04-04-2015, 09:07 AM
I haven’t watched this episode, and won’t be watching it, if Sheldon’s acting like a buffoon again 
but I had a quick scan of the comments for it, and the most common opinion was that Bernadette should have let Howard keep his TARDIS. It’s his mother’s house, they could have set aside a room for it, she knew what kind of chap he was when she married him etc.
Personally I never had a particular problem with Bernadette until Howard began to fade away.
I find the actress very sharp and amusing on twitter and in interviews, and she seems to be a lovely person. But the character is a different matter. There came a scene in a season 8 episode where they went to Vegas, and Bernadette was drunk and talking about climbing into a Australian stripper’s g-string (or something) and it went on and on, and was so obviously being played for the benefit of the studio audience, who were SHRIEKING with laughter, that it quite alienated me, and struck me as very indulgent, in a Fonz getting applauded for every catchphrase kind of way.
The same Fonzification has been happening to Sheldon for years. It’s like he’s become a caricature played for the benefit of the studio audience. And “Shamy” seems similarly to be exclusively created to target a certain fanbase, rather than being an organic creation, and that’s worrying. Particularly as this fanbase seems to be violently against the original focus of the show.
Outside of this Shamy/romance crowd, there are plenty of disgruntled normal fans. Increasingly this season I’ve seen variations in comments of;
“Why have all the guys ended up with women who hate their interests and passions?”
There’s an enormous number of female viewers into sci-fi and geekery. Why insult potential TBBT watchers (or old fans) by having the only women on the show portrayed either as housewives or shouty buzzkills, or manipulative and sex-starved? Where are the geek women?
Martha and Abby (in their ONE episode) were brilliantly suited to the group. That comic-artist lass that inexplicably fancied Leonard was also very accurate. So they CAN write these characters. Presumably it’s thought that there’s more humour in the idea of normal women getting their weird blokes in line. Unfortunately it’s all so unpleasant.
Sheldon & Amy’s relationship would go some way to justifying CBS’s constant demand of viewers that it’s ADORABLE, if Amy wasn’t constantly trying to get into Sheldon’s pants without his knowledge. If she wanted the TARDIS for herself, or for her and Sheldon to genuinely roleplay in, then that shows an equality of soul, or balance of intent at least. The fact that what Sheldon THINKS is happening is always completely at odds with what Amy has orchestrated, and that his thoughts are transparently innocent and childlike, whilst Amy’s are invariably sexualised, may be “funny”, but it’s about as far from adorable as you can get.
The disparity between their conceptions of “romance” is what apparently drives all Shamy scenes. They are NOT on the same wavelength in any respect. If they were, then there wouldn’t be any humour in their relationship (although I don’t find “awkward woman dementedly pursuing oblivious and emotionally distant man” funny as a trope).
Sheldon and Penny are on the same wavelength (in a strange intuitive way), but from completely different planets. When they clash neither withers or wilts, as they are equally strong characters, and unfailingly (sometimes rudely) honest with each other. It is a balanced relationship.
Possibly because it’s a friendship rather than a romance. Raj and Howard are similarly balanced, with Howard leading the way most of the time, but deferring to Raj’s greater sensitivity on some matters. Similarly, Sheldon may be ostensibly smarter than Penny, but he always consults her on social/emotional issues.
The friendships on this show are excellently done. (Except for Penny/Amy, which is completely unbelievable. Amy/Raj might be possible however)
The question is why cannot (or will not) TBBT write romantic relationships that are equally balanced? One member of each couple is weaker than the other, and it makes it unsettling to watch. Perhaps reality is like this (although all couples I know are equally matched…) but again, who asked for reality?
And where are the male/female friendships? Outside of Sheldon & Penny, whom we barely see together anymore.
And where are the Snowdens of yesteryear…
but I had a quick scan of the comments for it, and the most common opinion was that Bernadette should have let Howard keep his TARDIS. It’s his mother’s house, they could have set aside a room for it, she knew what kind of chap he was when she married him etc.Personally I never had a particular problem with Bernadette until Howard began to fade away.
I find the actress very sharp and amusing on twitter and in interviews, and she seems to be a lovely person. But the character is a different matter. There came a scene in a season 8 episode where they went to Vegas, and Bernadette was drunk and talking about climbing into a Australian stripper’s g-string (or something) and it went on and on, and was so obviously being played for the benefit of the studio audience, who were SHRIEKING with laughter, that it quite alienated me, and struck me as very indulgent, in a Fonz getting applauded for every catchphrase kind of way.
The same Fonzification has been happening to Sheldon for years. It’s like he’s become a caricature played for the benefit of the studio audience. And “Shamy” seems similarly to be exclusively created to target a certain fanbase, rather than being an organic creation, and that’s worrying. Particularly as this fanbase seems to be violently against the original focus of the show.
Outside of this Shamy/romance crowd, there are plenty of disgruntled normal fans. Increasingly this season I’ve seen variations in comments of;
“Why have all the guys ended up with women who hate their interests and passions?”
There’s an enormous number of female viewers into sci-fi and geekery. Why insult potential TBBT watchers (or old fans) by having the only women on the show portrayed either as housewives or shouty buzzkills, or manipulative and sex-starved? Where are the geek women?
Martha and Abby (in their ONE episode) were brilliantly suited to the group. That comic-artist lass that inexplicably fancied Leonard was also very accurate. So they CAN write these characters. Presumably it’s thought that there’s more humour in the idea of normal women getting their weird blokes in line. Unfortunately it’s all so unpleasant.
Sheldon & Amy’s relationship would go some way to justifying CBS’s constant demand of viewers that it’s ADORABLE, if Amy wasn’t constantly trying to get into Sheldon’s pants without his knowledge. If she wanted the TARDIS for herself, or for her and Sheldon to genuinely roleplay in, then that shows an equality of soul, or balance of intent at least. The fact that what Sheldon THINKS is happening is always completely at odds with what Amy has orchestrated, and that his thoughts are transparently innocent and childlike, whilst Amy’s are invariably sexualised, may be “funny”, but it’s about as far from adorable as you can get.
The disparity between their conceptions of “romance” is what apparently drives all Shamy scenes. They are NOT on the same wavelength in any respect. If they were, then there wouldn’t be any humour in their relationship (although I don’t find “awkward woman dementedly pursuing oblivious and emotionally distant man” funny as a trope).
Sheldon and Penny are on the same wavelength (in a strange intuitive way), but from completely different planets. When they clash neither withers or wilts, as they are equally strong characters, and unfailingly (sometimes rudely) honest with each other. It is a balanced relationship.
Possibly because it’s a friendship rather than a romance. Raj and Howard are similarly balanced, with Howard leading the way most of the time, but deferring to Raj’s greater sensitivity on some matters. Similarly, Sheldon may be ostensibly smarter than Penny, but he always consults her on social/emotional issues.
The friendships on this show are excellently done. (Except for Penny/Amy, which is completely unbelievable. Amy/Raj might be possible however)
The question is why cannot (or will not) TBBT write romantic relationships that are equally balanced? One member of each couple is weaker than the other, and it makes it unsettling to watch. Perhaps reality is like this (although all couples I know are equally matched…) but again, who asked for reality?
And where are the male/female friendships? Outside of Sheldon & Penny, whom we barely see together anymore.
And where are the Snowdens of yesteryear…
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"