10-09-2014, 11:34 AM
Quote: But this is because she's not shouting at MY favourite character.
If it were Sheldon she was married to, whilst calling him an idiot, and belittling his hobbies, I'd be furious.
You see, Gripe, that is how I feel.
Not that Howard is blameless all the time, but people can have disagreements without shouting and name-calling. That is not how a reasonable person or a likeable character behaves, and it's *certainly* not a charming love-story...
This photo and others like it are very upsetting and disturbing to me. Where is that Gif of Penny tossing her laptop away and shuddering? That's exactly how I feel.
Also, I have nothing against Kevin S. getting a storyline, but I find this Stuart-Mrs.W. stuff to be uncomfortable and a very strange choice. Now even *Stuart* is more confident than Howard and has the upper hand???
This version of Howard is just totally powerless and without agency. He's supposed to be plucky and brave
ETA: except for some of his interactions with the other 3 guys, I think SH is no longer playing Howard at all. This is "generic sitcom husband", the kind that can be found on dozens or hundreds of other shows. Or some mildly snarky Chandler Bing knock-off.
The point of Howard is that he's resilient; he gets smacked down but doesn't stay discouraged for long. While it's true that he can sometimes be intimidated by women, he's not *this* much of a pushover. He had no trouble talking back to his mother, even if he usually obeyed her wishes in the end.
It's not about wanting him to hit on Penny every episode or crack some corny sex-jokes every other line; it's about the fact that he was a spirited, energetic, fun character, and the sparkle has gone out of him. I don't want to watch some hapless loser who is bullied by every person he meets, even if the acting is technically good. Dare I say, even George Constanza had more fight in him than this.
My disappointment and sense of loss are every bit as real and painful as that of the Sheldon Purists. I'm not just sad because there's no more tattoo sleeves or whatever. I thought people already understood that.
ETA again: I don't care if the writing or the acting are technically good, this is not the character I fell in love with, and I do not enjoy watching characters get yelled-at and humiliated.
If B. was presented as sort of a villain/antagonist character like Ramona or Priya, that might make a smidgen more sense, but no. We are told this is a loving relationship, he's lucky to have her, she's the best thing that ever happened to him, and without her he'd be not only lonely and pathetic, but also a despicable sexual deviant.
