Emily And Raj, Pro Or Con And Why

[bbtbiggestfan]

Ok so it is what it is, many people are focused on the relationship between Leonard and Penny and we should be, however, for 7 seasons now our poor Raj has met heart break after heart break and lonlines, it was funny but now that everyone is married, engaged, or advancing in their relationship (Shamy), its now sad and no longer funny.

So with this new character Emily, are you for or against her becoming Raj's permanent girlfriend? And why?

I will start,

I am PRO EMILY, she seems to really have chemistry with Raj, her weirdness and akwardnes only works with Raj and his unique brand of weirdness. By far Emily is the BEST character/girlfriend they have written for Raj, I truly hope they keep her on permanently so our beloved Raj will finally know love. Also it will give the writers new possibilities on scripts besides the obvious pending wedding and engagment build up.

 

Just my two cents

[kerrycec03]

I am 100% pro-Emily.  I enjoy her so far.  I like her dark ways.  I think she is good for Raj.  About time he got some play.  I also enjoy the fact that she clashes with Penny.  I love Penny, but she is the queen bee and having another girl in the mix who is petty confident & attractive and doesn't fawn all over her I think will open the door for great comedy (which we haven't seen yet).

[phantagrae]

I am also in the PRO Emily camp.

 

While I think that the writers haven't had time yet to fully explore who she's going to turn out to be, I like that they've made her accepting of Raj and his foibles.

 

He's obviously not all that great at dating--nervous, oversharing, over-the-top attempts at romantic lines, wants to be supermacho, wants too badly to impress, metrosexual, etc.

 

But as the story is unfolding, Emily was put off by his sweaty weirdness at their first meeting, though she had found him interesting on the dating site.  She kindly gives him a chance to redeem himself and he manages to be goofy and self-deprecating, which she seems to enjoy.  He has found a way to laugh at himself and acknowledge his weaknesses and she is open to his earnest honesty.

 

He thinks she's hot, but he's able to be honest with her and tell her that he was upset at the idea of her dating other guys, though they weren't yet exclusive, and he was also able to be honest with her about how the movies she liked were a little creepy for him.

 

They've obviously found a good common ground and I think the development of their relationship has only been held back by the fact that Laura Spencer has had limited availabilty for being on the show.  Now that her role on Bones is over (I believe), hopefully we'll see more development on their relationship front and the writers will be able to sort out the core of her character.

 

Since Raj is like Howard in being kind of "second tier" in the overall arc of the series, we might well see his relationship going forward faster now.  He might even get married before L/P & S/A.  Maybe they'll have a Corpse Bride wedding theme...and get married on Halloween or something. 

[Guest StoicPhilosopher]

Not an Emily fan, nor am I a Lucy fan. Have never liked any of Raj's girlfriends.

[phantagrae]

Not an Emily fan, nor am I a Lucy fan. Have never liked any of Raj's girlfriends.

 

But why?

[bbtbiggestfan]

I am 100% pro-Emily.  I enjoy her so far.  I like her dark ways.  I think she is good for Raj.  About time he got some play.  I also enjoy the fact that she clashes with Penny.  I love Penny, but she is the queen bee and having another girl in the mix who is petty confident & attractive and doesn't fawn all over her I think will open the door for great comedy (which we haven't seen yet).

 

I didnt even think about that element, good point! Both Bernadete and Amy drool over wanting to be friends with the "prom queen" and Penny has ben an unchallenged leader thus far, another girl who clashes with her would make for some interesting comedy possibilities. Great catch kerrycec03, I hope they do keep her on and would look forward to these scenes

 

I am also in the PRO Emily camp.

 

While I think that the writers haven't had time yet to fully explore who she's going to turn out to be, I like that they've made her accepting of Raj and his foibles.

 

He's obviously not all that great at dating--nervous, oversharing, over-the-top attempts at romantic lines, wants to be supermacho, wants too badly to impress, metrosexual, etc.

 

But as the story is unfolding, Emily was put off by his sweaty weirdness at their first meeting, though she had found him interesting on the dating site.  She kindly gives him a chance to redeem himself and he manages to be goofy and self-deprecating, which she seems to enjoy.  He has found a way to laugh at himself and acknowledge his weaknesses and she is open to his earnest honesty.

 

He thinks she's hot, but he's able to be honest with her and tell her that he was upset at the idea of her dating other guys, though they weren't yet exclusive, and he was also able to be honest with her about how the movies she liked were a little creepy for him.

 

They've obviously found a good common ground and I think the development of their relationship has only been held back by the fact that Laura Spencer has had limited availabilty for being on the show.  Now that her role on Bones is over (I believe), hopefully we'll see more development on their relationship front and the writers will be able to sort out the core of her character.

 

Since Raj is like Howard in being kind of "second tier" in the overall arc of the series, we might well see his relationship going forward faster now.  He might even get married before L/P & S/A.  Maybe they'll have a Corpse Bride wedding theme...and get married on Halloween or something. 

 

I agree that Emily seems to have allowed Raj to grow personally, I liked when she told him about the date with the other guy and he said something like "it does bother me but its my problem, not yours" this was a very mature reaction for Raj, he didnt freak out, he has been more normal and grown up, I think she is good for him as you say. The only thing I'm not sure about is the corpse bride theme...lol

I heard one person say they didnt like that she likes gore fest movies, and that she was too dark since they turn her on, but lets be real, it doesnt matter what a girl is into, if a guy likes her, he will pretty much do, watch, say, go anywhere/anything to get with her....just saying....

[bbtbiggestfan]

Not an Emily fan, nor am I a Lucy fan. Have never liked any of Raj's girlfriends.

 

For what reasons? I agree about Lucy, only because her brand of weirdness didnt mesh well with Raj or the group overall, even Sheldon is not as anti social as Lucy, her characters chemistry just didnt mix well with the others, but Emily does.

So why dont you like her?? I would just like to know so I hear both sides of the discussion/coin

[koops]

I am of two minds about it.

 

I think Laura Spencer is fantastic in this role and Emily is head and shoulders above Lucy or any other girl they've ever given Raj. The creepy angle that never quite gets tapped into, so that it's always lurking but you never really know what the deal is, is also a clever way of handling a character whom, after her first episodes, I found to be too "normal" for this group of people to be permanent. Now she has a bit of an edge that can give her something to do in the group as a comedy valve, rather than just being the pretty, perfect, well-adjusted girl. While I would not want her to be an addition to the main cast this late in the show (I think all the dynamics are well oiled and all the characters gel together very well and have done so for such a long time that I can't see how adding a new character at this stage would be anything but a spanner in the works - particularly in terms of girls-only plots), I think, like Marina often says, she would work great in the capacity of a character like Phoebe's husband on Friends: always being around when needed to tell a story about Raj. Which is the way they've been using her so far, really.

 

On the other hand, though, I feel like Raj getting a girlfriend, and a permanent one, for the first and maybe only time on the show, is such a huge deal that I scratch my head a bit about the fact that we have pretty much missed out on most of the most crucial part of this experience: the first year. We have seen them hang out, and do stuff, but we have never actually seen Raj get adjusted with this much at all, or explored how it's changing him, other than the times they have emphasized his confidence because he's finally getting laid. So this puzzles me a little. With every other couple they have gone deep into what it means for everyone involved to find their significant other, they developed them step by step through all these stages that tackle the issues each character individually has, but I don't feel like they've done that with Raj at all. And considering that out of the original five he was the one that was pining the most for a real romance, it's weird to me that now that he finally has it, we missed out on so much. I kind of feel like I've been cheated out of some pretty crucial storytelling here, and it's a shame because I do like Emily. 

 

So I guess my stance is pro Emily as a character but not so much pro the way it's been written. To the point that if they decided to scrap it and start again, I wouldn't be majorly upset, although I do think it would be a waste of a pretty cool character and actress.

[phantagrae]

I am of two minds about it.

 

I think Laura Spencer is fantastic in this role and Emily is head and shoulders above Lucy or any other girl they've ever given Raj. The creepy angle that never quite gets tapped into, so that it's always lurking but you never really know what the deal is, is also a clever way of handling a character whom, after her first episodes, I found to be too "normal" for this group of people to be permanent. Now she has a bit of an edge that can give her something to do in the group as a comedy valve, rather than just being the pretty, perfect, well-adjusted girl. While I would not want her to be an addition to the main cast this late in the show (I think all the dynamics are well oiled and all the characters gel together very well and have done so for such a long time that I can't see how adding a new character at this stage would be anything but a spanner in the works - particularly in terms of girls-only plots), I think, like Marina often says, she would work great in the capacity of a character like Phoebe's husband on Friends: always being around when needed to tell a story about Raj. Which is the way they've been using her so far, really.

 

On the other hand, though, I feel like Raj getting a girlfriend, and a permanent one, for the first and maybe only time on the show, is such a huge deal that I scratch my head a bit about the fact that we have pretty much missed out on most of the most crucial part of this experience: the first year. We have seen them hang out, and do stuff, but we have never actually seen Raj get adjusted with this much at all, or explored how it's changing him, other than the times they have emphasized his confidence because he's finally getting laid. So this puzzles me a little. With every other couple they have gone deep into what it means for everyone involved to find their significant other, they developed them step by step through all these stages that tackle the issues each character individually has, but I don't feel like they've done that with Raj at all. And considering that out of the original five he was the one that was pining the most for a real romance, it's weird to me that now that he finally has it, we missed out on so much. I kind of feel like I've been cheated out of some pretty crucial storytelling here, and it's a shame because I do like Emily. 

 

So I guess my stance is pro Emily as a character but not so much pro the way it's been written. To the point that if they decided to scrap it and start again, I wouldn't be majorly upset, although I do think it would be a waste of a pretty cool character and actress.

 

I think that the only reason we haven't seen that is because of Laura Spencer's work schedule.  She had a brief role on Sleepy Hollow and a recurring role on Bones in addition to her role as Emily.

 

So they've had to work around her other jobs and squeeze her in here and there as time permitted.  She even said something about how they had either not included her in an episode, or had shuffled the episodes around because she was supposed to be there a certain week, but they needed to deal with something else.  I don't remember if it was the Christmas episode or one shortly after, but I suspect it had to do with dealing with Mrs. W's death and all that.

 

Anyway, someone said her role on Bones is done (because that show wrapped its final episode, maybe?), so maybe we'll see more of her in the remaining episodes of this season.

 

I don't mind them adding another cast member at this stage because it makes sense that Raj would finally have a permanent girlfriend (remember my motto: Happy Endings All Around.)  I think it could stir up some new stuff among the gang, including maybe spicing up the dynamic of girls' night as they struggle to integrate her into their existing trio.  She and Penny haven't really cleared up their initial animosity (that we've seen, anyway) so that could be an interesting hurdle to get over.

 

I do think that TPTB seem to be intending to keep her around, and it only makes sense that she would become more of a regular.  They've got two more seasons to play with and dealing with Raj's new relationship would be another way to add some fresh ideas and also to help pass the time while we're waiting for the last few big stories (weddings, etc.)

[Chrismo]

Pro Emily for most of the reasons mentioned above. While Penny has always been the "queen bee" of the three girls I always thought Bernadette was the middle ground. she hasn't been as naive or conservative as Amy but also not as wild and daring as Penny. it seems Emily leans more towards Penny . I think Emily IMO has a bit of a past somewhat like Penny but many of the same interests as Amy and Bernadette. I think in the future the jealously that Emily has for Penny is somehow going to be reversed.

[Itwasdestined]

I'm pro Emily. I liked the effect she had on Raj at the end of S7 when she got some extended screen time. It's been harder to warm to her because she hasn't had continuity in S8 but I still prefer happy Raj to pathetic Raj so that alone is a plus. I like that she's a stirrer like Raj and hope to get her appearing "on the couch" soon so she can mess with Sheldons mind. She's been mainly Howardette focused so far. On the Penny front, they've really held it back since that one confrontation. I look forward to how they work that relationship out. They'll have to if Emily stays permanently in the show because obviously Penny won't be hiding in her apartment like during the Priya era.

Then it adds some symmetry to the separate boy/girl plots - four each. I think she can fit in with her stirring of the boys - once they tone down her 'creepy' stuff. Of course it took a while for Penny and Bernadette to accept Amy's weirdness so they have a track record. Amy obviously was more desperate for acceptance than Emily ( it's probably more important to Raj ) so Emily's role in this will be the interesting bit for me.

[Shamyfan]

I am anti Emily. Idk there is something that doesn't mesh with the gang.

1) The whole emily vs.penny thing ,(i am not a huge penny fan but she had no right to say anything after she went out another guy in front of raj,

2) the weird creepy vibe. Too creepy for my taste.

3) what does raj and emily have in common??? I liked lucy (love kate) but they made her too socially awkward. I wish they would have made it if raj and Lucy overcame their fears together. Idk.

I am not feeling emily at all. Im sorry but i want them to break up.

[Nogravitasatall]

I like the character because is she is out there. I don't have to want to date her but I can enjoy her impact. No need for her to get on like wildfire with the others. She and Raj can do their own thing. Its Raj's choice. And I like watching him freak out. AND that they just got on without the angst is refreshing. That does happen. You can meet someone and just hit it off without hours of negotiatiing. They met and ""bam!", said the lady." Fine by me.

[Dannii]

I have mixed feelings. I like Laura Spencer a whole lot but something about the Emily-character feels off and I can't tell what it is.

[Guest]

I don't like her at all. She's not funny, she's not cute, not entertaining and somehow I hate the way she talks. I don't know, I think there is no need to introduce another character, since many of the episodes felt rushed already because there is so much they try to squeeze into one episode.

I like that they are keeping her appearances low. And to be honest, I'm hoping for Lucy to come back. I liked her a lot more.

[Martin Pollard]

With all of this angst and complaining and hand-wringing about Emily, it just makes me wish that she was a major character in every episode until the end of the series and a spin-off featuring her, Raj, and Cinnamon, with a guaranteed 10-year run.

[Kathy2611]

I really like Emily for the same reasons everyone else said above. I also agree with Phanta in that the end result is happy endings all around and all four guys find someone in the end.

I couldn't stand Lucy (but I love Kate, especially when she was on Raising Hope). I just thought the Lucy character was too pathetic (sorry if that's too harsh of a word but that's the first word that popped into my head when I saw her).

I think Emily will be good for him and I hope she stays.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[phantagrae]

I don't like her at all. She's not funny, she's not cute, not entertaining and somehow I hate the way she talks. I don't know, I think there is no need to introduce another character, since many of the episodes felt rushed already because there is so much they try to squeeze into one episode.

I like that they are keeping her appearances low. And to be honest, I'm hoping for Lucy to come back. I liked her a lot more.

So, if Raj makes an appearance in his own storyline with or without Emily, do you think it makes an episode feel rushed? They've almost never given her screen time that doesn't involve him. She hasn't been given a storyline that takes away from anyone else.

I have never understood why people seem to think that TPTB are ever going to take the show's 19-20 minutes and try to divide it equally between 7 or 8 characters. Even though Mayim and Melissa are full time, for instance, they sometimes are in an episode for only a scene or two.

I think it all depends simply on what stories are being told.

[djsurrey]

I like the Emily character and Laura Spencer.

I actually liked Lucy too but acknowledge more fans are liking Emily.

No one can say if Emily just likes being mysterious or if there is a hidden darkness there because it has not been reveled.

I actually think the writers like having one of their nerds between relationships so I don't really think Emily will last. I'm guessing the dark side of Emily will be too much for Raj eventually.

[meka3000]

My critique of Emily as a love interest has mostly been that I didn't see her having much in common with Raj (like Shamy) and/or she doesn't have any form of contrast to Raj (like Lenny)

 

I just recently figured out how Emily works as a contrast to Raj, she's the female "haunted house" (with all of her interests in horror movies, tattoos, and creepy stuff things that would usually scare your cliched girly girl around halloween) to Raj's "feminine side".

 

I'd be for this continuing IF Emily is fleshed out more.  My only fear is that after the episode with the petty Penny rivalry that stemmed from her unnecessary insecurity, that her interest in "crazy things" might reveal her being a bit crazy herself.

 

Heck they missed an opportunity this season to do a halloween episode WITH HER IN IT.  Another missed opportunity for Season 8.

[phantagrae]

My critique of Emily as a love interest has mostly been that I didn't see her having much in common with Raj (like Shamy) and/or she doesn't have any form of contrast to Raj (like Lenny)

 

I just recently figured out how Emily works as a contrast to Raj, she's the female "haunted house" (with all of her interests in horror movies, tattoos, and creepy stuff things that would usually scare your cliched girly girl around halloween) to Raj's "feminine side".

 

I'd be for this continuing IF Emily is fleshed out more.  My only fear is that after the episode with the petty Penny rivalry that stemmed from her unnecessary insecurity, that her interest in "crazy things" might reveal her being a bit crazy herself.

 

Heck they missed an opportunity this season to do a halloween episode WITH HER IN IT.  Another missed opportunity for Season 8.

What people seem to be forgetting when it comes to how little we've seen Emily this season is that she's had gigs on Sleepy Hollow and Bones that the TBBT writers had to work around. And from something she said, it seems that one episode that might have involved her was bumped, possibly because of the Mrs. W storyline.

So I'm not concerned with the lack of development so far. I think that will come now that she is more available.

As for what they have in common, I think it's fairly general. They were matched to some degree on the dating site where they found each other. She said that his profile was the most interesting one she'd seen, etc. While they may not have a lot of shared hobbies, they do both have advanced degrees and seem to enjoy each other's company. I think the writers have shown that they both love to kind of yank people's chains, like in the prom episode.

I also think that the writers haven't had the ability to devote a deeper story to her and Raj yet because of Laura's limited schedule, but if they know she's going to be available to be in more than a scene or two at a time, perhaps they'll have a chance to flesh her out a bit more.

I think that the development of Amy took a while before she became who she is now, and I think that Emily will work out in time.

[Chrismo]

TBS early this week was showing season 4 and Bernadette and Amy have changed a lot since then. I think Emily would change some too if she stays on.

[fixitmr]

Raj needs Emily .... she is perfect for him ... weird and dark a perfect match ... her darkness is just a sham, the movies make her excited just what Raj needs ...

She is not anti social ... I just love her on the show perfect RED head  just what the show and the group needs ...

[mysteryrose10]

I am pro Emily and raj because Im tired of Raj complaining how he cant get a girl or how nobody loves him and....blah....blah.....blahhhh I just hope that this one stick.

[Lionne]

I am pro-Emily. I like the character, actress, and the effect she has on Raj. She has a way of relaxing him so that his real personality comes through. I find them sexy together.

However, I really don't know if she'll stick or if the writers know what to do with her or how to fit her in. Maybe she'll be with us until the end, but never become as important a character or as emeshed with the gang as Berjie and Amy. The only reason I find it hard to believe she's going to turn out to be Raj's happy ending is because she's not become part of the overall family like the other characters. She still has an outsider vibe.

But the actress has been busy. I guess we'll see what we get wth Emily in the future. But even if she doesn't last, I will always like her.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Lionne