09-20-2014, 09:13 AM
I absolutely do not believe that the Howard from S1-S2 had any burning desire to become a father, or any particular fondness for children. I could see Raj being good with kids, I think Vintage Howard would be indifferent to them. He wouldn't want to share his toys 
Yes, people's priorities can evolve and change as they get older, but this "Howie wants a baby" concept makes me sick. If anything, Early Howard seemed like someone who might have a mild dislike of kids.
**It's not just me, either, because I've seen more than one fanfic written way back in the pre-Bernadette era which had this same interpretation of his character: mild dislike of kids.***
There's character development, and then there's blatant retconning. This is simply not the same guy from 2007. It's just not.
I can see the argument that if Howard's Dad abandoned him, he doesn't want to repeat that same mistake and wants to be part of a happier family than the one he came from. But personally, I find the "Howard's Dad" storyline melodramatic and unnecessary. Prior to Season 3, I think we all understood that H's dad was out of the picture; there was no need to spell it out. Plenty of people nowadays grew up with just one parent; there's nothing especially shocking or noteworthy about that. As I was saying in the chat box, I don't think a sitcom character needs much backstory. The more backstory you keep adding, the more it places limits on what you can do with the character.
If I weren't feeling lazy ATM, I could post quotes from several "old" fanfics that support what I'm saying, here.
What I *would* like to see, tbh, is Howard with a pet. Raj has a pet, why can't Howard have a pet? He's probably allergic to fur, but I think he would have an unusual pet, like a ferret. Wouldn't that be adorable, Howard's pet ferret? For some reason that seems very IC and fitting, to me.
Also, I thought Raj would be more of a cat person than a dog person, but whatever. I'm an animal-lover, I want all of the characters to have pets, lol.
Nobody in their right mind could prefer Passive Schmaltzy Married Howard over Deliciously Naughty Howard. Just look at his facial expression. This is that infamous "thousand condoms" conversation. It's when he's being a nasty smart-mouthed S.O.B. that I want to cuddle him, not when he's buying necklaces for what's-her-face, or whatever.
![[Image: bgaio8.png]](http://i57.tinypic.com/bgaio8.png)
And nobody will ever, ever convince me that Flirty Howard was a one-dimensional character. He had his moments of self-doubt and vulnerability. Here we see one of *several* occasions in the early seasons where he starts to cry in front of the guys. It's played for comedy, but it's still an interesting character-moment:
These small moments of emotion from the characters are so much more skillfully-handled and IC than all this grim, dreary, overplayed sh*t that came later. H. was always a very emotional character, and you don't need big-deal storylines like a wedding or the Letter, to bring that out and demonstrate it. Keep it simple.
The point is, I've never said that I only want to see the characters in their happy and exuberant moments. I want to be with them in their moments of sadness and disappointment, too. But in a comedy, those moments need to be handled with a very light and careful touch, and not over-emphasized.
Yes, people's priorities can evolve and change as they get older, but this "Howie wants a baby" concept makes me sick. If anything, Early Howard seemed like someone who might have a mild dislike of kids.
**It's not just me, either, because I've seen more than one fanfic written way back in the pre-Bernadette era which had this same interpretation of his character: mild dislike of kids.***
There's character development, and then there's blatant retconning. This is simply not the same guy from 2007. It's just not.
I can see the argument that if Howard's Dad abandoned him, he doesn't want to repeat that same mistake and wants to be part of a happier family than the one he came from. But personally, I find the "Howard's Dad" storyline melodramatic and unnecessary. Prior to Season 3, I think we all understood that H's dad was out of the picture; there was no need to spell it out. Plenty of people nowadays grew up with just one parent; there's nothing especially shocking or noteworthy about that. As I was saying in the chat box, I don't think a sitcom character needs much backstory. The more backstory you keep adding, the more it places limits on what you can do with the character.
If I weren't feeling lazy ATM, I could post quotes from several "old" fanfics that support what I'm saying, here.
What I *would* like to see, tbh, is Howard with a pet. Raj has a pet, why can't Howard have a pet? He's probably allergic to fur, but I think he would have an unusual pet, like a ferret. Wouldn't that be adorable, Howard's pet ferret? For some reason that seems very IC and fitting, to me.
Also, I thought Raj would be more of a cat person than a dog person, but whatever. I'm an animal-lover, I want all of the characters to have pets, lol.
Nobody in their right mind could prefer Passive Schmaltzy Married Howard over Deliciously Naughty Howard. Just look at his facial expression. This is that infamous "thousand condoms" conversation. It's when he's being a nasty smart-mouthed S.O.B. that I want to cuddle him, not when he's buying necklaces for what's-her-face, or whatever.
And nobody will ever, ever convince me that Flirty Howard was a one-dimensional character. He had his moments of self-doubt and vulnerability. Here we see one of *several* occasions in the early seasons where he starts to cry in front of the guys. It's played for comedy, but it's still an interesting character-moment:
These small moments of emotion from the characters are so much more skillfully-handled and IC than all this grim, dreary, overplayed sh*t that came later. H. was always a very emotional character, and you don't need big-deal storylines like a wedding or the Letter, to bring that out and demonstrate it. Keep it simple.
The point is, I've never said that I only want to see the characters in their happy and exuberant moments. I want to be with them in their moments of sadness and disappointment, too. But in a comedy, those moments need to be handled with a very light and careful touch, and not over-emphasized.