Shenny HQ

(09-01-2014, 09:15 AM)Gamma12 Wrote: [ -> ]

The unveiling

LOL, Gothowitz is a sexy beast. He's just *so* into it and so enthusiastic, the way he just marches right into the room all hyped-up...

If you admit that you are a Classic Howard defender, people invariably accuse you of wanting him to be a one-dimensional character who never does anything but hit on women in bars and get rejected and look pathetic.

No, I do not want 8 seasons of Howard getting rejected by women. I want to see him do all kinds of different things, but getting married halfway through the show's run is not one of them.

ETA: I find it a lot *more* pathetic that Helpless Henpecked Howard can't manage money, cut his own food, or do anything without permission...

I also must admit that I resent this idea of a Raj-Stuart duo as a substitute for the Raj-Howard duo, although I have nothing against Stuart and I like him just fine. I am not on the Raj-Stuart bandwagon...

Edit again: because apparently Raj can only have one friend at a time? Sheesh.

As I was saying in the chat box, I don't like the sweet/cute/caring Howardette moments, either. IMO his character just isn't supposed to be that soft and sugary. I believe he's a very emotional person but not a sentimental one. The cutesy stuff is almost more disquieting than the arguing/yelling; like he's so desperate to be loved that he'll just fall apart for the very first person who shows him even the slightest attention. That's rather sad. He has moments of being sort of innocent and bashful and timid in S1-S2, but they're not overdone.

(But that is this show's message, now: it's not okay to be single, so find the first person who will even reluctantly tolerate you, and hold on like you're drowning.)

If we must have pairings, then H. should've had someone just as weird as he is, and have the same teasing, bantering type of interaction that he has with the other guys...

I think your enthusiasm 'Louise (Wolowitz)', encourages us to rethink Howard. Often the show itself tries to tell us how we should feel about a character. But we're beyond that. It's baffling me the whole Jewish Mother cliche. CL does believe in the 'write about what you know', so maybe he's replaying his early life. I'm not sure Howard is any more grown up than the other guys, I'd say they were all about same! But like you said, breaking away from his mother, becoming totally independent would have been good for him. How to escape a clingy mother? But to go on to someone , bossy like B. That is crazy!

(09-02-2014, 09:43 AM)Louise Wrote: [ -> ]I believe he's a very emotional person but not a sentimental one. The cutesy stuff is almost more disquieting than the arguing/yelling; like he's so desperate to be loved that he'll just fall apart for the very first person who shows him even the slightest attention. That's rather sad. He has moments of being sort of innocent and bashful and timid in S1-S2, but they're not overdone.

If we must have pairings, then H. should've had someone just as weird as he is, and have the same teasing, bantering type of interaction that he has with the other guys...

For me it was so out of character to have Howard do that Bernadette song and drag the rest of the gang into it too. I get it was supposed to be an "awww" moment but it was more like "ugh" to me. I definitely don't see Howard as sappy; Raj maybe.

I always figured Howard was similar to Barney from HIMYM just not as successful in the girl department .

We focus on Sheldon and Penny and the character regression and changes they've gone thru but Howard is probably the next major character that the writers changed for the worse. It's just as much as a waste of Simon's talent as it is for Kaley and Jim.

"For me it was so out of character to have Howard do that Bernadette song and drag the rest of the gang into it too. I get it was supposed to be an "awww" moment but it was more like "ugh" to me. I definitely don't see Howard as sappy; Raj maybe."

Exactly. To me, he is not a sappy/cutesy/sentimental character. Raj likes cutesy things, although they've gone a bit overboard with how silly *he* is, too. (Even Raj didn't want a Hello Kitty kite, remember? ) The real Howard, if he liked someone, would do something well-intentioned yet odd, like bringing her a piece of an asteroid that he found in the back yard, or something...

The song episode is dreadful, the "Letter" episode is dreadful, and it's not because of Simon, it's because the context is ridiculous. I know this is a minority opinion here, but I find the space stuff dreadful, too. Again, not because of SH's acting but because of the context. I know I'm boring everybody by going on and on about Howard, but I just love him so much and the storylines they've given him just couldn't be worse. I don't exactly *relate* to him, but I feel so protective of him, for some reason. There are a million different directions his storyline could've gone, and the options they've chosen just aren't appealing to me in any way...

"We focus on Sheldon and Penny and the character regression and changes they've gone thru but Howard is probably the next major character that the writers changed for the worse. It's just as much as a waste of Simon's talent as it is for Kaley and Jim. "

Yes.

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"I get it was supposed to be an "awww" moment but it was more like "ugh" to me."

You can't force an "aww" moment. I'm not saying that a comedy can never have a serious or tender moment, but it has to be handled very, very carefully. The "sweet" scenes on this show have gotten so saccharine and melodramatic. IMO it's gone waaayyy over the line, into the realm of soap opera. The cutesy stuff just rings false, to me. It doesn't feel natural.

" I'm not sure Howard is any more grown up than the other guys, I'd say they were all about same!"

Like I said, I'm sure he's been spoiled/sheltered by his mother to some degree; what I object to is this idea that he's unable to do basic everyday things, or that he's unwilling to even *try*, without being heavily pressured. That, to me, is very OOC, when you consider what a practical, enterprising, problem-solving type of character he is/was.

(although he seems to have *very* bad luck with his various technological projects, lol.)

If H. had to live on his own for the very first time, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't know how to do housework, but he'd just buy a Roomba, put a turbo-charged engine in that sucker, and move on

I don't doubt that Howard loves his mother and she loves him, I'm not saying their relationship is completely bad or even primarily bad, but it would've been fun to watch him venture out of the nest, just a little...

Admit it, you want to see what Howard's apartment would look like, if he had his own bachelor-pad! I'm sure the color-scheme would be...interesting

All of the guys are child-like in some ways, but this show has forgotten that there's a difference between child-like, and childish. Child-like can be a good thing, childish is generally not.

I just don't believe Howard is *so* lazy that he couldn't do anything for himself. He obviously likes having Mommy cook his breakfast and all that, but he obviously takes pride in his possessions and his clothes and his appearance and all that. He could take the damn washing machine apart and put it back together again, if he wanted to...

And if he's been conditioned to believe that women are there to attend to his needs, and he's never known any other way...whose fault is that? Mommy Dearest...

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I always like your comments, Pilot Fish. I like the way you put things...

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LOL, that gif is so great. I actually feel sorry for him, a little, because he's just *so* scrawny and sickly-looking. By the time of that infamous moment in the "Parking Lot Escalation", he's gained weight and has a nice body...

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Maybe I'm too hard on MR, maybe I'd be okay with her if she were just a minor character like Leslie and not a wife/girlfriend for Howard, but she is simply not on the same level as SH, acting-wise. It's like watching a human being interacting with a cartoon character....

I just have an instinctive gut-level dislike of B. I guess we're each entitled to one (or more?) characters that we just flat-out can't stand...

"The Stag Convergence" rips my heart out and throws it on the floor...and not in a good way. Again, the problem is not SH's acting, the problem is the context. Is H. guilty of some mildly inappropriate behavior? Sure. All the characters are. But to see him completely renounce his former self, like that? I can barely watch it...

But what's-her-face has "made him a better man", dontcha know. *projectile vomit*

All of this echos the same plight I have as a Sheldon purist. I feel your pain.

(09-03-2014, 10:23 AM)queenoftheDales Wrote: [ -> ]All of this echos the same plight I have as a Sheldon purist. I feel your pain.

That gif is great! Yes, we are all purists together, here. There's nowhere else that we can express these opinions without getting jumped-on. HQ is a great outlet; I'm super-glad I joined. I am so grateful to be able to vent...

I'm a Sheldon purist, too. I'm: 1. Howard & Raj purist, 2. General Nostalgic, 3. Sheldon purist. In that order, probably....

OT but still relevant: here in Korea, where I am right now, everything is couples-oriented. Couples will wear matching outfits. They will literally wear matching outfits while walking down the street. If you buy a drink, they will give you two straws. If you buy a salad, they will give you two forks. If you buy an ice cream, they will give you two spoons. They do this to me even when it's obvious that there's nobody with me. It's a communal society, not an individualist one.
There are lots of businesses, like coffee shops, that have the word "two" or "couple" in the title, here. Even Christmas is more of a couple's holiday than a family holiday. Not having a date for Christmas is like not having a date for Valentine's Day, here...