Spoilers The Shamy - Season 7 Spoilers Only Discussion Thread

[phantagrae]

Okay, guys, I have some questions.

I mentioned to some folks that I was playing around with writing a post-Locomotive (or post SIK, anyway) little fic.  I guess I'm mostly kind of exploring what might be going on in Sheldon's head from the moment he kisses her until maybe the next evening when he talks to Leonard.  I'm not sure how far I want to go with it.

 

Well, I had come up with some stuff that I sent to my sister and she kind of popped my balloon...  Now, I appreciate her writing skills and her sense of timing (like when certain things might bog down the storytelling, etc.), but I'm not sure how I feel about her take on this.  So this is part of what she said, with my thoughts at the end:

 

I guess I feel like it is risky to re-write an event that was already filmed.  I know you were trying to get Sheldon's feelings about the whole thing.  But the scene itself is so perfect that I didn't really want to confuse it with too much detail.

 

I guess the more interesting thing for me is the rest, what happened in the gaps that the show left.  And if you think of the brilliance of the writers, they left all that stuff out because it would make that kiss scene lose it's charge if too much is explained.  They left it and just got Sheldon's "recap" to Leonard later.

 

And maybe that's really where you should take your cue.

 

He gets home and that kiss that we all make such a big deal over is just one thing in a list for him.  And that is the real him.  If you took your fic and stuck in the story, then the scene back at the apartment would be incongrous.  You know what I mean?

 

I do feel like the work itself is a little redundant.  And too complex for these two.  I don't think Sheldon is that complex.  I understand the awakening that you are trying to convey, but I think it is way too fast.

 

What would interest me more is Amy's evolution and her expectation.  She is the one that has really dramatically changed over the years.  Sheldon is changing, but he's like the melting glaciers or the tectonic plates.  Oh sure, that mountain is there because of two tectonic plates shifting, we say, like we can see it happen, but you know it took millions of years.  Dramatic change, yes, but so slow you can't really see it.  That's Sheldon.  So what is it like to be his girlfriend?  What is it like to look at that mountain every day and think  maybe it grew an inch today????  That would be more interesting to me.  Sheldon is adorable and interesting, but he is adorable and interesting because he doesn't really move, no matter what the rest of us think.  Everyone else must adjust to him.  So what is that like for Amy?  You know she's gonna be reeling over that kiss and though she doesn't really know how it "goes", she, as a human, is going to be expecting, oh, now things are gonna change.  But we see from the scene with Leonard that it hasn't really.  So how is she going to deal with that?

 

That's my $.02

 

So...

While I do think she makes a good point about Amy's perspective being an interesting one, you know me.  I'm all about getting inside Shelly's head.  So, maybe I'll try to write something from Amy's POV at some point, but for now, I'm still interested in what was going on in Sheldon's mind.

Apart from my bad habit of redundancy (I'm the Manager of The Department of Redundancy Department), what I was trying to work through was what he was thinking, because despite the matter-of-fact-ness of his recap to Leonard, we SEE in that moment that he's thrown for a loop, that the kiss does affect him.  That it basically shuts his mouth (no pun intended) on the whole you tricked me/let's have "romance" tirade.  He goes all shy and quiet for a reason, and being the thinking person that he is, he's got to be thinking something.  Maybe not in the absolute moment of the kiss, but certainly once he breaks it.

 

I think that the writers don't detail everything for a reason, but a lot of that is that it's a different medium.  On TV you have to show, not tell, and that swallow, and the quietness of his invitation to her, etc., was the showing.

But we do know that after that train ride, they got to Napa, listened to the banjo-playing engineer, spent the night, then returned (by train, presumably) to Pasadena--and it was evening when Sheldon returned to the apartment.

 

So somewhere in that trip, he went from the heat of that moment of the kiss to listening to the banjo playing, to coolly assessing his experiences.

So, for me, I'm interested in that mental/emotional/maybe physical journey.  What does he think about when they get to the lodge?  Does Amy join him for the banjo music? Do they kiss again?  How is the train trip back home?

 

I feel like he's in a bit of a dreamy fog immediately after the kiss, but he's back to himself, more or less, when he talks to Leonard.  To me, there's a story there.  Yes, they're not going to show that in the episode, because that's not really the point of the episode (the time in Napa), but it's still part of the background story.

 

And while he didn't jump out immediately and say that kissing Amy was his favorite event, I think that's partly the function of the punchline, since he obviously, as we know, puts kissing on Date Night into the RelAg.

 

Anyway, what say you all?

[SSGirl]

I had the best dream last night guys;

*Following Sheldon into his apartment*

"Sheldon what's the matter with you?! Why have you been so cold lately? I thought things were going well with us!"

"They are"

"Then what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing"

"Sheldon, talk to me, I know when you're not telling me something!"

"It's nothing!"

"Tell me!"

"No"

"Sheldon, please..."

"I'm scared ok..."

"Scared of what?!"

*Sheldon spins around to face Amy*

"...of how much I love you!"

*Sheldon is literally frozen on the spot, the magnitude of what he had just said beginning to sink in.Then Amy looked completely smitten and walked straight up to him, grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. He sinks down to her level and wraps his arms around her waist. When they break apart;

"I love you too"

"...good"

God, I have the cheesiest dreams

OMG love it,

[otakuandfangirl]

I totally agree with trying to get into Sheldon's head. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I really want to know what he was thinking during the kiss and after during the weekend. I'm really thinking there may have been a serious conversation between them, which Amy may have brought up about the kiss and what it represents. I have a feeling that the discussion of adding it to the RA may have happened that same weekend. While Sheldon was engaging in these other activities, it may have been in the back of his mind. You don't break a barrier that huge in your personality without thinking about it, IMO. I would like to know what he thought of not only his relationship, but HIMSELF after that kiss. It has been brought up that there is a parallel with him when talking to his mother in "The Mommy Observation." Does he find himself a hypocrite? Is he thinking it is okay to be feeling what he does? What DOES he feel? I think these are all valid things to explore. And things in which I hope will come up in the finale.

Edited April 4, 2014 by certifiedotakuandfangirl

[Shamynanigans]

I had the best dream last night guys;

 

*Following Sheldon into his apartment*

 

"Sheldon what's the matter with you?! Why have you been so cold lately? I thought things were going well with us!"

"They are"

"Then what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing"

"Sheldon, talk to me, I know when you're not telling me something!"

"It's nothing!"

"Tell me!"

"No"

"Sheldon, please..."

"I'm scared ok..."

"Scared of what?!"

 

*Sheldon spins around to face Amy*

 

"...of how much I love you!"

*Sheldon is literally frozen on the spot, the magnitude of what he had just said beginning to sink in.Then Amy looked completely smitten and walked straight up to him, grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. He sinks down to her level and wraps his arms around her waist. When they break apart;

 

"I love you too"

 

"...good"

 

God, I have the cheesiest dreams  

 

beautiful

[phantagrae]

Oh, and did anyone notice that Sheldon bumps Amy's glasses with his nose when he starts kissing her? 

 

I was rewatching it and saw her glasses move and I was a little confused until I realized it has to be his nose bumping into her glasses.

I totally agree with trying to get into Sheldon's head. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I really want to know what he was thinking during the kiss and after during the weekend. I'm really thinking there may have been a serious conversation between them, which Amy may have brought up about the kiss and what it represents. I have a feeling that the discussion of adding it to the RA may have happened that same weekend. While Sheldon was engaging in these other activities, it may have been in the back of his mind. You don't break a barrier that huge in your personality without thinking about it, IMO. I would like to know what he thought of not only his relationship, but HIMSELF after that kiss. It has been brought up that there is a parallel with him when talking to his mother in "The Mommy Observation." Does he find himself a hypocrite? Is he thinking it is okay to be feeling what he does? What DOES he feel? I think these are all valid things to explore. And things in which I hope will come up in the finale.

 

I guess another issue to take into consideration in what was going on in his head was that we see him in the next episode, ready to break up with her over the change issue.  Now, he says he hadn't noticed it, like the frog in the slowly heating pot, but in that moment where he is assessing how she has changed him, that kissing business that Penny had just brought up--that he seemed self-conscious about--had to be part of that assessment.  Now, we don't know exactly when he added kissing to the Date Night activities, or if they had a heart-to-heart conversation in Napa (I somehow don't think so), but at the very least, he had to have gone through SOMETHING during that trip, even if he tried to go back his "normal" mode when he got back.  And in some ways he did go back to "normal", but at the very least, he had something happen in that moment that has obviously changed his perspective.

[Sheldon.lover]

All of the awards to this gifset by Stefania:

http://4thfloortakethestairs.tumblr.com/post/81704055923/sik-ii-a-recap

Great stuff

[shamyyellow]

I have such mixed feelings about the second SIK. I conditioned myself to accept that it would be a comedic kiss because everything I read about it indicated it would be (close mouthed, talking, discussing video games, ect...) but I have to say, I was still a little disheartened when I saw it. I got over it because I realize it has it's purpose and I do believe this kiss is a precursor for what is going to happen between Sheldon and Amy in future episodes. Something I like about the kiss is the duration and the way Sheldon approached her with a smile. I like that he was looking into her eyes too. It shows that he's comfortable. What I don't like is how he clearly wasn't present. He wasn't sharing a kiss with Amy in her living room; he was shopping for game consoles in his mind. 

 

I feel like when Sheldon progresses physically, his emotional strides lose momentum. I want him to put his heart where his mouth is. What made the first SIK so amazing was the emotion and realization you see crossing his face and the kindness towards Amy that followed. This kiss lacked that for me. Yes, he smiled. Yes, he complied. But it felt in large part like something he did so he could cross it off his list. It's on his list. That's huge in itself. I guess I'm just someone who would rather hear or see Sheldon putting Amy before himself or expressing his feelings. I'd take a million of those moments before a kiss he was contractually obligated to give. I know that's probably an unpopular opinion and people will come at me with reasons why he enjoyed it. I'm not even saying he didn't. He would freak out over far less with anyone else. The relationship agreement was obviously altered by him. He's definitely on this journey with Amy. I just think he needs to be woken up from the egocentric daze he's in. That's Sheldon's personality in a nutshell, but he's been way more emotionally available to Amy in the past.

 

Sheldon just seemed emotionally introverted and self consumed in this episode and seems to stay that way until The Proton Transmogrification. That's when I think things will change. Because of that episode and what it represents, I wouldn't at all be surprised if this season ended in "I love you" between Amy and Sheldon. They are obviously building up to something. Sex is off the table. They just started kissing. With an emphasis on Sheldon learning to accept change while paying more attention to the love he has for the people in his life, I'd bet money that the finale will include the sweetest Shamy exchange we've seen yet.

Edited April 5, 2014 by shamyyellow

[Irene]

Phanta,

 

I love your idea of exploring Sheldon's mind post-kiss. I disagree with your sister's analysis--I think something in Sheldon snapped, switched on, whatever you want to call it during that kiss. I don't think it was glacial or tectonic...though the process of him fully coming to terms with his feelings might be. And if the second kiss we saw is anything to go by (and I personally think that there were kisses in between), him acting on those feelings hasn't been glacial either. It's in the RA now, and in my head, its not written as a "8 to 15 second kiss, hands on hips, none of our friends around" or whatever. In my head, its simply "we kiss at the end of date nights", and Sheldon is deciding how long these kisses last, whether to touch her, etc.. Amy did raise her eyebrows about 5 seconds into the kiss, just before he started talking...."mmmmm, nice long kiss from Shelly tonight" was where my brain went.

 

And regarding kissing Amy not being his clear fave of the train weekend, well...he liked it as much as he liked making a new friend obsessed with trains. And we know how much he likes trains! To me, that his kiss with Amy is "in the mix" at all was huge. Kinda like her being among his screensaver pics.

 

Looking forward to reading your story.

[saruluvsshamy]

I had the best dream last night guys;

 

*Following Sheldon into his apartment*

 

"Sheldon what's the matter with you?! Why have you been so cold lately? I thought things were going well with us!"

"They are"

"Then what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing"

"Sheldon, talk to me, I know when you're not telling me something!"

"It's nothing!"

"Tell me!"

"No"

"Sheldon, please..."

"I'm scared ok..."

"Scared of what?!"

 

*Sheldon spins around to face Amy*

 

"...of how much I love you!"

*Sheldon is literally frozen on the spot, the magnitude of what he had just said beginning to sink in.Then Amy looked completely smitten and walked straight up to him, grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. He sinks down to her level and wraps his arms around her waist. When they break apart;

 

"I love you too"

 

"...good"

 

God, I have the cheesiest dreams  

amazing~~!!!

[Frieda Rainstorm]

Anyone else see the recent ausiello May Sweeps article where he says there are three shows that have a couple 'either kissing/sex/ saying 'I LOVE YOU' for the first time? Yeah. I'm gonna pass out.

 

AN I LOVE YOU IS COMING. NO ONE TOUCH ME.

 

I'd say ILY goes to Shamy, the kiss -- to Remily. 

[kazzie]

I aware to cow there had better be an "ILY" between Shamy in the the finale.. 

[koops]

@Phanta. I think you should go ahead and write your story because I do not think the tag scene in that episode, particularly due to what comes up in later episodes, even the ones that haven't aired yet, make it moot at all. To say that the kiss hasn't affected Sheldon, imo, is a massive underestimation of who Sheldon is and how complex he is as a character. I do not believe that he is complex because he never really changes, I believe he is complex because of the reasons why his change is so slow. Because while other characters (including Amy to an extent) leap and jump over details in order to progress, Sheldon dissects every single little minutia to bits before moving on. And I think that the dilemma over the consoles illustrated that clearly. That is what makes it interesting to me: what is he dissecting right now in his head? We know from Table and we know from Anything Can Happen and the way he reacts to the psychic that the kiss has affected him, and that it hits a nerve. And we know from Indecision and Diremption that he enjoys kissing her. And we know from Mommy Sheldon has huge problems with hypocrisy. So to say that the kiss has been just another thing on the list, IMO, is disingenuous. And if you want to go ahead and have your own take on it, you should. It would not be redundant at all. 

 

I also feel like one of the worst thing one can do in fanfic, with all due respect to your sister, is to Mary-Sue themselves into Amy and make the story a "what would it be like for me, as a "regular" girl, to be in a relationship with Sheldon?" and one mistake that the writers themselves often do and that lead us to episodes like Anything Can Happen. More often than not our perception of the state of their relationship is warped by how we see Amy react on screen. Is Amy happy with sitting in a store for hours while he makes up his mind over consoles? Then she's happy and everything is great and they're such a cute, odd couple. Is she fed up with hearing him complain about work and insecure about his relationship wit Penny (wtf)? Then she's unhappy, their relationship is dysfunctional and Sheldon is a self-centered jerk and needs to fix that. I think the writers, in using Amy as a plot device, forget how much the audience's perception of the relationship is skewed by how they write Amy. She is way more important than just a plot device and they need to acknowledge that and write her accordingly. I still think the best approach is the one Bill had: We ask ourselves, this is how normal couples do it, how would Shamy do it? And more of that approach is necessary.

 

But I also want to turn the tables here a little and say, we are pointing our fingers at Sheldon, but what about Amy? As frustrating as it must be to deal with the molasses progress of Sheldon, there is also some truth in the fact that she knew what she was getting herself in for and that no matter how much he progresses (they are kissing and touching more than ever now!) she is still complaining and wanting more. As much as Sheldon needs to be selfless and more empathic with her, she needs to recognize his progress and appreciate how far he's come, rather than mope about him not moving in with her or about (ugh) Penny. 

 

On the other hand, I think there's too much of an expectation for the kiss to have a "magic wand" effect, where Sheldon, suddenly struck by the feelings of kissing, turns into a person who is in tune with his emotions and, more importantly, able to express them freely. In a comedy of all things. The point of the kiss this week was to show, to paraphrase Amy, that "They do that now" or, to quote Sheldon, because "I kiss girls now." That it's becoming such a normal occurrence to them that Sheldon goes into it totally cocky and naturally and that they talk about videogames while they do. I was slightly worried too when the taping report came out (and I asked Lio for details again and again on this) that it would come across as 'asexual' Sheldon just kissing her because he has to while he's thinking about something else. But, IMO, it didn't come across that way at all, and possibly precisely because of the way Amy reacted by not kissing back much or touching him. SHELDON was the one who was doing all the work, who was into the kiss, who kept on going despite his mind being distracted. Had we had a scenario where Sheldon had gone in for a peck and then talked about controllers and Amy had grabbed him to shut him up and kiss him longer because the peck was not enough, I'd agree it would have sent a totally different message. But it did not, to the point where I read SHENNY fans on Tumblr state that they had to admit Sheldon was the one who looked into the kiss, not Amy. Shenny fans. Think about that. 

 

To a certain extent, there is truth in the fact that people do not change. Or at least not completely. People adapt and evolve but do not change. Sheldon will never be completely open and selfless, but he will let his feelings known more in small amounts. I bet that when it's all said and done you would still be able to point out things in their relationship that could be improved or fixed. And that is valid for all three relationships on the show. That is true to life but, also, it makes it for interesting stories. Otherwise all they would be doing is getting mortgages and buying cribs and that is hardly compelling storytelling. 

Edited April 5, 2014 by koops

[AndyRenee]

I actually have to say that I feel the kissing we are seeing in regards to Shamy feels like a TV miracle! Personally, I want to give the creators a standing ovation for being as bold as they have been so far. It's amazing for writers who generally do not want Sheldon to change that they have taken this risk. I mean, come on it is Sheldon here who is grabbing hips, patting butts, kissing lips, etc. While Amy can barely move since she is so taken aback by feelings for her sexy preying mantis. I never dared to dream that they would go with this angle. They really just decided that Sheldon enjoys kissing Amy and this is a regular thing between them now, and are going for it in a big way.

[rachelshamyfan]

Are people happy to see Sheldon kissing Amy while she doesn't respond?

I do hope that is rectified in the future because I'm not sure I want to see everything one sided, we've had that from Amy wanting intimacy in the past and sheldon not being ready

Edited April 5, 2014 by rachelshamyfan

[koops]

Are people happy to see Sheldon kissing Amy while she doesn't respond?

 

Yes. And I've said why many times.

 

1) Everyone knows Amy wants Sheldon and wants physical intimacy with him. The question so far has always been, does Sheldon want the same? Him kissing her for ages, smiling and bragging about it, while she doesn't respond answers that question.

 

2) Haters think Amy is a sex starved lunatic who would do anything to get sex. This just shows them it isn't the case at all.  She just wants intimacy, and just with Sheldon. She's still an inexperienced virgin who will have to work to find her own footing in the sexual arena just like Sheldon.

 

3) It gives us more to look forward too. I have no doubt Amy will loosen up one day, sooner or later, and at that time I will sit back and enjoy it and love it in the knowledge that we have already had proof that her desire is not unrequited, due to the fact that Sheldon smooches her happily while she stands there like a cardboard.

[rachelshamyfan]

Oh I'm happy that Sheldon is enjoying the kissing, I just wish Amy did as well and your comment about her standing like a cardboard made me Lol as its very true

I do think and hope they are going somewhere with the reluctance or hesitation in Amy's part though

[nickelette424]

I personally think there is a response in her nonresponse.  If that makes sense.  It's not like she is standing there all indifferent.  It is almost like stunned sense of confusion and maybe a little bit of fear.  Because she is also as inexperienced as Sheldon, she has to make the adjustment to, what I assume, is their new normal just as he does.  I see it as Sheldon being extremely confident and Amy being really unsure of herself.

[rachelshamyfan]

I mean she clearly wants to be kissed as she reminded Sheldon about it

[Stefania]

I really think this approach to Shamy kissing is just so clever on TPTB's part. Sheldon is basically devouring Amy's lips this second time lol while she takes it all in, with a what-is-happening-i-like-this-so-much-don't-know-what-i'm-doing approach. Not only this is very sweet and telling (that IS Sheldon kissing Amy), but like koops said, shows how she's pretty much all talk as it was showed in the past as well. It is a very good thing for me. They come from the same place. This is their first relationship. And seeing Sheldon so eager is just a pleasure to watch, at least for me. He wants her as much as she wants him. Considering how much and for how long I've been crying for this to actually show on screen, I am literally on a cloud.

[Jamie]

I personally think there is a response in her nonresponse. If that makes sense. It's not like she is standing there all indifferent. It is almost like stunned sense of confusion and maybe a little bit of fear. Because she is also as inexperienced as Sheldon, she has to make the adjustment to, what I assume, is their new normal just as he does. I see it as Sheldon being extremely confident and Amy being really unsure of herself.

Agree, there is a response. It's small, but it's there. She do lift her head, close her eyes and pucker her lips just enough to grab on to his lower lip. Maybe it's exaggerating saying she "participates" in the kiss but I think it's very fair to say she gladly recieves it without any bigger hesitation. Insecurity yes, for good reasons that people have already stated out, but reluctance is imo not the right word for it.

[Stefania]

Another thing to consider for comparison's sake:

- SIK I, Amy is so stunned her eyebrows are high all the way through the whole duration of the kiss, her face is tensed up, etc. (She follows it with "That was nice.")

- SIK II, Amy smiles and - well, I think "takes it all in" is a good way to describe it. She is way more relaxed and her face at the end is so telling, she's in bliss. (And Sheldon pats her and leaves with that content smile of his.) She's the one to shily - such a lovely detail - remind him about it without really mentioning it.

So, I don't see neither repulsion (?) nor I think this all a cunning strategy from Amy - actually, let me stress how I really don't think the second option is even to consider. IMO, as always.

[Frieda Rainstorm]

I personally think there is a response in her nonresponse.  If that makes sense.  It's not like she is standing there all indifferent.  It is almost like stunned sense of confusion and maybe a little bit of fear.  Because she is also as inexperienced as Sheldon, she has to make the adjustment to, what I assume, is their new normal just as he does.  I see it as Sheldon being extremely confident and Amy being really unsure of herself.

 

Yep.

 

Plus, she still can not believe, this is actually happening, this is not just her dream, that Sheldon Cooper is kissing her, all the more, she feels he loves kissing her. After almost 4 years, some of us can not believe it, all the more -- Amy.   

Edited April 5, 2014 by Frieda Rainstorm

[rachelshamyfan]

The pat at the end was cute

Maybe I should stop over anyalzing my feelings on it, we've waited a long time for this so I should just enjoy it!

[Lionne]

Are people happy to see Sheldon kissing Amy while she doesn't respond?

 

I disagree that Amy doesn't respond. After the kiss, she stood there for a moment with her head still upturned like she was pausing to relish the moment just a few seconds longer before coming back to earth. She looked like a girl who was on cloud 9 just from the simple experience of pressing her lips sweetly to his for awhile - she had no need to claw at him, grab him, stick her tongue down his throat, or otherwise maul the man. Just to have him close, kissing her gently, was enough to transport her to heaven for awhile, and I find that very indicative of a girl with such little experience as Amy. For her, right now, this is enough, and that seems about right to me.

 

Also, I should note that it was not the easiest kiss to pull off. They weren't able to pull off the kiss the first time because the audience wouldn't allow them to get in their lines. Then they tried the kiss again, and were trying to kiss and keep their lips together while also getting off the dialogue and the timing of the dialogue to make it sweet and get laughter too. When I watched it being filmed, I got a little hot under the collar by the first kiss. It just went on and on and there was a bit more passion to it. In the second one, I thought (just viewing, because I couldn't hear the dialogue) that it started well, was just a bit awkward in the middle because they were waiting for audience reaction to die down to get their lines in, and then heated back up again with Sheldon's "well they do" line and the sexy way she smiles that line against her lips.

 

Now that I know the dialogue, I'm actually even more over the moon about the kiss, which I will get into here:

 

I have such mixed feelings about the second SIK. I conditioned myself to accept that it would be a comedic kiss because everything I read about it indicated it would be (close mouthed, talking, discussing video games, ect...) but I have to say, I was still a little disheartened when I saw it. I got over it because I realize it has it's purpose and I do believe this kiss is a precursor for what is going to happen between Sheldon and Amy in future episodes...... I just think he needs to be woken up from the egocentric daze he's in. That's Sheldon's personality in a nutshell, but he's been way more emotionally available to Amy in the past.....Sheldon just seemed emotionally introverted and self consumed in this episode and seems to stay that way until The Proton Transmogrification. That's when I think things will change. Because of that episode and what it represents, I wouldn't at all be surprised if this season ended in "I love you" between Amy and Sheldon. They are obviously building up to something. Sex is off the table. They just started kissing. With an emphasis on Sheldon learning to accept change while paying more attention to the love he has for the people in his life, I'd bet money that the finale will include the sweetest Shamy exchange we've seen yet.

 

Personally, I love this whole post because it sums up what I feel. Mostly - I was actually happier about the kiss when I saw it on screen and could hear the dialogue then when I saw it at the taping. At the taping, i thought it was pretty incredible (although I wanted them to tape it a 3rd time to get the passion of the first one more into getting the dialogue off on the second one, because the second one was good but I thought it could be better once they figured out what the timing with the audience was. Seriously, the audience reaction was something they couldn't prepare for in rehearsal, so they couldn't get the timing of it with all the noise quite right until they filmed it right then. I wish they had done it one more time to really nail it perfectly - it was close) but I had the same concern as you: what did it say that Sheldon still had video game consoles on his mind while he was kissing Amy? And I went back and forth on thinking that it was not a good message that Sheldon was still thinking more about his video games while kissing Amy then being emotionally moved by the act of what he was doing, but then thinking that Sheldon wasn't breaking the kiss to talk about them. I mean, he could have pecked her on the lips and ended it and kept talking about video games, but here he was blending the two. He wanted to talk about video games, but he also didn't want to stop kissing her either, and this kiss went on even longer than the first.

 

However, now that I know what the dialogue was, my concern is pretty much erased. There was so much subtext into those lines he says while he kisses her. He's kissing her, and his mind comes to the idea of "lighting up," and the way he phrases the question makes it seem so casual - "Did I mention that the game controllers light up?" Amy continues to kiss him, and it takes her a moment to remember to answer, and she just slips in, "No." Then, Sheldon says, while smiling and rather firmly, "well they do." If he was continuing to really think about video games, he would have kept talking about the video games, but that's not what he says, he stresses to her his original comment, because he really wants to impart that image and metaphor in her mind. And what a brilliant metaphor it is - because the concept of something "lighting up" can be looked at a lot of different ways, from the "spark" of a kiss, which might have been what he was feeling - the sparks - which made him think about the video game controller as well, the way his mind would free associate - he feels sparks, he feels emotionally "light up" and then he thinks of the video game controllers "lighting up" and he wants to share that picture or idea with her. You can also see the sexual metaphor in the idea of a video game controller lighting up as well, obviously, whether you think about him getting slightly erect or just feeling sexually turned on. When she replies no, he wants to assure her that this lighting up is happening - well they DO. Just to stress the whole point of this "lighting up" business.

 

It put the kiss in a whole new light for me - he's not really still talking about the video game consoles he's been obsessed with all evening. He's thinking about things lighting up, getting turned on, sparking on, lights and colors and bright things - and he is thinking all of this while kissing her and he wants her to know that's on his mind without coming right out and saying it - he's very flirty about it. And he wants her to know it but he doesn't want to stop kissing her in order to tell her either. Can't seem to break that kiss, no matter what's on his mind. And for me that really changes everything about it.

 

As for your other comments about the Proton episode and the feeling Sheldon needs to be shaken out of his egoccentric state - well, yeah, but that's really the whole crux/problem/issue of Sheldon and the relationship anyway. Sheldon is narcissistic and self-centered and always has been, not to mention there's a big part of the depth of his feelings for Amy which he's clearly hiding. yHe bragged to his best friend Leonard that he kissed Amy, but he was horrified and upset to find out Penny knew. He didn't want to share it with anyone but Leonard - needed to share it with someone, but only wanted to confide it in his best friend. He had that screensaver picture of Amy on his computer, and Leonard had obviously caught him mooning over it and had acted self-conscious about it, which was why Leonard knew he was breaking a confidence of Sheldon's just to show it to Amy in the first place. Now the show is hitting this whole issue up again, first with the psychic and then with Proton. The psychic really hits a nerve when she suggests Sheldon needs to give himself to this woman so his life will fall into place, and I don't think she was saying Sheldon needs to give himself sexually, but give himself emotionally. Sheldon may have told Penny he's "very fond of Amy," and he might have announced at the start of this season that "he likes her, quirks and all," but he's never declared his LOVE for her, and he hasn't declared anything to her face except his "quirks and all" comment, in which he said he LIKES her. Then, Proton comes along (in his mind, so this is one part of Sheldon's mind speaking to the other part) and asks Sheldon "if there is more to life."

 

As usual, a part of Sheldon responds with denial because Sheldon has a huge problem with denial. He has a lot of problems speaking from the heart, (which is how Jim has put it several times) because that's not his forte. The show has hit on that several times this season - the argument over Amy ruining Raiders for him, and his inability to come out and say "I'm mad at you for doing that" and instead trying to passive aggressively ruin something for her to make it even. The psychic episode also shows that Sheldon still has an issue with conveying his feelings too, because Penny has to ask why Sheldon isn't mad at Amy for lying, so she can't even sense he is immediately after the fact, and then Sheldon tells her he is mad and he's going to get back at Amy by taking her to that restaurant the next date night. (So he's not going to tell her how he feels, he's going to punish her.) As for whatever he's thinking about his romance with Amy, upcoming episodes will reveal he's still not dealing with things head on - he's still in denial. (A lot of his issues he works on subconsciously, while he's dreaming. Such as his dream about Proton leads him to give Leonard a hug. Or his dream about Spock leads him to admit he lied about breaking his toy and switching it with Leonard's. It's a sloooooow process up there in Sheldon's head, and it's made even slower by the way Sheldon pushes certain thoughts he's uncomfortable with aside and might only deal with them while he's dreaming.) But the thoughts are definitely there, in his consciousness now, but Sheldon's still trying to deny them (shooting down the psychic, feigning innocence with Proton, almost breaking up with Amy when he was in panic), and I agree that the end of this season is probably gunning for Sheldon making a break through in some way - with an I love you, a more passionate kiss with Amy, SOMETHING where he begins to crack and accept these feelings and express them to Amy more openly.

 

We're still on the journey there, and as Koops said, these kisses are not going to be magic wands that just suddenly turn into wild passion where they leap from kissing into having wild, crazy sex up against the wall in the shower. I've read the fan fic, I know the fantasies, but this stuff which seems to walk right out of the pages of a generic romance novel is not what writers of the caliber that work on TBBT are going to go for. Even when they are at their most clunky or anvilicious (coming up with this plot with Bernie and Amy lying to get away from Penny and Sheldon to set up Sheldon going to the psychic) they are still light years beyond the cheap, cloying, reheated mush of a dime-store romance novel that's been produced at a penny per word. Amy and Sheldon are awkward, weird, virginal, unique and most important of all, they are CEREBRAL people. Intelligence and creativity is what turns them on; this is how they are and have been since day 1, and even as they do progress, those treasured aspects of their characters are not going to be lost, nor are they going to morph into characters better represented by Fabio and Morgan Fairchild. If that is what people want, I suppose there's plenty of OOC Fan Fiction out there to float your boat, or literally hundreds of thousands of other rom-com movies, TV shows, or romance novels to read, but for the love of God, please keep it the hell out of TBBT and particularly Shamy. I never shipped anything before Sheldon and Amy, and I know that the reason behind their special appeal to me is because I'm the same sort of very cerebral weirdo - intelligence turns me on more than anything else. People become attractive to me when I find them smart and when I can have a real conversation with them, the physical aspects are secondary. It's because Sheldon and Amy are so unique, written so well and so cleverly, that I am obsessed with their story.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Lionne

[rachelshamyfan]

Maybe I was expecting too much, especially after the first kiss

I know they will get there in their own time