9.02 The Separation Oscillation

[Nutz]

I think there are a couple of things that really caught my attention in last nights episode and surprisingly coming from someone who considers herself a Shenny......it comes back to Shelnard.

The kiss was HOT,  I mean like ghost pepper hot! What I found interesting is what Leonard's subconscious is telling him, and although it's no surprise to see that he thinks Penny would cheat on him (while he's watching no less) It is surprising to see the way he envisions Sheldon.  It showed That Leonard sees Sheldon as a dominate alpha man, who if he actually WANTED to kiss someone without it being contractually obligated, would put all the passion he gives in his job, his boards, and his spot

Which makes some of the things that was said during his "therapy" session scene with Mandy more interesting.

Leonard: I recently got married!
Mandy: Congratulations! To Sheldon?
Leonard (to himself): That never gets old.

So Mandy thinks he's in a relationship with Sheldon and from his response we can assume this happens all the time even with him passing out pictures, showing movie clips, and telling people Penny's his girlfriend..

Leonard: I have this dream that I'm in a cave nursing a Baby, and when I look down it has Sheldons head
Mandy: And your wife is worried about me?

I guess People can psychoanalyze this one to death that He sees himself as Sheldons caregiver, but when you get down to it, isn't caregiving part of what a spouse gives? And it still comes down to love

There is another possibillity that frightened me. Namely that Berny could know about that Penny could cheat him too.
If the writers do THAT, than the character "Penny" (in regard to coherence and personality) is really dead!

Ratman, although this didn't happen, they did rewrite Penny's character last night to be a serial cheater. When talking with the girls she admitted that she started dating Leonard cause she didn't want to date the guys like the ones who (she knew) would eventually cheat on her since she was the other woman when they left their girlfriends for her.

[devilbk]

Technically that doesn't make Penny a cheater. It makes her cheat-bait.

[wellplayedpenny]

Gripe, I suck at cut and paste, so this is a disembodied reply to your character/plot comment.

The construction of a sitcom (or any other creative venture I guess) must be an interesting thing. When we look at the lore behind the origins of BBT it's the concept of two scientists and a world-weary woman coming together. Then comes the character-building and we have Leonard and Sheldon. Now the concept physicists had to put up with a lot of crap from their neighbour and, perhaps, it seemed funny on paper. BUT when played out to the test audience it fell flat. Why? Because the audience 'felt protective' of Leonard and Sheldon.

At least Lorre et al realized that they had something special in Leonard and Sheldon—they just weren't sure what. They thought that if the audience liked two nerdy scientists, then we'll give them more nerdy scientists. Enter Howard and Raj. So, we have another instance where the concept becomes fleshed out.

Then things get fun.

Because the writers get to flex their muscles, expanding the characterizations through plot (as IMO good writing does. Telling over showing really sucks for me), the plots can be rather unorthodox because they are being deliberately shaped (and reshaped) by a forming character continuity. The whole tracking down the America's Next Top Model house is a plot. HOW they went about finding it (star charts, satellites, drones) says a lot about Howard and Raj and, at the same time, made for a hilarious plotline.

So for me, when a story (or show) is really rocking, I find the episodes and characters interlinked. The plots display character traits, quirks, reasonings and their consequences. When I write I simultaneously recall plot scenarios and how the character reacted to it.

I get what you're saying about Ahab in the midst of 'Whaling 101', but for me, Sheldon, as a character construct, could have only come to be because of the plot-characterization synthesis. Sheldon would not be who he is in s1-4 if he originated on Friends or Frazier. Or if he did form into our Sheldon, what a whacked up version of Friends and Frazier we'd have!

At some point, however, there comes a separation between plot and character almost as if the audience goes through a 'yeah, yeah, I get it, he does this. But what if he did that?' And then we're cooking with gas. The character grows yet again, only this time outside of the canon-safe zone of 'official episode.' He can be in any situation because there is a core to him that remains fundamentally 'true' and recognizable to the fan fiction writer.

On the telly, the quickest way to progress the maturation of a character is through the actors. How something is said, the look, the gesture, adds to the core of the character until they become inseparable. The connection Jim and Kaley has elevates their banter as her grin to his scowl generates a sense of realness to their characters.

But of course, at the end of the day Sheldon and Penny are constructs and, as such, are at the mercy of Those That Be. The only reason why they are not together or on a movie set in Vancouver is because TPTB doesn't want them to. The characters are bound by the four walls of the episode and in the case of BBT, which doesn't have a strong suit for continuity in later seasons, are subject to what an outside observer would call a 'personality transplant'.

That's what's so grating to me about the later seasons. The writers have trod over their own constructs, the character traits defined and reinforced by 'canon' (backstory/history) via previous episodes. As a viewer, the Sheldon I got to know via quirks, traits, mannerism, etc is NOT the Sheldon I see in s5-9. He is Sheldon in name only because he is no longer consistent with his origins. I'm not saying that the character has to remain in a bubble, never changing, BUT that the changes have to occur without sacrificing the core traits that make him/her identifiable (and relatable?) to the audience. Otherwise, you could replace Sheldon with another character and go on with the seasons and it would have nearly the same effect. I say nearly because, of course, TPTB are counting on the sentiment for (Vintage) Sheldon to gloss over anything they do with (New) Sheldon.

It's sticklers like us who find ourselves betrayed by the bait and switch of both characters and plotlines (the focus from friendships to relationships) that are enraged by this change. It shits on not just our enjoyment of a quality show but, even more inexcusable, it completely defiles the genius used to create such a wonderful character as Sheldon. The casual viewer might not have noticed the technicalities behind what is going on but they are aware that something has happened—because people know the show is not as funny as it once was. The most notable change has been called out—the relationship focus—but whether the audience dismisses the character 'growth' bullshit and demands a return to the familiar protagonists they watched (and connected with) remains to be seen.

[Jomi25]

Damn it, I just find myself staring at these awesome GIFs and grinning stupidly. Ahhhhh! All the little movements Jim did were just perfect! I think my favorite was when he placed his hand on Kaley's lower back and pulled her closer. *blushes* And Kaley looked like she was smiling a bit when they were kissing. I know she's been 100% behind Lenny's back, but she might have been enjoying that ecstatic crowd reaction to their kiss.

Oh, where is a BTS footage for this moment? I might be wishing for too much already. XD

BTW, yeah, Penny being the 'other woman' is definitely another re-write. I thought Kurt cheated on her? Now, she's married to another cheater. It ticks me off how everything's sun & rainbows between them again by the end and then, surprise surprise, make-up sex! Boy, this couple is a recipe for disaster.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

BTW, yeah, Penny being the 'other woman' is definitely another re-write. I thought Kurt cheated on her? Now, she's married to another cheater. It ticks me off how everything's sun & rainbows between them again by the end and then, surprise surprise, make-up sex! Boy, this couple is a recipe for disaster.

Yes, Kurt DID cheat on her and this was the entire basis for Penny giving Leonard a chance in the first place.

I like that gif as well, also the one where his hand travels up to her shoulder. THAT is just lovely. Kaley has such an hour glass figure, its like Jims hand didn't expect such curves on the way down.

[Kimk26]

Ratings were low, as I predicted. 14.88 million and a 3.6 demo. (so far. Although I can't find a clarification of this)

The premiere ROYALLY peeved people. And the next one only promised more angst.

Should have used the kiss in the promo lads! No-one (other than a few hundred obsessional fans) knew it was coming!

Or used ANY Sheldon/Penny scene. Or indeed ANY scene that wasn't more couples fighting.

MARKETING NEEDS MORE WORK.

*whip*

 

Yes I'm meant to be asleep. 36,000 likes and rising...

Anyroad - Fun With Flags and Amy Farrah Fowler being cranky was all the Promo showed of 9.02, so you know where to direct the blame.

Not on OUR dance floor mateybob.

Okay, Gripe..my thoughts on the ratings (without the promo, yeah).. Maybe they're going to base last night's numbers on the reaction from the premiere, and then base next week's episode numbers on this one. You know, 'cos last week's premiere just upset so many people, they might figure that less people then tuned in for the second episode. So if next week they get high numbers, they may attribute it to last night's show, because they're getting such great reviews/feedback. Just a thought.

Secondly..here's some numbers/info from the CBS site:

First of all, what they have for last night's episode is the actual full episode, as well as the highlights. Interesting which portions of the episode they've highlighted. There's THREE:
1. "Angry Amy" (this being the scene with FWF, as well as her showing up at the door and Sheldon being happy that he got her attention/feeling encouraged she still likes him)
2. "Getting Cheesy" (the Lenny make-up scene..funny, apparently even CBS considers it cheesy!), and 
3. "Sheldon Kisses Penny" (the entirety of the lip-lock)

Here are the numbers on these as far as social media reactions:

1. "Angry Amy":  (Shamy scene)                    1 Facebook Like, 0 Tweets                       
2. "Getting Cheesy":  (Lenny scene)               0 Facebook Likes, 0 Tweets
3. "Sheldon Kisses Penny":  (Shenny scene)   19K (that's 19,000) Facebook Likes, 319 Tweets

Think it's rather obvious what they're doing by choosing these particular scenes to highlight. They're gauging.

Also, worth mentioning, last week's episode highlight:

"The Vows": (The only Lenny scene that seemed to have any meaning/Molaro's favorite) 0 Facebook Likes, 0 Tweets.

Not sure how much stock we put in for the CBS site, but still, it's a perspective!

[Kimk26]

I will stop posting these gifs....eventually.

By Andysambergs





Now which one to have as my new avatar? Choices, choices.

Yeah, PJ..I really liked this from Andy Samberg..how he zoomed in on the details..that's great..

[Kimk26]

I think there are a couple of things that really caught my attention in last nights episode and surprisingly coming from someone who considers herself a Shenny......it comes back to Shelnard.

The kiss was HOT,  I mean like ghost pepper hot! What I found interesting is what Leonard's subconscious is telling him, and although it's no surprise to see that he thinks Penny would cheat on him (while he's watching no less) It is surprising to see the way he envisions Sheldon.  It showed That Leonard sees Sheldon as a dominate alpha man, who if he actually WANTED to kiss someone without it being contractually obligated, would put all the passion he gives in his job, his boards, and his spot

Which makes some of the things that was said during his "therapy" session scene with Mandy more interesting.

Leonard: I recently got married!
Mandy: Congratulations! To Sheldon?
Leonard (to himself): That never gets old.

So Mandy thinks he's in a relationship with Sheldon and from his response we can assume this happens all the time even with him passing out pictures, showing movie clips, and telling people Penny's his girlfriend..

Leonard: I have this dream that I'm in a cave nursing a Baby, and when I look down it has Sheldons head
Mandy: And your wife is worried about me?

I guess People can psychoanalyze this one to death that He sees himself as Sheldons caregiver, but when you get down to it, isn't caregiving part of what a spouse gives? And it still comes down to love


Ratman, although this didn't happen, they did rewrite Penny's character last night to be a serial cheater. When talking with the girls she admitted that she started dating Leonard cause she didn't want to date the guys like the ones who (she knew) would eventually cheat on her since she was the other woman when they left their girlfriends for her.

And yeah, Penny has admitted in earlier seasons about going out with guys who were already taken. I seem to recall something about "dry-humping" her friend's boyfriend?

[Idle Miscreant]

"You know, sometimes stuff just happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it. For example, Lisa Peterson hasn’t talked to me since the 11th grade, because no matter how much you apologize, you can’t go back and un-dry-hump someone’s boyfriend."




The Apology Insufficiency, 4x7

[Nutz]

And yeah, Penny has admitted in earlier seasons about going out with guys who were already taken. I seem to recall something about "dry-humping" her friend's boyfriend?

true, but it's a little different with a drunken dumb high school mistake (that she regretted) and she knowingly went after guys she knew were in relationships.

Although some Vintage people will say Season 4 was the beginning of the "new improved" BBT