken Their Friends’ Hearts
In the series finale, Sheldon insults his friends yet again after they travel all the way to Sweden for his and Amy’s Nobel Prize award ceremony. Due to his lack of respect, his friends decide to leave before the ceremony since Sheldon has no care for their problems.
Amy then furiously tells Sheldon that he broke their friends’ hearts and never appreciates their love and support. She then storms off near tears, as her big day has been ruined, while Sheldon is shattered to realize that, even if he didn’t mean to, he’s estranged himself from the people who stood by him through thick and thin.
7
The Last Scene Playing To An Acoustic Reprise Of The Theme Son
In the final shot of the series, the friends gather around to have dinner as usual, but the scene highlights how this is the definite conclusion as a melancholic rendition of the theme song plays with the camera slowly panning out before fading as the series comes to a close.
8
Sheldon Reveals Why He Hates Christma
In Season 6, episode 11, “The Santa Simulation,” Leonard tries to get Sheldon into the spirit of Christmas and asks him why he hates the holiday so much. To this, Sheldon confesses he had made a wish to Santa when he was 5 years old to bring his grandfather back to him after he passed, and that he missed him and thought Santa would grant him his wish.
Even three decades later, it’s clear Sheldon still carries grief over losing “Pop-Pop,” as he fondly remembers how his grandfather was the only one in his family who encouraged him to pursue science, and he recalls how he lost the only person he thought understood him.
9
Sheldon And Leonard Cry After Realizing How Much They Mean To Each Other
In Season 8, episode 12, “The Space Probe Disintegration,” Leonard and Sheldon begin arguing while waiting for the girls to do their shopping. Leonard tells Sheldon it’s due to him that he can’t live with Penny since Sheldon has a nervous breakdown when things change. After initially insulting Leonard, Sheldon suddenly breaks into tears and admits he feels Leonard moving out will mean he’ll have to live in a world without his best friend.
This causes Leonard to start crying, as well, as he realizes he also loves Sheldon despite all their arguments as the two men admit how much they mean to each other.
10
Leonard Forgives His Mother For Always Breaking His Heart
In Season 12, episode 22, “The Maternal Conclusion,” Leonard is ecstatic when his mother visits and shows interest in him in a loving manner. However, he’s shattered to learn that she’s only doing so as part of the research for her new book.
At that point, Leonard realizes that his mother will never change and forgives himself for holding his resentment for so long, along with forgiving her for treating him this way since childhood. His mother finally acknowledges her shortcomings, as well, sharing her first genuine embrace with him.
11
Penny Denies Her Feelings For Leonard’s Career
In the Season 2 finale, Leonard and the guys get an opportunity for a big research project in the South Pole, which means they’ll be gone for many months. Penny becomes saddened at the prospect of Leonard going away for so long as she’s realized her feelings for him.
When Leonard catches a hint due to the sweater she’s knitted him, he asks her if she’d like him to stay. Penny pretends she only gifted him the sweater out of friendship and doesn’t tell him what it means. After Leonard leaves, she admits to herself that the sweater meant that she wishes he wasn’t going.
12
Amy’s Depression When The Girls Ditch Her
In Season 5, episode 8, “The Isolation Permutation,” Amy finds out that Bernadette and Penny went shopping for bridesmaid dresses without her and falls into depression at being left out. She spends the whole time wallowing in her apartment and craving intimacy.
When the girls try to apologize, Amy reveals she’s always been friendless. While their friendship has saved her from being lonely her whole life, it has also made her insecure, and she now feels like a tumor who’s latched herself onto the girls when they don’t want her.
13
Leonard Is Forced To Watch Penny Be With Someone Else When He Loves Her
In Season 4, episode 11, “The Justice League Recombination,” the guys convince Penny and her new boyfriend Zack to attend a New Year’s costume party with them so they can win the award for best costume.
While this works out as they had hoped, Zack kisses Penny at New Year’s, leaving Leonard staring solemnly at her, as he’s still in love with her and feels sad looking at the woman he wants to be with in the arms of another man.
