Top 20 Penny & Leonard Moments on The Big Bang Theory
#CoupleGoals. We’re including moments from their relationship, but we’re also expanding our scope to any interaction – so times they weren’t romantically involved count. Plot points will be discussed, so beware of spoilers ahead! Do you think Lenny is the proton to each other’s electrons? Let us know in the comments.
#20: Seducing Leonard “The Donation Oscillation”
In season 12, Penny’s ex-boyfriend, Zack, and his wife, Marissa, ask Leonard to be their sperm donor. Leonard’s on board, but Penny isn’t. In fact, she’s so not on board that she’ll do anything to sabotage the arrangement and, let’s just say, get Leonard to spend his donation. As the couple gets ready for bed, she reveals some unconventional sleepwear and tries to seduce him with a comic book. It’s hilariously sneaky, but ultimately forces both to reflect on their disagreement. Seeing Leonard stand up for Penny later on is incredibly sweet. Their reconciliation is just as touching.
#19: Penny Gets Leonard to Graduation “The Graduation Transmission”
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High school was a tough time for much of the gang. So Leonard’s super excited when he’s invited back to his old stomping ground to give a graduation commencement address as a now successful physicist. Unfortunately, bad weather grounds the trip, leaving him highly disappointed— but not for long. Penny pulls out all the stops to make sure Leonard gets his big moment. She convinces the school to let him deliver his speech remotely and even finds him a graduation outfit. Okay, it came from a costume shop, but it works! Ultimately everything comes together; Leonard delivers a memorable speech while Penny sits beside him, (mostly) beaming with pride. These two always show up for each other, and it makes our hearts melt.
#18: The Beta Test “The Beta Test Initiation”
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In the one-hundredth episode, Leonard daydreams about getting back together with Penny. When fantasy becomes reality, he comes up with a plan to avoid future relationship roadblocks. However, he and Penny quickly learn that software development protocols don’t really work on human beings. And neither is left feeling too hot about themselves. Yeah, handing someone a list of their flaws or ‘bugs’ will do that. But it was probably a better way to get on the same page than secretly reading Penny’s journal. While the test marks a roadblock in their journey, everything eventually works out, because flaws or not, they love each other.
#17: Money Talks Various
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As the series progresses and Penny makes new life choices, the financial power balance in the relationship shifts. Eventually, she outearns her husband, a fact he’s astounded to learn. A podcast might not be ideal for discussing personal finances, but it’s hilarious. They also try asking their friends, who are in a similar situation, for advice at another point. Yet the only thing they learn is that they’re not the only couple who fights over money. Later on in the series, Penny’s hurt to discover that Leonard still thinks of her as financially irresponsible. It’s a low moment for the couple. However, it proves they can work through anything and come out stronger.
#16: The Relationship Agreement “The Romance Recalibration”
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Many seasons and misadventures later, the spark fizzles for this now-married couple and weirdly, they turn to Sheldon to reignite the flame. Sheldon’s contracts have always been a running gag throughout the series, but suddenly it doesn’t seem too funny when Leonard and Penny realize that having one might save their relationship. Sheldon is thrilled and soon presents them with a relationship agreement that includes Penny not saying everything is fine when it’s not and Leonard limiting his video gaming in underpants hours to when Penny isn’t home. Who says romance can’t be structured?
#15: Penny Knows Breast “The Raiders Minimization”
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Remember when Leonard gets so excited about Penny going back to school? Yeah, that fades when one of his mom’s books shows up on the recommended reading list for her psych class. It’s not really how anyone would want their other half to find out about their darkest and most embarrassing moments. It doesn’t help that Penny keeps probing, either. However, he soon spots a trend emerge whenever he gets sad about rehashing the past and uses it to his advantage. His mistake is telling Howard. In perhaps the highlight of the episode, Penny gets the ultimate payback. It’s as hilarious as it is savage. But hey, he deserved it, and this dynamic is part of what makes the pair so fun.
#14: Drinking Away Their Blues “The Maternal Capacitance”
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When Leonard’s mom comes to visit, it’s not long until her cold, analytical psychoanalysis gets into everyone’s heads— especially Penny’s. Leonard joins her in drinking their misery away, and it doesn’t take long for them to get hammered. With their inhibitions lost somewhere at the bottom of a bottle, their interactions become more flirty. Eventually, they’re straight up making out. Leonard’s spent a lot of time dreaming about getting intimate with the girl next door, and it seems like his dreams are about to come true. But trust him to put his foot in it. Well, she did tell him to stop talking.
#13: Hanging Out as Just Friends “The Ornithophobia Diffusion”
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As heartbroken as we were when Penny broke up with Leonard, we were delighted to hear them reaffirm their friendship in the following episode. A couple of seasons later, we got to really see their new dynamic in action, and it was priceless. Penny learns that Leonard made a lot of allowances during their relationship, but now that they’re no longer dating, there’s nothing stopping him from doing precisely what he wants. Meanwhile, he ends up being the third wheel when she hits it off with a stranger, before he meets Laura. Ultimately, a big fight brings the night out to an abrupt end. Hey, it’s a little chaotic, we can’t deny we enjoyed this era of their relationship.
#12: Prom “The Prom Equivalency”
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When Bernadette and Amy find Penny’s prom dress, they’re inspired to have a prom do-over, minus the drama. Penny and Leonard are the first to arrive and manage to make the night extra special without their friends or music in a moment that is arguably one of the show’s most moving. They acknowledge that they never would have gone to prom together back in high school but hey, what they have now has clearly been worth the wait. Their relationship is a testament to how much they’ve both matured. They get to do all the best bits of prom, without the drama, while showing us how perfect they are together.
#11: Penny Visits Leonard’s Lab “The Holographic Excitation”
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Penny stops by Leonard’s lab after Bernadette suggests she become more involved in learning about his work. It’s a courtesy visit at first, but she soon becomes engrossed. And we’re not sure if someone was pointing a laser at her, because things rapidly heat up. Who knew Penny had a thing for smart guys? During another visit, she’s majorly impressed by some powerful magnets that can override gravity. The pair also sees positive results outside his work environment when Leonard gives her a run down on the Theory of Relativity… more than once. With a little extra effort on both sides, their physical and mental bonds are as strong as those gravity-defying magnets.
#10: Penny & Leonard Are Expecting “The Stockholm Syndrome”
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Earlier in season 12, Penny revealed she didn’t want any kids. And she seemed pretty sure. So none of us expected her to announce her pregnancy in the series finale. While it’s clear she’s entering this new phase with some trepidation, she seems to be greeting the unexpected left turn in their lives positively. The team behind the show explained that since Lenny was the original central couple of the series,’ this was their way of “[honoring] that relationship.” It was also a beautiful way to bring things full circle. After all, remember what Leonard told Sheldon in the pilot episode?
#9: The First Time They Meet “Pilot”
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As far as meet-cutes go, this one is, well… awkward. Leonard and Sheldon have just come home to discover their new neighbor. The introduction is definitely cringeworthy as Leonard struggles to make conversation. Thankfully, Penny eventually manages to parse meaning from his verbal diarrhea and understands that he’s inviting her over for lunch. Leonard is an experimental physicist at Caltech and Penny is a Sagittarius vegetarian who loves steak. While Sheldon is wholly underwhelmed by her charms, Leonard hangs on to her every word. The whole encounter is hilarious and reminds us just how far these two have come since first meeting.
#8: A Romantic Kiss “The Tangerine Factor”
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Sheldon plays cupid once again when Penny and Leonard get cold feet ahead of their first date. They’re both nervous because the other isn’t the kind of person either one of them would normally go out with. Sheldon proves to be surprisingly helpful in this matter by telling them both to compare their relationship’s potential to Schrodinger's cat. Thanks to Sheldon, Schrödinger and his cat, Penny decides to test out this theory before she heads out with Leonard. She kisses him, and wouldn’t you know it, she discovers that the cat is very much alive. This is romance the way that only “The Big Bang Theory” can tell it.
#7: Valentine’s Day “The Valentino Submergence”
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Fancy dinner turns into burgers in the car when Leonard and Penny ditch their Valentine’s Day plans after the maitre d’ makes Penny feel old. They spend the rest of the night trying to prove that they’re still young and fun, but dismiss plans to go dancing or skinny dipping. In a final attempt to prove their best days are not yet behind them, they burst into the apartment dressed as cupids and throw confetti. While this may prove that their respective inner children are indeed alive, we don’t envy the cleanup.
#6: Leonard Buys Penny a Car “The Friendship Turbulence”
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These two may not always see eye to eye, but they definitely care about each other - even if they don’t always know how to show it. When Penny panics after her car breaks down, Leonard unintentionally rubs salt in the wound by patronizing her in front of all their friends. It doesn’t take him long to realize what a jerk he’s been and he makes it up to her by buying her a car. The gesture is so sweet and shows that he’s actually just been looking out for her the whole time. In season 12, when Leonard’s upset that he might never experience fatherhood, Penny rents out the Batmobile in an equally adorable gesture.
#5: Penny Says “I Love You” to Leonard “The 43 Peculiarity”
Leonard becomes jealous after learning that Penny has a young, attractive, British study partner and embarrasses her when she catches him trying to scare off her new friend. When Penny confronts Leonard, she ends up accidentally blurting out that she loves him. They’re both lost for words after she drops the ‘L’ bomb and quickly decide to part ways before they start crying. It might not seem like the most romantic moment, but it wholly encompasses what makes Penny and Leonard the couple we love to watch. Things have never been simple for them, but the love has always been real.
#4: The Proposal “The Gorilla Dissolution”
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This one was a long time coming, and the showrunners really kept us on the hook with a higher than usual proposal count between these two characters. Leonard’s first proposal was badly timed and Penny’s was a drunken mistake, but hey, all those misfires just serve to make the real deal all the more exciting. Of course, even then it’s not your average proposal with Penny yelling at Leonard that he’s her pop tart rather than bran muffin. Although it's not the most romantic display, he brings it back when he reveals the ring he’s been carrying around for years.
#3: Penny Can’t Be Romantic “The Romance Resonance”
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When Howard pulls off the ultimate romantic gesture, Leonard points out to Penny that she has never done anything romantic for him. Despite calling Raj in for help on the subject of romance, Penny’s ‘crapstorm’ of romance falls flat. You have to feel bad for her, but as soon as she reveals her box of keepsakes from their relationship, all is forgiven - and the hearts of viewers everywhere absolutely melt. Leonard realizes that he never needed some grand gesture and is deeply touched by the sentiment. They might not always know how to show it, but these two really love each other.
#2: Leonard & Penny Get Married in Vegas “The Matrimonial Momentum”
This event was a long time coming, but thankfully the couple made up for the wait by giving us two weddings. The first time is a spontaneous Vegas one, which they assume their friends are watching via live stream. It might not be conventional, but it perfectly reflects who they are as a couple, right down to the vows - with Leonard being prepared for his and Penny improvising but nailing it. The whole thing highlights all that we love about them, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. That being said, their second wedding is also a nice bit of sentimental icing on the cake. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Planning Leonard’s Party, “The Peanut Reaction” She Goes Above & Beyond to Give Him a Memorable Birthday... Too Bad He Misses It The Dirty Store, “The Colonization Application” Lenny Get Creative to Spice Things Up Funny Christmas Gift Exchange, “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis” As They Say, It's the Thought That Counts! Dancing in Underwear, “The Cohabitation Experimentation” How Else Do You Celebrate a Sheldon-Less Living Arrangement? Leonard Supports Penny’s Commercial, "The Skank Reflex Analysis" His Pride Is Evident When Everyone Gathers to Celebrate Her Big Moment
#1: The Snowflake “The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation”
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While it’s clear Leonard is in love with Penny from the get go, it takes her a little longer to reciprocate. In fact, it isn’t until Leonard and the guys prepare for their North Pole expedition that she first starts dropping serious hints about her feelings. But you know what they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. And indeed, Penny’s heart balloons during Leonard’s absence. Ours are also ready to burst when he gives her this unique and ever-so-romantic gift upon his return. Unlike a preserved snowflake, this gesture makes us melt. And we know that Leonard and Penny, much like the thoughtful gift, will last forever.
