Ship Zone The Shamy Thread! (Season 6 Edition-Spoilers)

[stardustmelody]

Adorable picture of Jim in Paris, trying to look so European. 

 

Phanta, great post.  I loved all of it and especially the belly button part!     But I do agree with Koops about the issue that he did feel bad and just had no idea how to deal with it and covered with anger.  

Koops, great post as always and I agree.  

[Pomita]

Having spent the last few hours in a kind of dazed sentimental bliss (after several rewatches, some hyperventilating, a bit of crying, smiling and sighing, long periods of lying still and gazing up at the roof with that all's-well-with-the-world feeling which usually comes after something really sweet and significant happens in real life).. after all that, I feel I've now calmed down enough to be able to write a little.

 

There was something special between them throughout the episode, not just in the epic final scene - I realized that after a couple of rewatches. As some of you have eloquently described here, it was in the sheer natural closeness and camaraderie they shared during the D&D; Sheldon turning to her at every opportunity, sharing his enthusiasm, showing her his goosebumps; her little understanding nods and smiles at him; the way both of them were pleased and enraptured by Howard's impersonations, and Amy got really into the game and found it 'even better than Vegas', and smiled in agreement when Sheldon told Penny about gaining 'experience points'. In every moment, they were clearly in tandem.

 

The only break came when the request by Penny and Howard happened; Amy was very much conscious of what was happening, while Sheldon was obviously confused, trying to wrap his mind around the implications of what was going on, and initially quite clueless about Amy's sense of discomfort and outrage. Given how hard it is for him to read emotional reactions and social situations, this was quite natural; and as soon as the full picture dawned on him, inside his room after hearing Amy's comments, he immediately chose to get serious, sincere and blindingly honest. No pussyfooting.

 

I must admit my heart stopped a few times during those 5 minutes. Literally. Stopped. The conviction with which he says 'I don't think our relationship is a joke', and the play of expressions on his face when he tells his clumsy joke; the almost-there tenderness of his revelation that he finds what they have extremely intimate, the odd mix of innocence and smouldering intensity in his eyes when he starts the role-playing; and the absolutely amazing range of expressions on Amy/Mayim's side, ranging from sadness and hurt to quiet resigned understanding to embarrassment, hesitation, excitement and joy.. these two are just such amazing actors. You could almost feel the electric in the air between them, the subliminal excitement and raw emotion; the aura of intimacy, when the two of them did not get within 2 feet of each other, took my breath away. Even just the way Sheldon drops his voice and murmurs 'I erotically caress'.. I nearly died. Heavens, the man knows how to be seductive.    Sheldon. I mean, Sheldon. And yet it was so completely in-character, from his musing on knocking on his own door to his clueless 'and now what?' - even his mild polite 'we're fine, thank you' to L/P at the end.

 

I don't know if there's much more I can add.. very rarely has anything on screen moved me and filled my heart, the way this scene did. Thanks to the writers, and to the magicians called Jim and Mayim.

 

And oh yes, we'll be wondering for the rest of our lives what 14 is.

 

 

Edit: just went back and read a bit; Phanta, Koops and I'm sure there are some others.. I really need to marry your posts. The descriptions and interpretations y'all give just elevate the moments even higher, if that's possible.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Pomita

[Superlovelexi]

 

And oh yes, we'll be wondering for the rest of our lives what 14 is.

 

 

The virginal sheldon side of me thinks 14 is he is nibbling on her....ear.....the fiesty Amy side says its her... Nether yaya!  which is why she SHOUTED YES!!

Edited May 11, 2013 by Superlovelexi

[stardustmelody]

 

Edit: just went back and read a bit; Phanta, Koops and I'm sure there are some others.. I really need to marry your posts. The descriptions and interpretations y'all give just elevate the moments even higher, if that's possible.

 

When he lifted up the board game and yelled "Dungeons and Dragons".  

[untilyou]

After a whole day of emotion, I'm still full of the episode and Shamy. I can even write a longest post ever in this thread but then I'll just repeat all the things you guys have already said. And I'm glad that we all share the same excitement. 

 

But there are some things I want to add on.

 

Thanks to the speciality of the character Sheldon, the writers and the actors really really invested in his "love" moment. I don't mean to belittle other couples, but I truly believe Shamy's moment is the most profound in the series, and one of the most profound scenes in TV history too. They didn't use big words, you could even fit a super size pizza between them [like someone here said]. But the whole scene was beautiful and breath-taking. Simple words, shy-yet-straight-forward talking, and sincere expression. [Thanks again, Jim and Mayim]. No doubt that we can analysis every second, literally, of that fascinating five-minute scene. Touching, romantic and intimate as hell. The more you watch it, the better it gets [and the more you want to talk about it.] 

 

The other thing that makes me sob is all the likes and beautiful comments found everywhere, on the forums, on the review sites, on Mayim's Fb and especially on the BBT's facebook. Shamy is an irresistible force. Amy [played by Mayim] is definitely the best thing that happened to the show. 

Edited May 11, 2013 by untilyou

[Tensor]

I find it really interesting to see Mayim get so much (well deserved in my opinion) acclaim for that scene, when she got so denagrated when she first appeared on the show. I understand that not everyone hated on her(my daughter and I both loved her) but there was quite a bit of dislike in forums and comments in articles when she first appeared. And she's seemed to have turned almost all of that around. Good for her.

[stardustmelody]

Great write-ups by everyone and hard to add anything, but one thing I noticed was at the very beginning when they are contrasting the girls and the guys for their evening plans, Howard makes a comment about "are we going to be a bunch of teenage girls or are we going to be a bunch of teenage boys that can't get the teenage girls" and Sheldon's expression was hilarious.  It was almost like "speak for yourself". 

[rachelshamyfan]

Just wondering out of curiosity why would Sheldon just happen to have a spare d&d dice in his room and what was the swirly thing on his shirt?

[stardustmelody]

Come chat with us...we are there even though it says no one is in chat!  Something weird with it tonight...Guess we are wearing our invisibility cloaks.  haha

[rachelshamyfan]

I can't get in chat, I just get a message saying "loading" and it takes forever, or it would if I let it!

[koops]

@Pom, I think that was another thing that I absolutely loved about the episode. I know you share my sentiment about missing "old" Amy who was Sheldon's friend first and foremost and that used to bond with him over stuff that your average girl would never care about, and this episode brought back so much of that, even if it probably went unnoticed by most due to the many characters present in the D&D scene.

 

But from the moment in the car, when she started to lay down the rules for Vegas, to the way she broke the TSA agent's nose for touching her too much, to the way she smile and bonded with Sheldon throughout the game and got excited about it all, making Penny the odd one out, the way it is meant to be on this show, all I was thinking was "THIS is the Amy I'm talking about". And then the shy, vulnerable side of her that we had never seen before. It was this odd mix of "old" Amy and a newer Amy we had never seen before. I really loved her in this one, she was totally perfect. *insert more Mayim praise*

 

And like I said in the chat yesterday, I think, as weird as this may sound, especially considering the most recent episodes, Amy is actually very lucky to have Sheldon. I don't know that she fully realizes how special she is to be able to bring out this side of him, and to get inside him like that. I agree with UY, I don't want to belittle other couples, but the fact that Sheldon was never interested in a relationship or intimacy means he truly is doing this because she is one of a kind to him. And that precisely because of how complex he is and how brutally honest he is, this is a kind of love that not many people have the privilege to be at the receiving end of. He isn't in it because he needs a girlfriend, he is in it because he wants Amy. This is it to him. I would actually not be surprised at all if one episode he just came out and said he is going to spend the rest of his life with her like it's the most obvious thing in the world. That's why he always behaves like he's got all the time in the world and "3 years" is "ONLY 3 years". 

 

Anyway, I'm rambling on. but there's seriously so much to say about this episode that I'm sure we'll have no problem breaching the 10000 posts mark before the season is over

[phantagrae]

Having watched it again just a few minutes ago, I was just thinking about how he was first kind of going in there because the others told him to, or prompted him to, but from the minute she says that the others think their relationship is a joke, he's there talking to her as her boyfriend of his own desire to comfort or reassure her, and that's especially true once he sat on the bed.

 

From that point on, I think he's enjoying talking to her and is in no hurry to leave the security and privacy of his room.  This is his inner sanctum, especially his bed, and it's a comfortable place for him to be.

 

He's happy to stay in there talking to her, and once they broach the subject of intimacy, and he opens up about how intimate he finds their relationship, he wants to stay in that quiet, intimate space.

 

Lovely.

[phantagrae]

Just wondering out of curiosity why would Sheldon just happen to have a spare d&d dice in his room and what was the swirly thing on his shirt?

 

The swirly thing looked like DNA of some sort.  At the bottom right corner of his shirt it looks like there's a Superman logo. Dunno.

 

But him having spare dice in his room isn't that unusual.  Though there might be a set of dice in whatever box the game is stored in, he said he had a new set of dice when they were starting.  So the dice in his room could have been his old set, or he could have multiple sets, like me.   I wouldn't be surprised if he had dice stashed here and there in the apartment.

 

Mine are in a little wooden box...

Edited May 11, 2013 by phantagrae

[rachelshamyfan]

You know I'm wondering if "I wouldn't rule it out" and "its a possibility" are kinda sorta the same thing but in any case Sheldon acted very mature in the way he spoke to amy, usually we don't get any declaration of feelings from Sheldon's side so that was good and Amy was happy to hear what he said

[rachelshamyfan]

The swirly thing looked like DNA of some sort. At the bottom right corner of his shirt it looks like there's a Superman logo. Dunno.

But him having spare dice in his room isn't that unusual. Though there might be a set of dice in whatever box the game is stored in, he said he had a new set of dice when they were starting. So the dice in his room could have been his old set, or he could have multiple sets, like me. I wouldn't be surprised if he had dice stashed here and there in the apartment.

Mine are in a little wooden box...

I see what you mean about him having a new set of dice, i went back to rewatch and found I had missed that bit when watching

[rachelshamyfan]

Had an idea that for the foreseeable future they could play roleplay d&d until they and by they I mean Sheldon feels he is ready to engage in real world physical activity, actual coitus can wait as I can see that's a long way off

[Pomita]

And like I said in the chat yesterday, I think, as weird as this may sound, especially considering the most recent episodes, Amy is actually very lucky to have Sheldon. I don't know that she fully realizes how special she is to be able to bring out this side of him, and to get inside him like that. I agree with UY, I don't want to belittle other couples, but the fact that Sheldon was never interested in a relationship or intimacy means he truly is doing this because she is one of a kind to him. And that precisely because of how complex he is and how brutally honest he is, this is a kind of love that not many people have the privilege to be at the receiving end of. He isn't in it because he needs a girlfriend, he is in it because he wants Amy. This is it to him. I would actually not be surprised at all if one episode he just came out and said he is going to spend the rest of his life with her like it's the most obvious thing in the world. That's why he always behaves like he's got all the time in the world and "3 years" is "ONLY 3 years".

 

 

< too many feels > Somehow the episode yesterday, and reading this, is making me tear up now.

 

That's so true. There is a kind of complete and utter devotion towards Amy, in Sheldon. I know that the same can be said about Leonard towards Penny, or Howard towards Bernie now, but just what Sheldon is and always was makes it different, somehow. He was never of the real world at all, he never even looked at 'girls' in general, far from longing for a girlfriend or intimacy, he really was happy alone in his own odd way (which is why his speech at H/B's wedding was actually a compliment to Amy). From there, to feeling emotionally attached and committed enough to one person to take the risk of making himself vulnerable and making significant changes in his life, heart and outlook - being as afraid and resistant to change as he is - is just too big to be able to describe in words.

 

It's as if he can't possibly imagine a life without her, or himself apart from her, now. I'm not even sure Amy fully realizes the depth of that.

[koops]

 

< too many feels > Somehow the episode yesterday, and reading this, is making me tear up now.

 

That's so true. There is a kind of complete and utter devotion towards Amy, in Sheldon. I know that the same can be said about Leonard towards Penny, or Howard towards Bernie now, but just what Sheldon is and always was makes it different, somehow. He was never of the real world at all, he never even looked at 'girls' in general, far from longing for a girlfriend or intimacy, he really was happy alone in his own odd way (which is why his speech at H/B's wedding was actually a compliment to Amy). From there, to feeling emotionally attached and committed enough to one person to take the risk of making himself vulnerable and making significant changes in his life, heart and outlook - being as afraid and resistant to change as he is - is just too big to be able to describe in words.

 

It's as if he can't possibly imagine a life without her, or himself apart from her, now. I'm not even sure Amy fully realizes the depth of that.

 

THIS!! I love the wedding speech. It says so much about their relationship but in the total opposite way most seem to take that speech as. 

 

And the second bolded bit. That's actually something I've been thinking about for a while. Amy knows and gets Sheldon in a way few other people, if anyone, does, because she was so much like him when they first met, and still is in many ways. But it's clear that the way they approach this "diversity" from other people is different. Like the writers said many times, they had the same upbringing but Amy wants what she never had and Sheldon doesn't care, therefore while she embraces new things with open arms, he doesn't. And I truly think what puzzles Amy is exactly this: why is he so reluctant to try out all these things that she is so excited by and curious about given that they are so much alike? It's like she's thinking "If I do it, and we are the same, why can't he?". 

 

The problem is that she never knew Sheldon before she met him, obviously. And I think the different reactions Penny (and the audience) had to "It's a possibility" and Amy had to "I wouldn't rule it out", is exactly that. Penny (and the audience), because she knew Sheldon before Amy, knows how HUGE a deal this is for Sheldon. Amy doesn't understand it. Because she's always known him as being so similar to herself so probably just assumes that their hungups are the same. That's actually one thing that disappointed me about THE TALK. I would have liked Sheldon to bring up "the problem" (i.e. physical contact) the same way he did with Penny. Because that's the root of their issues, really. And I don't think Amy can appreciate his efforts until they discuss that. The things he chose to tell her were rather ambiguous, so I don't blame Amy for not really believing him, because it sounded like he was making an effort to consider intimacy for her own sake, rather than working on his issues to give her something they both want. I thought 6x14 got that message across more clearly. 

Edited May 11, 2013 by koops

[untilyou]

Koops or Pomita, could you please tell me more about the wedding speech. 

 

I love to hear your analysis. 

[Pomita]

The problem is that she never knew Sheldon before she met him, obviously. And I think the different reactions Penny (and the audience) had to "It's a possibility" and Amy had to "I wouldn't rule it out", is exactly that. Penny (and the audience), because she knew Sheldon before Amy, knows how HUGE a deal this is for Sheldon. Amy doesn't understand it. Because she's always known him as being so similar to herself so probably just assumes that their hungups are the same.

 

 

I had exactly this feeling, too. Penny literally flipped out to hear that Sheldon was even considering physical intimacy as a possibility, while to Amy it seemed to be rather more underwhelming (because it sounded like just a possibility, not a surety). I wondered a bit about this; and I think your analysis of how Amy knows Sheldon to be so much similar to herself, and therefore has a harder time with the ways in which he's different from herself, is a great point. To her, he's her soulmate and they've had a complete meeting of the minds - she sees so much of her personality and history reflected in him. And indeed they have that, on so many levels, but I don't think she realizes just how much 'inertia of rest' there is/was in Sheldon, especially regarding touch and sexuality - she got over her own issues about these things pretty fast.

 

Add to that her natural immaturity and enthusiasm, being in a first-time relationship, being in love, and suddenly finding herself blossoming socially in other ways and therefore eager and curious to try out new things. She knows in principle that Sheldon is lagging on that front, he still has different priorities and it will  take time for him to meet her half-way; but the frustration is there, and it comes partly from her lack of understanding of how deep-rooted these issues are for Sheldon and how much he has to struggle with himself to make any kind of progress. And he's actually trying to do it, for her.

[koops]

Koops or Pomita, could you please tell me more about the wedding speech. 

 

I love to hear your analysis. 

 

It's the difference between needing someone and wanting someone.

 

Sheldon is being completely honest: he had never had any need to find another human being to share his life with. He didn't have a "role" that needed to be filled by another human being, he was happy on his own. Many people long for a relationship and many people even 'settle' for someone that kind of ticks a set of desirable traits in order to have that interpersonal dynamic. To do the things couples do, to tick more of these boxes in the future (marriage, house, children). It's more about the relationship and all the things you get to do with the person rather than the person. In a way, many handle relationships in the same way they handle finding a job.

 

Sheldon isn't with Amy because he needs or longs for a person to fill a hole in his life, or fulfill a role, or because he wants to experience certain things, he is with her because it's HER. If Amy were to leave him tomorrow he'd have no interest in finding someone to replace her because he doesn't need a girlfriend. He wants Amy. It's the difference between needing someone and wanting someone. She's irreplaceable. She's one of a kind. In a way, she has her own, tailor-made role in his life. That speech essentially implied all of this, and was a great compliment to her.

[delsino]

Just wondering out of curiosity why would Sheldon just happen to have a spare d&d dice in his room and what was the swirly thing on his shirt?

 

I wondered about his shirt when the promo photos first came out. I was hoping there was some significance to the "DNA" strand with this episode like it was "in his DNA" or its basic biology to have desires like Sheldon said in the Alien Parasite episode. " A cross we all must bear" LOL But then I found it was a superman shirt so I am not sure if it was significant

 

But I did find he wore a similar shirt in the 43 Peculiarity episode

 

The shirt is a superman shirt but his the logo is at the bottom left corner 

[stardustmelody]

Koops and Pom, great commentary as always and I agree.

 

As far as the question about the dice in the room...Sheldon said he had new dice in the beginning of the show, so the dice in the room, I presumed to be the previous set.   Likewise, I found it interesting because when Amy was in the car making her remark about Garth Brooks and bringing old underwear because the new underwear did nothing for her...I thought it funny that Sheldon used the new dice in the game, but it was the old dice that did something for both of them.   LOL!   Very subtle contrast yet again by the writers.   It made me smile. 

[Pomita]

Spook, you said it much better than I could have, and it was beautiful. And so true.

 

 

Sheldon isn't with Amy because he needs or longs for a person to fill a hole in his life, or fulfill a role, or because he wants to experience certain things, he is with her because it's HER. If Amy were to leave him tomorrow he'd have no interest in finding someone to replace her because he doesn't need a girlfriend. He wants Amy. It's the difference between needing someone and wanting someone. She's irreplaceable. She's one of a kind. In a way, she has her own, tailor-made role in his life.

 

 

You made me tear up again.

 

This seems to keep happening to me, ever since last night. Maybe I need to stop rewatching that scene, for a while.

 

Stardust - that's an interesting point about the dice!

[menamena]

koops, and pomita - excellent posts. I agree with you both. And I agree with you koops in how Amy is really lucky to get the kind of love she receives from Sheldon. Actually I just want to post this little tidbit I found in a review that reinforces that point. I agree with most of it, except I do think Lenny and Howardette are intimate. 

 

"Amy is upset because she thinks the others view her and Sheldon’s relationship as a joke because it’s not intimate, as if other people are qualified to define “intimacy.” If you’re looking to Leonard, Penny, Howard, and Bernadette as examples of intimate relationships, than you may have more problems than we first thought. But, here’s the thing: Sheldon is as intimate as he can possibly be with Amy, and it’s quite beautiful.

Whereas Amy has fallen for one of the greatest lies of pop culture (i.e. sex, in itself, by itself is intimacy), Sheldon has not. He continually rejects the cultural norm as less than ideal. And, I believe, he is 100% correct. Sheldon views Amy, and his relationship to her, as far more significant than having sex just to have sex. The other guys, and gals, have proven that they’ll pretty much do anything with anybody. Sheldon has not. For this he’s considered weird. I know it is the hope of many of the fans that he and Amy will get together at some point, but I applaud the writers for taking their time and making that progression feel organic, and true to Sheldon’s own personhood.

It is the sharing of one’s whole self that is being expressed here. Sheldon and Amy share tea, stories, intellectual conversations, experiments, couples’ costumes, and now D&D. All of these things matter in intimate relationships. All of these things are what make them who they are, and in who they are, when/if they reach the sexual encounter, it will be far more real than anyone else in the show. Awkward as hell, sure, but real."

 

I think saying that the guys will do pretty much anything with anybody is definitely an exaggeration but it does have a nugget of truth. I think Sheldon's attitude speaks to the wants vs needs debate. We have seen many scenes of single Leonard/Howard/Raj pretty much sleeping with any girl that wants them because of the sex. Sheldon is definitely different in that respect.

Edited May 11, 2013 by menamena