10-01-2014, 08:37 AM
Quote:"Penny is the Queen of the nerds!"
My issue is that she sometimes says/does things which cross the line from "snarky banter" into being genuinely cruel. (All of the characters do this, and I acknowledge that.) You could chalk that up to poor writing, I suppose, but I find it neither funny nor admirable. She's also physically violent and I don't find that funny or acceptable at all.
Unequal relationships don't interest me, whether it's friendship or romance. I don't find it enjoyable or satisfying to watch her dominate the guys, whether physically or psychologically, and I don't enjoy watching them fawn over her. That's just my personal reaction. I've never been impressed with "girl power, whoo hoo!" types of themes. I don't go around kicking and punching people or trying to establish dominance over them. I don't cherish any pseudo-feminist revenge fantasies about "turning the tables" on sexist men. I dislike the idea that being a strong woman means being impulsive or confrontational. Penny threatening to "go Junior Rodeo" on someone is tiresome to me.
Penny is a key component of this show, but I, personally, do not relate to her. That's just my subjective reaction. Clearly I am in the minority on this, and I acknowledge that, but I don't need one character to be the "queen" of anything. That doesn't do anything for me.