1. Sheldon. There was always a spark there that could have ignited the passion that lingered in their subconscious mind.
   
   
2. It's a give and take. She would have taken care of him when he was sick and sing "Soft Kitty". He would have acknowledged that she has the power and that 'with great power comes great responsiblity'.
   

Side note:

Leonard is a 'doormat', but certainly not Amy. After the first date, she planned on marrying Sheldon within four years. She succeeded - not exactly within 4, more like 5 years, but still - so, it's more like Sheldon who slowly but surely became her 'doormat'.

@wonder2wonder said:

1. Sheldon. There was always a spark there that could have ignited the passion that lingered in their subconscious mind.
   
   
2. It's a give and take. She would have taken care of him when he was sick and sing "Soft Kitty". He would have acknowledged that she has the power and that 'with great power comes great responsiblity'.
   

Side note:

Leonard is a 'doormat', but certainly not Amy. After the first date, she planned on marrying Sheldon within four years. She succeeded - not exactly within 4, more like 5 years, but still - so, it's more like Sheldon who slowly but surely became her 'doormat'.

I enjoyed reading your answer! Perceiving the same show differently in various ways is what makes these boards so much fun.

When referring to Amy as a doormat, I meant she puts up with a lot of Sheldon's inflexible requirements and just allows him to be the way he is with minimal resistance. She and Leonard both set their sights on the person they wanted and eventually got them, but I think to a large extent it was because they let their partner with the stronger personality almost always have their way.

@Lemons said:

Sheldon and Penny ended up having a sweet friendship, and Penny and Leonard fell in love and got married. And I'm fine with that, though I do think the writers could have done a little better here and there with the course of Leonard and Penny's story.

With that said, there is a faction out there who believed that there was some chemistry between Penny and Sheldon in the earliest episodes. For the sake of discussion:

1.Who did you want Penny to end up with romantically?
2.If Penny and Sheldon had gotten together as more than friends, what do you think would have been the likeliest outcome?

Me:
1.Honestly, I never felt strongly either way, but I guess Leonard.
2.Sheldon and Penny both have a personality type such that they have to be the one getting attention and having the upper hand in a relationship. That is why they both succeeded with partners who were, well... sort of doormats. I think Penny and Sheldon would have ended up arguing a lot and friction would have arisen from their mutual need for attention. I think they would have broken up and Penny would have ended up with Leonard anyway.

1.Amy: The chemistry was there. It was obviously by the way Penny ran through men that there was something she was looking for that she was not getting. Not for nothing did she end up with the most whinny-feminine, clingy mama’s boy in the bunch…ever noticed the way he crosses his legs.

2.If by chance they had been able to fit a square peg into a round hole...taking into account Penny’s lifestyle/interests and Sheldon’s many, many, many quirks and strangenesses and phobias, I think that relationship would have crashed, burned, and run its course rather quickly. Unless, of course, one or both made some drastic changes. (Must say that, when standing side by side, they did look good together.)

I don't think Sheldon did have a stronger personality than Amy. He is against change, but the people around him know how to manipulate him into giving in almost each time he resists. Amy knew that, so she made minor changes over the course of several years, and in the end Sheldon was so accustomed to her - she became indispensable in his mind - that he couldn't live without her. That would mean a major change and Sheldon doesn't like changes. Of course, he doesn't realize that he has already accepted all those minor changes in his life/behaviour.

@FormerlyKnownAs said:

1.Amy: The chemistry was there. It was obviously by the way Penny ran through men that there was something she was looking for that she was not getting. Not for nothing did she end up with the most whinny-feminine, clingy mama’s boy in the bunch…ever noticed the way he crosses his legs.

2.If by chance they had been able to fit a square peg into a round hole...taking into account Penny’s lifestyle/interests and Sheldon’s many, many, many quirks and strangenesses and phobias, I think that relationship would have crashed, burned, and run its course rather quickly. Unless, of course, one or both made some drastic changes. (Must say that, when standing side by side, they did look good together.)

I'm really enjoying reading these answers!

1.They did kind of go there with Amy's interest in Penny for a while, but the writers wrote it in a way that it came across awkwardly on Amy's part rather than something that flowed organically between the two of them.

2.Agree

@wonder2wonder said:

I don't think Sheldon did have a stronger personality than Amy. He is against change, but the people around him know how to manipulate him into giving in almost each time he resists. Amy knew that, so she made minor changes over the course of several years, and in the end Sheldon was so accustomed to her - she became indispensable in his mind - that he couldn't live without her. That would mean a major change and Sheldon doesn't like changes. Of course, he doesn't realize that he has already accepted all those minor changes in his life/behaviour.

By stronger personality I meant Sheldon was the louder, more attention-seeking, more demanding one. Amy was crafty, though, and she was able to sneak up on her prey one small move at a time- so I agree with you on that aspect.

Sheldon is someone who needs someone else to take care of him very much. First it was his mom, then Leonard, and finally Amy. Each of those people gave him a sense of comfort. I agree that he would not have let Amy go because he became dependent on her and losing her would have shaken his very foundation. (Sheldon is able to be who he is because there is always someone holding him up.)

In another thread there was a question about the show being produced by Netflix. Well, I'm sure that then the possibilities of the sexuality of the characters - for example Amy/Penny and Howard/Raj - would have been further explored. In the end everyone would have been bisexual (although some say there's no such thing).

The relationship between Penny and Sheldon might not have lasted, but it would have been one to remember. I won't mind seeing it go supernova. It'll be more exciting than what you have now.

@wonder2wonder said:

In another thread there was a question about the show being produced by Netflix. Well, I'm sure that then the possibilities of the sexuality of the characters - for example Amy/Penny and Howard/Raj - would have been further explored. In the end everyone would have been bisexual (although some say there's no such thing).

The relationship between Penny and Sheldon might not have lasted, but it would have been one to remember. I won't mind seeing it go supernova. It'll be more exciting than what you have now.

Oh, no denying that a relationship between Sheldon and Penny could have been fun to watch! Much more interesting than Leonard and Penny. Put two personalities like theirs together and there are sure to be fireworks of some kind!

Sheldon was able to get the Nobel in no small part because of Amy. That might not have happened at all with Penny, or if it still did, it would have taken far longer.

If they had gone to a fortune teller, for example, who told Sheldon that he wouldn't get the Nobel with Penny, that would have ended it right there.

But even without that, it was pretty clear that Penny would have "held him back" intellectually.

@Knixon said:

Sheldon was able to get the Nobel in no small part because of Amy. That might not have happened at all with Penny, or if it still did, it would have taken far longer.

If they had gone to a fortune teller, for example, who told Sheldon that he wouldn't get the Nobel with Penny, that would have ended it right there.

But even without that, it was pretty clear that Penny would have "held him back" intellectually.

Stephen Hawking should have married someone like Amy. Then he would have won the Nobel Prize.

He was married for a total of 42 years, but I guess he was "available" for the last 11.

@wonder2wonder said:

Stephen Hawking should have married someone like Amy. Then he would have won the Nobel Prize.

Nota bene. 'Shenny' enthusiasts!