09-16-2014, 07:11 AM
Quote:"There was that interview where he said they ask him to incorporate certain mannerisms of his own into the Sheldon character, and he found that baffling.
If anyone finds that interview, let me know. I've lost the fucker."
Did they really? That is so weird and interesting. How long ago was this? Do you think it's a nod to the fangirls who have a crush on the actor, not the character?
Just yesterday, I was thinking that even though I don't study Sheldon as devotedly as some of you, I can feel the "wrongness" of what they've done with him. It provokes an instinctive, gut-level feeling of wrongness, and it's saddening.
All these arguments about "character development" are rendered ridiculous by the simple fact that people don't change that much. They might change their opinions or attitudes on a specific subject, but they certainly don't change their voice and physical mannerisms. In the real world, the amount of change these characters have undergone in a relatively short period of time would be a sign of mental illness or some serious psychological blow.
Its the most noticeable with Sheldon, but as I've mentioned before, I don't like the soft, nicey-nice tone of voice that Helberg sometimes has, now. (I'm not even going to call this person Howard.) Of course, people behave differently in different situations, and I'm not saying his character is incapable of being gentle and loving, but it's just too saccharine. He had moments of being shy, vulnerable, and cute in the earlier seasons, but they weren't overdone. I do not want to hear this character cooing about how badly he wants a baby. That is just wildly OOC.
Like you, I don't think sex is totally antithetical to the nature of Early Sheldon. He could've had an encounter with Leslie or Penny or someone, but it wouldn't take over his whole life. Again, I haven't analyzed Sheldon like you have, but I think it's plausible he might've tried sex out of pure curiosity, as a novelty, an experiment. Or maybe he would be one of these people who are very good at compartmentalizing and keeping that part of his life separate from his work.
Sheldon/Leslie could've been very amusing and entertaining, if they didn't belabor it and it didn't go on for too long. Any romance on this show should've been handled in a very light, fun, non-serious way.
As someone was pointing out yesterday, almost *everything* about this show has changed: tone, style, premise, characterization. That goes way beyond "character development." It shows that the Canons do not know the actual definition of the phrase "character development", at all. It's just a euphemism for anything that brings them more romcom and eliminates the stuff they find uncomfortable.
What we are looking at here is not a mere shark-jump, it's a re-make. I would actually feel *so* much better if they would simply give this "new" show a different name.
I'm sure the Shenny fans can point to many early-season moments where Sheldon learned something from Penny and vice versa. Howard was learning to be a more considerate friend through his interactions with Raj. Raj was learning to be a bit less full of himself through his interactions with the others. *That* is the type of character development that is appropriate for a sitcom. It can and should be subtle.