Shenny HQ

(10-03-2014, 11:07 AM)Nutz Wrote: [ -> ]Isn't that the point of this show now?
Penny tells Howard he can't do better, everyone (except Sheldon) tells Penny she made a mistake, Leonards a catch, and she won't be able to find anyone better, and EVERYONE (including random people) tell Sheldon that he'll never do any better.

Yes. Such a strange and sad message...

What I meant the writers are like puppet masters, is that if they decide that two people are going to become one, then it's not Penny, or anyone else to blame(they're just the messengers). I think they even pushed Howard and Berny, in his fantasies. JG has been a protege of CL since he was in utero, that's why he is in leading man role, I believe. Being objective about Howard, he needed a leash! I think it was all talk, and being pushy is a turn off to anyone. I think he'll break free and become himself, actually I think going to space would have done that. Astronauts have alpha status!

I will never, never, never believe that Howard is irresponsible with money or that he's this lazy, useless man-child they've made him out to be. A bit spoiled and self-absorbed? Yes. But that he's this parasite who just carelessly spends B's money? No.

Engineers make $$$. This is demonstrably true. Also, H's mother doesn't seem to have a job, so who was supporting both of them and paying the bills? Him.

I am so sick of this "lazy useless husband" stereotype. Do the viewers really not know how old and tired these tropes are?

The guys have their faults, but they are smart, energetic, and hard-working. The character-assassination makes me rage.

Who enjoys watching these pathetic helpless losers, now? Who relates to this? Who the heck is this show's target audience, now???

I refuse to believe that they can use the Internet to turn on a lamp, but they can't or won't do basic everyday tasks or take care of their own basic needs.

Howard's dependence on his mother is emotional, not financial.

And if he's so useless and such a pain in the ass, why would B marry him in the first place, unless she gets off on feeling superior? What does that say about her? Nothing very flattering...

(10-05-2014, 02:43 PM)Louise Wrote: [ -> ]I will never, never, never believe that Howard is irresponsible with money or that he's this lazy, useless man-child they've made him out to be. A bit spoiled and self-absorbed? Yes. But that he's this parasite who just carelessly spends B's money? No.

Engineers make $$$. This is demonstrably true. Also, H's mother doesn't seem to have a job, so who was supporting both of them and paying the bills? Him.

I am so sick of this "lazy useless husband" stereotype. Do the viewers really not know how old and tired these tropes are?

The guys have their faults, but they are smart, energetic, and hard-working. The character-assassination makes me rage.

Who enjoys watching these pathetic helpless losers, now? Who relates to this? Who the heck is this show's target audience, now???

I refuse to believe that they can use the Internet to turn on a lamp, but they can't or won't do basic everyday tasks or take care of their own basic needs.

Howard's dependence on his mother is emotional, not financial.

And if he's so useless and such a pain in the ass, why would B marry him in the first place, unless she gets off on feeling superior? What does that say about her? Nothing very flattering...

I know Howard and his mother were a cliche as well, but I found them a lot funnier. Now he's downright mean about her but in the past his rebellion over her control used to have me in stitches. Bernadette is too scary to be funny.

"I haven’t seen your Oreos! JUST TAKE YOUR BATH WITHOUT THEM!"

The near anguish in his voice...

(10-05-2014, 06:18 PM)Idle Miscreant Wrote: [ -> ]"I haven’t seen your Oreos! JUST TAKE YOUR BATH WITHOUT THEM!"

The near anguish in his voice...

Yes, I think you could tell that they loved each other, beneath the shouting, and those scenarios were funny because they weren't over-used. It was presented in a very exagerrated way, which takes the nastiness out of it.

That's the beauty of an unseen character, like Maris, they become sort of larger than life, pun intended, and all kinds of wacky things can be attributed to them.

Now...I just don't know. They've gone too far with the icky Oedipal themes and the whole thing is kind of sad. That type of humor is best in small doses.

This show takes things that used to be a running gag, and sort of makes them literal. And once they're presented in a more serious way, they become sad or unpleasant, not funny.

What angers me is this idea that Howard (or the other guys) would be laying on the floor in a pile of dirty underwear and Doritos, if the women weren't around to goad them into action...

(10-05-2014, 06:18 PM)Idle Miscreant Wrote: [ -> ]"I haven’t seen your Oreos! JUST TAKE YOUR BATH WITHOUT THEM!"

The near anguish in his voice...

Love it !

Even though they were way too co-dependent he fought back. There were no clear 'winner' in their tussles. Now it's all about Bernadette winning all the time. I miss this type of relationships on the show. They are flawed but nothing is stacked too heavily in favour of one character.

Quote:Even though they were way too co-dependent he fought back. There were no clear 'winner' in their tussles. Now it's all about Bernadette winning all the time. I miss this type of relationships on the show. They are flawed but nothing is stacked too heavily in favour of one character.

Yeah, this is why I question who this show's target audience is, now. Is it people who truly believe that the "dumb husband, wise wife" trope is real?
Is it spiteful people who just want to watch certain characters be punished and humiliated all the time? Does anyone actually identify with Bernadette??

Plus, why must relationships be presented as a battle or a competition, anyway? I hate "battle of the sexes" stuff, it's soooo outdated and tiresome.

If people loved these characters, then surely they would want to watch them succeed, once in a while. Or at least, to have misadventures that are sort of harmless and comical, like the Space Toilet, etc...

---

BTW, here is a very cute link of a girl cosplaying as Howard:

http://tiny.cc/fe88mx

So cute! Howard/Girl!Howard = new pairing

---

This is why I think it would've been adorable to watch Howard attempting to live on his own and having his own place, etc. He would try to make robots do all the housework for him, and something would go awry. He'd be chased down the hall by a Roomba

And maybe Raj would teach him to cook. It would be cute.

Admit, you want to see Howard's own apartment and all the MacGyver-ish things he would do...

As a random aside, it IS possible for a sane, functional adult male to live his life in a pile of dirty underwear and Doritos. Or, in my husband's case, dismembered engine parts, random electronics and packets of biscuits. He understands the process of laundry and dish washing, but gets distracted before the 'putting it away' part of the process...

I always saw early Howard and his mother as an oddly co-dependent pair. They'd bitch and moan, but neither of them would ever seriously consider Howard moving out. It skirted the edge of dark comedy, but only worked when implied. The anvilicious writing kills the humour. As we've said, Howard was the one who paid the bills and organised the household before, he kept making the point that his mother lived with him, this downgrading him to henpecked sad sack is bizarre. And yes, a very tired and lame cliche. But then, this entire show not only runs on cliches, but on the dumbest, crudest versions of the same.

Quote:The anvilicious writing kills the humour.

Exactly. This is true of so many parts of this show. If you put too much emphasis on something, if you make it too literal, then it becomes sad or disturbing instead of funny. This is, after all, a show about people who are misfits and outcasts, and if you delve too deeply into that, it's no longer a bunch of people who are charmingly eccentric, it's people with serious psychological problems.

These things have to be handled delicately, or they go over like a lead balloon...