7.15 The Locomotive Manipulation

[Jislane35]

Hi guys,

This is my first post and I thought this was a good place to start. To the people who made this forum possible, thank you thank you.

I only have one thing to say about this episode, I feel completely robbed.
Jim looks like a great kisser - Johnny's slovenly/sloppy technique has always made the Lenny kisses cringe-worthy. It goes to show that had the writers given Shenny a chance they would have been explosive.

I want a Shenny kiss dammit - even if nothing else happens between the two (I lost hope a long time ago). Amy's imaginary laundry room scene was the perfect opportunity for a Shenny kiss and the writers blew it - bloody bastards the lot of them. Seriously, Penny is a big 'ole 5. Pursing her lips my foot; she would have grabbed him by the collar and planted one on him. They were already portraying her as lusting after him, why couldn't they have gone that extra mile and make it more believable? I guess they were already planning a Shamy kiss for Valentines and were too scared of competition. Can't express enough how much I hate these sons' of bitches - always raining on our parade.

Glad to have you join us! And damn straight! Thank god I'm NOT the only one who notices how HORRIBLE and aggressive the Lenny kisses are sorry but Johnny doesn't look like a very appealing kisser I feel so bad for Kaley it always looks as if he's tying to eat her face off.

I agree, the writers probably knew how BIG of a mixed reaction would come from every single fan of the show if Penny were to kiss Sheldon. THAT and Amy seemed to enjoy having Penny make a fool of herself around him by acting sleazy and not wanting to imagine Sheldon's lips on another woman besides herself. It's funny how Penny didn't look disgusted or say anything to her when Amy was sharing her fantasy with the gang.

But seriously though after seeing how amazing of a smooch Sheldon can pull off can you just imagine if he were to pull one on Penny?! Holy CRAP she'd forget about Leonard in an instant that's for sure! She'd probably hesitate a little at first but once she REALLY gets a feel of it she'll just MELT into him and in return will make the kiss just as intense as he does!;D They'd be big ole fives together!

Anyway a Shamy kiss isn't really going to fix things between them I mean just look at Lenny, Penny finally told him ILY and they STILL haven't changed a bit since then. On top of that I couldn't stand how everything that happened before that Shamy kiss was forgotten but then again the writers have been known for doing that quite a lot. Every new episode is on reboot and only use old scenes in case it'd be convenient for the canon ships. Sorry but Sheldon treated Amy just as badly as she did with him. They both bring out the worst in each other just like Leonard and Penny do.

My hope for a Shenny endgame ended a long long time ago as well.

[Idle Miscreant]

I’ve been trying to muster the testicular fortitude to watch the rest of the episode, but it eludes me yet. The hangover I’m currently “enjoying” also prevents me from adding a lengthy discourse on the desecration of the memory of Vintage Sheldon.

All I can say at the moment is what a ghastly day for anyone with any sense of aesthetic judgement or creative integrity.
How the devil can these writers wilfully destroy their own creation!

Infuriating that it’s considered reasonable to throw away six years of (albeit, increasingly slovenly) character continuity for the sake of pleasing the pundits. For one fucking moment too, because unless they intend to turn Sheldon into Casanova, or the cuddly-wuddly snugglepot that everyone seems so keen on distorting the poor fucker into, he’s going to go back into being a bastard in the next episode.
It truly is all bums on seats laddie, bums on seats. Because women fancy Parsons, therefore Sheldon needs a GF so they can all be goddamn titillated. It’s like building a Bride for the Monster. And equally unnatural.

What the devil is the world’s obsession with PAIRING THINGS OFF. What’s wrong with the Individual?

I reiterate what I said on twatter; Take 1 splendid solitary hero, remove core identity, fricassee with tropes, lace with convention, serve as a pap with croutons of despair.

And whilst I’m ranting, let me be clear on an odd matter here; It’s not the kissing perse that bothers me. Sheldon as a personality is, to my mind, not inimicable with either sex or romance. I have no difficulty imagining the early Sheldon having “angry sex” with Winkle, for example, or Penny, and then going straight back into another argument. Parsons has pretty much said the same thing about Sheldon and Winkle. THAT’S the sort of “romance” he envisioned for Sheldon, not this tepid, infantile play-date he’s currently engaged in. (and of course Parsons pushes the benighted thing, he’s obviously delighted to be getting to show off his romantic acting chops. And they’re considerable!)
No, Vintage Sheldon seemed, bizarrely, more capable of sex than this bumbling manchild we have now.

What DOES bother me is the entire construction of Shamy. HE SHOULD BE PASSIONATE about Amy. And right from the beginning. It does not work like this. You can’t have one or two “terribly deep and intimate” moments per year and have him treat her like a slightly annoying cousin or his nanny for the rest. If a bloody vacuum cleaner is more important to him, Swamp Thing is her equal, AND he equates spending time with her on date nights with boredom and claustrophobia, then I DON’T buy this abrupt switch into romance with a single kiss. Particularly as it’s their third for fucksake. There was no believable build-up, no precedent of this behaviour.
IF you must pair him off as though it’s the bloody Ark or something, then they shouldn’t have made him AMBIVALENT with regards Amy. Sheldon is a lot of things, but ambivalent certainly isn’t one of them. I’d go so far as to say ambivalence is antithetical to his nature. I haven’t “bought” the S/A relationship for a second because of it. And after three years, they can’t start making him “bivalent” now and expect it to be in any way realistic.

At least his fights with Penny were passionate. Passion is the blasted core of his character!

[Moonbase]

@ Major Gripe
So eloquently put, every word of it true.


Yes I stupidly went to the other site and was greeted by a sea of gifs. It was like standing in a hall of mirrors with a dozen Sheldons passionately kissing what looked like something from the muppet show. I just fled. No true fan of Homo Novus can relate to this twisted pile of wreckage he is now.

Jim Parsons has already done an interview about what the kiss means for Shamy. I used to worship the guy but now I wouldn't even ask for his autograph if I saw him in the street.

I wish the show had finished after season 4, maybe even earlier. I watched as they set the character up over season 5-6, so they could put a gun to his head and I wish I hadn't bothered. Sheldon doesn't exist anymore, it's just Jim Parsons showing his ass now. The new fans don't know who the character was. The writers spent two years dumbing down the material, so they could attract a more mindless fan running on hormones.

Sheldon was the finest character to grace our screens in decades. He was independent and stood for what that really means to those of us who understand this. Which isn't relatable enough to the world of couples, who often fear strong individuals. So they dissected him like a lab rat and used AFF to do it. Now when she looks down her microscope I wonder if it's a piece of Sheldon's brain she has on the slide.

[Nutz]

The thing about this episode is that it's kind of the final straw for the people who liked vintage BBT. The show to me was about four really intelligent guys who love "nerd" things and a girl who was just average intelligent wise but was socially smart. I loved watching laser chess, MONTE, dancing cornstarch, relay lights, the card games and video night. These guys were different and for the most part they didn't care what people thought of them (unless you're Howard trying to score).

I loved Soft Kitty being sung reluctantly, but still singing it anyway cause it made the other person happy. I loved Prank wars, evil Wil Wheaton, and Sheldon opting out of romance cause it takes away from what really mattered to him. solving the mystery of the universe.

This episode shows us everything that's wrong with the show now. Sheldon is becoming normal, he's given up (let's face it since dating his work has gone down the tubes). The guys are realizing that being different is not good and they have to conform to the world around them. (I have to wonder if they were four gay guys, if conforming to world would be demanded so much). Penny went from a social smart girl that made Penny Blossoms and told Bernadette to run of to Vegas to get married, to a broken drunk who can't use a glue gun or remember that Vegas marriages are legal. She went from a loyal friend who stood up for her friends (even if she had to kick a guy in the nuts to get imaginary stuff back) to the butt of the jokes about her stupidity and drinking.

I know a lot of people on other sites see us as poor losers, that we're the ones who are wrong cause characters are just growing and the kiss was totally awesome, but giving up the ideals that made these characters great just so they can fit into normal stereotypes is not growth. Standing up for what you believe in, who and what you love, and not let people treat you poorly (including your friends) is growth, not acting like a two year old when you don't get your way is growth, taking responsibility for crappy things you've done is growth, realizing that you need more than you partner can give and leaving is growth. Any or all of these things could be done (and in a funny way), but growth now on this show is a kiss, making out and having sex. Why are we mad and sad about what this show has become? If you've watched this show from the beginning the real question is why aren't you?

[Trust No One]

The thing about this episode is that it's kind of the final straw for the people who liked vintage BBT. The show to me was about four really intelligent guys who love "nerd" things and a girl who was just average intelligent wise but was socially smart. I loved watching laser chess, MONTE, dancing cornstarch, relay lights, the card games and video night. These guys were different and for the most part they didn't care what people thought of them (unless you're Howard trying to score).

I loved Soft Kitty being sung reluctantly, but still singing it anyway cause it made the other person happy. I loved Prank wars, evil Wil Wheaton, and Sheldon opting out of romance cause it takes away from what really mattered to him. solving the mystery of the universe.

This episode shows us everything that's wrong with the show now. Sheldon is becoming normal, he's given up (let's face it since dating his work has gone down the tubes). The guys are realizing that being different is not good and they have to conform to the world around them. (I have to wonder if they were four gay guys, if conforming to world would be demanded so much). Penny went from a social smart girl that made Penny Blossoms and told Bernadette to run of to Vegas to get married, to a broken drunk who can't use a glue gun or remember that Vegas marriages are legal. She went from a loyal friend who stood up for her friends (even if she had to kick a guy in the nuts to get imaginary stuff back) to the butt of the jokes about her stupidity and drinking.

I know a lot of people on other sites see us as poor losers, that we're the ones who are wrong cause characters are just growing and the kiss was totally awesome, but giving up the ideals that made these characters great just so they can fit into normal stereotypes is not growth. Standing up for what you believe in, who and what you love, and not let people treat you poorly (including your friends) is growth, not acting like a two year old when you don't get your way is growth, taking responsibility for crappy things you've done is growth, realizing that you need more than you partner can give and leaving is growth. Any or all of these things could be done (and in a funny way), but growth now on this show is a kiss, making out and having sex. Why are we mad and sad about what this show has become? If you've watched this show from the beginning the real question is why aren't you?

Bravo Dsnynutz! I expect more from the shows and movies I watch. Cable TV and Movies are not free and TPTB and actors are not doing these things for free. I need to have a critical eye otherwise what is the point with just going along with everything?

[FlyingMonkey]

The thing about this episode is that it's kind of the final straw for the people who liked vintage BBT. The show to me was about four really intelligent guys who love "nerd" things and a girl who was just average intelligent wise but was socially smart. I loved watching laser chess, MONTE, dancing cornstarch, relay lights, the card games and video night. These guys were different and for the most part they didn't care what people thought of them (unless you're Howard trying to score).

I loved Soft Kitty being sung reluctantly, but still singing it anyway cause it made the other person happy. I loved Prank wars, evil Wil Wheaton, and Sheldon opting out of romance cause it takes away from what really mattered to him. solving the mystery of the universe.

This episode shows us everything that's wrong with the show now. Sheldon is becoming normal, he's given up (let's face it since dating his work has gone down the tubes). The guys are realizing that being different is not good and they have to conform to the world around them. (I have to wonder if they were four gay guys, if conforming to world would be demanded so much). Penny went from a social smart girl that made Penny Blossoms and told Bernadette to run of to Vegas to get married, to a broken drunk who can't use a glue gun or remember that Vegas marriages are legal. She went from a loyal friend who stood up for her friends (even if she had to kick a guy in the nuts to get imaginary stuff back) to the butt of the jokes about her stupidity and drinking.

I know a lot of people on other sites see us as poor losers, that we're the ones who are wrong cause characters are just growing and the kiss was totally awesome, but giving up the ideals that made these characters great just so they can fit into normal stereotypes is not growth. Standing up for what you believe in, who and what you love, and not let people treat you poorly (including your friends) is growth, not acting like a two year old when you don't get your way is growth, taking responsibility for crappy things you've done is growth, realizing that you need more than you partner can give and leaving is growth. Any or all of these things could be done (and in a funny way), but growth now on this show is a kiss, making out and having sex. Why are we mad and sad about what this show has become? If you've watched this show from the beginning the real question is why aren't you?

Perfectly stated! The show used to celebrate the fact that the characters didn't conform and didn't really care. Sheldon didn't consider himself a misfit. He considered the rest of the world to be misfits who didn't fit into HIS world. And he was perfectly happy and comfortable in his own skin. Now he's become just another in the long list of befuddled romcom boyfriends. They've totally destroyed a wonderfully unique character. All in the name of "growth". And for me the bottom line is, it's just not funny anymore. I've seen the same schtick in countless previous romcoms. I'm just dreading the inevitable "Tonight on a very special TBBT, character X faces a crisis and the gang rallies around". Awwwwww. It's just a plug-and-play show recycling old scripts.

As for people on other sites, what you get from them is "you don't fit in", "everyone on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc loves the show so there must be something wrong with you". Don't they see the irony in that? They've become the bullies who push around and laugh at the "misfits" .

[Trust No One]

Perfectly stated! The show used to celebrate the fact that the characters didn't conform and didn't really care. Sheldon didn't consider himself a misfit. He considered the rest of the world to be misfits who didn't fit into HIS world. And he was perfectly happy and comfortable in his own skin. Now he's become just another in the long list of befuddled romcom boyfriends. They've totally destroyed a wonderfully unique character. All in the name of "growth". And for me the bottom line is, it's just not funny anymore. I've seen the same schtick in countless previous romcoms. I'm just dreading the inevitable "Tonight on a very special TBBT, character X faces a crisis and the gang rallies around". Awwwwww. It's just a plug-and-play show recycling old scripts.

As for people on other sites, what you get from them is "you don't fit in", "everyone on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc loves the show so there must be something wrong with you". Don't they see the irony in that? They've become the bullies who push around and laugh at the "misfits" .

I take great pride in not fitting in with those on the other sites. The idea of being a robot just does not appeal to me.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Okay I watched it.

As soon as they got on the train Amy put on this sickly voice. (SO FAKE) "What to do think sheldon?" and "I'm so glad you like it" Brrrrrr, it was like she was planned to slip something in his tea. Or talking to a two year old.

Leonard giving Penny Lakers tickets was actually nice but when he suggested they do it in Sheldon's spot her reaction was contradictory considering she has suggested they make out in Sheldon's spot herself before. She said something like "thats the least sexy thing I've ever heard"

Then Bernadette taking credit for Howards space trip - ARRGGGH! She tried to stop him going in the first place. Their relationship was creepy gross in this episode. She was also treating him like a child.

The final scene was actually really well done. Jim Parson sizzled. It was however completely OOC and Amy spoils it. It will always be a Prince kissing Gollum, we can only imagine what it could have been if he had someone with more chemistry. For the nostalgics - it will be stomach churning and I recommend avoiding it.

Oh but I liked Sheldon and his train friend.

[Gamma]

Perfectly stated! The show used to celebrate the fact that the characters didn't conform and didn't really care. Sheldon didn't consider himself a misfit. He considered the rest of the world to be misfits who didn't fit into HIS world. And he was perfectly happy and comfortable in his own skin. Now he's become just another in the long list of befuddled romcom boyfriends. They've totally destroyed a wonderfully unique character. All in the name of "growth". And for me the bottom line is, it's just not funny anymore. I've seen the same schtick in countless previous romcoms. I'm just dreading the inevitable "Tonight on a very special TBBT, character X faces a crisis and the gang rallies around". Awwwwww. It's just a plug-and-play show recycling old scripts.

As for people on other sites, what you get from them is "you don't fit in", "everyone on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc loves the show so there must be something wrong with you". Don't they see the irony in that? They've become the bullies who push around and laugh at the "misfits" .

Really agree with you. For me the biggest sin the show has committed is to become boring. I watch and I can predict exactly what will happen, I don't even have to look to other romcoms, TBBT repeats its own plotlines so often it's a no-brainer. I don't get why anyone would laugh at most of the jokes now. It's all broad humor or mean jokes at someone's expense. It's gotten so a genuinely funny well thought out moment is the exception. Of course since enough people tune into whatever they put on there is no incentive to change, of course most people won't say how bad the show has gotten, they will just start tuning out.

Yes, love that a group of "fans" have basically bullied anyone with a different opinion off of those sites and then go on to claim everyone agrees with them. Well that's convenient. No, they are irony deficient. They want their view to be validated and if they have bully all dissenters to do it then so be it. But it's pretty much the same thing the show did with the characters. Took a group of people who had friends and hobbies they enjoyed and had fun with, and told them they needed to conform to mature and become a grown-ups. Get girlfriends who don't understand them and deride their interests and bully the characters, who were once interesting individuals, into becoming insipid milquetoasts. How often do these characters have fun anymore? I feel like a good portion of the time I am suppose to be laughing at their misery.

[Trust No One]

Okay I watched it.

As soon as they got on the train Amy put on this sickly voice. (SO FAKE) "What to do think sheldon?" and "I'm so glad you like it" Brrrrrr, it was like she was planned to slip something in his tea. Or talking to a two year old.

Leonard giving Penny Lakers tickets was actually nice but when he suggested they do it in Sheldon's spot her reaction was contradictory considering she has suggested they make out in Sheldon's spot herself before. She said something like "thats the least sexy thing I've ever heard"

Then Bernadette taking credit for Howards space trip - ARRGGGH! She tried to stop him going in the first place. Their relationship was creepy gross in this episode. She was also treating him like a child.

The final scene was actually really well done. Jim Parson sizzled. It was however completely OOC and Amy spoils it. It will always be a Prince kissing Gollum, we can only imagine what it could have been if he had someone with more chemistry. For the nostalgics - it will be stomach churning and I recommend avoiding it.

Oh but I liked Sheldon and his train friend.

Someone needs to tell TPTB to stop writing Bernadette like she is a tough guy on the Sopranos. Her yelling at the other characters is real old and she needs to go back to part time if this is the only thing she does. Leonard giving the tickets was nice, but him not wanting to go with Penny said everthing about this sham of a Ship. Penny should know about the least sexiest things as the Ship she is in makes her an expert.