10-30-2014, 02:23 PM
This new idea that H. is the *most* immature out of the four guys, simply does not scan. Again, I think "immature" is not really the correct word for any of these characters, hence my distinction between "child-like" and "child-ish.", etc. There are *so many* early-seasons scenes where H. is the only one who will stand up to Sheldon, H. is the one trying to advise Raj or Leonard against doing something iffy, H. who cuts through the others' navel-gazing to find the simplest, most straightforward solution to a problem. That's why he and Raj are a complementary pair; they are Yin and Yang, H. is more calculating while R. is more about emotionalism.
Yes, Howard does some very silly things, too, and gets led astray by his own fantasies and delusions of grandeur. That's part of what makes him so fun. He's foolish about certain specific things, not foolish about life in general. He has areas of weakness, as every human being does. But he's *not* this helpless man-child who will do literally nothing unless his wife holds a gun to his head, about it. That's not merely a dilution of his former character, it's a reversal of his former character. A guy this lazy and feckless and emotionally defenseless couldn't accomplish the things Howard has accomplished. We hear so much about Howard being an immature man-child now, and while there were hints of that in his original characterization, it really makes me sick that *this* is the version of the character which people now accept as legit.
I just re-watched Codpiece Topology, an ep. where Howard doesn't even have many lines, yet I'm smacked in the face with "No, this guy is not an idiot, this guy is the one telling Leonard to knock it off and be reasonable."
When you look at the earlier seasons and then look at where we are now, it simply does not add up. There is no possible path from there to here. People who say that this is "character development" or "evolution" have zero understanding of what those words mean. This is TPTB tinkering with the works. I'm not sure what to call it, but it's something like "authorial interference" or "authorial intrusion." The writers come along like the hand of God and make arbitrary, artificial changes.
I'm more convinced than ever that they've simply given us different characters with the same names. It's really that simple. If they wanted to make a generic romcom, they should've simply ended BBT and made that new romcom. Instead, they did something very sneaky by hitching this new romcom onto an already-existing show. If Classic BBT were a boat, then Romcom BBT would be a stowaway.
Isn't there some type of bug or parasite which eats its host from the inside-out, until the host body is just a shell, with all its innards having been replaced by the predator? That's exactly what has happened, here. This is an imposter wearing BBT's clothes. The Big Bad Wolf ate Grandma and assumed her identity.
ETA: It's pretty sad that Howard had more dignity while he was wearing the Jester suit, than he does nowadays.
Yes, Howard does some very silly things, too, and gets led astray by his own fantasies and delusions of grandeur. That's part of what makes him so fun. He's foolish about certain specific things, not foolish about life in general. He has areas of weakness, as every human being does. But he's *not* this helpless man-child who will do literally nothing unless his wife holds a gun to his head, about it. That's not merely a dilution of his former character, it's a reversal of his former character. A guy this lazy and feckless and emotionally defenseless couldn't accomplish the things Howard has accomplished. We hear so much about Howard being an immature man-child now, and while there were hints of that in his original characterization, it really makes me sick that *this* is the version of the character which people now accept as legit.
I just re-watched Codpiece Topology, an ep. where Howard doesn't even have many lines, yet I'm smacked in the face with "No, this guy is not an idiot, this guy is the one telling Leonard to knock it off and be reasonable."
When you look at the earlier seasons and then look at where we are now, it simply does not add up. There is no possible path from there to here. People who say that this is "character development" or "evolution" have zero understanding of what those words mean. This is TPTB tinkering with the works. I'm not sure what to call it, but it's something like "authorial interference" or "authorial intrusion." The writers come along like the hand of God and make arbitrary, artificial changes.
I'm more convinced than ever that they've simply given us different characters with the same names. It's really that simple. If they wanted to make a generic romcom, they should've simply ended BBT and made that new romcom. Instead, they did something very sneaky by hitching this new romcom onto an already-existing show. If Classic BBT were a boat, then Romcom BBT would be a stowaway.
Isn't there some type of bug or parasite which eats its host from the inside-out, until the host body is just a shell, with all its innards having been replaced by the predator? That's exactly what has happened, here. This is an imposter wearing BBT's clothes. The Big Bad Wolf ate Grandma and assumed her identity.
ETA: It's pretty sad that Howard had more dignity while he was wearing the Jester suit, than he does nowadays.