Although The Big Bang Theory’s Penny pregnancy plot was controversial, the hit sitcom sowed the seeds of the final season’s divisive story back in its pilot episode. The Big Bang Theory’s finale gave Sheldon all he ever dreamed of, but the show was not so kind to the rest of its cast. Although all The Big Bang Theory’s cast of characters got a relatively upbeat ending, Raj still ended up single despite years of pursuing a romantic relationship and complaining about his intense loneliness. Similarly, Penny’s lifelong professional ambitions were largely forgotten by the show’s final outing.
By the time the show ended, Leonard had got the girl of his dreams, Sheldon won a Nobel Prize, and Howard had been to space and started a happy family. In contrast, Penny’s relatively modest ambition of becoming a professional actor was dead and buried. Penny’s acting dream died midway through The Big Bang Theory’s run, and they were never revived. This was particularly striking since acting was what led Penny to move to Los Angeles in the first place. The Big Bang Theory’s finale made this worse when the series dismissed another longtime detail of Penny's character.
Leonard’s Sperm Donation Storyline Dates Back To The Big Bang Theory’s Pilot
The Big Bang Theory’s Heroes Considered Donating Sperm In Episode 1
Throughout The Big Bang Theory’s twelve seasons, Penny always made it clear that she did not want to have children. Despite this, The Big Bang Theory’s finale revealed that she was pregnant. Notably, The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard wanted children as far back as the show’s pilot, where he and Sheldon considered donating sperm before balking at the practicalities of the process. Leonard’s Big Bang Theory characterization changed over the years, but his unexamined commitment to having children was present as early as season 1, episode 1, “Pilot.” This is particularly noteworthy since season 12 revived this specific storyline.
Zack wanted Leonard to provide a sperm donation to help him become a parent, something Leonard viewed as an honor.
In season 12, episode 12, “The Propagation Proposition,” Penny’s ex-boyfriend Zack seeks out Leonard after discovering he is infertile. Zack wanted Leonard to provide a sperm donation to help him become a parent, something Leonard viewed as an honor. Penny was uncertain about the prospect, unsure whether this would mean that Leonard was becoming a parent despite their shared decision not to have children. This plot lasted for another three episodes until Leonard eventually declined the offer in episode 15, “The Donation Oscillation.” This was a call back to the pilot where Leonard realized he didn’t want to donate sperm at the clinic.
The Big Bang Theory’s Final Season Brought Back Leonard’s Potential Sperm Donation
Leonard’s Plan To Help Penny’s Ex Zack Was Taken More Seriously
Unlike the pilot’s raunchy cold open, season 12 of the series took Leonard and Penny’s plans seriously. If The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard were to father Zack’s child, neither he nor Penny understood how much of a role he would play in the chid's life. The Big Bang Theory used Zack’s sperm donation story to foreshadow Penny’s pregnancy, with Penny and Leonard discussing her decision not to have children throughout the subplot. In “The Donation Oscillation,” Leonard inadvertently causes a fight between Penny and her father when Penny admits that she thought her father was disappointed in her.
Although The Big Bang Theory ’s most divisive story could have been worse, the decision to reveal that Penny was pregnant in the finale earned a lot of ire
This scene alone proved how much The Big Bang Theory’s handling of the subject matured in the intervening years. What was a gross-out gag in the pilot ended up becoming a serious moral debate in the final season. That said, the plot wasn’t necessarily a success. Although The Big Bang Theory’s most divisive story could have been worse, the decision to reveal that Penny was pregnant in the finale earned a lot of ire. Penny’s sudden change of heart seemingly happened off-screen, and her consistent commitment to remaining child-free was disregarded despite her previous certainty on the matter.
Penny And Leonard’s Season 12 Fight Never Really Worked
Penny, Leonard, And Penny’s Father All Debated His Plan To Help Zack
This storyline was never all that successful to begin with, thanks to its muddled focus. The couple's conversations ended up centering on whether Penny was letting down her father and husband by choosing not to have children, instead of the repercussions of Leonard helping out Zack. The implications of Leonard fathering Zack’s children were never explored in detail, which made it increasingly obvious that the storyline was simply a way to reintroduce children to the couple’s future before the finale. Penny and Leonard seemed content with their choice about parenting, which made the question of Zack’s child seem superfluous.
While The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff Young Sheldon left major storylines unfinished too, the original show's finale fell particularly short with Penny’s pregnancy. The Zack subplot tackled Leonard’s thoughts about becoming a father, but these had scarcely changed since the pilot’s opening scene. Once again, he liked the idea in theory and, once again, he balked at the last moment when faced with reality. Penny's mind clearly changed somewhere in the final season, but she never received much story focus even though it was her decision that shaped the finale. This made the surprise ending a profound letdown.
This Big Bang Theory Plot Foreshadowed The Finale’s Pregnancy Twist
Penny And Leonard Slept Together After Discussing Children
To be fair to The Big Bang Theory, the series did foreshadow Penny’s pregnancy plenty of times, even if the show never explained her change of mind around the issue of having children. Throughout the finale, Penny complains of nausea, cluing viewers to her eventual realization. Even earlier, in “The Donation Oscillation,” the episode made a point of repeatedly noting that Leonard had been abstaining for days to provide a sample before ending with Penny and Leonard sleeping together. Penny never explicitly changed her mind about having children, but the sitcom did implicitly explain she became pregnant.
Leonard’s feelings on having children never changed, so they didn’t need to be revisited, whereas Penny’s feelings were dramatically altered offscreen without viewers ever learning why.
