04-17-2015, 03:04 PM
Following any of WPP's reviews is like following Rachmaninoff with Shave and a Haircut....so I won't even try.
I rather liked that episode. Wine/Morlock Ratio: 6:1
The alien tag scene. Not only very amusing, but gives the show that extra dimension of surrealism.
Penny adopting the triple knock. Also talking to Sheldon in the first place. Sheldon & Penny's interactions remain the soul of the show.
Simon Helberg. He's an expert at his role, and is the only character who's portrayal has remained consistent. Wonderful to watch always. Give the fucker an Emmy.
Leonard and Raj getting weepy over E.T
No relationships (other than H/B) and minimal Amy. Her style is too heavy for this show. It feels suffocating when the character's around.
Penny's return to acting, however fleeting.
Sheldon. What are you doing dear fellow...
Aside from a slight return to Vintage Sheldon when he's around Penny, on the whole the character is so far from the original, that far from idolising the bastard, like I did (and still do) for Seasons 1-3 Sheldon, I find him so objectionable now that I was close to covering my eyes at certain points. And EARS! Cripes he's loud.
And he's the whole reason I watch!
This is no slur against Jim, who is a remarkable actor. And what he's doing now might indeed have validity as a new, distinct character. The problem is, it's not the one that made the show great. It's obviously not just the mannerisms, it's the whole CONCEPT of Sheldon which has shifted, from cynical eccentric alien genius (a Blackadderish character), to clownish, shouty, toddler (a Mr Bean character). Season 2 Sheldon wouldn't have sung those songs.
It doesn't matter whether you have "proof" of change (although simply watching Season 2 followed by Season 8 should be enough), or whether a vast amount of people notice this change - When you go from wanting to spend the rest of your life in the company of one fictional character, to not wanting to share a room for five minutes with that same character, then SOMETHING has altered.
His character is too over the top, too abrasive. Too idiotic, frankly. How could anyone look at Season 8 Sheldon (or Season 5,6,7 for that matter) and think "This man is a genius." Or even exceptional in any way. He's just a very loud bloke now. And he seems "crazy" in a genuinely off-putting way. Previously I would certainly trust him as leader in a post-apocalyptic scenario, for example. I very much doubt he could open a can of beans at the moment.
Who the HELL would give this loopy fellow money to do serious scientific research? I get the impression he'd spend it on an inflatable beach toy. Or a balloon he could chase.
I was very interested to watch an episode without Farrah Fowler or relationships in it, to see if that was blocking my appreciation of TBBT on the whole, and thus to see if my interest in the show rekindled. To some extent it has. I can SEE how the show could work in the way it used to (in my/our opinion) in the Vintage years. The feel of this episode was quite light, and enjoyable. It felt very Season 4-ish. The writing is as sharp as ever for the incidental scenes, and Leonard, Howard and Raj are still reliably themselves in mannerisms.
But other than that eyebrow-wiggle in the Shenny triple knock scene, I can't SEE Sheldon anymore. I certainly can't believe in him. This is frustrating, as I know Parsons can still "do" Sheldon...As said, with scenes with Penny he generally regains his character. The writers can certainly still write for Sheldon, they created him after all.
So why don't they? What (or whose) directorial decision is this? And do they realise they're destroying the show by not only directing its focus away from individuals and friendship, and towards bondage and marriage, but by turning its heart into an outlandish caricature?
This character might be popular with some folk now, but he's not eternal, like Vintage Sheldon. And eternity should be what one is after, surely? Especially with syndication rights...
Return the character to his old self. Bounce him off Penny. Increase the friendships. Decrease the romance. Increase the alien tag scenes. That is all.
I rather liked that episode. Wine/Morlock Ratio: 6:1
The alien tag scene. Not only very amusing, but gives the show that extra dimension of surrealism. Penny adopting the triple knock. Also talking to Sheldon in the first place. Sheldon & Penny's interactions remain the soul of the show. Simon Helberg. He's an expert at his role, and is the only character who's portrayal has remained consistent. Wonderful to watch always. Give the fucker an Emmy. Leonard and Raj getting weepy over E.T No relationships (other than H/B) and minimal Amy. Her style is too heavy for this show. It feels suffocating when the character's around. Penny's return to acting, however fleeting. Sheldon. What are you doing dear fellow... Aside from a slight return to Vintage Sheldon when he's around Penny, on the whole the character is so far from the original, that far from idolising the bastard, like I did (and still do) for Seasons 1-3 Sheldon, I find him so objectionable now that I was close to covering my eyes at certain points. And EARS! Cripes he's loud.
And he's the whole reason I watch!
This is no slur against Jim, who is a remarkable actor. And what he's doing now might indeed have validity as a new, distinct character. The problem is, it's not the one that made the show great. It's obviously not just the mannerisms, it's the whole CONCEPT of Sheldon which has shifted, from cynical eccentric alien genius (a Blackadderish character), to clownish, shouty, toddler (a Mr Bean character). Season 2 Sheldon wouldn't have sung those songs.
It doesn't matter whether you have "proof" of change (although simply watching Season 2 followed by Season 8 should be enough), or whether a vast amount of people notice this change - When you go from wanting to spend the rest of your life in the company of one fictional character, to not wanting to share a room for five minutes with that same character, then SOMETHING has altered.
His character is too over the top, too abrasive. Too idiotic, frankly. How could anyone look at Season 8 Sheldon (or Season 5,6,7 for that matter) and think "This man is a genius." Or even exceptional in any way. He's just a very loud bloke now. And he seems "crazy" in a genuinely off-putting way. Previously I would certainly trust him as leader in a post-apocalyptic scenario, for example. I very much doubt he could open a can of beans at the moment.
Who the HELL would give this loopy fellow money to do serious scientific research? I get the impression he'd spend it on an inflatable beach toy. Or a balloon he could chase.
I was very interested to watch an episode without Farrah Fowler or relationships in it, to see if that was blocking my appreciation of TBBT on the whole, and thus to see if my interest in the show rekindled. To some extent it has. I can SEE how the show could work in the way it used to (in my/our opinion) in the Vintage years. The feel of this episode was quite light, and enjoyable. It felt very Season 4-ish. The writing is as sharp as ever for the incidental scenes, and Leonard, Howard and Raj are still reliably themselves in mannerisms.
But other than that eyebrow-wiggle in the Shenny triple knock scene, I can't SEE Sheldon anymore. I certainly can't believe in him. This is frustrating, as I know Parsons can still "do" Sheldon...As said, with scenes with Penny he generally regains his character. The writers can certainly still write for Sheldon, they created him after all.
So why don't they? What (or whose) directorial decision is this? And do they realise they're destroying the show by not only directing its focus away from individuals and friendship, and towards bondage and marriage, but by turning its heart into an outlandish caricature?
This character might be popular with some folk now, but he's not eternal, like Vintage Sheldon. And eternity should be what one is after, surely? Especially with syndication rights...
Return the character to his old self. Bounce him off Penny. Increase the friendships. Decrease the romance. Increase the alien tag scenes. That is all.
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"