Europa Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 That means the ships are the least of it. I watch the show because it's devoted to nerds and is funny, not for any ship. The new viewers aren't invested in any couples. I'm not sure that's a fair generalization. I'm a new viewer and one of the main reasons I watch is my interest in the Leonard/Penny relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfromillinois Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Actually I think that the last new episode had an all time high audience of 20 million people, most probably due to the syndication of seasons 1-3 (that's what drew me in) and that the writers are writing 'classic' episodes this season, heavy on the science, nerd culture to keep these new viewers who got into the show. That means the ships are the least of it. I watch the show because it's devoted to nerds and is funny, not for any ship. The new viewers aren't invested in any couples. Edit; sorry it's 20 mill, wore the wrong glasses..lol You assume that the reason for the increase in viewers is due to the syndication of the program, which has been on syndication for several years now, and then go on and jump to the conclusion that it means that viewers are not really interested in the the romantic relationships of the characters, but are primarily interested in the "science" and nerd culture. That seems like allot of stretching and some pretty big jumps in your conclusions. It would make more sense to come to the conclusion that the increase in viewership is a direct result in the more relationship centric episodes. Frankly I believe that it is a result of the show's overall theme of science nerds, their lives, and their relationships both in friendship and romance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfromillinois Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Yep Rick, that's why it's telling what take the powers that be took. If they used the other take, it would have been clear that Leonard figured out Alex is attraction. But the take they choose proves Leonard still has no clue Alex is into him. That's a big sign that nothing is going to come out of this Alex thing. I love Alex. And while it's because likely Margo Harshman is one of my favorite actresses of all time. Heck, she's way about Kaley Cuoco on my list... I do think Alex is adorable and right now how they are portraying Alex i have no problem with. They are not making her a homewrecker yet. She just has a crush on Leonard. She isnt trying to Sabotage lenny. I think that something will come of it, but I don't think it will result in Leonard doing anything with Alex or do I see Leonard and Penny breaking up over it. I think that it is more likely that Penny will become upset with Alex hitting on Leonard and say something to Leonard about it. I think that Leonard will say that Penny is just imagining things and that Alex is just a friend. Then Leonard will come to realize that Penny is right and that is the last we will see of Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPK Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 The writers know what's popular amongst the majority of the fans when it comes to the relationship portion of the show and that's Sheldon/Amy follwed by Leonard/Penny. Sheldon/Penny is a pairing that is only supported by a very small fringe portion of the fanbase. The people who run this show and make all the creative decisions knows it. They are NOT going to cater to such small minority. They know it will upset the rest of the fanbase and they will not risk losing a lot of viewers over something that only a minority of the fanbase wants. Proof enough of it was how quickly they reneged on what happened between Raj and Penny at the end of season four. The main fanbase was very vocal that they did not want to see Penny with anyone but Leonard. That was their one attempt at taking a chance when it came to pairing any of the other guys up with Penny and it backfired. Realistically Raj was the only other character who would have even been remotely compatible with Penny...this is even taking his selective mutism into acccount. There has simply been too much that has happened between not only Leonard and Penny but Sheldon and Penny as well to make such a massive change credible. Sheldon and Penny have firmly established their relationship as mother/son and sister/brother dynamic. Puting them together would almost feel incestuous in way because their bond as become a much more familial one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubyanjel Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Aww. Kaley's been teary-eyed when they taped the ILY scene. The actress who plays Penny was thrilled that her character finally said ILY to the male character Penny loves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangerMain Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 You assume that the reason for the increase in viewers is due to the syndication of the program, which has been on syndication for several years now, and then go on and jump to the conclusion that it means that viewers are not really interested in the the romantic relationships of the characters, but are primarily interested in the "science" and nerd culture. That seems like allot of stretching and some pretty big jumps in your conclusions. It would make more sense to come to the conclusion that the increase in viewership is a direct result in the more relationship centric episodes. Frankly I believe that it is a result of the show's overall theme of science nerds, their lives, and their relationships both in friendship and romance. Absolutly. The big ratings jump is more likely to be attributed to the very positive relationship growth being shown in the season 6 episodes. We nerds and geeks still believe that the bulk of the new viewer who came in to the fold after season 2 are all "Halo 3" and "Star Trek" fans which breakdown demographics would dispute. The last time TBBT had this kind of explosive growth spurt was season 3 when it was moved into the slot following "Two and a half men" and was L/P heavy (they seemed to have spent most of that season in bed) and Bernedette was introduced and at the end, Amy. The newbies came for the Romance and stayed for the Romulans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantagrae Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I don't think that TPTB keeping Penny and Sheldon in their current mother/son or brother/sister relationship has as much to do with the fanbase as it does with what the writers themselves want. They've never considered, as far as I can tell from the writing and from what they've said publically, putting Sheldon and Penny into any kind of romantic relationship. They obviously started the series with the idea that Leonard and Penny would be the center couple. They even backed Sheldon away from any kind of attraction to her or anyone else starting from the pilot and/or maaaybe the second episode. In the pilot he does seem to flirt with her for a moment when she first notices his board, and in the second episode, he comes to the door with Howard and Raj when they realize she's out in the hallway talking to Leonard. HOWEVER, after that, in the 3rd episode and beyond, he's basically disinterested in Penny in any way for himself and barely tolerates Leonard's attempts to get together with her. His interactions with her are purely platonic and/or disdainful, or at best, maternal/filial and never, ever romantic. I don't even think that Penny's mishap with Raj was any kind of attempt to pair her with anyone else. I think that it was simply a catalyst to demonstrate that in the end she really still wanted Leonard--and it coincided with Leonard's finding out that Priya was moving back to India, effectively ending any kind of real relationship with her. I think that the Penny/Raj moment was simply a big cliff-hanger for the audience and not intended as a real relationship move. And since they introduced Amy as a match for Sheldon, they've been showing that Sheldon is smitten, in his own way ("25 CATS!") with Amy, even from the beginning. I think that his protests that she was not his girlfriend were simply born out of his inexperience with girls and with his own romantic potential. But primarily, Amy has been a friend like no other that Sheldon has, and from the beginning, even before they became a couple, he was okay with her touching him, he was fascinated by her mind (in a way he has NEVER been with Penny), which is the way to Sheldon's heart. Along with spaghetti with little pieces of hotdog... At any rate, there's no logical, clear argument that can point the way toward any kind of Shenny pairing. There's no evil plan to have Penny tell Leonard that she loves him and then turn it around and have her hook up with Sheldon. And no evil plan to have Sheldon "practice" being in a relationship with Amy in order to prepare him for Penny. (How many times can I roll my eyes before they fall out of my head?!?!) If annie claims to not watch for any particular ship/pairing, then why all the specious arguments or "evidence" that Leonard/Penny and Sheldon/Amy are going to suddently break up and change partners or whatever the he** else has been argued? The Shenny is a decidedly dead horse, but some people just can't bring themselves to believe. If only it were confined to fanfiction, but it's not--because the Shennies continue to try to take one line or one out-of-context moment to try to constantly prove their false points. Whatever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPK Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I don't think that TPTB keeping Penny and Sheldon in their current mother/son or brother/sister relationship has as much to do with the fanbase as it does with what the writers themselves want. That was my point and it's also why at this juncture the writers really can't go back on this principle when it comes to the Sheldon/Penny relationship and how it's been defined. There's no way they could do it in a credible fashion and like you say why would they want to. The writers want the Sheldon/Penny relationship to stay adversarial/familial and so does the majority of TBBT viewers. I don't even think that Penny's mishap with Raj was any kind of attempt to pair her with anyone else. I think that it was simply a catalyst to demonstrate that in the end she really still wanted Leonard--and it coincided with Leonard's finding out that Priya was moving back to India, effectively ending any kind of real relationship with her. I think that the Penny/Raj moment was simply a big cliff-hanger for the audience and not intended as a real relationship move. Had the backlash not been as severe as it was, I firmly believe that it would have been at least explored a bit more than it was, while I don't think it would have turned into anything permanent, it would have served as TBBT's equivalent of Rachael/Joey. The very least I most certainly believe it would have been revealed that Penny and Raj actually had sex. Given that the incident was largely Chuck Lorre's idea to begin with and he certainly isn't the type to shy away from that kind of controversy when it comes to his shows. Again keep in mind that unlike Sheldon, pairing up or at least lightly exploring a Penny/Raj thing wouldn't have been come completely out of left field. Penny has said she thinks Raj is cute, so that shows she at least has a mild sexual attraction to him, we all know that Raj is very attracted to Penny. Not only that but on the surface level Penny and Raj have more in common then she does with either Leonard or Sheldon. And since they introduced Amy as a match for Sheldon, they've been showing that Sheldon is smitten, in his own way ("25 CATS!") with Amy, even from the beginning. I think that his protests that she was not his girlfriend were simply born out of his inexperience with girls and with his own romantic potential. But primarily, Amy has been a friend like no other that Sheldon has, and from the beginning, even before they became a couple, he was okay with her touching him, he was fascinated by her mind (in a way he has NEVER been with Penny), which is the way to Sheldon's heart. Along with spaghetti with little pieces of hotdog... At any rate, there's no logical, clear argument that can point the way toward any kind of Shenny pairing. There's no evil plan to have Penny tell Leonard that she loves him and then turn it around and have her hook up with Sheldon. And no evil plan to have Sheldon "practice" being in a relationship with Amy in order to prepare him for Penny. (How many times can I roll my eyes before they fall out of my head?!?!) Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annieogly Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shel_Ra_Ho_Le Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. Oh, I SINCERELY doubt that. Proof will be shown on Dec 6th! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubyanjel Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koops Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. I am SO bummed that I've run out of likes for the day. This is the most amazing thing I have EVER seen, I'm so saving this and using it all over the place in the future. I swear I'm laughing out loud in my office and I'm just glad nobody is here yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPK Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. You do realize that Sheldon is still very much childlike when it comes to both emotional and sexual maturity. He doesn't/didn't even realize or understand that Amy was trying to trigger sexual arousal. The writers took near two years from the time they first meet before they had them in official relationship status at the PG level. Did you really expect that they were going to start Sheldon's deeper sexual awakening so soon given how slow their relationship develops? It's still very much a long time away before the writers take Sheldon/Amy down that road officially. Just to play devil's advocate here. If you are correct and the writers are clearly showing with this episode that he has no sexual desire for Amy...a woman he actually admires and respects and considers his equal, what makes you think he'd ever go for Penny...a woman he doesn't respect, doesn't admire, and someone he views as being lesser than him? Edited November 30, 2012 by DPK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koops Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I actually do not think Amy was trying to trigger sexual arousal with that gesture. I think I mentioned this before in some other thread, but from the moment I read the taping report I thought that she did it because she had something done that's girly and new for her and she wanted to show it off to him like one would show off a tattoo or something. Of course the writers had the ulterior motive of having them have a "backseat" scene, which is why the scene is funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubyanjel Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I actually do not think Amy was trying to trigger sexual arousal with that gesture. I think I mentioned this before in some other thread, but from the moment I read the taping report I thought that she did it because she had something done that's girly and new for her and she wanted to show it off to him like one would show off a tattoo or something. Of course the writers had the ulterior motive of having them have a "backseat" scene, which is why the scene is funny. Exactomundo. I think I said this in the other forum though, not here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tensor Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Tonight's episode; Sheldon strips & goes into a backseat with Amy. But it doesn't go anywhere. So whom are they making Sheldon more sexual, less mysophobic for? Amy's being sexually rebuffed all season by Sheldon makes me think the writers aren't happy with the Shamy. I have a whole box of straws for you to grasp at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfromillinois Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 sheldon is not a normal man when it comes to sex. It would be extremely out of character for him to actually do anything with Amy at this point. Any attempt to tag this scene as a precurser of Sheldon breaking up with Amy is an extreme and unrealistic stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbangsheldon Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I actually dont understand the logic here?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I'm not dead Cheryl Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I actually dont understand the logic here?? The Shenny logic on this thread is: there is nothing else we could say about the Shenny apart from the same easily rebatable arguments we've done for years, so let's start saying that Sheldon doesn't like Amy and that he's gonna break up with her all the time to see if it sticks. Because if we destroy the Shamy and the Lenny then Shenny will live!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbangsheldon Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 oh, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest I'm not dead Cheryl Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 oh, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111 exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantagrae Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 "Duh" being the most applicable word in this whole thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomita Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I love where this thread is going. Especially with Jean's inimitable squiggle. That means the ships are the least of it. I watch the show because it's devoted to nerds and is funny, not for any ship. The new viewers aren't invested in any couples. --------------------------- This statement is especially interesting in the context that most of the old viewers here don't stop screaming till they're blue in the face that the new viewers (us) are ONLY invested in the couples and shipping, and have no taste for nerdiness at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shel_Ra_Ho_Le Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Someone is CLUELESS in this thread. i wonder who can guess WHO I am talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tensor Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Someone is CLUELESS in this thread. i wonder who can guess WHO I am talking about? Well, I didn't see anyone named Cher, Dionne, or Tai; so I guess I'll have to look this thread over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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