05-04-2014, 10:19 AM
An interesting and maudlin episode, as others have said, it didn’t seem so heavy-handed with the pathos as they occasionally are (I can’t re-watch Romance Resonance or Closet Reconfiguration, despite Helberg being one of my favourite actors. I don’t like either Soap Operas or cast singalongs…this isn’t a fucking Julie Andrews movie!)
Proton as Sheldon’s mentor is an intricate concept…and slightly problematic.
The most obvious (and most rational) explanation is, as Devil said, that he is a projection of Sheldon’s subconscious, as 1) Ghosts don’t exist, and 2) Sheldon has a history of Projection. He frequently attributes his own traits to others, and largely seems to see the world and its independent agents as part of his own grander scheme.
I’ve said frequently that I feel Sheldon is the only character shown to HAVE a conscience, in the sense of being plagued and tormented by it, and it frequently seems to manifest in his dreams, from Gorn-infested nightmares when he wrongs Howard, to Tiny Spock’s hectoring when he breaks the Transporter, Santa firing a canon at him after he let him rot in the dungeon, and to some degree I felt the Kraken dragging Leonard off the boat was indicative of SOMETHING. Possibly a guilty conscience. IF you want to go that way. Perhaps he didn’t want Leonard to come back. (Or maybe that’s just MY self-projection!)
BUT. In the case of Proton, we have a fully-formed, articulate and entirely “In Character” Proton, that I feel Sheldon could not possibly have recreated based on his limited empathy for traditional human motivation. Particularly the jokes about signing a pre-nup, or haunting his ex-wife. I also hardly think Sheldon would be telling himself to stop “wasting his life” with Star Wars. It’s part of his self-mythology, and repetition is part of his makeup. Judging by his baffled face at that comment, it was most certainly NOT his own subconscious talking to him.
So I think they are just letting logic slide on this matter, for the sake of art and humour, and are allowing Proton to be a “genuine” ghost, insofar as retaining his own identity, rather than being a projection of Sheldon’s.
The problem is, as with the psychic last week, what are we meant to make of all this hocus pokery? Psychics are bollocks, obviously, from a scientific point of view. They make cold readings, subtly tailored to the individual if they’re lucky, but they’re no more spouters of “absolute knowledge” than a fucking fortune cookie. Which we also had last week.
So we have a program about scientists, using hokum to advance the storyline. It’s very odd. Then we have the matter of what the storyline IS, which we all find very offensive around here. But that’s another bag of angry cats…
At end I think it’s all for laughs. What happens when a mystical and wise figure encounters somebody as bloody-minded as Sheldon.
The last scene with Proton in particular seemed to be twist on the usual infallibility of spirit guides. Proton makes a half-arsed attempt at wisdom, has apparently barked up the wrong tree, and then buggers off. His “Ok, well good luck to you” had the distinctly weary tone of “Whatever” and was quite amusing…
But on that note, what the fuck does Proton THINK Sheldon should be doing? Hiking the Himalayas? He works very hard, has, ostensibly, a group of “friends” and a protocol girlfriend, and enjoys his hobbies and passions immensely. He’s not squatting in his own filth, eating pot noodles, or holed up in an opium den. Although, actually, no, I’m going to side with Proton. Leave Pasadena, Sheldon, go travel the world, think, observe, work on a unifying theory. Find some fucking like-minded people maybe.
And take Penny with you.
As for the rest, the YouTube Owl scene was hilarious. And all the Newhart scenes.
Sheldon needs characters which are either antagonistic or deadpan to play off. Characters that either passively whine at him or “support” him are useless comedically. Leonard for example works best as a foil when he’s sarcastic or world-weary.
I actually thought Galecki’s acting was marvellous in the post-hug moments. I do believe in Leonard as a real person at such times. Sheldon and Leonard’s interaction is my favourite after Sheldon and Penny’s, and I think indeed the “point” of Proton’s message was to stress to the audience how much Sheldon DOES appreciate Leonard. Even though we already bloody knew that.
I have no interest in watching two women make a cake (“for their menfolk”) and witter on about their inconsistent and depressing past. Even a Death Star cake.
I want to give this 1 and a half Penny Blossoms, but we’ve been over this, so…*grits teeth* TWO Penny Blossoms…
Proton as Sheldon’s mentor is an intricate concept…and slightly problematic.
The most obvious (and most rational) explanation is, as Devil said, that he is a projection of Sheldon’s subconscious, as 1) Ghosts don’t exist, and 2) Sheldon has a history of Projection. He frequently attributes his own traits to others, and largely seems to see the world and its independent agents as part of his own grander scheme.
I’ve said frequently that I feel Sheldon is the only character shown to HAVE a conscience, in the sense of being plagued and tormented by it, and it frequently seems to manifest in his dreams, from Gorn-infested nightmares when he wrongs Howard, to Tiny Spock’s hectoring when he breaks the Transporter, Santa firing a canon at him after he let him rot in the dungeon, and to some degree I felt the Kraken dragging Leonard off the boat was indicative of SOMETHING. Possibly a guilty conscience. IF you want to go that way. Perhaps he didn’t want Leonard to come back. (Or maybe that’s just MY self-projection!)
BUT. In the case of Proton, we have a fully-formed, articulate and entirely “In Character” Proton, that I feel Sheldon could not possibly have recreated based on his limited empathy for traditional human motivation. Particularly the jokes about signing a pre-nup, or haunting his ex-wife. I also hardly think Sheldon would be telling himself to stop “wasting his life” with Star Wars. It’s part of his self-mythology, and repetition is part of his makeup. Judging by his baffled face at that comment, it was most certainly NOT his own subconscious talking to him.
So I think they are just letting logic slide on this matter, for the sake of art and humour, and are allowing Proton to be a “genuine” ghost, insofar as retaining his own identity, rather than being a projection of Sheldon’s.
The problem is, as with the psychic last week, what are we meant to make of all this hocus pokery? Psychics are bollocks, obviously, from a scientific point of view. They make cold readings, subtly tailored to the individual if they’re lucky, but they’re no more spouters of “absolute knowledge” than a fucking fortune cookie. Which we also had last week.
So we have a program about scientists, using hokum to advance the storyline. It’s very odd. Then we have the matter of what the storyline IS, which we all find very offensive around here. But that’s another bag of angry cats…
At end I think it’s all for laughs. What happens when a mystical and wise figure encounters somebody as bloody-minded as Sheldon.
The last scene with Proton in particular seemed to be twist on the usual infallibility of spirit guides. Proton makes a half-arsed attempt at wisdom, has apparently barked up the wrong tree, and then buggers off. His “Ok, well good luck to you” had the distinctly weary tone of “Whatever” and was quite amusing…
But on that note, what the fuck does Proton THINK Sheldon should be doing? Hiking the Himalayas? He works very hard, has, ostensibly, a group of “friends” and a protocol girlfriend, and enjoys his hobbies and passions immensely. He’s not squatting in his own filth, eating pot noodles, or holed up in an opium den. Although, actually, no, I’m going to side with Proton. Leave Pasadena, Sheldon, go travel the world, think, observe, work on a unifying theory. Find some fucking like-minded people maybe.
And take Penny with you.
As for the rest, the YouTube Owl scene was hilarious. And all the Newhart scenes.
Sheldon needs characters which are either antagonistic or deadpan to play off. Characters that either passively whine at him or “support” him are useless comedically. Leonard for example works best as a foil when he’s sarcastic or world-weary.
I actually thought Galecki’s acting was marvellous in the post-hug moments. I do believe in Leonard as a real person at such times. Sheldon and Leonard’s interaction is my favourite after Sheldon and Penny’s, and I think indeed the “point” of Proton’s message was to stress to the audience how much Sheldon DOES appreciate Leonard. Even though we already bloody knew that.
I have no interest in watching two women make a cake (“for their menfolk”) and witter on about their inconsistent and depressing past. Even a Death Star cake.
I want to give this 1 and a half Penny Blossoms, but we’ve been over this, so…*grits teeth* TWO Penny Blossoms…
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"
who gave blossoms of all things...![[Image: 37a655_02c9b52af0cd49f882dce243f0c797a9....00_jpg_srz]](http://static.wixstatic.com/media/37a655_02c9b52af0cd49f882dce243f0c797a9.jpg_srz_p_630_462_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz)