JohnPhD

Not me. I have no hope.

The horror!

I think the break-ups, conflicts and "issues" were essential. And KC was always beautiful to watch as troubled Penny. I don't want plain sailing for Lenny, I want conflicts that are resolved and then lead to scenes of them in bed together.

I've no idea what most of this refers to, but it's a real pity JE7 has left. He did his bit to counteract the "overall shamy centric flavor".

I should think Penny is the only sitcom character whose feelings have ever been analyzed so intensively. That shows the power of KC's acting, combined with what the writers could do for her when they wanted to.

Interesting interpretation. My take on that "good for Leonard" was that she was realising that L was to be taken seriously in the sex game, or perhaps more of a catch than she'd thought. But your version works too, IMO.

Such wonderful acting by KC. She makes those 2 words quite heartbreaking. The showrunners and writers who've sidelined her should be twirling signs outside going-out-of-business sales.

That was true from the start of Shamy - one thing Sheldon liked about Amy was that she was a human doormat for him. That was quite IC for the Sheldon that had been established. But since Amy became sure of Sheldon there's been a qualitative change. While S says lovey-dovey slush to A that even the great JP can't make convincing, A has become pretty nasty to S, in public: "Play with your phone!"; "Go and sit on the stairs!"; "Put your hand up before speaking!". Not like a wife/lover - more like a particularly harsh mother. Which is somewhat sick. Who'd be Sheldon.

So now the programme makers are doing to KC what NCIS did to Penny in 712? A bit ironic in a way as that episode had KC doing her best work, showing that she is the best actress not just in TBBT but in any sitcom I've seen, and that the quality of TBBT would be 10 times higher if Penny was still the heroine.

Does anyone know if there was a major change in writing personnel after S7?

I've rewatched the second half on S7 and I still can't see any Penny snark. This was when they got engaged, after all. In fact the only thing I don'[t like about S7 is the very last scene. P & L are back in 4A after leaving S at the train station, and instead of their being able to start enjoying having the apartment to themselves, a suitable season finale, Amy is there to disrupt things with her infantile violence. Why the hell is she there at all? I enjoyed the story in 803 with S's relationship quantification. It was made clear that it was utter nonsense and at that stage Shamy's relationship is still a joke. The rot set in in 808, altho perhaps not recognisable at the time. But 803 also brought out Penny's continuing insecurities, beautifully acted of course. At that time the writers were still giving KC something to get her teeth into. But there's something that bugs me whenever I watch that ep: since no-one calls S out on his basic mistake re the US Constitution, what's the point of it?

i can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand.

Only by splitting them up can the writers gives us the joy of their getting together again. It cannot and should not be plain sailing for the romantic couple. And I enjoyed the Priya plot. Yes, KC's expressions convey Penny's feelings, and help to make her a character with an inner life, more than any of the others.

Is that where Penny said "Stanley who?". Thing is, she was right (wrt SL's real name). Writers and actress working perfectly together to create a believable, complex character.

THERE IS NO HOPE. This time I'm really not going to be fooled by the triumph of hope over experience again. Season 12 will be another repulsive Shamy-fest. KC will never again be given a chance to be the shining star she was in the first 7 or so seasons. The complexity and depth of Penny's character will be suppressed, and her interesting issues will never be resolved. Lenny's relationship will never develop any further. Sheldon will continue to be the lovey-dovey nitwit they've made him so that Amy can be a romantic heroine to make one's flesh creep. Penny and Sheldon's complicated friendship is over. Raj will never get his comeuppance. (Memo to self) THERE IS NO HOPE.