Spoilers Leonard And Penny Season 7 *spoiler* Discussion Thread

[I.Am.Molly]

I'm sure it will have something to do with Sheldon, and if not about Sheldon it will be to tell Leonard once again that he isn't a man and buck up. Can't have any kind of love or approval for Leonard from the woman he calls mother.

 

 

Thanks for the information.

 

It could have something to do with Sheldon, it could also have something to do with his trip. Either way, you are right, Leonard wont get any kind of love or approval from her, because thats not in her character. I wouldnt want her to suddenly to that, it would be weird if she out of blue called up to congratulate him and tell him how proud of him she is because she just isnt, or at least she doesnt show it and probably never really will.

 

I look forward to having her back, although i do wish it would have been in person. It could be a fun episode, despite the fact she isa complete bitch, i kind of like her character. Especially when shes out drinking with Penny

[terriblewaitress]

Hope theres some more 'tapping ma homegirl' comments because those made me laugh! 

[Nogravitasatall]

On "control freak" I vote yes. Also the piles of clothes around the house are her piles. Leonard will get in trouble if HE moves her stuff. Also I'm glad she has adopted the "key bowl" (our keys go in a bowl. Where are they? I left them in the bowl). Otherwise, Leonard would never find his keys, because she will put them where they should go, and they won't be where he left them. I am not projecting at all. LOL.

A corollary to this is that she would be tidying, not Leonard.

Edited September 13, 2013 by Nogravitasatall

[3ku11]

And the comments about mixing poop and water, beer pong petitions, not tipping cows over on themselves, about being able to use a napkin, indicate how far Leonard was intellectually above the type of guy she had dated previously

Or how Leonard's went to college, is a scientist, compared to her other boyfriends who have neck tattoos, outstanding warrants, or a baby. And how her father went on for a half an hour on what a great guy Leonard is, before Penny left. Those really have nothing to do with his earnings and more to do with his suitability beyond his earnings.

Yeah exactly sure Penny's father is thinking about Penny's future, so of course he is going to see Leonard as a more suitable match for Penny in terms of his source of income. But more to do with Leonard's entire identity, he went to college her other BF's diddn't graduate High School haha, he is a scientist her other BF's put their stolen car on Ebay lol and so on. I think Leonard and Penny's father generally bonded, he even told him to not give up on her which Leonard never did even when he was in other relationships hence Stephanie, Leslie, Priya e.t.c. 

[eirwinrommel]

Apparently we're going to see Leonard's mom in the episode that airs 10/10 (ep 4, I think.)

Any source for that? A link perhaps?

[Tensor]

Any source for that? A link perhaps?

Here

[3ku11]

Not sure where to specifically post this but it has been confirmed by CBS that Leonard's mother well return for an episode in S7 http://bit.ly/1e9Pkrg

[SRAM]

Not sure where to specifically post this but it has been confirmed by CBS that Leonard's mother well return for an episode in S7 http://bit.ly/1e9Pkrg

I hope it is not to belittle him again. However, based on how the show has been going she is probably calling Sheldon to make him feel better, by telling him he is better than Leonard, because after all Sheldon is the son she always wanted. But on the bright side, if Penny finds out, she may give him some yum-yum pity sex to make Leonard feel better.

[terriblewaitress]

I hope it is not to belittle him again. However, based on how the show has been going she is probably calling Sheldon to make him feel better, by telling him he is better than Leonard, because after all Sheldon is the son she always wanted. But on the bright side, if Penny finds out, she may give him some yum-yum pity sex to make Leonard feel better.

 

I'd love to see Penny go all Nebraska over Skype on Beverly's ass and point out how amazing Leonard is and how can she not see how smart and wonderful her son is. Bev seemed to like Penny the last time she was there, so maybe she'd see where she was coming from. Though then again Bev could then turn that to 'you're just a waitress of course he seems amazing to you' or something. I dunno. But I'd like to see her defending her boyfriend to his mom! 

[Chiara]

If Leonard were to feel truly hurt by his mother's perpetual putdowns, there is no doubt in my mind the writes would be compelled to have Penny react and defend him. However, Leonard is incredibly resilient and will probably brush off whatever nasty or insensitive jab the Wicked Witch of the East Coast throws at him. 

 

Sitcom characters are usually very resilient. They have to be, considering the amount of feces TPTB throw at them on a regular basis (no comedic value in all-around happiness and satisfaction !). In order to keep the plots and, ultimately, the shows, "light", the characters have to be seen to deal with their personal drama in a somewhat disaffected, happy-go-lucky manner. Remember when Leonard attributed his bedwetting to his mother (The Pants Alternative, The Speckerman Recurrence)? That could have been quite a tragic revelation. A kid so traumatised by the woman who gave birth to him that he wet the bed is the sort of stuff people would cry about on Oprah yet, in TBBT, it was played for laughs. Same thing for the long-awaited motherly hug (The Maternal Congruence). It could have been a breakthrough but no. It was booze and Del Taco. 

Sitcom writers are like that; they will wreck everything for the sake of a good joke. 

 

So as long as Leonard himself is not shown to be profoundly distressed by his mother's lack of affection, Penny will probably not intervene. 

Also, Beverly is not portrayed as cruel. She is "just" completely and utterly oblivious. She has no idea she messed her son up by showing him no affection. Therefore I doubt a comeuppance is in the works. It is still possible, of course, but I am not holding my breath.

 

Now, if Leonard's siblings were to show up, that would be a completely different ball of wax. Mothers are tough to go after but siblings are definitely fair game. The writers would have no qualms about releasing the Kraken (in this case Penny) on the buttkissers' arses. 

[eirwinrommel]

If Leonard were to feel truly hurt by his mother's perpetual putdowns, there is no doubt in my mind the writes would be compelled to have Penny react and defend him. However, Leonard is incredibly resilient and will probably brush off whatever nasty or insensitive jab the Wicked Witch of the East Coast throws at him. 

 

Sitcom characters are usually very resilient. They have to be, considering the amount of feces TPTB throw at them on a regular basis (no comedic value in all-around happiness and satisfaction !). In order to keep the plots and, ultimately, the shows, "light", the characters have to be seen to deal with their personal drama in a somewhat disaffected, happy-go-lucky manner. Remember when Leonard attributed his bedwetting to his mother (The Pants Alternative, The Speckerman Recurrence)? That could have been quite a tragic revelation. A kid so traumatised by the woman who gave birth to him that he wet the bed is the sort of stuff people would cry about on Oprah yet, in TBBT, it was played for laughs. Same thing for the long-awaited motherly hug (The Maternal Congruence). It could have been a breakthrough but no. It was booze and Del Taco. 

Sitcom writers are like that; they will wreck everything for the sake of a good joke. 

 

So as long as Leonard himself is not shown to be profoundly distressed by his mother's lack of affection, Penny will probably not intervene. 

Also, Beverly is not portrayed as cruel. She is "just" completely and utterly oblivious. She has no idea she messed her son up by showing him no affection. Therefore I doubt a comeuppance is in the works. It is still possible, of course, but I am not holding my breath.

 

Now, if Leonard's siblings were to show up, that would be a completely different ball of wax. Mothers are tough to go after but siblings are definitely fair game. The writers would have no qualms about releasing the Kraken (in this case Penny) on the buttkissers' arses. 

Thing is we know next to nothing about the siblings.

 

Beverley: Well, Leonard’s younger brother, Michael, is a tenured law professor at Harvard, and his sister just successfully grew a human pancreas in an adolescent gibbon.

Howard: So, she’s close to curing diabetes?

Beverley: Why else would you grow a pancreas in a teenaged gibbon? (season 2 episode 15)

 

Beverley: Have you heard your brother has gotten engaged?

Leonard: No. Sheldon, why didn’t you tell me?

Sheldon: My bad. I did send a gift from both of us.

Beverley: She’s a remarkable girl. The youngest appeals court judge in New Jersey and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist. (season 3 episode 11)

 

Leonard: My sister’s 38 and married. (season 4 episode 16)

 

That is the sum total we know about Leonard's siblings. We don't even know his sister's name. So calling them butt kissers may be a bit pre-mature.

Edited September 15, 2013 by eirwinrommel

[Chiara]

Thing is we know next to nothing about the siblings.

 

Beverley: Well, Leonard’s younger brother, Michael, is a tenured law professor at Harvard, and his sister just successfully grew a human pancreas in an adolescent gibbon.

Howard: So, she’s close to curing diabetes?

Beverley: Why else would you grow a pancreas in a teenaged gibbon? (season 2 episode 15)

 

Beverley: Have you heard your brother has gotten engaged?

Leonard: No. Sheldon, why didn’t you tell me?

Sheldon: My bad. I did send a gift from both of us.

Beverley: She’s a remarkable girl. The youngest appeals court judge in New Jersey and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist. (season 3 episode 11)

 

Leonard: My sister’s 38 and married. (season 4 episode 16)

 

That is the sum total we know about Leonard's siblings. We don't even know his sister's name. So calling them butt kissers may be a bit pre-mature.

You are absolutely right, I went a bit overboard.

 

However, Leonard once made a passing allusion to a difference between him and his brother (and their mother's treatment of them) in The Pants Alternative : "First of all, the projects [his and his brother's scientific experiments] were totally different. I was showing that classical music nurtures lima beans and makes them grow, but my mother didn’t hear me. If you’d like to look at the relationship between nurturing and growth, I’d like to point out that my brother is eight inches taller than me."

 

So, while Leonard was half-jesting, it appears that Michael received more and better attention from Beverly than he ever did.

Considering that Mommy Hofstadter talked equally fondly of Michael and her daughter (well, fondly by her standards) in The Maternal Capacitance, I am led to believe that both the eldest and the youngest of the Hofstadter kids got at least some kind of love/approval from their mother while Leonard (the archetypal middle child) did not.

Furthermore, Leonard mentioned building and using a hugging machine which, according to him, he was the only child to use (his dad does not count as a child !)

 

My guess is that Michael and the unnamed sister are closer to Beverly whereas Leonard takes after his father (weakness for waitresses included). So his siblings are probably not "buttkissers" per se, you are absolutely right. But dear ol' Leakey may resent them as much as if they were. After all, they got mommy's "love" and he did not

Edited September 15, 2013 by Chiara

[eirwinrommel]

You are absolutely right, I went a bit overboard.

 

However, Leonard once made a passing allusion to a difference between him and his brother (and their mother's treatment of them) in The Pants Alternative : "First of all, the projects [his and his brother's scientific experiments] were totally different. I was showing that classical music nurtures lima beans and makes them grow, but my mother didn’t hear me. If you’d like to look at the relationship between nurturing and growth, I’d like to point out that my brother is eight inches taller than me."

 

So, while Leonard was half-jesting, it appears that Michael received more and better attention from Beverly than he ever did.

Considering that Mommy Hofstadter talked equally fondly of Michael and her daughter (well, fondly by her standards) in The Maternal Capacitance, I am led to believe that both the eldest and the youngest of the Hofstadter kids got at least some kind of love/approval from their mother while Leonard (the archetypal middle child) did not.

Furthermore, Leonard mentioned building and using a hugging machine which, according to him, he was the only child to use (his dad does not count as a child !)

 

My guess is that Michael and the unnamed sister are closer to Beverly whereas Leonard takes after his father (weakness for waitresses included). So his siblings are probably not "buttkissers" per se, you are absolutely right. But dear ol' Leakey may resent them as much as if they were. After all, they got mommy's "love" and he did not

I'll grant you that. It may be that his mother is/was running an experiment on her kids and that's why she does what she does. On the other hand she may just be a heartless bitch. We won't know until the writers tell us.

[eirwinrommel]

Actually on the hugging machine, here's what he said. (season 2 episode 15)

 

Leonard: Of course she did. Anyway, that’s not what I was gonna say. When I was ten years old, I built a hugging machine.

Penny: A hugging machine?

Leonard: Yeah. I got a dressmaker’s mannequin, I stuffed it with an electric blanket so it would be warm, and built two radio-controlled arms that would hug me and pat my back.

Penny: Oh, that is so sad.

Leonard: You know what the saddest part was?

Penny: What?

Leonard: My father used to borrow it.

 

They never said if his siblings used it or not. But you're probably right (unless they used it without Leonard's knowledge).

[Occam's Chainsaw]

I'll grant you that. It may be that his mother is/was running an experiment on her kids and that's why she does what she does. On the other hand she may just be a heartless bitch. We won't know until the writers tell us.

Doesn't the first explanation automatically imply the second as well?

[eirwinrommel]

Doesn't the first explanation automatically imply the second as well?

No, not always. As a scientist she might have felt the results justified the means. i.e. not breaking protocol.

[3ku11]

I think her presence in S2 explains why she never gave Leonard approval or love. When Leonard was driving Beverley to the airport, Leonard was like "I took you Mum and I'm still driving now" Beverley: "Please Leonard I have no patience for your incessant need for approval". That implies to me she is well aware Leonard has alot of issues with the way he was raised. Leonard's relationship with his mother is very similar to his realationship with Sheldon, from Beverley's POV if she can gain no scientific impact on her own life same with Sheldon, she doesen't see the logical need to give Leonard approval, seeing scientifically Leonard has done nothing to justify so. Hence why she has always made comments about how his siblings are alot more succesfull in their choosen fields. The same with Sheldon who constantly undermines Leonard's work, also the same with how Beverley was like in response to Leonard's quiery as to why he was never told about his dog dieng and his parents getting a divorce was "Well my best guess is Sheldon and I stay in touch due to mutual respect and interest in science, while you keep your distance due to unresolved childhood issues". Sorry if the quote was bit off I'm going off from memory here. Just as Sheldon never means to be condesending and cruel, it's just in his nature it is the way he is built, the same is for Beverley she just doesen't understand that it is okay to be succesfull and mediocre without it translating to implied love and approval from Leonard and all of her loved ones.

 

This is why I have always thought it was ironical that Sheldon's mother is his mother and Leonard's mother is his, you can easily imagine Leonard being raised by Sheldon's mother, and Leonard's mother Beverley vice versa. Their respective mothers really are a reflection and explains the way Leonard is submissive in his behaviour, and why Sheldon is antagonistic and condecending. Funny thing is Beverley I think has a soft spot for Penny, she even said she might not have much going for her in terms of career prospects, but don't let her be in charge of her organisms too lol. I think the reason why in S3 Penny diddn't defend Leonard is as people put it Leonard is resilient, and although he was clearly upset, I don't think it dawned on Penny that she had the right to defend Leonard in front of Beverley, she can be very intimidating just ask Howard and Raj lol. Since then though now that Penny is more re-assured in her relationship with Leonard, and now knows for sure she loves him, if Beverley takes it to far even after Leonard's recent success in his field, she may go nebraska on her ass even if it is a Skype chat haha. But if it goes in another direction, and Beverley is actually proud of Leonard because he has finally acheived and done something, that has given Beverley means to affect her, as she said in response to her siblings acheivements "Why they are not my acheivements". So that said maybe she won't be overflowing with love, maybe a comment oh good Leonard you finnally made the boat, that ship sailed with your siblings years ago lol. I think though Leonard is learning to not seek approval from women anymore, this is thanks to Penny TBH so he'll survive.

Edited September 15, 2013 by 3ku11

[Chiara]

I'll grant you that. It may be that his mother is/was running an experiment on her kids and that's why she does what she does. On the other hand she may just be a heartless bitch. We won't know until the writers tell us.

Beverly is the stereotypical sitcom "shrink" : only capable of understanding people as series of symptoms, complexes and sexual deviances; and much weirder than any of her patients.

 

I do not know for sure whether she ever considered her children's education as an experiment in and by itself but I doubt it. I believe that she, very much like Sheldon, has a very thick filter, for lack of a better word. She sees everything through the prism of science, rejects anything that does not conform to logic and keeps such a tight rein on her emotions she appears not to have any.

It is of course false. Like with Sheldon (again), it only takes a little push to make her reveal how "normal" she is, in a way : in The Maternal Congruence, while she seemed remarkably calm and serene about her husband's affair and their impending divorce, Penny's casual questioning drove her to let out a scorned woman's all-time classic ("loathsome son of a bitch"). Yep, she is a "normal" person alright !

 

So I think she loves her children in spite of her physical/intellectual/psychological inability to show them much, if any, warmth. Under this "interesting" tutelage, one sensitive kid suffered (Leonard) and the other two, much less emotional, children thrived... Or so it seems. For I am sure that, under the veneer of professional and personal accomplishment, they are cuckoo for CocoPops.

I have to say I would like to see them on the how. It may please Leonard to find out his über successful siblings are, deep down, even more messed up than he is !

[SRAM]

Does anyone still see the original theme of this show anymore, the hot unobtainable girl across the hall that the nerd desires? I now see it as two different people, both with problems, that have fallen in love with each other. I think the interaction between Leonard and Penny has become a romantic comedy now, so the whole girl across the hall thing the writers are trying to keep is really getting stale. Penny being across the hall by herself only helps for the girl get-togethers, not the relationship.

[Chiara]

Does anyone still see the original theme of this show anymore, the hot unobtainable girl across the hall that the nerd desires? I now see it as two different people, both with problems, that have fallen in love with each other. I think the interaction between Leonard and Penny has become a romantic comedy now, so the whole girl across the hall thing the writers are trying to keep is really getting stale. Penny being across the hall by herself only helps for the girl get-togethers, not the relationship.

You are correct. There is no longer much of a trace of the "hot chick across the hall" template of the early days. But even back then, this particular setup was merely a pretext.

 

I seem to recall one of the actors (possibly Mr. Galecki) once refering to the show as "more than just about the two geeks living across the hot blonde" or something to that effect. And he was right. The show is about two tribes, childlike geeks and adults, realising they want and need each other to thrive. In this scenario, the hallway is the neutral zone, the no man's land they must cross to communicate.

 

So while Penny and Leonard's interactions have decidedly outgrown the bygone « beauty and the geek » era, it still serves its purpose in the more mature phase of their relationship they entered almost a year ago. It is their Rubicon, in a way. It embodies Penny's refusal to cohabit with Leonard (or, more accurately, the writers' hesitation as to what to do with Sheldon), Leonard's sense of boundaries (he crosses the distance but usually stops at the door and knocks before he lets himself in) and his longing (he asked her out in The Recombination Hypothesis after contemplating her from across that very same hallway)...

But it also is the theatre of progress : some of their most meaningful conversations and fights happened in the hallway and it hosted Penny's very first ILY ! If I were a betting woman, I would put some money on her eventually proposing in the same spot.

 

The hallway shall stand strong until the end of TBBT probably. So will the broken elevator (that will be fixed in the show's last ever episode, mark my words !)

[Occam's Chainsaw]

Beverly is the stereotypical sitcom "shrink" : only capable of understanding people as series of symptoms, complexes and sexual deviances; and much weirder than any of her patients.

 

I do not know for sure whether she ever considered her children's education as an experiment in and by itself but I doubt it. I believe that she, very much like Sheldon, has a very thick filter, for lack of a better word. She sees everything through the prism of science, rejects anything that does not conform to logic and keeps such a tight rein on her emotions she appears not to have any.

It is of course false. Like with Sheldon (again), it only takes a little push to make her reveal how "normal" she is, in a way : in The Maternal Congruence, while she seemed remarkably calm and serene about her husband's affair and their impending divorce, Penny's casual questioning drove her to let out a scorned woman's all-time classic ("loathsome son of a bitch"). Yep, she is a "normal" person alright !

 

So I think she loves her children in spite of her physical/intellectual/psychological inability to show them much, if any, warmth. Under this "interesting" tutelage, one sensitive kid suffered (Leonard) and the other two, much less emotional, children thrived... Or so it seems. For I am sure that, under the veneer of professional and personal accomplishment, they are cuckoo for CocoPops.

I have to say I would like to see them on the how. It may please Leonard to find out his über successful siblings are, deep down, even more messed up than he is !

The thing to remember about Beverly is that she is not a Psychologist, she is a Neuroscientist and Psychiatrist. Her training mostly treats the human brain like hardware, all thoughts and actions are the result of biochemical reactions in the brain, unless you have a chemical imbalance or a structural abnormality in your brain she really isn't qualified to understand what is going on in your head. You can see the difference in how she raised Leonard, Leonard's problems are mostly emotional, resulting from emotional neglect from his mother and an absentee father. A Psychologist would see his problems and realize that she needs to show approval and appreciation for his actions, even if they are relatively minor, but Beverly doesn't see the importance of emotions because emotions are difficult to really quantify on a biochemical level.

[JonRS92]

You are correct. There is no longer much of a trace of the "hot chick across the hall" template of the early days. But even back then, this particular setup was merely a pretext.

I seem to recall one of the actors (possibly Mr. Galecki) once refering to the show as "more than just about the two geeks living across the hot blonde" or something to that effect. And he was right. The show is about two tribes, childlike geeks and adults, realising they want and need each other to thrive. In this scenario, the hallway is the neutral zone, the no man's land they must cross to communicate.

So while Penny and Leonard's interactions have decidedly outgrown the bygone « beauty and the geek » era, it still serves its purpose in the more mature phase of their relationship they entered almost a year ago. It is their Rubicon, in a way. It embodies Penny's refusal to cohabit with Leonard (or, more accurately, the writers' hesitation as to what to do with Sheldon), Leonard's sense of boundaries (he crosses the distance but usually stops at the door and knocks before he lets himself in) and his longing (he asked her out in The Recombination Hypothesis after contemplating her from across that very same hallway)...

But it also is the theatre of progress : some of their most meaningful conversations and fights happened in the hallway and it hosted Penny's very first ILY ! If I were a betting woman, I would put some money on her eventually proposing in the same spot.

The hallway shall stand strong until the end of TBBT probably. So will the broken elevator (that will be fixed in the show's last ever episode, mark my words !)

I have a slightly different take on the dynamic between the two. In season 6 we start to see the group dynamic changing. What started out as a huge group eating dinner every night in S/L's apartment has changed. We now have small groups and more mature and intimate situations. Leonard and Penny now share quiet meals in her apartment while Sheldon and Amy are together and Howard, Bernie and Raj are together. They've all grown up and are acting more and more like adults. And I do agree that Penny keeping her apartment is a symbol of her independence.

As far as the hallway goes, I see your point about the significant events happening there but I don't know that we will see a proposal there. I suppose it could happen but I don't know how they make that very romantic.

[3ku11]

I have a slightly different take on the dynamic between the two. In season 6 we start to see the group dynamic changing. What started out as a huge group eating dinner every night in S/L's apartment has changed. We now have small groups and more mature and intimate situations. Leonard and Penny now share quiet meals in her apartment while Sheldon and Amy are together and Howard, Bernie and Raj are together. They've all grown up and are acting more and more like adults. And I do agree that Penny keeping her apartment is a symbol of her independence.

As far as the hallway goes, I see your point about the significant events happening there but I don't know that we will see a proposal there. I suppose it could happen but I don't know how they make that very romantic.

Yeah that is true the the change in group dynamic to individual dynamic and paradaim, really has shifted significantly in S6 and onwards. But you still saw on odd occasions the group hanging out together and eating chinese, it is just that the relationships have matured alot in S6. So most of the hangouts and the dynamics involved within are now done internally and intimately. Penny has now become very domesticated in terms of how she pre-plans Leonard's meals, almost like a housewife. You see Howard and Bernadette mostly having dinner together alone as a married couple. Even on odd occasion you saw Sheldon and Amy having dinner together. Most of the hangouts now as a group is done through other activities, like Howard and Bernadette having a dinner party, this was illustrated even more when Penny suggested to Leonard they have one too, and they did. So S6 was definatley the season where the characters are starting to grow up, but that is great it has never been a show about nerd culture and bunch of nerds who are all anti-social, but because of the dechatomy that existed between Penny and the guys. It is a show about people who happen to like being nerds, it's like saying the central premise has changed some what from Penny being the hot girl next door that the nerds especially Leonard desires. Penny's still the hot girl next door, it is just that the show has evolved since then and Penny has become fully integrated in the group. As the show progresses you well see the characters behaving more like adults and having their relationships define their living arangments, their decisions and their entire lives. But then again they are still young so they should have fun too, like more paintball as group, more comic book store outings. Maybe not neccessarily have dinner's as a group seeing that has changed due to the relationship dynamic, but more activities as a group hence the scavenger hunt. 

[hamerman55]

Thinking about Beverly and having just watched the episode where Sheldon get drunk on Long Island Iced Teas, I realized that persons that Beverly and Sheldon show to the world is mostly a veneer. Put a couple of drinks in them, and they become very different people. When Penny or Leonard get drunk, they are just loud versions of themselves. Sheldon has mentioned repeatedly that it is a lot of work being him in the real world. I think it is better to say that it is a lot of work to keep up the facade he presents. If Amy could get a couple of drinks in Sheldon, she might get a little more physical intimacy out of him.

[ArmyGirl]

I have a slightly different take on the dynamic between the two. In season 6 we start to see the group dynamic changing. What started out as a huge group eating dinner every night in S/L's apartment has changed. We now have small groups and more mature and intimate situations. Leonard and Penny now share quiet meals in her apartment while Sheldon and Amy are together and Howard, Bernie and Raj are together. They've all grown up and are acting more and more like adults. And I do agree that Penny keeping her apartment is a symbol of her independence.

As far as the hallway goes, I see your point about the significant events happening there but I don't know that we will see a proposal there. I suppose it could happen but I don't know how they make that very romantic.

 

I agree the dynamic of the group is changing and it has to in order for the show to be credible.  Most of the characters are in their mid- thirties and it would be stupid to have them in the same position as when the show started, imo.   I feel TPTB are stretching it as is with Leonard still living with Sheldon --- I guess we should be glad they do offer us episodes where Leonard do try to move out, even if they don't let it happen.  I mean the writers allowed Howard to grow up some and get married, he even moved out of his mother house.  Yet Leonard is still stuck with Sheldon.... how is that believable?  Of course Howard kid side still shows up but at least he was allowed to make some major movement. 

 

As for Penny proposing to Leonard in the hallway --- I hope NOT!  We finally get the first 'I Love You' from Penny and it's oh let's not make a big deal about.  That really disappointed me and I want, no loyal Leonard and Penny fans deserves something better than a cheap hallway proposal since we had to wait almost six years to hear Penny tell Leonard she loved him.  If writers came pen big moments for Shamy, I don't see why the same can't be done of Lenny.

The thing to remember about Beverly is that she is not a Psychologist, she is a Neuroscientist and Psychiatrist. Her training mostly treats the human brain like hardware, all thoughts and actions are the result of biochemical reactions in the brain, unless you have a chemical imbalance or a structural abnormality in your brain she really isn't qualified to understand what is going on in your head. You can see the difference in how she raised Leonard, Leonard's problems are mostly emotional, resulting from emotional neglect from his mother and an absentee father. A Psychologist would see his problems and realize that she needs to show approval and appreciation for his actions, even if they are relatively minor, but Beverly doesn't see the importance of emotions because emotions are difficult to really quantify on a biochemical level.

 

 

Beverly is one of those people that really should not be parents.  People like her do more damage than good to their children and never accept any of the responsibility for the damage they cause in their children lives.   She and Sheldon are like to two sides of a coin and it's always about them and their needs.