Ship Zone [Spoilers]Shamy S8 Thread

[jenafan]

I love the fact that the ring is gold and very classical/vintage, which fits with Amy's style. Either it is a family heirloom or he really put considerable thought into picking it out.

I have such more to say about everyone's observations, but alas I will have to do it during my work breaks, so I apologize because some of my replies come long after a subject has moved forward several pages on the forum.

[Desdemona]

The kiss was very short, I mean it lasted only five seconds! But the fact, that Sheldon was leaning forward for more was very meaningful, as others already told! I think the reason that he was listening to Lenny´s conversation was, that he was looking for a way to ask her, or to find the bravery to ask her. The way he turned his head a bit, when Leonard was talking about that he and Penny love each other was so cute. So it was heartbreaking when Amy asked him for a pause to re-evaluate their relationship. The way he looked and the fact that he said "What am I gonna do with this ring now?", seems like he feels like she broke up with him, even if she didn´t do it. But I still have faith, that this will lead to another great shamy moment. On the other hand there is Lenny. I feel so sorry for Penny. Leonard really disappointed and hurt her. She said, that it was ok for her, but her watery eyes were speaking an other story. She would have never thought, that Leonard would betrayal her like the other guys did, she had before Leonard. I´m very curious, how they will solve things! The only fear I have, is that it´ll take half season or more, before Amy comes back, because the loss of your father isn´t something you get over so easily. I wish her all the best and hope she comes back soon!

[CaffeineBuzz]

Well, that played out way more emotional that I was expecting on all fronts (in good and bad ways). I totally agree with Kerry, Michy and Koops on their posts as this is how the episode played for me too.

Firstly, they heavily cut that makeout scene. It was still good and holy hell hot for them but knowing there's all that extra good footage of them going at it makes me want to scream YOU EDITING BASTARDS. But that's besides the point. I loved how their entire scenes played out in this episode. It was very clear to me that they wanted you to feel for Amy throughout the whole episode by the fact that they kept emphasizing Sheldon's cluelessness all the way to the tag scene. And it was clear as day that this wasn't about physical intimacy issues for her. She just wants to know that he's into this relationship as much as she is, that he thinks of her as much as she does him. And that's totally justifiable and understandable, even though its Sheldon. Then the tag scene flips it on its head and you can't help but feel for Sheldon too cause HE HAS A DAMNED RING! All the nuances of that tag scene just floored me, the facial expressions all of it... ugh! It may sound like a break up in some interviews but I honestly don't think it played that way. I really played as Amy wants to examine what they're doing and figure out if this is something SHE actually wants still. And I love it because Sheldon has never been faced with this before. He's always just assumed that she would be there no matter what because she always has (infuriatingly so actually). So what do they do now? This is a huge wake up call for both of them.

I'm so excited to see how all of this is going to play out and I think it will take til November sweeps to have everyone back on track.

But gosh this is exciting.

"Isn't this exciting!!!"

[jenafan]

I look forward to seeing Sheldon woo Amy but I hope the writers do it within his character so he remains the man Amy fell in love with. Flowers and more attention on her, yes, but don't turn him into some romantic lunatic he is not, please.

Amy fell in love with Dr. Who, not Fabio. She just wants a little romance and attention from her scientist, not a total change of personality.

Edited May 9, 2015 by jenafan

[wowbagger]

 

One thing I’m really surprised some online reviews are missing is the huge importance of the ring. I think a lot of them, probably because they watch tons of shows and they all kind of blur together, the ring is just a detail or a contrived plot device to have a big shocker. I completely disagree and I think the reason they feel that way is that they only look at it as the symbol of an engagement and something that’s pretty standard for romance on tv. I think the ring, and the timing we find out about it, is of massive importance in the context of the story and it represents way more than “Sheldon was planning to propose”. It represents commitment and it represents that Sheldon wants the same things out of the relationship that Amy wants. He’s just incapable or not ready to express it out loud quite yet. 

 

The way I think about it is: if the ring had not been there, the episode would have ended with Sheldon sitting there, looking miserable, and merely reacting to Amy taking charge of where the relationship is going. But the ring being there already BEFORE Sheldon knew Amy was *that* upset, BEFORE he knew she is reevaluating the whole relationship, is an incredibly important sign that Sheldon is *already* there where Amy “wants” him. 100% committed. And he is there because he *wants* to be there, not because she’s pressuring him or giving him an ultimatum. If the ring hadn’t been there, and at some point in S9 they rekindle their relationship and Sheldon proposes, the story becomes one of “Sheldon has learned his lesson, and if he hadn’t nearly lost Amy, he probably would have never gotten there”. What I LOVE about the ring is that it’s there before! Sheldon doesn’t need to learn any lessons or think about what he wants. He already knows. And cod knows how long he’s known for. He just needs to learn how to express himself and realize that the stuff that comes out of his mouth can and do hurt her. 

 

What I liked about the episode was that it also totally cleared my doubts as to whether he got the ring before or after the fight. It’s 100% clear now that he had it before, so it’s not a “patching up” gesture that he did after Penny waved her ring in his face and he thought “oh, ok, she wants me to propose”. Because it all happens in the same night and he doesn’t even leave the living room between the talk with Lenny and that revelation. It’s nice to see Steve confirm that too, of course, but I was happy to see that clear as day in the episode. 

 

 

It's an interesting point. For me, I think the significance may be contingent on knowing when Sheldon bought the ring. Do we know? If it was after, say, the Mars Colonisation episode, then that's a clear indicator that he is planning a future, a serious, even traditional, future, with Amy. 

 

If it was after the fight (which seems unlikely, but- correct me if I'm wrong- is possible), then it's a little more ambiguous. Still interesting, but ambiguous. Are you doing it to get her back? Are you doing it because you want to (as I hope)?

 

As to the ring otherwise: well, for me, there are two things that I would like to see explored and clarified:

 

- Sheldon driving/initiating changes in the relationship;

- Sheldon and Amy exploring what commitment means, and what form it could take.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. The two are obviously related. And I think it was very interesting that the ring hit both of the above points: Sheldon HAS an idea of what a future with Amy looks like, and he has been exploring it in his own head and heart, unbeknownst to Amy. 

 

For me, though, the reveal of the ring sort of shuffled both points together, and I would have loved to see both developments breathe. Ideally, even, I'd have loved to see Sheldon demonstrating initiative in the relationship in some sense BEFORE he-and Amy! what does Amy want? What has changed for Amy? What does she want that comes from within her?- moves on to what commitment looks like for him and for Amy. That said, koops, your post got me thinking, and I realised that I was talking myself into the ring reveal more as I was writing this post, so who knows?

[Desdemona]

I love the fact that the ring is gold and very classical/vintage, which fits with Amy's style. Either it is a family heirloom or he really put considerable thought into picking it out.

I have such more to say about everyone's observations, but alas I will have to do it during my work breaks, so I apologize because some of my replies come long after a subject has moved forward several pages on the forum.

How do you know that it was golden? The only thing I can see is that it has a lot of white stones and it seems vintage. I hope it´s meemaw´s ring or at least his mother´s or maybe it´s both! This would make it even more meaningful and it would be a beautiful gesture, that Amy is becoming part of his family!

[rachelshamyfan]

I keep watching the make out and seeing different things, for example Sheldon's right hand on Amy's waist...

[koops]

It's an interesting point. For me, I think the significance may be contingent on knowing when Sheldon bought the ring. Do we know? If it was after, say, the Mars Colonisation episode, then that's a clear indicator that he is planning a future, a serious, even traditional, future, with Amy. 

 

If it was after the fight (which seems unlikely, but- correct me if I'm wrong- is possible), then it's a little more ambiguous. Still interesting, but ambiguous. Are you doing it to get her back? Are you doing it because you want to (as I hope)?

 

As to the ring otherwise: well, for me, there are two things that I would like to see explored and clarified:

 

- Sheldon driving/initiating changes in the relationship;

- Sheldon and Amy exploring what commitment means, and what form it could take.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. The two are obviously related. And I think it was very interesting that the ring hit both of the above points: Sheldon HAS an idea of what a future with Amy looks like, and he has been exploring it in his own head and heart, unbeknownst to Amy. 

 

For me, though, the reveal of the ring sort of shuffled both points together, and I would have loved to see both developments breathe. Ideally, even, I'd have loved to see Sheldon demonstrating initiative in the relationship in some sense BEFORE he-and Amy! what does Amy want? What has changed for Amy? What does she want that comes from within her?- moves on to what commitment looks like for him and for Amy. That said, koops, your post got me thinking, and I realised that I was talking myself into the ring reveal more as I was writing this post, so who knows?

 

I honestly don't see how anybody can think he got the ring after the fight. Not only because Steve said he has ideas of when he got it but doesn't yet want to tell, but also because it's pretty obvious from the way the episode plays out. They have a fight, and Sheldon still thinks she's wrong/can't figure out what the problem is when he's hanging out with Lenny, which we know is 24 hours later. And all those scenes take place within the same evening. Even ignoring the fact that Sheldon is not one to do things impulsively, there is no practical and logistic way Sheldon could have figured out what Amy wanted (commitment) and went out and bought an engagement ring within that short time window.

 

So, as long as it's not just a "patch up" purchase, to me it doesn't really matter if he had it a week before the fight, a month, or a year. Which I believe is what Steve said too: the time is not important as much as what it represents. I do think it's likely that he got it after they applied to go to Mars together, but it's hard to say with certainty. The fact that he hasn't demonstrated initiative much, but yet has apparently decided he wants to marry her, is actually something that I find very fitting for his character, because I think that what he struggles with greatly is expressing himself and understanding how things can come across to others (in good and bad ways) and how to speak that "language", but, at the same time, I don't think he struggles with feeling things, the way everyone else does, or knowing what he feels and what he wants. I think with him it's more an issue of lost in translation than anything else, so I can definitely see him putting the cart (i.e. deciding he's going to propose) in front of the horse (i.e. expressing initiative).

 

I also don't blame him for taking this as if she had dumped him. Because, for all intents and purposes, he is very well aware that a "revaluation" includes the possibility of a breakup. And I do agree and I said it lots in S6 and 7 that he's often taken her for granted and thought that she would be there no matter what, and now he's suddenly blindsided by the realization that no, even Amy has a breaking point. I do think there's lots of room for S9 to be about Sheldon learning and growing, but more to do with learning how to express himself and make sure she knows how much she means to him, than learning what he wants. I have no doubts now that he knows what he wants. What I also liked about Steve's interviews is that he's making it clear they are *both* right. And that gives me hope that the reconciliation is going to be a learning experience for both of them, not just for Sheldon. 

[Érika Souza]

Someone else realize the happiness of Sheldon to talk to Amy on Skype? The little smile.. And the fact that he was interrupted by her and doesn't care? He is sooo crazy about closure things and simply let her cut him..

Oh God, it will be a looong winter (I'm at Brazil)   ..  

[Arduina]

I hope they don't try to put Amy with another man to test the waters or make Sheldon jealous. There is only him for her and her for him.

I hope their intention is to explore Sheldon and Amy's lives temporarily without each other to show how much they need to be together.

 

I would definitely HATE seeing her do that. I don't think writers will go there though.

 

thank you aaaaaargh that was my biggest fear, that they would Cut the makeout as Short as possible, AND THEY DID WHY COME ON

 

 

I watch the episode this morning and I was like "whaaaaat??? is THAT what got us all going crazy these past days? Surely the guys attending the taping would not have made us going crazy for that right????"

SO mad at the editing Was expecting so much from the reports

 

Can we also talk about how tenderly sheldon was caressing the ring box at the end. i don't know why such a small, subtle thing speaks so much to me..don't know if anyone else feels the same. I think that was a brilliant choice jim made for sheldon to do, i don't know but to me it emphasises how precious the ring, amy and the desire to marry is to sheldon. He reallllly truly cares, a lot!!!

 

Oh God what I would give to be that box ... er ... anyways ... Definitely going to care about that box It's not like EVERYBODY is just waiting for it to make its official appearance in season 9 now

 

I can't stop watching Sheldon trying to go back in for more kissing.

 

Definitely one of the highlight of the episode!

 

The way Mayim did the Skype scene was perfect, with her emotions probably already high with the recent passing of her father, that probably helped her to get to the point the producers wanted for the scene

 

Totally agree she was perfection. Sad that she had to act such a sad scene regarding her current personal life though But she's a profesionnal through and through and she just nailed it.

 

How do you know that it was golden? The only thing I can see is that it has a lot of white stones and it seems vintage. I hope it´s meemaw´s ring or at least his mother´s or maybe it´s both! This would make it even more meaningful and it would be a beautiful gesture, that Amy is becoming part of his family!

 

In my Shamy world, Mary gave it to him from Meamaw in the previous episode.

 

 

Mayim and Jim nailed the episode. Brilliant scenes. Tag scene was acting perfection. They are SO GOOD working together!

 

Now Mayim needs an Emmy!

[Kathy2611]

OMG!! It IS a break-up. Jim is on Kelly & Michael and he even said "Amy broke up with him." Holy Shit!!!

[wowbagger]

I honestly don't see how anybody can think he got the ring after the fight. Not only because Steve said he has ideas of when he got it but doesn't yet want to tell, but also because it's pretty obvious from the way the episode plays out. They have a fight, and Sheldon still thinks she's wrong/can't figure out what the problem is when he's hanging out with Lenny, which we know is 24 hours later. And all those scenes take place within the same evening. Even ignoring the fact that Sheldon is not one to do things impulsively, there is no practical and logistic way Sheldon could have figured out what Amy wanted (commitment) and went out and bought an engagement ring within that short time window.

 

 

 

Oh, yes, that's right! The Lenny scene takes place in the same evening as the Shamy skype chat! (Right? I'm blanking on what everybody's wearing and so forth). That makes sense.

 

 

 

So, as long as it's not just a "patch up" purchase, to me it doesn't really matter if he had it a week before the fight, a month, or a year. Which I believe is what Steve said too: the time is not important as much as what it represents. I do think it's likely that he got it after they applied to go to Mars together, but it's hard to say with certainty. The fact that he hasn't demonstrated initiative much, but yet has apparently decided he wants to marry her, is actually something that I find very fitting for his character, because I think that what he struggles with greatly is expressing himself and understanding how things can come across to others (in good and bad ways) and how to speak that "language", but, at the same time, I don't think he struggles with feeling things, the way everyone else does, or knowing what he feels and what he wants. I think with him it's more an issue of lost in translation than anything else, so I can definitely see him putting the cart (i.e. deciding he's going to propose) in front of the horse (i.e. expressing initiative).

 

 

No, I buy that Sheldon would have the commitment planned. I do. My response wasn't from the perspective of 'This doesn't make sense'. It was more on the lines of 'good LORD that's a bunch of issues, each interesting and meaty, lumped into one load-bearing moment.' Which, again, is not inconsistent with Sheldon's character or anything like that. it just felt like a continuation of this finale's 'ALL THE DRAMA! ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS! RIGHT NOW!' way of operating. 

 

It's also- I'm not going to say this well, because I barely understand it myself, but I'll try. It also feels like more of 'This is how Sheldon feels about this development' and 'let's explore the mind of Sheldon Cooper'. And I know I'm going to sound mental, because I was banging on about how I'd like to explore how Sheldon would look driving the relationship, AND I know that Bialik was going through terrible things and maybe her role was kept light here, but- I don't know. The ring, to me, was also symbolic of 'and narrative interest in this story remains with Sheldon'. Yes, yes, yes, we have Amy's reaction that precipitates all of the drama, but I've already ranted about how forced that felt to me.

 

 

I do think there's lots of room for S9 to be about Sheldon learning and growing, but more to do with learning how to express himself and make sure she knows how much she means to him, than learning what he wants. I have no doubts now that he knows what he wants. What I also liked about Steve's interviews is that he's making it clear they are *both* right. And that gives me hope that the reconciliation is going to be a learning experience for both of them, not just for Sheldon. 

 

 

Let's hope! Bialik is a great performer, and Amy is a great character. And I think the show would be well served by exploring her pathologies and desires too.

[CentralPerk]

Someone else realize the happiness of Sheldon to talk to Amy on Skype? The little smile.. And the fact that he was interrupted by her and doesn't care? He is sooo crazy about closure things and simply let her cut him..

Oh God, it will be a looong winter (I'm at Brazil) ..

Yes I thought of that too. He starts talking but he lets her speak. Even if he disagrees with her. That was surprising. Edited May 8, 2015 by CentralPerk

[Trinabeana78]

I honestly think different people have different views of it. Maybe Jim feels like it was a breakup. Steve Molaro didn't seem to agree it was a breakup, as he said they weren't sure where exactly they were (with the relationship). To me it didn't feel like a breakup, with all that Amy was saying and how she was talking. Definitely felt more like what she said it was. A step back to think about their situation.

 

It was cute that Jim said he was upset by the "break up". We all know Jim loves him some Shamy. And he said his sister texted him to tell him how upset his nephews were by it, lol.

[wowbagger]

Oh, I think that Sheldon could quite plausibly see this as something very close to a break-up. What if anything does the RelAg say about this sort of contingency?

[rachelshamyfan]

OMG!! It IS a break-up. Jim is on Kelly & Michael and he even said "Amy broke up with him." Holy Shit!!!

I wouldn't worry....its all for drama so when s9 starts back up people will tune in to see if they are "back together"

Jim's probably been told to word it like that

I'm calling it a pause

Edited May 8, 2015 by rachelshamyfan

[koops]

Yeah I think that's Jim's interpretation of it and to be honest it's easier and shorter to say it that way. But we know from Table that a breakup would require a termination of the agreement, which didn't happen, and I really don't think what Amy said to him sounded like a breakup. Otherwise what would she need to assess? If she had decided it's over, she wouldn't have said "I need to evaluate our situation". OUR situation. Not hers. Also, she said she needs some time, which implies it's temporary. She could very well come back from this deciding to break up, but so far it's all up in the air.

I don't blame Sheldon/Jim for feeling like it's a breakup but I think that's a rather simplistic and superficial way of seeing it. Nobody said "it's over".

Edited May 8, 2015 by koops

[Denise07]

About is it a break-up; isn't it?

 

Amy basically says she needs to space/time to re-evaluate their relationship.  Sheldon just earlier in the same episode asked her to try sarcasm because he is starting to get that when they were having their discussion about him thinking about the Flash.  When she used sarcasm, it went right over his head.   

 

It is quite possible that Sheldon believes they are broken up. Or REALIZES that as a result of her taking time to evaluate things that it could result in a break up.  He did know enough to know that he wasn't sure to do with the ring he got her at that moment.  Played for drama of course. 

 

Sheldon doesn't do well at reading between the lines.  If it or isn't a break up, the reality was that Sheldon looked rather heartbroken in that moment. I can say good for him for respecting Amy's wish for some space/time. 

 

Of this I have no doubt going into the hiatus:  they love each other and both are sad, hurt for different reasons.

 

The question and what we have the summer for guessing is:  will this result in a stronger Shamy?  I think so.  Then it's how do they get there?  How long does it take to get there?  Is there Penny/Amy bonding over their situations?

 

Overall, very dark for a finale of one of my favorite comedies. 

 

Oh and random note:  Loved loved the Smallville reference.  Want to talk about a frustrating 10 years?  LOL!!!

Edited May 8, 2015 by Denise07

[Denyy]

Sooo, I have seen the finale like 5 times now. I was on Amy's side after reading the TR, but watching it made me feel like I was on a rollercoaster. I went from "damn you Sheldon" to "poor Sheldon, he's just so clueless" back to "wow, buddy, you should shut up right now" a few times and after the episode ended I felt really bad for him, that freaking look on his face when she ends the freaking skype call!

I don't even know why, but it wasn't the skype call itself that killed me (although both Jim and Mayim played it so freaking well, it seriously sounded like Amy was so close to crying), it was the complete SILENCE after he goes "What do I do with this one?" before the end credits that made my heart drop. 

I was quite fine after last year's finale, but I have no idea how I'm gonna survive these 3-4 months before we know what happens next.

[Arduina]

No one better flash us the RA termination clause on the season premiere in September!

[tayryn]

I can't think of anything else to add that hasn't been already said. The end scene...

 

[Desdemona]

I keep watching the make out and seeing different things, for example Sheldon's right hand on Amy's waist...

I´ve noticed it too. Hoooo!

There was a lot of hand movement while he was talking to Amy.

While they were talking about the Flash, Sheldon´s hand went down from her back to her waist, before he pulled his arm away and when he says "Oh I know, I´ll ask Amy" his hand is back on her waist.

And before he finally leans over again his hand is on her back again.

He really couldn´t get his hands off her...

When I first saw the episode, Sheldon seemed agitated somehow, because they were making out and he liked it very much. But the more I watched the episode, the more I thought that this was not the fact.

Too sad, because I would have liked to see him, breathing heavily, because the whole situation is exciting for him.

[jenafan]

How do you know that it was golden? The only thing I can see is that it has a lot of white stones and it seems vintage. I hope it´s meemaw´s ring or at least his mother´s or maybe it´s both! This would make it even more meaningful and it would be a beautiful gesture, that Amy is becoming part of his family!

I have an 80 inch television, so I got to see it on a large screen. I could be mistaken, but when I look at the ring from DVR paused views, it looks gold to me.

I think someone on this forum released a close up image of the ring.

Sooo, I have seen the finale like 5 times now. I was on Amy's side after reading the TR, but watching it made me feel like I was on a rollercoaster. I went from "damn you Sheldon" to "poor Sheldon, he's just so clueless" back to "wow, buddy, you should shut up right now" a few times and after the episode ended I felt really bad for him, that freaking look on his face when she ends the freaking skype call!

I'm on the same page. Reading the TR, I thought their argument was all about the physical side of the relationship because nothing was reported about Sheldon's committment statement, and all my commentary reflected that assumption.

Boy, does one ommitted line make all the difference! Now I have a whole different take on all of this.

[Desdemona]

I have an 80 inch television, so I got to see it on a large screen. I could be mistaken, but when I look at the ring from DVR paused views, it looks gold to me.

I think someone on this forum released a close up image of the ring.

I'm on the same page. Reading the TR, I thought their argument was all about the physical side of the relationship because nothing was reported about Sheldon's committment statement, and all my commentary reflected that assumption.

Boy, does one ommitted line make all the difference! Now I have a whole different take on all of this.

Then I guess it is golden! Oh, do you know in which forum that was?

[rachelshamyfan]

https://36.media.tumblr.com/6460ccbfca29cd38165824e55a43c1dd/tumblr_no0k3b2hIQ1uqt7zno1_400.jpg

Someone asked for a ring close up....