10-03-2014, 12:03 PM
That pic of Stuart at Mrs.W's house speaks volumes. Howard looks like a teenager in trouble with his parents. He's meek and scared and apologetic. B's body-language is very straight and rigid. Stuart, of all people, looks relaxed and confident.
Nu!Howard is bullied, scolded, and dominated by everyone around him. He's the whipping boy, the scapegoat. He'll still talk back to Sheldon, apparently, but his personal life is like a cage. He has no self-respect. He's an easy victim for aggressive and controlling people. And now even Raj can intimidate him, seemingly.
Stuart and B. are Howard's parents now, just like Leonard and Penny are supposedly Sheldon's parents. Does mainstream America really want to watch this psychologically twisted and sinister stuff in a comedy? I am honestly surprised and taken aback by that. I'd sooner watch an infomercial for Shamwows...
How on earth is this "growth"??? He's supposed to be plucky and resilient, the guy who gets knocked down but gets back up again. He's supposed to be smart-mouthed and irreverent and defiant.
SH is so talented and likeable that it feels ungenerous to write him off completely, but I'm getting close. Granted, most of the blame probably lies with the writers. But the idea that this is the same Howard from "the Gothowitz Deviation" breaks my heart. It can't be.
All of these characters need treatment for depression, or something.
ETA: I know nothing else about this ep, and I don't want to. But I accurately predicted the content of the other S8 eps based on screencaps alone. That *really* shows how predictable this show is, when the promo pics tell the whole story.
ETA again: his outfits *are* getting less colorful. Some of them are still cute and seem reasonably IC, but there is not as much variety. "What the heck is Howard going to wear?" used to be an event in and of itself. I don't think we'll see any more turquoise acid -wash or highlighter-yellow, or V-necks that reach his navel.
Nu!Howard is bullied, scolded, and dominated by everyone around him. He's the whipping boy, the scapegoat. He'll still talk back to Sheldon, apparently, but his personal life is like a cage. He has no self-respect. He's an easy victim for aggressive and controlling people. And now even Raj can intimidate him, seemingly.
Stuart and B. are Howard's parents now, just like Leonard and Penny are supposedly Sheldon's parents. Does mainstream America really want to watch this psychologically twisted and sinister stuff in a comedy? I am honestly surprised and taken aback by that. I'd sooner watch an infomercial for Shamwows...
How on earth is this "growth"??? He's supposed to be plucky and resilient, the guy who gets knocked down but gets back up again. He's supposed to be smart-mouthed and irreverent and defiant.
SH is so talented and likeable that it feels ungenerous to write him off completely, but I'm getting close. Granted, most of the blame probably lies with the writers. But the idea that this is the same Howard from "the Gothowitz Deviation" breaks my heart. It can't be.
All of these characters need treatment for depression, or something.
ETA: I know nothing else about this ep, and I don't want to. But I accurately predicted the content of the other S8 eps based on screencaps alone. That *really* shows how predictable this show is, when the promo pics tell the whole story.
ETA again: his outfits *are* getting less colorful. Some of them are still cute and seem reasonably IC, but there is not as much variety. "What the heck is Howard going to wear?" used to be an event in and of itself. I don't think we'll see any more turquoise acid -wash or highlighter-yellow, or V-necks that reach his navel.