The Human side of Sheldon

[wellplayedpenny]

yes, they've VERY unsuccessfully changed the vision of the show as classic sitcom formula to a poorly conceived and written rom com with heavy emphasis on sentimentality over comedy. It's a comedy that sees humour as secondary to its romantic plotting which I find absolutely baffling. But then again they still have millions of viewers so I guess it might be more of a modification of humour to something which doesn't tickle my fancy.

We're on the same wavelength in terms of thinking they've run out of ideas. It's easier to insert more characters to expand the plot lines (and at the same time simplify the plots so as to accommodate the time allowed)or make the humour insulting and nasty because it gets an instant reaction as opposed to inclusion-humour which requires more planning and precise execution. Very lazy writing whatever way you call it.

[Louise]

JEEEEZ! You two can write!

Sorry! I'm long-winded, don't mind me

So, am I saying that the characters were designed for the sitcom format? They might have been written for it but as I can attest to with the more dramatic pieces I've read on ffnet they are as adaptable, credible and poignant in more dramatic pieces as characters written solely for literary purposes.

Yes. These characters are complex. I’m not totally opposed to having “serious” moments on this show. The actors have it in them. Like someone here said recently, these are vulnerable people. One of my least-favorite Canon statements is “the characters used to be one-dimensional, now they’ve been fleshed-out.” Um, no. If you peel back the funny part, you’ll see their sufferings and their struggles. The pathos is there.

IMO, the pathos in a sitcom comes from reading between the lines. It comes from the actors, not from the script. It’s less about *what* the characters do than how they do it, and it’s less about *what* they say, than how they say it. It’s the look in their eyes, and their facial expressions.

But some viewers are very literal-minded, and they seemingly lack the discernment to see that. They take everything at face value, they need everything spelled-out for them. These are the people who think Sheldon is just an obstinate weirdo and Howard is a sex offender.

A TV show can’t be all things to all people. I doubt it’s possible for a traditional 20-minute sitcom to successfully evolve into a (good) dramedy. That’s simply not a good idea. Do the characters have the psychological complexity for deeper and more elaborate stories? Yes. But IMO that’s what fanfiction is for; exploring the road not taken.

It seems extremely clear that the Canon viewers don’t watch this show in order to laugh, or in order to be captivated by this whimsical world of eccentric people. They watch it for their own emotional gratification. There’s a difference in expectations, here. These Canons expect things from BBT which I would never expect from a sitcom. I do not look to a sitcom for some kind of vicarious emotional climax.

Serious moments in a comedy have to be handled very, very carefully, with a subtle touch. And things have *not* been handled carefully, with a subtle touch. We’ve had these contrived, artificial, Very Special Episodes™ where there’s nearly a flashing sign saying “Cry now!!” It’s manipulative, it’s calculated, it’s fakey. The emotions should flow naturally from the actors. There’s plenty of depth and pathos to be found in the characters’ everyday lives, without fabricating these deliberately provocative “money shots” where the laugh-track goes “awwww!” (ILY, hand-holding at the shuttle launch, the Letter, etc.)

The Office (US) is an excellent example of a show that combined wacky comedy with sad and poignant moments, but that show is very different from BBT. I think BBT was always kind of surreal and whimsical and candy-colored. The Office was a faux-documentary, it had no laugh track, and it also had a number of longer episodes that were 30 or 40 minutes instead of 20. BBT almost has some fantasy elements, IMO.

I’m not saying that everything should be one hundred percent cotton-candy fluff. There’s a world of middle-ground between “the characters are totally static” and the histrionics we’re seeing now.

Most importantly, those serious moments have to be *in-character.* TPTB’s emotional moments are usually in service of some agenda. They can’t let the moment simply *be.*

It’s not the seriousness that makes me cringe. It’s that it’s OOC and feels disingenuous, like TPTB are going “gotcha!”

[wellplayedpenny]

I think it all goes back to the notion that the vision of the show has changed and the writers are not up to the task of doing it. It's really a sad tale where TPTB don't value the qualities of their own show in the first 3 seasons. What made it pop in terms of writing and dialogue and characterization that, in the hands of a capable cast, was pure magic. Instead, there seems to have been a group meeting where the direction of the show was discussed and the consensus was that it needed to 'mature' to 'grow' and the initial sit com formula they came up with wouldn't fit the bill. So they looked to other formulas such as the rom-com and the dramedy for ideas and tried to cram them into the show and do a 'ta da! We present to you--growth!'

Unfortunately, this 'growth' has been more of a tumor than a pair of wings as they are poorly written to the point where we wonder if they're sifting through the very worst fan fiction has to offer for plot points. More importantly, they've poisoned the comedic chemistry that's at the heart of the show and I really don't see them regaining it.

It's absolutely baffling to me that they can't see the brilliance that is Panty Pinata or Big Bran and instead are rewriting earlier episodes so they fit into the new vision of the show. As if they're correcting 'mistakes'. Or 'improving' what really didn't need to be touched. It's like I think someone should have had an intervention where they stood up and said, 'guys, you're making a great show. It's working. A show can be funny and well crafted and if the awards don't come now they will and if not fuck 'em cuz we made ourselves a classic.'

An irony that a show about individuals is ultimately seen as too different by its creators and in need of mainstream conformity.

[Louise]

Unfortunately, this 'growth' has been more of a tumor than a pair of wings

I'll never forgive them for the way they've made Howard so helpless and stupid and lacking in self-respect. As we've all said many times, the characters haven't "grown", they've regressed. If they had grown, they'd be more independent, more confident. B. is more controlling than his mother ever was. I don't think we've seen Real Howard since S4/S5.

They added some female bodies to this show just for fake gender-balance points. B. is a non-character. I can't even get super-angry about her because it's hard to take her existence seriously.

H & R have become such useless, redundant characters, at this point. Nobody actively ships H/B or Raj/Whoever, they're just...there.

If I had to choose, I'd much rather have H & R be just recurring characters, and remain unchanged, than have the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

I will be miffed if they eventually give SH an Emmy for some "Howie loves Bernie and babies and puppies and rainbows" episode...

Howard's story has been over from the moment they introduced a permanent girlfriend for him. Now it's just the Lenny and Shamy deathmarch to the end. Nobody cares about H&R, except for the possibility of *babiez*...

ETA: I realized this is prob. off-topic for this thread, I'll move it if people want me to. I just get frustrated, sometimes...

[Berliner]

@Louise and WPP: you are on fire lately! I love your rants ... please continue.

[ricardo shillyshally]

Sheldon is human. I blame Jennifer Aniston; she was the sitcom queen, and she became the romcom queen. It's she, who's promoted the dominance of romcommunism, created and satiated an audience. Penny (or whoever writes her lines), even references her; 'Penny: Okay, but the Jennifer Aniston movie has Jennifer Aniston, and she’s not building a dam.'(S5e9)

[Louise]

@Louise and WPP: you are on fire lately! I love your rants ... please continue.

Thank you, Berliner!

---

romcommunism

OMG, that is the BEST word for what has happened with this show! I'm using that term, from now on....

I call it the Shipwreck, myself

[Idle Miscreant]

Let's look at smiles for a minute.

Sheldon











What the hell is this?


I don't understand what he's doing dagnabbit! An acting choice sure, maybe, but where have Sheldon's characteristic facial expressions gone? Have they fucked off with the Coopersuit?
It's bizarre. It's not Sheldon. Like watching the Seventh Seal recast with Adam Sandler...
(Nobody ever do that. Ever.)

[Louise]

Wow, yeah, that is fakey-looking and off-putting.

I always liked that moment in "Vegas Renormalization" when Sheldon smiles at Leonard. It seems very natural and human and it gives that sense of people who have known each other a long time and feel comfortable with each other.

[devilbk]

Just another sign of the Parsonization of Sheldon. Sheldon is no longer a character Parsons et al created. He's Parsons in funny (and now not so funny) clothes. And they don't think anyone knows the difference.