Raj Koothrappali from ending to Raj’s arc received mixed reviews, his character design was no doubt refreshing for sitcom culture.
However, a few storylines featuring him did not make much sense and could be considered unrealistic. This happens in almost every long-running series, and in a show like The Big Bang Theory that had a historic run, it obviously happened quite a lot with other characters too. Here are a few storylines featuring Raj that did not make sense:
Reaction To His Deportation Storyline
There’s no way Raj wiled away three months messing with Wikipedia entries when he knew he could be deported if he didn’t make a breakthrough with his job (especially with his grant money about to run out).
Raj is also quite ethical professionally, give or take a few standalone instances, so it’s very difficult for viewers to believe that Raj simply did not do anything about his job prospects. He’s also an over-thinker, who often obsesses over things even before they are a big deal, so it’s highly unlikely that he was so uncharacteristically breezy about such a crucial aspect in his life.
His Romance With Siri
Though Raj’s social anxieties have been depicted comically on the show, he is a highly intelligent man, who, in no way would ever be attracted to a voice automated service just because it’s a woman’s voice.
Granted, it’s a fun comic exploration where his friends tease him about how he now has a woman in his life he can talk to, and Siri also appears to be a constant companion to him, just like a phone is to anyone. But Raj fantasizing about meeting Siri in person is unrealistic and also quite sloppy writing.
The Girlfriend Reunion
Raj has several anxieties about his potential as a romantic partner and though he is ready to work on himself, he doesn’t always react well to criticism. Case in point, the instance when he thought his girlfriend was deriding his so-called ‘feminine’ attributes and tried to overcompensate with masculine behavior.
Raj would never bring all his exes in one room together to get to the root of his issues, as it can be too hard on him to see all his exes picking out his flaws, that too, in front of Howard. It would have been far more plausible if he reached out to them separately and spoke to them, but reuniting his exes is a very unrealistic maneuver on his part.
Every Time Where His Personality Changed After A Sip Of Alcohol
Alcohol enables Raj to overcome his selective mutism and talk to women, but why does he start behaving like a completely different person just after one sip of even the lightest alcohol? Even after having one beer at Penny’s apartment in the second season he starts bossing Penny around and starts behaving obnoxiously.
More than once he has made sexual or inappropriate remarks to a colleague right after one sip of alcohol. The question is, why does Raj change so dramatically after consuming just a little bit of alcohol and develop kind of a rude alter ego?
When He Humiliated Himself In Front Of Emily
It’s seems strange that Raj would confront someone who has talked about how she is not attracted to him. This is odd on two levels; first, Raj has quite a few anxieties about his potential as a romantic partner and it’s unlikely that he would crash Emily and Amy’s coffee get-together just to demand an explanation from Emily after knowing her feelings.
Secondly, he was already on the fence about online dating so when it does go badly it’s uncharacteristic of him to make it worse.
The One With The FBI Agent
Raj’s paranoid interaction with the FBI agent Paige did not make sense at all, mainly because it was not an impromptu visit, as Howard had told them beforehand that Raj, Leonard, and Sheldon may get visits from the FBI for a background check regarding him. His paranoia wasn’t completely unreasonable but the sequence was designed rather sloppily because he went on a nervous tirade about how much he wants to stay in the country and went ahead to sing the National Anthem. It was all just very implausible
When He Was Happy About Howard's Break Up
It’s not unheard of for people to be attracted to their friends’ significant others, but Raj loved Howard and he would never be happy about Bernadette leaving him. Raj’s crush for Bernadette was introduced as an innocent fascination, where he often secretly daydreamed about his best friend’s fiancee but didn’t exactly do anything about it.
When things get messy between Howard and Bernadette, Raj is shown to be elated at the prospect of their break-up. This is quite implausible because, despite his attraction towards Bernadette, Raj would never want Howard to be heartbroken.
Raj’s Party For Halley
Raj plans a party for Howard’s daughter Halley’s first birthday but no one shows up to the superhero-themed party, much to their dismay. Halley’s cousins cancel at the last minute and Howard tells Raj they were the only other guests who were invited.
This shocks Raj, but being the meticulous planner that he is, it’s unrealistic that Raj had no idea about the guest list. Raj had curated every small detail at the party, from vegan cupcakes to imported bouncy houses, so he couldn’t have dropped the ball on keeping a tab on guests.
The Nathan Fillion Storyline
Several cameos on the show were quite underutilized, be it Steve Wozniack or Neil DeGrasse Tyson. The show has often failed to design good, balanced storylines for celebs who are nerd culture icons. This happens again in season 8 when Leonard and Raj bump into Nathan Fillion at a deli. At first, a grumpy Fillion denied his identity but finally relents and takes a picture with them.
However, Raj ends up frustrating the actor by questioning whether he really is Fillion. Considering that Fillion had once starred in their favorite show, Firefly, it doesn't make sense why he would continue to question his identity. The actor’s cameo seemed wasted on such a flimsily plotted storyline.
When He Agreed To Marry Lakshmi
Raj found out that the woman his parents had set him up with was a lesbian, who wanted to marry Raj just to get her parents off her back since she was being pressured about marriage. Raj is taken aback but then decides to say yes since he has always wanted to get married and he liked Lakshmi as a friend.
This is unrealistic because Raj is a romantic, and the main reason he struggles with his love life is because he knows exactly what he wants from a partner. This is also the reason why Raj is single when the show ends, because he believes it’s better to be single than being with the wrong person.