S8 Discussion Thread

[phantagrae]

Shamy break up . Lenny getting married we shall see. Love test Penny going to Sheldon for advise Penny and Sheldon making fun of Leonard Penny calling Sheldon the wise man and so on

 

Just goes to show how Shennies would pick up crumbs to try to build their fantasy because none of these things spells Shenny Romance.

[Carlos]

In my case I'm tired of seeing so much Sheldon because it is to the detriment of other characters. And, as I said before, if TPTB are going to use Sheldon so much they should write something new and not just repeat for the thousandth time his same old tired quirks. I guess what I'm trying to say is that repetitions kills the fun. For me it was also too much Shamy this season and not enough Lenny. Don't get me wrong, there were instances in which Shamy's presence was justified, but others in which it wasn't , IMO.

[Nogravitasatall]

Just goes to show how Shennies would pick up crumbs to try to build their fantasy because none of these things spells Shenny Romance.

I don't know why we need to talk about Shenny. They are doing their own thing, elsewhere. I don't think they have cause to be happy though. Look what Sheldon has become. Forts, anyone? And who are "they" ? I vote for leaving "them" in peace.

[Guest]

What might end it for me is if the writers have Lenny get married in Vegas so they can concentrate on shamy plot lines

[Chrismo]

I don't know why we need to talk about Shenny. They are doing their own thing, elsewhere. I don't think they have cause to be happy though. Look what Sheldon has become. Forts, anyone? And who are "they" ? I vote for leaving "them" in peace.

People seem to have a hang up on that.

In my case I'm tired of seeing so much Sheldon because it is to the detriment of other characters. And, as I said before, if TPTB are going to use Sheldon so much they should write something new and not just repeat for the thousandth time his same old tired quirks.

Those quirks are a diagnosed medical condition. Don't you believe all the medical experts on these threads? LOL

[Carlos]

Chrismo, you should write for the show. That "Don't you believe all the medical experts on these threads?" line is the funniest thing I've heard in a lonnnnnnng time !!!

[Mislav]

People seem to have a hang up on that. Those quirks are a diagnosed medical condition. Don't you believe all the medical experts on these threads? LOL

I suggest you do your research before making fun of something. Or are you a medical expert too, so you can refute that argument?

Chrismo, you should write for the show. That "Don't you believe all the medical experts on these threads?" line is the funniest thing I've heard in a lonnnnnnng time !!!

Sad. Edited May 13, 2015 by Mislav

[Tensor]

I suggest you do your research before making fun of something. Or are you a medical expert too, so you can refute that argument?

 

 

You don't need to be a medical expert to refute it.   According to the writers(through his mother), he's been tested, nothing was found, so there are no medical conditions.  

[meka3000]

Penny also backed up Sheldon when Sheldon and Leonard were arguing over who should have been the lead scientist on their paper.

 

All Penny said was that he did do some of the work.  Her support for Sheldon in that episode begins AND ENDS there.  She eventually agrees with Leonard about how Sheldon is such a baby that it probably had something to do with him not fighting that hard to the magazine to give Leonard credit.

[Mislav]

You don't need to be a medical expert to refute it. According to the writers(through his mother), he's been tested, nothing was found, so there are no medical conditions.

I hope that this is a sarcasm of some sort because I find your statement to be surprisingly narrow minded and almost grasping-at-straws-kind of argument. We don't know what was he tested for, or at what age, was it just for any disorder or for one particular one (such as autism). And even if we decide to ignore that, you don't even have to show any clear signs of OCD early in the childhood in order to develop it later in life (I have one too although relatively minor one and as far as I am remember I didn't start showing any signs of it until about the age of six and I've heard of several people who didn't start showing signs of it until they were in their early teens, which is when Sheldon was already at college). Do you think that he has to knock three times on the person's door and say the person's name each time while doing so, and complete that action even after the person opens the door, just for the heck of it (and that is just one among the many evidence to support the OCD possibility)? And that something like that can't ever affect the other forms of his behavior? Making a conclusion like the one you did based solely on a running punch line used as much as a joke than anything else and questionable at least if considered seriously and ignoring and overwhelming evidence refuting the said conclusion sounds illogical to me. Edited May 13, 2015 by Mislav

[SRAM]

I hope that this is a sarcasm of some sort because I find your statement to be surprisingly narrow minded and almost grasping-at-straws-kind of argument. We don't know what was he tested for, or at what age, was it just for any disorder or for one particular one (such as autism). And even if we decide to ignore that, you don't even have to show any clear signs of OCD early in the childhood in order to develop it later in life (I have one too although relatively minor one and as far as I am remember I didn't start showing any signs of it until about the age of six and I've heard of several people who didn't start showing signs of it until they were in their early teens, which is when Sheldon was already at college). Do you think that he has to knock three times on the person's door and say the person's name each time while doing so, and complete that action even after the person opens the door, just for the heck of it (and that is just one among the many evidence to support the OCD possibility)? And that something like that can't ever affect the other forms of his behavior? Making a conclusion like the one you did based solely on a running punch line used as much as a joke than anything else and questionable at least if considered seriously and ignoring and overwhelming evidence refuting the said conclusion sounds illogical to me.

I hope this post is not serious. This is a TV show and the character is "Owned" by the writers. The writers said he does not have a medical condition, so he doesn't have a medical condition, period, end of story.

[SRAM]

If you really want to label him, the writers have inferred that all these characters are psychologically damaged because of how they grew up. So there is a psychological condition where a person who is bullied all their life picks people to hang around that are weaker, and that he can manipulate, to bully like he had been bullied. Sheldon's actions and character do fit that diagnostic quite well.

[Chrismo]

At the beginning of the show Sheldon didn't knock three times on Penny's door. It turned into a running joke on the show. I don't think it was meant as a medical condition as suggested.

[Mislav]

I hope this post is not serious. This is a TV show and the character is "Owned" by the writers. The writers said he does not have a medical condition, so he doesn't have a medical condition, period, end of story.

Of course it is owned by writers. "I'm not crazy my mother had me tested" please. Tested once, years ago. Tested for what, at what age? Never revealed. The point was that writers had never specifically told us that he doesn't have a certain disorder. Actually, the way they've been writing his character suggests quite the opposite.

At the beginning of the show Sheldon didn't knock three times on Penny's door. It turned into a running joke on the show. I don't think it was meant as a medical condition as suggested.

And then they had spent eight years writing that joke in almost every two or three episodes. Later in the show even Amy suggested it to be due to an OCD. You can't really ignore that. Edited May 13, 2015 by Mislav

[Judge-Apatow]

At the beginning of the show Sheldon didn't knock three times on Penny's door. It turned into a running joke on the show. I don't think it was meant as a medical condition as suggested.

Well Sheldon wasn't born knocking three times on people's door. After he did it for the first time, he began to feel an impulse to do it every time. Once someone with OCD or OCD tendencies begin to feel these impulses, its challenging to stop this behavior.

[Mislav]

If you really want to label him, the writers have inferred that all these characters are psychologically damaged because of how they grew up. So there is a psychological condition where a person who is bullied all their life picks people to hang around that are weaker, and that he can manipulate, to bully like he had been bullied. Sheldon's actions and character do fit that diagnostic quite well.

You seem to be mentioning that disorder quite a lot SRAM, interesting how you can never provide an actual name for it or a link to back up the statement...

[ATOB]

Well Sheldon wasn't born knocking three times on people's door. After he did it for the first time, he began to feel an impulse to do it every time. Once someone with OCD or OCD tendencies begin to feel these impulses, its challenging to stop this behavior.

From what I understand, it's easier and quicker to carry out the ritual than to suffer the anxiety of the consequence assigned to that particular ritual occurring if you don't finish. Sounds like a nightmare.

Quick question. Why did Sheldon's mother have him tested? Do you suppose she had Missy and George Jnr tested too? Could it be perhaps that she suspected Sheldon was not neurotypical? Why would that be? How many neurotypical people do you know who have been flagged for "testing"? Not many I'm guessing. And, yes, yes, he had an extraordinarily high IQ but that wouldn't lead to seeing a behavioural specialist. Antisocial traits I believe are the trigger for selection.

[Tensor]

Of course it is owned by writers. "I'm not crazy my mother had me tested" please. Tested once, years ago. Tested for what, at what age? Never revealed. The point was that writers had never specifically told us that he doesn't have a certain disorder. Actually, the way they've been writing his character suggests quite the opposite.

But, see, this is just the point of the "medical experts" comment. The writers specifically state he has no medical conditions. It's the "medical experts" here on the board who make the claim of his having some sort of condition. None of whom have actually professionally test him, so the label "medical experts", including the quotes, is quite applicable. Penny enjoyed knocking on the door three times, Does that suggests that she is OCD, as well.

[Chrismo]

And then they had spent eight years writing that joke in almost every two or three episodes. Later in the show even Amy suggested it to be due to an OCD. You can't really ignore that.

It wouldn't be like Amy to make excuses for him. They have had also 8 years into diagnosing his condition on the show. Sometimes a joke is just a joke.

[ATOB]

But, see, this is just the point of the "medical experts" comment. The writers specifically state he has no medical conditions. It's the "medical experts" here on the board who make the claim of his having some sort of condition. None of whom have actually professionally test him, so the label "medical experts", including

the quotes, is quite applicable. Penny enjoyed knocking on the door three times, Does that suggests that she is OCD, as well.

Maybe she gambled her part in the Kevin Smith film on those knocks?

[wowbagger]

I'm afraid I have very little interest in Sheldon's 'deal'. Are we so proficient in what is and is not 'normal', now? Are we so happy to slap labels onto anyone who is different?

 

I'm only popping in because there seems to be an implicit notion that unless Sheldon is a certified _____________, he is culpable. Look, here's an example: I don't much like interacting with large groups of people for long periods of time. I can handle it, but I need to recharge and be by myself in order to recover. The people who love me get it, and mostly let me be, even though lots of them really, really like people and need to be around them. I don't think I have a disorder, and I certainly don't expect to be excused for being rude or whatever, but also I have no interest in being changed or fixed.

 

Similarly, some people are sarcastic and quippy, and others are more literal. Neither of them is pathological, and neither should be excused for cruelty, but also neither of them should be fixed.

 

In all of these cases, a person could be misunderstood, or not given enough credit for trying to adjust to a difficult situation- a situation others may find easy.

 

All of this is to say that yes, Sheldon can be exasperating. Yes, I think that he has issues with change, relinquishing control, understanding finesse, sarcasm, irony or metaphor, and physical contact. None of those things make him ill. None of them excuse him if he shows malice or cruelty (some of S6 comes to mind), or a tendency to exploit others' understanding (e.g. the 'Table' episode in S7). But for the most part, that's not true. He has shown himself to genuinely try to make accommodations for the people he cares about and who care about him (Amy is a fairly obvious example. Yes, it may look minuscule to us, but the guy's come a long way). 

 

I don't think he needs to be ill to deserve understanding, is all.

Edited May 13, 2015 by wowbagger

[SRAM]

You seem to be mentioning that disorder quite a lot SRAM, interesting how you can never provide an actual name for it or a link to back up the statement...

The reason is if you discount any medical problem, and I believe you must because the writers have made it clear he doesn't have one, then this is the only thing that seems to fit the best. I have seen this particular disorder used as the plot for several different crime shows, so it must be not that unusual and besides they have always said Sheldon was only one lab accident away from being a super villain, so there must be an evil streak in him.

[Mislav]

But, see, this is just the point of the "medical experts" comment. The writers specifically state he has no medical conditions. It's the "medical experts" here on the board who make the claim of his having some sort of condition. None of whom have actually professionally test him, so the label "medical experts", including the quotes, is quite applicable. Penny enjoyed knocking on the door three times, Does that suggests that she is OCD, as well.

More grasping at straws. Penny knocked on the door the way Sheldon did a few times throughout the series, not for eight years, not regularly and wasn't shown to have a need to complete the action even after the person opened the door. Heck, Sheldon couldn't bring himself to eat in a restaurant without Howard because that way he and his friends wouldn't be able to share the meatballs equally and the same ways as usual.

The reason why I had problems with "medical experts" comment is because it sounded dismissive and ironic, like you would have to be a classified medical expert (in a field of psychology) to prove or even suggest that Sheldon has an OCD. But that way I can easily dismiss you saying that he doesn't, since you are no expert either. You don't have to be an expert to understand some things.

Also can you provide any link (such as to an interview) that proves that writers specifically told that Sheldon has no mental disorders at all, including OCD? And did they actually trice explaining why they claim that is so, or explain why Sheldon's actions seem to point to the contrary?

[ATOB]

The reason is if you discount any medical problem, and I believe you must because the writers have made it clear he doesn't have one, then this is the only thing that seems to fit the best. I have seen this particular disorder used as the plot for several different crime shows, so it must be not that unusual and besides they have always said Sheldon was only one lab accident away from being a super villain, so there must be an evil streak in him.

Does this disorder have a name?

Have a gander through this site, see if you can find it.

Out of the Fog, personality disorder support.

http://outofthefog.net

[Mislav]

I'm afraid I have very little interest in Sheldon's 'deal'. Are we so proficient in what is and is not 'normal', now? Are we so happy to slap labels onto anyone who is different?

I'm only popping in because there seems to be an implicit notion that unless Sheldon is a certified _____________, he is culpable. Look, here's an example: I don't much like interacting with large groups of people for long periods of time. I can handle it, but I need to recharge and be by myself in order to recover. The people who love me get it, and mostly let me be, even though lots of them really, really like people and need to be around them. I don't think I have a disorder, and I certainly don't expect to be excused for being rude or whatever, but also I have no interest in being changed or fixed.

Similarly, some people are sarcastic and quippy, and others are more literal. Neither of them is pathological, and neither should be excused for cruelty, but also neither of them should be fixed.

In all of these cases, a person could be misunderstood, or not given enough credit for trying to adjust to a difficult situation- a situation others may find easy.

All of this is to say that yes, Sheldon can be exasperating. Yes, I think that he has issues with change, relinquishing control, understanding finesse, sarcasm, irony or metaphor, and physical contact. None of those things make him ill. None of them excuse him if he shows malice or cruelty (some of S6 comes to mind), or a tendency to exploit others' understanding (e.g. the 'Table' episode in S7). But for the most part, that's not true. He has shown himself to genuinely try to make accommodations for the people he cares about and who care about him (Amy is a fairly obvious example. Yes, it may look minuscule to us, but the guy's come a long way).

I don't think he needs to be ill to deserve understanding, is all.

Of course he doesn't, but I am saying that it is possible that he has a certain condition that can affect his behavior (not all the time). I didn't say that justifies it. Most of my recent comments regarding the matter are of discussion of why he could/couldn't have some condition (in this case OCD) and how much credibility is there to the other's arguments.