The Existential Angst of Stuart Bloom

[FlyingMonkey]

Stuart is one of my faves. I actually think the actor is wasted on the show.

He started out so well until they tried to make him Raj's sidekick. The problem was, Raj was always the sidekick, so Stuart was delegated to the 'sidekicks sidekick'. It was hideously twisted and not unbelievable. Stuart should have taken over the alpha position and Raj should have remained the sidekick to him.

His melancholy is almost profound. Whereas Raj's melancholy verges on the I-want-to-kill-him!

Yes, Stuart is an underrated character. A lot of people on the TBBT Site have said that he's just used as a plot device, but I don't think that's fair. I always laugh at his lines and I actually find him more endearing than Raj, the second most pessimistic guy on the show. I also think he and Raj could have been a better beta-double act had the writers put a bit more into that little plot point.

The unpleasant thing about Raj is that he REALLY lets things go to his head. Ever since Raj said "later losers!" when he got a date with Lucy after that speech to the guys in the Comic Book Store about how special they were or something like that I thought: Hm. He's a bit of a dick when things go his way. I don't like how the show is slowly making it's "sweet" characters, e.g. quiet Raj, unaware Sheldon etc. more and more purposely mean spirited. How can we extend sympathy to someone who is unsympathetic towards people who struggle just like they do?
In short, I do prefer current Stuart to current Raj.

I agree. Stuart is pathetic, but in a charming, harmless, likable way. He's about the only character who doesn't have a nasty side.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

^ yes, there's a maturity about Stuart. He's been to hell and back but he's still remained likeable. I think they have pushed the desperation angle too far of late though.

[SpaceAnJL]

I've only seen early Stuart, but I actually rather liked him - put me in any group of people, and I will always gravitate to the folks having a discussion about Marvel vs DC, or the works of Alan Moore. Plus, he's kind to stray cats. Leonard's sabotage of his second date with Penny was another 'salt the banana slug' moment for me, even before the red mist of season 3 descended. He seems to have become increasingly hangdog, looking over this thread, which is sad. Like Witchdoctor Fantastic said, the gradual disintegration of the characters is painful - I suppose the showrunners believe that if they are sufficiently cartoon-like, it is somehow acceptable to taunt them. Sympathy is an alien concept.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Well put.

Taunting appeals to the lowest common denominator and the showrunners seem to think this is a recipe for continued success but it will eventually be the shows downfall. They are underestimating the audience too much. Give people great characters without making caricatures of them and they will be much more deeply appreciated in the long run.

[wellplayedpenny]

Well put.

Taunting appeals to the lowest common denominator and the showrunners seem to think this is a recipe for continued success but it will eventually be the shows downfall. They are underestimating the audience too much. Give people great characters without making caricatures of them and they will be much more deeply appreciated in the long run.

Not that I'm saying TBBT was the absolutely best television I'd ever seen but there was enough to the early seasons that if they ended it at season four I would have been satisfied. ... I never knew if it was BBC budget constraints or prudence that a lot of the shows that made it to Canada were limited runs but I really wish the Americans would look at the idea of limited series runs as a viable alternative. Of course all they seem to be interested in is money and viewership so my hope is in vain....

[Wisp]

I've only seen early Stuart, but I actually rather liked him - put me in any group of people, and I will always gravitate to the folks having a discussion about Marvel vs DC, or the works of Alan Moore. Plus, he's kind to stray cats. Leonard's sabotage of his second date with Penny was another 'salt the banana slug' moment for me, even before the red mist of season 3 descended. He seems to have become increasingly hangdog, looking over this thread, which is sad. Like Witchdoctor Fantastic said, the gradual disintegration of the characters is painful - I suppose the showrunners believe that if they are sufficiently cartoon-like, it is somehow acceptable to taunt them. Sympathy is an alien concept.

Yes, I don't think I've seen worse Flanderization on another show. I actually thought they'd done away with all their original writers; frankly that would have been less depressing.

[Wisp]

Ah, I found a picture of him smiling. Either that or he's in the middle of anxiously inhaling air through his teeth which I'm sure he does in every scene.

[wellplayedpenny]

I know it's a stupid rant but I'm tired of how TPTB crap on Stuart's store. I mean it looks virtually like my local store and I know that it took Brad years to amass the stock and space. That the guys are constantly pulling out moderately pricy silver-bronze age comics out of his comic bins when in reality they'd be up on the walls or behind the cash speaks about the capital Stuart has invested in the store (or more to the point that the writers really don't have a clue when it comes to comic books). ...7.13 shows his store as being 'as pathetic as Stuart is' and that's just mean--and wrong.

[Wisp]

I know it's a stupid rant but I'm tired of how TPTB crap on Stuart's store. I mean it looks virtually like my local store and I know that it took Brad years to amass the stock and space. That the guys are constantly pulling out moderately pricy silver-bronze age comics out of his comic bins when in reality they'd be up on the walls or behind the cash speaks about the capital Stuart has invested in the store (or more to the point that the writers really don't have a clue when it comes to comic books). ...7.13 shows his store as being 'as pathetic as Stuart is' and that's just mean--and wrong.

Yes, that bothers me too. I've always thought the store looked like a nice, well-stocked place.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

Yes that other flashy store looked cheap to me. Shame on Captain Sweatpants.