7.16 The Table Polarization

[Gamma]

So that episode was painful to watch. Why anyone would be okay with such blatant manipulation of a character is beyond me. Especially since tptb would have us believe that Amy cares about Sheldon all the while showing us how little she respects him. Why on earth would she want to stay with someone she treats with such disdain. This is not funny, its not cute, its mean spirited and uncomfortable.

Then there was the rest of the episode.

[Jislane35]

So that episode was painful to watch. Why anyone would be okay with such blantant manipulation of a character is beyond me. Especially since tptb would have us believe that Amy cares about Sheldon all the while showing us how little she respects him. Why on earth would she want to stay with someone she treats with such disdain. This is not funny, its not cute, its mean spirited and uncomfortable.

Then there was the rest of the episode.

What is it about him that she even cares about? That he stop it with the snobby attitude, discomfort with change, rules, and control issues because it makes it harder for her to push him around and have him do whatever she wishes? It's obvious that she won't allow anyone else to manipulate Sheldon if it isn't her unless they're on her side of course. She could care less on how he treats others she just needs to make sure that he'll learn to treat her like the 'queen she is.' (more like vixen).

[Idle Miscreant]

What an incredibly…weird episode. On the one hand you had an aspect of Vintage Sheldon present in the form of Super Villain Sheldon (with a few extra Jiminy-isms thrown in)….but only the superficial mannerisms were there, because ultimately he was manipulated left right and centre, so it looked like a child playing Super Villain dress-up.

Another episode, also, which seems to demonstrate Sheldon’s complete lack of interest in Amy romantically, or even deeply emotionally. He sees her as someone ON HIS SIDE and as an intellectual playmate, but as soon as that balance is altered, he’s willing to jettison her, as he’s threatened several times before. He's FOND of her, but he's also fond of Trains and Wil Wheaton (and Gollum), it is not a romantic connection, no matter how many times he repeats the word "girlfriend". Bar that ridiculous moment last episode, it comes across as a pre-school friendship if anything. And what the hell is wrong with him merely having a friend? Why force these two poor (once unique) sods into such an arbitrary and conventional scenario?

They live in completely separate worlds. She understands enough of his to be able to predict and alter his behaviour, as is shown over and over again, but the fact that throughout all these alterations he thinks something quite different is going on, makes the relationship somewhat akin to one of those Interrogation Boxes with the two-way mirror. Sheldon lives in his own world, populated by reflected versions of himself (and the occasional intruder like Penny), and Amy stands outside watching him, and dicking around with the controls. Except that instead of merely changing the temperature, lighting and possibly oxygen content, until he’s more manageable, she’s levering the very delicate controls of his psyche.

What the hell does she get out of this? In some episodes she does seem genuinely fond of him, but in others she seems barely able to stand his “quirks”. There’s a fairly obvious dichotomy between her image of Sheldon and the actual Sheldon.

Is she in love with the concept of a “Boyfriend” in the same way that Sheldon has accepted the protocol of having a “Girlfriend”? Any groupie would have worked for him. He was delighted with Ramona until she started curtailing his funtime, which I’m sure Amy would love to do if she had the testicular fortitude. If I have to hear one more bloody comment about “stupid space movies”….

Sheldon signed the Relationship Agreement to gain exclusivity over her company, because he likes control, is jealous, and possessive of his “things”, which to him includes human beings. She’s just another object to order and structure around him (like the routines we see bugger all about nowadays), the fact that most of time she’s ordering and structuring HIM, doesn’t alter how it works in Sheldon’s head.

Sheldon frets terribly over perceived betrayals, allegiances, and time spent with anyone else other than Sheldon. This applies to everyone he knows. There is no distinction with how he treats Amy. If anything he seems to act like he’s in a relationship with LEONARD. Episode 7.2 was just a blatant, extended “lovers’ spat” for chrissake!

And at least he bought him a pretty hat!



Bah. I'm in a terrible mood. I'll go away and see if I can think of something positive to say. It probably won't be about this episode though. If I were a "Vintage Shamy" fan I'd be bloody furious as well. She was meant to be his equal, not the goddamn Puppet-Master! And as for PENNY...Jesus Mary and Joseph what have they DONE to her...! What a humourless bastard she's turning into!
NNRRGHH!

(Those blossoms are meant to be the equivalent of Naboo's kitten picture, if anyone knows what the hell I'm talking about)

In the mean, speaking of Praying Mantis Puppets....




DESTROY THE PUNY MORTALS SHELDON!

[Wisp]

Was this the Vanity Card?

It pisses me off to not end that the VANITY CARDS themselves are funnier than a whole episode's writing, nowadays. And that vanity card isn't even terribly funny.

---

NNRRGHH!

(Those blossoms are meant to be the equivalent of Naboo's kitten picture, if anyone knows what the hell I'm talking about)

In the mean, speaking of Praying Mantis Puppets....




DESTROY THE PUNY MORTALS SHELDON!
[/quote]

Naboo's magical kittens and all the blossoms in the world could not get me to watch an episode of this season. I WANT A PRAYING MANTIS PUPPET. I would call it Sheldon.

Boy, that Community episode was satisfying last night.

[Idle Miscreant]

All right, so I’ve simmered down…

Howard’s always amusing, and rather oddly I find Bernadette quite hilarious at times….her look of tolerant revulsion whilst assessing certain Howardisms can be mildly endearing…That’s all Rauch though.

On the whole I enjoy any manifestation of Villainish Sheldon, although it was soured considerably by all the…you know, manipulation, humiliation, mockery, casual racism, humourectomy of Penny...

And Penny and Sheldon yelling at each other….this is what happens when bloody relationships get in the way of friendships!

Although it did spawn the line;
“I have spent years turning this lump of clay into an acceptable conduit for my will, and then you came along and reshaped him, with your new-fangled ideas, and your fancy genitals!”

Which is vaguely marvellous…

Leonard gives off the impression he is about three sleeps and a tiff away from disembowelling Sheldon with a Bat’leth. A newcomer to this show (should run) would gain the impression they are only living together because they are under a police-enforced witness protection program.

That said, I liked the line;
“Don’t anthropomorphize him. He’s got big eyes, but his feelings are not like ours.”

Possibly because it smacks of Sheldon the Alien, rather than Sheldon the All-Too-Human.

But by god, Leonard's line about Sheldon's personality can GO TAKE A FLYING-

[Wisp]

Sounds like this episode had a few vaguely interesting lines... Can you actually believe that? TBBT, NOW? Good lines?!? Everything else sounds uninteresting though.

[Moonbase]

Well that was just damage control! They have Sheldon kiss what's her name without any reference to his fear of germs and then force a mantra down our throats. "This is good!, look how much BETTER he is because of her" and the mindless hordes baaaaaa with approval.

I'm just happy they've not keeping that table. Sheldon was right. Both it and Fowler need removal from his life.

[Tuesday Pajamas]

This show has officially turned Sheldon into a hated character. Well done writers! Everywhere I look people are saying they are fed up with HIM and HIS behaviour. Not once considering they have done this for HER benefit. Next on the writers list is to make him likeable again, so Amy will get the credit. Funnily enough my current FF has Sheldon realise the others have changed him and that it was not an improvement. That it made him doubt himself and become co-dependent, must finish the blighter now!

I'll be interested to see the ratings on this one - again advertised Shamy - to see if it can come anywhere near the episodes that were advertised using Sheldon and Penny this season.

Loved the genitals comment.

[Jislane35]

@ Major Gripe: So Amy made Sheldon parrot that they're 'both stronger than ever' when in actuality wasn't even a line that was meant to be taken seriously?

[queenoftheDales]

Sounds like this episode had a few vaguely interesting lines... Can you actually believe that? TBBT, NOW? Good lines?!? Everything else sounds uninteresting though.

Yeah, Sheldon even threw in factoid about chaos theory. It was a teeny tiny glimpse of Vintage Sheldon. Its been a while since Ive heard him spout genius. That or these episodes are THAT forgettable.....

This show has officially turned Sheldon into a hated character. Well done writers! Everywhere I look people are saying they are fed up with HIM and HIS behaviour. Not once considering they have done this for HER benefit. Next on the writers list is to make him likeable again, so Amy will get the credit. Funnily enough my current FF has Sheldon realise the others have changed him and that it was not an improvement. That it made him doubt himself and become co-dependent, must finish the blighter now!


I'll be interested to see the ratings on this one - again advertised Shamy - to see if it can come anywhere near the episodes that were advertised using Sheldon and Penny this season.

Loved the genitals comment.

Its a sad day in the Shenny HQ world when our beloved Sheldon is being hated. How can tptb do this to him? And Penny for that matter. She is really starting to be intolerable. All this for the benefit for a couple of beta characters that wouldn't be missed if they disappeared. Now we get to watch AFF help him "mature" into a better person when he was already there.

@ Major Gripe: So Amy made Sheldon parrot that they're 'both stronger than ever' when in actuality wasn't even a line that was meant to be taken seriously?

The whole episode was a supposed to be a joke. And then tptb throws in the lack luster subplots, which sadly, are actually kind of a big deal on the Howardette front at least. the subplots could of not happened and I wouldn't have noticed.