10-14-2015, 08:50 AM
I'll just drop in my tuppence, although it hardly seems necessary when WPP's around, the eloquent bastard. 
First, I loved the Wolopali scenes. I fiendishly bloody adored them. Reminded me of the Cabaret joints in Glasgow. My friends do that sort of musical caper (although more apocalyptic and involving musical saws), and I think it's splendid.
Thor and Dr. Jones is the business. God knows what those sour-faced killjoys were complaining about. Stuart, a man who drinks Kahlua from a Wookie mug should be DELIGHTED by such a surreal affair. But yes, I get they needed a joke at the end. Anyroad, henceforth I would happily watch a show entirely featuring Howard and Raj. As a Sheldon Purist, this is quite unfortunate and surprising for me...
Because...Sheldon. Jim. What's going on here?
How is it that over the years, every other character has retained the same VOICE, mannerisms, vocal inflections and expressions, but Sheldon speaks in a completely different tone and has a wholly new set of idiosyncrasies? He doesn't even STAND the same. This is not growth, or regression, or anything related to character (for once). This is a continuity problem. And yes it's been going on since Season 5 (where it was worst of all), but after 9.02, where there were snippets of pure Vintage Sheldon, I thought the fucker was BACK. But no he isn't apparently. And this would have been the perfect excuse to recreate him. If Jim can't (or isn't allowed to) do Vintage Sheldon anymore, then...
I had a terrible thought whilst watching this. What if we got everything we wanted from this show, everything we keep complaining about as lost, came back, and then Sheldon himself let us down?
Because that's vaguely what's happening here. The Geekery is coming back- Hurrah! Sheldon is single again - Hurrah! The Interlopers have minimal scenes, Raj and Howard are absolutely back on form - Everything is moving into place for a return to the Vintage years. If they push it just a little further, and have Sheldon return to his focus on science, and increase the Sheldon/Penny scenes, that will essentially be (barring a Sheldon/Penny hook-up, obviously) all we've ever wanted from this show.
But if Jim Parsons' delivery is different, and his stance is different, and his voice is different...Then it's all worthless, because the suspension of disbelief is shattered. He's no longer Sheldon, he's an actor playing a character called Sheldon, but with none of Sheldon's recognisable quirks or mannerisms. I truly didn't see Sheldon at ALL in this episode, just Jim (lovely bloke, but
). And a show without Sheldon, for us at least, is nothing.
When he was discussing mustard in that clip last week he was Sheldon. When he was talking to AFF on Skype he was Sheldon. When he was kissing Penny, for godsake, he was STILL SHELDON. But he was NOT Sheldon for all of Season 5, 8, and about half of 6 and 7, and again not for this episode.
It's incredibly frustrating.
Stand up straight man! Do the voice!
Delivery aside, there's the not insignificant matter that they're retconning his character. As for that line about him being better off before P/L/A poisoned him with emotions...He had BETTER mean before he met Leonard and Penny, rather than Post-Girlfriend Season 5-9 Sheldon, who was something of a heartless dickensian at times.
Sheldon of S1-4 was one of the most emotional, flouncy bastards possible. Certainly FAR more than Raj or Howard. He cried over the death of a robot for heaven's sake. He was deeply hurt when Leonard sabotaged his arctic experiment, incredibly overwhelmed and grateful for Penny's present, ravaged by guilt over potentially jeopardising Howard's security clearance, and constantly in a state of injured pride, offence, confusion, all over the bloody shop, coupled with his emotional dependency on Penny whenever he was ill, or kicked out of the apartment, and his returning of the favour when she was "a type of being sick", not to mention the numerous kindness of financial assistance, helping her with Penny Blossoms, teaching her physics, driving her to hospital and attempting to be comforting, his endeavours to avoid hurting Leonard's feelings, or keep Penny's secrets. Etc etc.
And in all of these years, he never did anything truly nasty. He was merely honest. The TWO times he sought revenge were prompted by Leonard and Amy. Otherwise his natural inclination was merely to sulk. Now, counter that with the absolute ARSE he's been in Season 5-9, with multiple attempts at revenge, particularly towards Amy, and his outright malice and rudeness towards people, no longer justified by obliviousness, and this fucker is supposed to have GROWN?
Gah!
As for the rest...Penny. Why is she so joyless and proper? Is this what being a "wife" is?
Anyroad. It's a very strange thing seeing Jim Parsons in this world populated by Vintage Howard and Raj and Leonard. And this strange, tired, adult version of Penny. It's as WPP said, like a battle between the Vintage years and the current relationship waffle. I appreciate what they're trying to do with Sheldon's character, and it's a damn sight more interesting than Season 8, but if it's not believable AS Sheldon, because of whatever acting direction they're giving Jim, then it slips into the ocean.
I give it 1 for the magnificent exuberance of the "Footprints on the Moon", and for the plot itself, which I appreciated greatly, even if I couldn't believe in Sheldon.
(That was a very fecking lengthy tuppence, I do apologise)
First, I loved the Wolopali scenes. I fiendishly bloody adored them. Reminded me of the Cabaret joints in Glasgow. My friends do that sort of musical caper (although more apocalyptic and involving musical saws), and I think it's splendid.
Thor and Dr. Jones is the business. God knows what those sour-faced killjoys were complaining about. Stuart, a man who drinks Kahlua from a Wookie mug should be DELIGHTED by such a surreal affair. But yes, I get they needed a joke at the end. Anyroad, henceforth I would happily watch a show entirely featuring Howard and Raj. As a Sheldon Purist, this is quite unfortunate and surprising for me...Because...Sheldon. Jim. What's going on here?
How is it that over the years, every other character has retained the same VOICE, mannerisms, vocal inflections and expressions, but Sheldon speaks in a completely different tone and has a wholly new set of idiosyncrasies? He doesn't even STAND the same. This is not growth, or regression, or anything related to character (for once). This is a continuity problem. And yes it's been going on since Season 5 (where it was worst of all), but after 9.02, where there were snippets of pure Vintage Sheldon, I thought the fucker was BACK. But no he isn't apparently. And this would have been the perfect excuse to recreate him. If Jim can't (or isn't allowed to) do Vintage Sheldon anymore, then...
I had a terrible thought whilst watching this. What if we got everything we wanted from this show, everything we keep complaining about as lost, came back, and then Sheldon himself let us down?
Because that's vaguely what's happening here. The Geekery is coming back- Hurrah! Sheldon is single again - Hurrah! The Interlopers have minimal scenes, Raj and Howard are absolutely back on form - Everything is moving into place for a return to the Vintage years. If they push it just a little further, and have Sheldon return to his focus on science, and increase the Sheldon/Penny scenes, that will essentially be (barring a Sheldon/Penny hook-up, obviously) all we've ever wanted from this show.
But if Jim Parsons' delivery is different, and his stance is different, and his voice is different...Then it's all worthless, because the suspension of disbelief is shattered. He's no longer Sheldon, he's an actor playing a character called Sheldon, but with none of Sheldon's recognisable quirks or mannerisms. I truly didn't see Sheldon at ALL in this episode, just Jim (lovely bloke, but
). And a show without Sheldon, for us at least, is nothing.When he was discussing mustard in that clip last week he was Sheldon. When he was talking to AFF on Skype he was Sheldon. When he was kissing Penny, for godsake, he was STILL SHELDON. But he was NOT Sheldon for all of Season 5, 8, and about half of 6 and 7, and again not for this episode.
It's incredibly frustrating.
Stand up straight man! Do the voice!
Delivery aside, there's the not insignificant matter that they're retconning his character. As for that line about him being better off before P/L/A poisoned him with emotions...He had BETTER mean before he met Leonard and Penny, rather than Post-Girlfriend Season 5-9 Sheldon, who was something of a heartless dickensian at times.
Sheldon of S1-4 was one of the most emotional, flouncy bastards possible. Certainly FAR more than Raj or Howard. He cried over the death of a robot for heaven's sake. He was deeply hurt when Leonard sabotaged his arctic experiment, incredibly overwhelmed and grateful for Penny's present, ravaged by guilt over potentially jeopardising Howard's security clearance, and constantly in a state of injured pride, offence, confusion, all over the bloody shop, coupled with his emotional dependency on Penny whenever he was ill, or kicked out of the apartment, and his returning of the favour when she was "a type of being sick", not to mention the numerous kindness of financial assistance, helping her with Penny Blossoms, teaching her physics, driving her to hospital and attempting to be comforting, his endeavours to avoid hurting Leonard's feelings, or keep Penny's secrets. Etc etc.
And in all of these years, he never did anything truly nasty. He was merely honest. The TWO times he sought revenge were prompted by Leonard and Amy. Otherwise his natural inclination was merely to sulk. Now, counter that with the absolute ARSE he's been in Season 5-9, with multiple attempts at revenge, particularly towards Amy, and his outright malice and rudeness towards people, no longer justified by obliviousness, and this fucker is supposed to have GROWN?
Gah!
As for the rest...Penny. Why is she so joyless and proper? Is this what being a "wife" is?
Anyroad. It's a very strange thing seeing Jim Parsons in this world populated by Vintage Howard and Raj and Leonard. And this strange, tired, adult version of Penny. It's as WPP said, like a battle between the Vintage years and the current relationship waffle. I appreciate what they're trying to do with Sheldon's character, and it's a damn sight more interesting than Season 8, but if it's not believable AS Sheldon, because of whatever acting direction they're giving Jim, then it slips into the ocean.
I give it 1
for the magnificent exuberance of the "Footprints on the Moon", and for the plot itself, which I appreciated greatly, even if I couldn't believe in Sheldon.(That was a very fecking lengthy tuppence, I do apologise)
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"