The Big Bang Theory’s Raj (Kunal Nayyar) is arguably the nicest of the four main protagonists on the show (and only moderately annoying), but also the unluckiest in love. When Sheldon (Jim Parsons) — even Sheldon — finds a wife, you know that Cupid has pretty much given up on Raj. However, he’s had a string of relationships that have had multi-episode arcs, including Lucy (Kate Micucci), Anu (Rati Gupta), and Claire (Alessandra Torresani).
The one that sticks out the most, though, is Emily, played by Laura Spencer, whose sunny demeanor is at odds with her penchant for the dark and disturbing. Nonetheless, it worked, although it may have worked better had Spencer brought the other character she was playing at the time on Bones, Jessica Warren. In both series, Spencer brings each series something fun, new, and interesting.
Laura Spencer Brings the Scary to ‘The Big Bang Theory’
“She’s scary, but it’s a cute scary.” So says Raj about Dr. Emily Sweeney in “The Relationship Diremption,” and it perfectly sums up what Laura Spencer was able to do with the character. When we first meet her in Season 7’s “The Friendship Turbulence,” Ray finds her on his dating site and is immediately intrigued. What’s not to like? She went to Harvard University, is a doctor, likes crocheting, and Chaucer, traits that may be more interesting to someone like Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik). Interestingly enough, it’s Amy that discovers all of these things about her, with Raj asking her to scope her out as his wing-man. It’s a bad choice, with Emily displeased that he hasn’t corresponded with her directly, and it’s made worse by Raj interrupting Amy and Emily at their coffee meetup, prompting her to call him “a weird guy with no boundaries” and dashing his hopes for a relationship. (And Amy’s, for that matter.)
A chance encounter at the same coffee shop prompts Raj to apologize for his behavior, asking Emily to give him another chance and go out to dinner with him. They hit it off, sparking Raj’s longest-serving love interest at just under three seasons. It also turns out that Raj isn’t the first in his group of friends to have dated Emily, with Howard (Simon Helberg) having had a blind date with her in the past that ended disastrously (the infamous, and very funny, “Clogzilla” story). As time goes on, Raj learns that the creepy sense of humor he found charming goes much, much deeper in Emily. Gore-fest classic House of 1000 Corpses turns her on. Being in cemeteries makes her feel alive. She has three tattoos — one on the shoulder, one not on the shoulder, and one very much not on the shoulder — including one of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, because of all her sewn-on limbs and scars. Speaking of scars, Emily confesses that being a dermatologist was a choice made because it allows her to legally cut people.
Hardly funny stuff, but Spencer deftly keeps it “cute scary,” with great comic timing and a sweetened, nonchalant delivery that is at odds with the words that she’s saying. Her presence on the show added an unexpected but welcome quirk, the antithesis to the usual topics of comic books, Star Wars, and science gobbledygook (gobbledygook to most of us, that is). Spencer has an innate talent for making Emily mysterious, yet non-threatening, so it’s easy to see why Raj would find himself attracted to her. More importantly, in Spencer’s hands (and in my opinion), Emily became the most memorable of Raj’s love interests, with the rest largely forgettable or off-putting.
Laura Spencer Makes the Most of Being a Squintern in ‘Bones’
2014 would prove to be busy for Laura Spencer, with her debut in “The Friendship Turbulence” airing only two months before her appearance in the Bones Season 9 Episode “The Drama in the Queen,” which aired in May of that year. Jessica Warren arrived as the second female intern, and makes an impression on the Jeffersonian Institute team right off the bat. Well, she at least leaves an impression on Sweets (John Francis Daley), with the two hooking up for a one-night stand (Sweets loves the squinterns). The Michigan State University alum, graduating at the top of her class at the age of 19, and Mensa-level intellect, grew up in an educational cooperative for gifted children, floundering for a time when the co-op is shut down.
The outspoken Jessica develops a deep friendship with both Hodgins (T.J. Thyne), who she calls “Curly,” and Aubrey (John Boyd), with the latter developing into a romantic relationship. Her relationship with Brennan (Emily Deschanel), however, is frosty at the start, with the extroverted Jessica’s penchant for using experimental scientific techniques (often without permission), and trusting her instincts that are at odds with Brennan’s more calculated, no speculation and certainly no scientific “creativity” approach to things. But she wins Brennan over by assisting with her social media campaign for her books, and the two bond over Jessica’s sample collection of all the periodic elements.
Like she does with Emily, Spencer brings a uniqueness to Bones that is refreshing. But instead of finding interest in the dark and eerie, Jessica’s excited to try new, unproven experiments — a scientific pioneer spirit, if you will. Spencer brings an emotional depth and a balance to Jessica, one that straddles the line between intellectual and fun-loving. Jessica is, in a word, endearing, and even the quirky nature of collecting periodic element samples comes naturally to her in Spencer’s portrayal.
Laura Spencer’s ‘Bones’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Characters Would Fit Perfectly in Either Series
Spencer did double-duty for a while, with Spencer expressing how each show was able to accommodate her scheduling in an interview with The Wrap. What’s interesting about both of Spencer’s characters is that each would be right at home in either series. An intellectual like Jessica would fit right in with The Big Bang Theory crowd, and arguably would be a great fit for Raj on a romantic level, too. Only graduating at the age of 19 from university would make for a fun dynamic with Sheldon, who would find great delight in lording over her about graduating far earlier, at the age of 16. As far as Emily being on Bones, while she may not have the skill set to actually be on the team, her dark sense of humor would be at home in a series that can be blackly comic at times. (Besides, she likes to cut things, so maybe that could be what she brings to the table.) However, it’s best that each appeared in their own respective shows, with Laura Spencer serving as the ultimate secret weapon.
