11-27-2014, 09:01 AM
That last quote ("it's hard to have "character-based" humor when you're willing to change your characters wildly for the sake of a joke." etc) is very interesting.
I think part of the problem is that from S5 onwards there was suddenly a plethora of these "jokes for the sake of jokes" at the expense of character.
Sheldon's line to Penny about her taking the Krengjai piece; "I've seen pictures of your mother. Keep eating." and his drunk line to Wolowitz "And the first woman you ever disappointed sexually!" for example. Aside from the fact that they're horrible things to say, they're also not things Sheldon WOULD say. They're banal and vulgar, nothing usual about them, the phrasing is not his, and the knowledge is not his either.
Anyone could have said these lines. The "humour" is basic bitchy/laddish humour, and Sheldon shouldn't be made to say it.
I feel they've done the same thing with the romance. There's an occasional effort to keep Sheldon's reactions "Sheldony" (aside from when he starts dribbling out some fanfiction dialogue), but they're battling against the inherent character "wrongness" of Sheldon, who worked perfectly in his independence, being in a relationship at all. And moreover, choosing a type of relationship (tepid, disinterested and one-sided for over two years) that doesn't suit his obsessional nature. It makes no sense for someone so flagrantly passionate about such a variety of things to be so indifferent in love. Makes no sense and is very dull to watch.
Incidentally, they can't just make it passionate NOW after 3 years. That's trying to have it both ways, and is artistically dishonest.
I note that they've rebooted Amy's character back to Season 5 Amy. This chopping and changing doesn't help either.
Another example of non-character-based "humour";
Howard: Why would someone want to make clothes out of your skin?
Raj: I don’t know. Maybe ’cause dark doesn’t show the stains?
Almost all of Raj's "Indian Jokes" are things I can't believe anyone who's Indian would actually say. My Chinese pals don't make "Chinese Jokes", my Nigerian friend doesn't make Nigerian Jokes (he's a right London toff whose only form of humour is cynicism actually...)...Generally speaking people don't make fun of their own country so constantly and in a way which fixates upon physical appearances. Australians take the piss out of themselves all the time, but we don't pepper our conversations with little self-loathing comments about Crocodile Dundee.
Again, Raj being Indian really has no bearing on his personality, so those "jokes" are grafted on, rather than being a natural expression of his character.
And Raj saying "That's not racist, because I'm Indian!" sounds just like CBS frantically covering themselves.
EDIT - Would this comment sit better in your Humour thread WPP? I can move it sharpish if so.
I think part of the problem is that from S5 onwards there was suddenly a plethora of these "jokes for the sake of jokes" at the expense of character.
Sheldon's line to Penny about her taking the Krengjai piece; "I've seen pictures of your mother. Keep eating." and his drunk line to Wolowitz "And the first woman you ever disappointed sexually!" for example. Aside from the fact that they're horrible things to say, they're also not things Sheldon WOULD say. They're banal and vulgar, nothing usual about them, the phrasing is not his, and the knowledge is not his either.
Anyone could have said these lines. The "humour" is basic bitchy/laddish humour, and Sheldon shouldn't be made to say it.
I feel they've done the same thing with the romance. There's an occasional effort to keep Sheldon's reactions "Sheldony" (aside from when he starts dribbling out some fanfiction dialogue), but they're battling against the inherent character "wrongness" of Sheldon, who worked perfectly in his independence, being in a relationship at all. And moreover, choosing a type of relationship (tepid, disinterested and one-sided for over two years) that doesn't suit his obsessional nature. It makes no sense for someone so flagrantly passionate about such a variety of things to be so indifferent in love. Makes no sense and is very dull to watch.
Incidentally, they can't just make it passionate NOW after 3 years. That's trying to have it both ways, and is artistically dishonest.
I note that they've rebooted Amy's character back to Season 5 Amy. This chopping and changing doesn't help either.
Another example of non-character-based "humour";
Howard: Why would someone want to make clothes out of your skin?
Raj: I don’t know. Maybe ’cause dark doesn’t show the stains?
Almost all of Raj's "Indian Jokes" are things I can't believe anyone who's Indian would actually say. My Chinese pals don't make "Chinese Jokes", my Nigerian friend doesn't make Nigerian Jokes (he's a right London toff whose only form of humour is cynicism actually...)...Generally speaking people don't make fun of their own country so constantly and in a way which fixates upon physical appearances. Australians take the piss out of themselves all the time, but we don't pepper our conversations with little self-loathing comments about Crocodile Dundee.
Again, Raj being Indian really has no bearing on his personality, so those "jokes" are grafted on, rather than being a natural expression of his character.
And Raj saying "That's not racist, because I'm Indian!" sounds just like CBS frantically covering themselves.
EDIT - Would this comment sit better in your Humour thread WPP? I can move it sharpish if so.
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"