2014 - Award Season

[Idle Miscreant]

The 'comedic firecracker romance' is about as exciting as burning your toast, and the 'slow burn' is burning with so little heat and energy, inspiration, purpose, passion etc, that it's not so much a 'slow burn' as a damn squib.

I feel my heart going grey with boredom whenever either 'couple' are on screen.

At least Howard and Bernadette are realistic, and seem to genuinely care about each other...Watching Penny endlessly scanning the horizon for something, ANYTHING better to be doing with her life other than marrying Leonard at the low point in her career, and Sheldon either sulking or playing with his goddamn phone when he's around the woman he's supposed to "get" and "respect" etc, whilst his whole purpose and self-sufficiency goes down the toilet, is incredibly depressing.

Am I going to watch this show for the next three years? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.....No.

I know the writers are very sharp, and one in particular is bloody brilliant (and shouldn't be working on this bloody show) - this cannot be their fault. There must be some malign, suffocating cloud of conformity that it strangling the life out of these episodes...It probably has a CBS logo stamped on it somewhere...

It's easy to fix this, and clear the air of this stifling, dirty-laundry-airing "cosiness" of the coupledom this show has staggered into - Break them up! Let poor bloody Leonard realise he doesn't need a woman to verify his existence, so Penny's released of that emotional burden.
Let bloody Amy find a bloke willing to lavish her with the affection she evidently desires beyond all things, and STOP warping Sheldon's character to fit in with Amy's self-pitying requirements. She's a secondary character who's been pushed too far into prominence, and she's thrown the balance of the whole show out of whack. STOP making Sheldon the villain of the piece by turning his asexuality into 'egotism', or suggesting there's something WRONG with him because he's not leaping into bed with Fowler.

This has infuriated me all over again just contemplating it. To hell with this show. I have a bloody novel to finish.

[Wisp]

I watched s7e24 and decided that the characters are now all officially dispensible. They could replace Jim and Kaley with anyone and get the same results, but NO, they insist on squandering two actors which have proved they really should be doing better things. That finale was depressing and faintly optimistic at the same time... At least Stuart's got someone to keep him busy and keep him company, but watch the writers drop THAT vaguely promising arc by season 8. As for Sheldon running away, did anyone find it completely out of character for Sheldon to "live off the land"? I know it's normal for post s5 Sheldon to be a shambling, ditzy mess, but there is NO WAY he'd just take off like that without at least classifying his SUITCASE full of clothes.

Ughhh... Why do I bother?

[SpaceAnJL]

On the other hand, at least if he buys new things, he knows they haven't been licked, rubbed or otherwise 'scented' - I chose to see it as a sign of a capable, rational adult.

[Moonbase]

I watched s7e24 and decided that the characters are now all officially dispensible. They could replace Jim and Kaley with anyone and get the same results, but NO, they insist on squandering two actors which have proved they really should be doing better things. That finale was depressing and faintly optimistic at the same time... At least Stuart's got someone to keep him busy and keep him company, but watch the writers drop THAT vaguely promising arc by season 8. As for Sheldon running away, did anyone find it completely out of character for Sheldon to "live off the land"? I know it's normal for post s5 Sheldon to be a shambling, ditzy mess, but there is NO WAY he'd just take off like that without at least classifying his SUITCASE full of clothes.

Ughhh... Why do I bother?

I know what you mean. The inconsistencies in character are far too frequent now. It's a sign of sloppy writing. They no longer think they have to try to maintain a consistent whole. Sheldon used to have a set of principles and idiosyncrasies, they have deviated from this so far that I find it impossible to judge what he would do next.

Does anyone remember the scene where he was labelling and applying bar codes to his socks before they go away for the weekend? I don't recognise the Sheldon they had sitting at the train station in 7.24 with no case, not even wearing his messenger bag and even the way he was sitting. It wasn't Sheldon.

[wellplayedpenny]

... STOP warping Sheldon's character to fit in with Amy's self-pitying requirements. She's a secondary character who's been pushed too far into prominence, and she's thrown the balance of the whole show out of whack. STOP making Sheldon the villain of the piece by turning his asexuality into 'egotism', or suggesting there's something WRONG with him because he's not leaping into bed with Fowler.

Amy's symbolic of the show's 'push' towards romantic involvement. She's a character without the chance to form a true personality as she was plunked in as a joke and then tooled to say and do whatever TPTB wanted her to say. Her contrasting and disturbing behavior really reflects the difficulty TPTB had in transitioning the show. Their solution to put in the shaky romance element was to lower the quality of the show. Where this comes out to me is in the manner of how the characters talk/treat each other. The humour is nasty. I no longer feel like I share the joke. And this has warped the characters themselves.

Sheldon was the last bastion of what was so it makes sense that Amy the Transitioner is on him like a wet blanket, wearing him down until he falls in line. As you said Gripe, things which made Sheldon unique have been attacked and twisted to seem like unreasonable obstacles. To be fair, they ARE obstacles for the New Order of Things. I think the last episode really cemented the idea that it's time for Sheldon to shit or get off the pot. Unfortunately as a character on a sitcom that has been renewed for three more seasons he has no choice but to return to this mess and 'blend in like a good lad should'.

And again it's no surprise that all his soul-searching occurs off-camera. That's been the way of things here: Penny and Leonard are so compatible--off-camera. Amy and Sheldon are two peas in a pod--off-camera. Practically everything that's been really important has happened off-camera. That, to me, is copping out. I want to like the characters. Care about their ups and downs. I want to see for myself why they're 'meant to be' instead of being told they are. And it's total bs that they couldn't bring up the romances (if they had to have them) to the level of the show. I mean I wrote my first BBT novel and struggled bloody hard to keep both romance and the spirit of s1-3 just to see if it could work and I'm far from a professional writer. TPTB should have nailed it. Instead they got lazy and formulaic. They've destroyed the uniqueness. And to me that's what's unforgivable.

Maybe we ought to come up with a list of things we've learned thanks to the show. Number One on my list is that I never knew I would have to give up 'nerd/geek' things in order to find love and become a responsible adult. Apparently being scientists at a university, out on their own (save Howard) paying bills, engaging socially with people of similar interests a la comic book store, robot fighting league, renaissance fairs, paintball fields or ComicCon (I mean who goes to ComicCon anyways, right? ) isn't enough to constitute maturity if one chosses to read comic books, play D&D and go to Planet of the Apes marathons.

I seem to be way off topic considering this is an awards show thread so let me end this by saying that it pains me dearly that the show is being (somewhat) rewarded for the later seasons. It seems as though nearly everyone close to the project and awards judging has been swept away by the 'aww-ness' of the Shamy and Lenny. Perhaps things would have been different if the show had won for best series in the second or third season....

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Fabulous wellplayed! I particularly like...

"And again it's no surprise that all his soul-searching occurs off-camera. That's been the way of things here: Penny and Leonard are so compatible--off-camera. Amy and Sheldon are two peas in a pod--off-camera. Practically everything that's been really important has happened off-camera. That, to me, is copping out."

Penny's box of memories was a classic example of this OFF-CAMERA malarkey.

This is a fine idea...

Maybe we ought to come up with a list of things we've learned thanks to the show.

Perhaps you could start a thread wellplayed?

[wellplayedpenny]

Started a thread, Pajamas.

Loved your 'Off-Camera Malarkey'. The box of memories was a 'good one' because boy did that come out of left field. I'd also toss in 'comments from supporting characters that uphold the canon story even though what's seen on-camera is contrary' like, for example, 'Amy has been great for Sheldon' even though their interactions on-camera have gone from 'Counterfactuals' and meme theory to being childish, manipulative and at times rather nasty.