Character Amy Farrah Fowler

[howwerollintheshire]

I really see her being only child to a single mother. She probably wouldn't have felt so alone as a child if she'd had more people around her. The artificial insemination thing really makes sense too. Her mom looks older so she may have never found anyone to marry, so she just had a baby on her own. I think Amy would've mentioned a dad at some point, unless there's some kind of hidden hurt she has about her father and she doesn't want to talk about it, but I can't really see that being the case. 

[vasu]

When did she go hysterical over a pretty dress?? I don't remember that. Is that about the bridesmaid dresses? In any case, I think her concept of "pretty" isn't what people would normally consider pretty, hence why she dresses like she does but probably still think it's pretty. 

 

As for the loneliness vs content... You could see her early behavior as a defense mechanism. If she spent her whole life being shunned by people she probably built up all sorts of walls that on the outside made her look like Sheldon. But as soon as Penny and Bernadette started incorporating her in her lives she started to change, and that was early in S4. I think the writers decided pretty early on they were going to change her. She did develop very fast though, which is why there are some glaring inconsistencies here and there.

 

This exactly is what I did not like... It would have been much more nicer to see both Sheldon and Amy develop at-least parallely  or Sheldon showing more interest than Amy.

 

More of conversations like this

 

Sheldon : Pretending to have intercourse with you has given me great deal of satisfaction

Amy : Hold on Sheldon , I'm not quite there yet

[vasu]

I really thought they fit at the time because Amy was very inappropriate.  

 

well , that's what the writers intended to show us ..

 

Why is Amy crushing on Penny is creepy, but Leonard crushing on Penny just fine and dandy?

 

Leonard was a subtle and endearing character when he was crushing on Penny... .... but Amy was more of a blunt character....what actually creepy was the extent to which the writers went inorder to show that Amy appreciates Penny... taking pics of her in her underwear...nude painting..

[koops]

More mentions of her mother being super-protective last night. 

[Spaced_up]

I started watching before Amy joined in early season 3 and I thought it was such an a amazingly clever show. Sheldon was the business! He was so well acted and just blew me away. I love the quiet reserved way he would speak. Fans who started watching after Amy arrived probably can't appreciate how original he was. He was so proper and non-sexual. He was like the repressed english gent to the max, but from an American perspective. Never seen anything like it before. Now he's nowhere near as good, he's scattier, more animated and dare I say it, a little camp. The changes in him are barely noticed by newer fans but I think it's a terrible waste of such an original character and Amy is being used to do this. I used to rush to watch each new episode as it came out but I don't anymore. 

 

 

 

[koops]

It's not like just because we are "new" we don't watch old episodes too. I used to watch the show whenever I got the chance before Amy, but, the opposite of you, I never rushed to watch each episode until I realized how much I liked Amy. It doesn't mean that just because I'm a "new" fan I don't appreciate how original he, or the show, was, to me he still is original. Sheldon, like most characters on this show, has changed even prior to Amy. Early S1 to mid S1, then again when Penny and Leonard got together and the writers wanted him to play annoying third wheel/child, then again later on. It's not even changes, imo, it's the writers focusing on certain things over others depending on what they need the characters to do and what their whim is at the moment: same way you have innocent!Penny, slut!Penny, creepy!Amy, Sheldon!Amy, sleazy!Howard, gay!Raj etc. All characters have gone through different versions, and by all means everyone can prefer one version over another. I enjoy all versions of Sheldon except when they emphasize the man-child a bit too much. 

[wannamaker]

I started watching before Amy joined in early season 3 and I thought it was such an a amazingly clever show. Sheldon was the business! He was so well acted and just blew me away. I love the quiet reserved way he would speak. Fans who started watching after Amy arrived probably can't appreciate how original he was. He was so proper and non-sexual. He was like the repressed english gent to the max, but from an American perspective. Never seen anything like it before. Now he's nowhere near as good, he's scattier, more animated and dare I say it, a little camp. The changes in him are barely noticed by newer fans but I think it's a terrible waste of such an original character and Amy is being used to do this. I used to rush to watch each new episode as it came out but I don't anymore. 

 

 

 

 

It's ok to take a distance sometime...

I think to say it has gone downhill is a bit harsh. Most of the viewers would say it is as funny as ever- me included. I agree in that I do miss some of the old characteristics but if it had stayed the same it would have become stale. By changing things around it has kept it fresh an interesting as shown in the ratings with it rapidly catching up with Friends.Obviously relationships boost the ratings.

As for Leonard he was only ever awkward around Penny in the earlier series as shown by his ability to catch Leslie Winkle and the fact he is referenced to have been with Joyce Kim. He has simply been involved in new storylines to move the whole story of the show along and to keep him fresh and entertaining.

And finally for Amy Farrah Fowler if anything has enhanced the show because she brings the best out of Sheldon, which is funny. The added female presence can only be a good thing because it stops the show being only male orientated and it brings more out of the geeky people. Not to forget that Penny who was there from the start. As all of the women are geeks so this geeky feeling has not been lost is still present.

 

Edited March 16, 2013 by wannamaker

[Ar Diem]

I started watching before Amy joined in early season 3 and I thought it was such an a amazingly clever show. Sheldon was the business! He was so well acted and just blew me away. I love the quiet reserved way he would speak. Fans who started watching after Amy arrived probably can't appreciate how original he was. He was so proper and non-sexual. He was like the repressed english gent to the max, but from an American perspective. Never seen anything like it before. Now he's nowhere near as good, he's scattier, more animated and dare I say it, a little camp. The changes in him are barely noticed by newer fans but I think it's a terrible waste of such an original character and Amy is being used to do this. I used to rush to watch each new episode as it came out but I don't anymore. 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is directed at people who loved the show in the early seasons more than now.  We get that some of you love it more so these comments are not directed at you or your perspective.

 

But you have to understand that if you truly loved the first couple of seasons it was always going to go downhill from there.  That is the nature of a sitcom.  If you watched Scrubs toward the end JD and Turk were just weird together and JD's obsession with Cox was cringeworthy.  They kept mining the same jokes until they were played out  and worse they stopped making sense with regard to where the cast should have been in their lives. 

 

It is like Leonard's rant in Contract.  Those jokes don't make sense anymore because Leonard is supposed to be in a better place.  Raj's selective mutism is not funny anymore.  The jokes are played out.  So you see when they go back to or stay with what worked in earlier seasons that doesn't work either.

 

Amy was not the death of what we loved it was lacking the creativity and balls to forge a different path.  They went the easy route they knew would sell to a large crowd.  I guess the science-speak didn't play to the larger crowd either because it is all but gone too.

 

TBBT was always going to change and past experiences with sitcoms suggest it was never going to be as appealing as when it was newly crafted.  I just think it is a shame it changed this much or they didn't try a different path.

[BangerMain]

This post is directed at people who loved the show in the early seasons more than now.  We get that some of you love it more so these comments are not directed at you or your perspective.

 

But you have to understand that if you truly loved the first couple of seasons it was always going to go downhill from there.  That is the nature of a sitcom.  If you watched Scrubs toward the end JD and Turk were just weird together and JD's obsession with Cox was cringeworthy.  They kept mining the same jokes until they were played out  and worse they stopped making sense with regard to where the cast should have been in their lives. 

 

It is like Leonard's rant in Contract.  Those jokes don't make sense anymore because Leonard is supposed to be in a better place.  Raj's selective mutism is not funny anymore.  The jokes are played out.  So you see when they go back to or stay with what worked in earlier seasons that doesn't work either.

 

Amy was not the death of what we loved it was lacking the creativity and balls to forge a different path.  They went the easy route they knew would sell to a large crowd.  I guess the science-speak didn't play to the larger crowd either because it is all but gone too.

 

TBBT was always going to change and past experiences with sitcoms suggest it was never going to be as appealing as when it was newly crafted.  I just think it is a shame it changed this much or they didn't try a different path.

 

I'm one of those old-timers who has watched TBBT from its first minute and I don't mind the changes, especially this season. It has been generally great, deserving all the accolades its receiving in the press.

 

But I can understand your feelings about the last episode. It seems as if "Contract" was an attempt to remind the viewers about the earlier characterization of the original 5 while showing the changes in Amy and Bernadette. The tone seemed a bit off. This is what I saw:

 

- Leonard was his old mother-damaged self, lacking in self confidence and wollowing in self-pity (season 2).

 

- Sheldon was mature and seemed to be in command. His suggestion on how to approach the subject of getting females into the sciences and cool pivot in the classroom to call Amy and Bernadette when Leonard and Howard went off the rails, reminded us once again of the genius he supposely is. We haven't seen that since he led the conference "Love Car".

 

- Howard was once again the little geeky loser, butt of jokes and intimadated by even middle schoolers. This was the Pre-Bernadette Howard.

 

- Raj, well, he still can't even talk to a girl who has social phobias worst then his. This is now beyond not funny, though the texting date idea was clever.

 

- Penny. Wow, just when you think they have fully resurrected her image, she is placed back into the gutter she was thrown in during season 4. I thought it was telling that they had the other characters look at her with surprise as she recounted her slutty stories as jokes, based on actually events. She only wanted to go to Disneyland to get drunk and ride the rides? She went from being the commander of the "Girl Posse" to being threathen by the pint-sized Bernadette.

 

The evil Bernadette is funny and we are seeing more of this. But calling her friends "bitches" and offering to fight Penny for an off-hand comment about wanting to be Cinderella, pushed this to a cringe-worthy edge. So the sweet little Catholic girl is now completely gone?

 

Amy showed off her season changes this episode. She was allowed to actually look beautiful, as was Bernadette and no defference to Penny at all. Noticed that Penny looked as bad in that ill-filling Princess dress and unkempt hair as the other girls looked lovely. Amy was allowed to call herself "Dr. Fowler", something I don't remember her saying before. Amy seemed her own person not that Sheldon would notice.

 

I'm going to believe that this episode was an aberration as far as characterization were concerned. It's almost as if all the changes that we have seen this season must have triggered a response in the writting staff to revist the character sheet to remind the viewers of what was suppose to be at the core of each character.

[Ar Diem]

I'm one of those old-timers who has watched TBBT from its first minute and I don't mind the changes, especially this season. It has been generally great, deserving all the accolades its receiving in the press.

 

But I can understand your feelings about the last episode. It seems as if "Contract" was an attempt to remind the viewers about the earlier characterization of the original 5 while showing the changes in Amy and Bernadette. The tone seemed a bit off. This is what I saw:

 

- Leonard was his old mother-damaged self, lacking in self confidence and wollowing in self-pity (season 2).

 

- Sheldon was mature and seemed to be in command. His suggestion on how to approach the subject of getting females into the sciences and cool pivot in the classroom to call Amy and Bernadette when Leonard and Howard went off the rails, reminded us once again of the genius he supposely is. We haven't seen that since he led the conference "Love Car".

 

- Howard was once again the little geeky loser, butt of jokes and intimadated by even middle schoolers. This was the Pre-Bernadette Howard.

 

- Raj, well, he still can't even talk to a girl who has social phobias worst then his. This is now beyond not funny, though the texting date idea was clever.

 

- Penny. Wow, just when you think they have fully resurrected her image, she is placed back into the gutter she was thrown in during season 4. I thought it was telling that they had the other characters look at her with surprise as she recounted her slutty stories as jokes, based on actually events. She only wanted to go to Disneyland to get drunk and ride the rides? She went from being the commander of the "Girl Posse" to being threathen by the pint-sized Bernadette.

 

The evil Bernadette is funny and we are seeing more of this. But calling her friends "bitches" and offering to fight Penny for an off-hand comment about wanting to be Cinderella, pushed this to a cringe-worthy edge. So the sweet little Catholic girl is now completely gone?

 

Amy showed off her season changes this episode. She was allowed to actually look beautiful, as was Bernadette and no defference to Penny at all. Noticed that Penny looked as bad in that ill-filling Princess dress and unkempt hair as the other girls looked lovely. Amy was allowed to call herself "Dr. Fowler", something I don't remember her saying before. Amy seemed her own person not that Sheldon would notice.

 

I'm going to believe that this episode was an aberration as far as characterization were concerned. It's almost as if all the changes that we have seen this season must have triggered a response in the writting staff to revist the character sheet to remind the viewers of what was suppose to be at the core of each character.

 

 

Very detailed and close to everything I was thinking.  Sheldon, once again, stood out like a sore thumb for me though.  He has been all over the map lately. I can't figure out why he was trying to salvage a situation he cared so little about.  Where did that maturity come from?  And where did that kind of clarity that he showed in Spoiler Alert with regard to Amy? That also seemed to come from left field.  I have no idea which Sheldon will show up next week.

 

People have said that I was out of line about my view of what they do to Penny but man they hit her on all 3 fronts.  Sluttiness, being a slush, and knocking her looks down.  It was like they were so mad about making her a better actress last episode it was an all out assault this week.

 

I thought that overall this was a good episode for Amy and outside of the calling in sick bit she had the best performance and best lines of the night. 

[viddy9]

I started watching before Amy joined in early season 3 and I thought it was such an a amazingly clever show. Sheldon was the business! He was so well acted and just blew me away. I love the quiet reserved way he would speak. Fans who started watching after Amy arrived probably can't appreciate how original he was. He was so proper and non-sexual. He was like the repressed english gent to the max, but from an American perspective. Never seen anything like it before. Now he's nowhere near as good, he's scattier, more animated and dare I say it, a little camp. The changes in him are barely noticed by newer fans but I think it's a terrible waste of such an original character and Amy is being used to do this. I used to rush to watch each new episode as it came out but I don't anymore. 

 

 

 

 

Wow, you've just completely emphasised the vast majority of my thoughts about Sheldon. He's definitely more scattier now, definitely more animated and a little camp at times. They are small changes, but I cannot see how people don't notice them.

 

As I've said before, I preferred the older, more arrogant and intellectually superior Amy. The exact replica of Sheldon, but female.

 

Now it's changed.

[Kiru Breezy]

I thought this was an AFF thread?

 

No?

 

Ok.

[koops]

Wow, you've just completely emphasised the vast majority of my thoughts about Sheldon. He's definitely more scattier now, definitely more animated and a little camp at times. They are small changes, but I cannot see how people don't notice them.

 

As I've said before, I preferred the older, more arrogant and intellectually superior Amy. The exact replica of Sheldon, but female.

 

Now it's changed.

 

I don't think the fact is that people don't notice the small changes as much as some people don't mind them. I think all characters have changes throughout the seasons, some are just more obvious than others. I struggle to pick a favorite Amy. I like both versions for different reasons. Some of her arrogance is definitely coming back now though, especially in the way she relates to Penny. Now that the infatuation with Penny is gone she's had some pretty old-school jabs at her intellect. I like that, I hope to see more of it. As long as it doesn't become over the top like her sex jokes. 

[Kiru Breezy]

What's this nonsense about 'two Amys?'

Amy was a caged bird all her life...and now she has found freedom. 

[koops]

What's this nonsense about 'two Amys?'

Amy was a caged bird all her life...and now she has found freedom. 

 

It's not just Amy, imo, all characters have different "versions" depending on what the writers focus on at any point in time. It was just more obvious with Amy, because she came out of her cage very rapidly. Version also doesn't necessarily mean that they're different people, I think it's just that certain aspects of her personality get emphasized more. I say version for convenience, it's easier to say than "I like Amy when they emphasize this aspect of her personality"

Edited March 10, 2013 by koops

[viddy9]

I thought this was an AFF thread?

 

No?

 

Ok.

 

It is an AFF thread.

[Moonbase]

Wow, you've just completely emphasised the vast majority of my thoughts about Sheldon. He's definitely more scattier now, definitely more animated and a little camp at times. They are small changes, but I cannot see how people don't notice them.

 

As I've said before, I preferred the older, more arrogant and intellectually superior Amy. The exact replica of Sheldon, but female.

 

Now it's changed.

 

 

Absolutely, its spot on.  

 

As for Amy. One minute she's goofy and unaware, next she's insightful and completely normal. You can't have understand AND lack understanding. We all have traits but this is two personalities. Not that it matters, they are doing the same thing to Sheldon. This show no longer practices character consistency at all. They just throw in the odd quirk when it suits them and people don't notice. As long as the fans still consider them weird, characterisation doesn't matter.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Moonbase

[koops]

Absolutely, its spot on.  

 

As for Amy. One minute she's goofy and unaware, next she's insightful and completely normal. You can't have understand AND lack understanding. We all have traits but this is two personalities. Not that it matters, they are doing the same thing to Sheldon. This show no longer practices character consistency at all. They just throw in the odd quirk when it suits them and people don't notice. As long as the fans still consider them weird, characterisation doesn't matter.

 

I think it depends on who she's playing off. She comes across as insightful and normal when she's with Sheldon but when she's with Penny and Bernadette she's goofy and unaware, or tries to be normal but there's still an edge of weirdness there. Her suggestions for Raj's date and her elaborate lie to get off work in the last episode alone are examples of that. I think with Sheldon is sort of a case of the blind leading the blind, she has learned how to navigate social situations thanks to the girls and tries to pass her knowledge on to Sheldon, and in doing so she comes across as "normal". Because he's the only one that's worse than her when it comes to those things.

[Moonbase]

I think it depends on who she's playing off. She comes across as insightful and normal when she's with Sheldon but when she's with Penny and Bernadette she's goofy and unaware, or tries to be normal but there's still an edge of weirdness there. Her suggestions for Raj's date and her elaborate lie to get off work in the last episode alone are examples of that. I think with Sheldon is sort of a case of the blind leading the blind, she has learned how to navigate social situations thanks to the girls and tries to pass her knowledge on to Sheldon, and in doing so she comes across as "normal". Because he's the only one that's worse than her when it comes to those things.

 

Its poor characterisation. She should always be like the same character no matter who she's with. Making those suggestions for Raj's date is inconsistent with what she wants herself. They use Amy for comic relief in some scenes and then in others as a vehicle to advance Sheldon, and they don't fit.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Moonbase

[Kiru Breezy]

Absolutely, its spot on.  

 

As for Amy. One minute she's goofy and unaware, next she's insightful and completely normal. You can't have understand AND lack understanding. We all have traits but this is two personalities. Not that it matters, they are doing the same thing to Sheldon. This show no longer practices character consistency at all. They just throw in the odd quirk when it suits them and people don't notice. As long as the fans still consider them weird, characterisation doesn't matter.

 

No its not. You're just blind. Someone can't be goofy and insightful? What a bore you must be!

[viddy9]

Its poor characterisation. She should always be like the same character no matter who she's with. Making those suggestions for Raj's date is inconsistent with what she wants herself. They use Amy for comic relief in some scenes and then in others as a vehicle to advance Sheldon, and they don't fit.

 

That Amy has changed in her attitude to Sheldon since Season 4 is certain. I also agree with you on your point about her insightfulness. Her Beverly Hofstadter-esque assessments of other people seem to me to be in clear contradiction to her own goofiness. If she really were knowledgeable about emotions, she'd know that what she does around Penny and Bernadette isn't the best way to make friends, although she is a delightful character in general which is why she's been able to become friends with them.

[Razberrypie]

I wouldn't say it's particulary poor. I myself act differently around certain people than I do around others. Of course she's going to be different around her girlfriends than she is around her pretty difficult boyfriend. It usually depends on the context of the situation or how comfortable you feel with those people. She was more scientific and pragmatic around Raj when she suggested dates because she's still developing her empathy skills. When she's talking about the person she's crazy about it goes out the window and all of her childhood fantasies override her logical brain. Remember, before she developed feelings for Sheldon she maintained her scientific views on love. I know, I've been there. Emotions are powerful things.

[Moonbase]

I wouldn't say it's particulary poor. I myself act differently around certain people than I do around others. Of course she's going to be different around her girlfriends than she is around her pretty difficult boyfriend. It usually depends on the context of the situation or how comfortable you feel with those people. She was more scientific and pragmatic around Raj when she suggested dates because she's still developing her empathy skills. When she's talking about the person she's crazy about it goes out the window and all of her childhood fantasies override her logical brain. Remember, before she developed feelings for Sheldon she maintained her scientific views on love. I know, I've been there. Emotions are powerful things.

 

This is not a matter of behaving differently around different people, we all do it to some extent. Goofy Amy and normal Amy are different characters. Mayim does a great job of both, but these are conflicting personality traits that should cancel out the other. She should be getting paid twice.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Moonbase

[Ar Diem]

I wouldn't say it's particulary poor. I myself act differently around certain people than I do around others. Of course she's going to be different around her girlfriends than she is around her pretty difficult boyfriend. It usually depends on the context of the situation or how comfortable you feel with those people. She was more scientific and pragmatic around Raj when she suggested dates because she's still developing her empathy skills. When she's talking about the person she's crazy about it goes out the window and all of her childhood fantasies override her logical brain. Remember, before she developed feelings for Sheldon she maintained her scientific views on love. I know, I've been there. Emotions are powerful things.

 

 

Good reasoning and you have his own mother in luminous fish to back your claim.  I forget how she worded it exactly but something along the line of getting Sheldon to do what you want is like snagging a spooked deer.  It is kind of sad she has to be reserved around a boyfriend of 2 years though.

 

I do not believe there was a natural progression for pre-feelings Amy to relationship Amy anymore than the progression after the Pilot where Sheldon became more innocent.  The "b-word" as he described it in Contractual he used in the early episodes just like his understanding of sex and sexual situations diminished.  TPTB altered the characters to suit their needs.

[tmp]

Have you guys noticed that twice lately they've referred to Amy as a neuroscientist rather than a neurobiologist?  I understand that one is a specialization of the other, but I wonder if they're doing it because Mayim is a neuroscientist.