05-31-2015, 06:33 AM
The relationship that has attempted to address this is the one between Mary Cooper and Sheldon. When she returns and refuses to go to the lecture with Sheldon she says to him that he's no longer a child and that their relationship dynamic has to change.
What makes this hard to judge as to the success of the new dynamic is that Sheldon has regressed so much over the later seasons. His heavy-handed childishness automatically tips the scales into a parent-toddler dynamic. E.G. s8 episode with Beverly and Mary--Sheldon was so Jim Parsons-bouncy he was a distraction from the humour because he couldn't hold a coherent conversation.
As the seasons go on and the guys become more infantilized this will put the 'adult' roles further askew as the writers seek to balance over-the-top childishness with overbearing bully tactics.
Isn't it funny that the message in s1 with Kurt was something like Leonard and Sheldon and Howard and Raj weren't 'men' because of their hobbies and overall 'geekiness' and now TPTB have fully realized this by taking away all notions that the guys are emotionally and intellectually adults even within their own areas of expertise (Howard picked on by the other astronauts; Kripke pulling the radio prank on Sheldon).
Maybe this is why I find the later seasons characters so fundamentally sad.
What makes this hard to judge as to the success of the new dynamic is that Sheldon has regressed so much over the later seasons. His heavy-handed childishness automatically tips the scales into a parent-toddler dynamic. E.G. s8 episode with Beverly and Mary--Sheldon was so Jim Parsons-bouncy he was a distraction from the humour because he couldn't hold a coherent conversation.
As the seasons go on and the guys become more infantilized this will put the 'adult' roles further askew as the writers seek to balance over-the-top childishness with overbearing bully tactics.
Isn't it funny that the message in s1 with Kurt was something like Leonard and Sheldon and Howard and Raj weren't 'men' because of their hobbies and overall 'geekiness' and now TPTB have fully realized this by taking away all notions that the guys are emotionally and intellectually adults even within their own areas of expertise (Howard picked on by the other astronauts; Kripke pulling the radio prank on Sheldon).
Maybe this is why I find the later seasons characters so fundamentally sad.
Let's go exploring!