S8 Discussion Thread

[Mislav]

Finally, a voice of reason. I have been reading everyone's commentary, and it is okay to disagree. A good debate is stimulating.

However, is it really fair to try to ruin the show for those who don't feel or see what another does by badgering them to come to a specific POV?

I for one don't feel Sheldon has a medical condition, is a model for any syndrome, nor is he asexual, etc. He is just a very unique and obnoxious individual whose attitudes and behavior are a product of his upbringing and his being a genius prodigy.

I feel Jim's acting has more influence on how Sheldon's character comes across to viewers than what the writers did ir did not purpose for him.

Who and how had been "badgering" you to accept their point of view? And how would an opposing opinions "ruin" the show for you?

[ATOB]

I for one don't feel Sheldon has a medical condition, is a model for any syndrome, nor is he asexual, etc. He is just a very unique and obnoxious individual whose attitudes and behavior are a product of his upbringing and his being a genius prodigy.

I feel Jim's acting has more influence on how Sheldon's character comes across to viewers than what the writers did ir did not purpose for him.

 

Yet, I feel Sheldon absolutely displays those traits commonly associated with Autism and OCD, and most certainly would describe him as being under the asexual umbrella....isn't it nice that we can all be heard.....(looks around for Shennies.....sigh!)

 

Agree with you on Jim's portrayal though.  No wonder Chuck Lorre thought his audition was a fluke, what amazing serendipity, and a perfect amalgamation of writing, direction and performance genius.

 

Edited May 14, 2015 by ATOB

[SRAM]

Yet, I feel Sheldon absolutely displays those traits commonly associated with Autism and OCD, and most certainly would describe him as being under the asexual umbrella....isn't it nice that we can all be heard.....(looks around for Shennies.....sigh!)

 

Agree with you on Jim's portrayal though.  No wonder Chuck Lorre thought his audition was a fluke, what amazing serendipity, and a perfect amalgamation of writing, direction and performance genius.

 

respectful-discourse.jpg

Well that is sort of the thing that made the show a hit, the cast they finally came up with was a casting home run. The actors make these characters come alive and make the fans love them. Like season 8, it pissed me off, but this is still my favorite show and I will be right there when season 9 starts, probably complaining as usual.

[Mislav]

Trying to address the inconsistencies in Mislav's mind: You are wrong. Sheldon doesn't have any medical conditions, not because it is reasonable to assume so, or because he hasn't shown any of the manifestations generally associated with some mental disorders. Whether we like it or not, the reason that Sheldon ( a fictional character) doesn't have any mental conditions is because the writers have said on numerous occasions that he doesn't. Period. It doesn't matter what you think or I think, only what the creators of said character think.

Of course Chrismo's "medical experts" comment was sarcastic. That's what made it so funny. And who are you to tell me that the fact that I found that comment funny is sad? No one. What I find sad is you trying to defend your point of view when the only thing that really matters, canon, refutes it completely.

Does it? Can you provide any link showing an interview where writers had said that?

"Canon refutes it completely?" So Sheldon has to knock three times, even after the person opens the door, just for the heck of it? Maybe that's also why he refused to eat at a Chinese restaurant without Howard due to feeling uncomfortable because he and his friends couldn't have shared the meatballs as usual. I guess Amy referring to some of his behavior as OCD like also doesn't mean anything...

[hokie3457]

... And here I go putting in my 2 cents...We all have idiosyncrasies that make us do what can be considered odd or outside the norm. I have a penchant for doing things in "threes" and feel quite uncomfortable if I only do 2 (if I go to 4, I then need to make it 9---3 3's). I also always need to take the second item on a shelf while shopping. I don't consider myself OCD or similarly affected (although my mother never had me tested).

Sheldon Cooper, as a fictional character, is an exaggeration. So while he may have several traits that could lead one to believe he suffers from one or more of the syndromes discussed, executives connected with the show have said he does not (I have seen/read these statements and will try to find/link them here). I find him just like the rest of us "kind of broken" as Leonard put it to Professor Proton.

Sent from my iPhone using

Tapatalk

Edited May 14, 2015 by hokie3457

[jenafan]

Who and how had been "badgering" you to accept their point of view? And how would an opposing opinions "ruin" the show for you?

Instead of agreeing to disagree, I was speaking for all who have had to endure insults and rude comments because they just don't see or agree to the same POV. Perhaps badgering and ruining was a poor choice of words on my part, but it obvious that some are repeating themselves and drawing at straws for the purpose of wanting to be right and bring others to their side.

People have different reasons for watching the show. Some feel they can relate to certain characters because they have or know someone with similar traits and want to create labels. They become offended when someone doesn't see what they see or when they feel the writers have betrayed them through some inconsistency in the mold the viewers have put the character into. If this is their motivation for watching the show, they are entitled to do so.

Others watch the show for pure entertainment value and can handle the inconsistencies because life in general is inconsistent. They feel the characters shape their personalities based on their own experiences, adapt to their environment, and change as a result of the people they choose to associate with. The viewers want to see the mold stretched or broken. They enjoy watching to see the character evolution and development.

As fans of the show, we are all elated and other times disappointed by an outcome. However, we shouldn't resort to becoming doctors so-to-speak to rationalize why we did or did not get a result expected or hoped for. To use real peoples' medical, psychological, and social conditions to criticize, justify, judge, or fix a fictional character who manifests only bits and pieces of similar traits, is very insensitive to those who suffer or have to care for people with these conditions.

It is fun to become invested in the characters, create scenarios, read between the lines, and participate in the fandom and this forum. However, it is meant to be entertainment and not taken so seriously.

Edited May 14, 2015 by jenafan

[ATOB]

I don't have an issue with naming things, or the urge to classify things. I am chary of treating the labels as definitive, especially in the case of something as little understood as the human brain. More to the point, I am not a fan of making assumptions we don't need to, to interpret/explain/excuse/act on observed phenomena. Speaking as someone with zero medical training, I am willing to believe that Sheldon's behaviour is consistent with [iNSERT DISORDER], but that doesn't mean we need the diagnosis to understand his behaviour, or to extend him sympathy, compassion or even criticism.

I get what you say about role models helping to 'normalise' certain conditions, but I maintain that it is the urge to declare status quo/the mainstream as God that helps to poison the discourse.

As to what the show has done for 'nerd culture': yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeahhhhhh, I might just shake your hand and agree to disagree on that one. One criticism I have heard very often of the show is that it is 'nerd blackface'. Now obviously this is a deeply offensive analogy to draw, but I do think that the show often uses nerd stereotypes to laugh at nerds (rather than with them), frequently purveys the broadest caricature of nerd interests and personalities, and also, frequently isn't that nerdy. By that I mean that the so-called 'nerdy' trivia and arcana the gang throws around is nothing like as detailed or obscure as I'd expect from actual nerds. I remember the episode where Stuart goes on a date with Penny, and Sheldon interrupts their date with a lengthy disquisition on some detail of the Marvel universe. And I remember thinking 'huh. This is one of the few times that I actually don't immediately follow the details of what the gang is discussing. Mostly it's Star Wars/Trek references that I- who have never watched either- immediately get.'

I get why the show can't get uber-nerdy: they're purveying an image of nerds and nerdery which has to be recognisable to people who aren't nerds. But- yeah, I have never thought of TBBT as doing much positive for nerd culture. This is a show in which the guys are regularly pilloried for their social awkwardness and in which they continually apologise to their lovingly contemptuous womenfolk for their interests. There are a few (blessed!) exceptions, of course: the girls getting into an argument over 'Thor', or where Amy and Bernie argue with Sheldon over whether werewolves can swim. In general, the character of Amy (especially back in the day) refutes the 'Nerdz = Boyz' line the show frequently draws.

TBBT's been an eye-opener for me. I was an artsy kid, drama, art, English (sh!t at maths and science) represented the school in gymnastics and dance etc. My best friend was, and still is, a girl nerd. She stabled her horse at the riding school where I worked for riding lessons at weekends and this shared interest is how we actually managed to look past the superficial to find each other. We remain best friends and polar opposites, she's serious and studious, I'm still a flippant bolshy gob-shite. She didn't hang out with me at school, spent breaks in the library and went home for lunch, and absolutely hated my friends. When we were up to no good in pubs with boy racers, she worked evenings in a video shop and went to the cinema. So, nothing in common except a love of horses and, to me, her interests were absolutely alien (and they quite often featured aliens as it happened). However, this has changed since I started watching TBBT and I'm extraordinaryly glad of that.

I don't get most of the nerd culture jokes (except Star Wars....I am a child of the 70s after all) and my son recently explained the "I am Groot" line, but I do love these characters and this programme makes me laugh like nothing else. I don't think I'm laughing 'at' them at all. My eldest son and youngest daughter are fabulously nerdy and this programme gives us common ground (and that's a precious and rare thing with teenagers) especially as my son is a "brony" and I find myself embroiled in conversations about My Little Pony with grown men at Comicon which frankly would have sent me scuttling before.

Incidentally, having spent 40odd years on the planet having never been mistaken for Traci Lords once, last year at London's Comicon, I got asked for autographs by four separate groups thinking I was her, which had me really puzzled, then I noticed her sitting behind those long desks doing a PA.

Edited May 14, 2015 by ATOB

[Mislav]

YOU MUST WATCH IT IN THIS WAY, RICK!!! YOU CANNOT WATCH IT ANY OTHER WAY!!! YOU MUST LOVE PENNY, LEONARD, SHELDON, AMY, HOWARD, RAJ, BERNADETTE, STUART... YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST!!!! THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS! HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH THINGS! CRUCIFY HIM! PELT HIM WITH ROTTEN TOMATOES!

Lol. Sorry. I had to do that.

But, you do have a point. Arguing over canon points and pointing fingers aren't going to make hiatus go faster.

I don't think that offered someone a new perspective to look at the things equals as saying that he/she had to look at those things that way or threatening to crucify (?) a person if he/she disagrees. But I guess any complaint is valid if you can't prove a point...

[Martin Pollard]

[phantagrae]

I think I smell people turning into butter at the base of this tree...

[Mislav]

Oh no, I was just joking. I joke around a lot. Most of the things I say shouldn't be taken seriously.

I know. I just go by the belief that there is some truth/seriousness to every joke

[Tonstar17]

Speculations for S9

http://m.ibtimes.co.in/big-bang-theory-season-9-plot-speculation-there-could-be-short-time-jump-632414

[organon1973]

I have enjoyed the show a great deal, but could not believe that Sheldon misrepresented himself as the lead scientist on a paper of which Leonard was the lead, and the idea, Leonard's. Couldn't a lie such as this destroy one's career if discovered?

[Mislav]

I have enjoyed the show a great deal, but could not believe that Sheldon misrepresented himself as the lead scientist on a paper of which Leonard was the lead, and the idea, Leonard's. Couldn't a lie such as this destroy one's career if discovered?

I think that it was the person who wrote the article that put his name first and decided to focus on Sheldon since he was focusing on theoretical physicists or something (it's been a while since I watched the episode). Edited May 16, 2015 by Mislav

[Tensor]

I think that it was the person who wrote the article that put his name first and decided to focus on Sheldon since he was focusing on theoretical physicists or something (it's been a while since I watched the episode).

The author was focusing on Sheldon because he had been following Sheldon's work. The only thing you can ding Sheldon for is that he didn't correct the author at once, when getting interviewed. But, as he called back to correct it, it's not much of a ding.

[Mislav]

The author was focusing on Sheldon because he had been following Sheldon's work. The only thing you can ding Sheldon for is that he didn't correct the author at once, when getting interviewed. But, as he called back to correct it, it's not much of a ding.

True.

And even if you can argue that it would somehow affect his career negatively... It's the TV show where Howard managed to become an astronaut despite his small build, heart condition, repeated calls to Human Resources due to sexual harassment at the beginning of his career and the fact that he had designed a very... imperfect space toilet later on (among many other examples).

[Stephen Hawking]

Not forgetting Howard's allergies.

[djsurrey]

I don't think that offered someone a new perspective to look at the things equals as saying that he/she had to look at those things that way or threatening to crucify (?) a person if he/she disagrees. But I guess any complaint is valid if you can't prove a point...

I'm wondering if these words are random or if this is actulally has semantic content?

 

This forum is just about a sitcom right.

[Mislav]

I'm wondering if these words are random or if this is actulally has semantic content?

This forum is just about a sitcom right.

I was replying to CarG131's post near the top of the page.

[Mislav]

And I was making a joke. I joke about a lot of things. As I said above, most of the things I say shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Well, I know, but it was made during the very... heated discussion.

[Nogravitasatall]

I've been working on the Leonard "problem" and it occurred to me that this is the only time I can recall that he has done anyone any direct harm. And he harmed Penny. That's what makes it so monumental. And before anyone gets hot under the collar, "Electric Can Opener" was about Leonard mitigating the harm that was going to come to Sheldon. Also please disregard any actions arising from events initiated by anyone else. That takes out ALL the consenting adult/moralising stuff we love to dissect. Usually he is defending someone else or himself. He is the opposite of selfish. This time he had a moment of not thinking about anyone but himself.

Am I looking at things through rose coloured glasses? Has Leonard ever before committed a spontaneous stand-alone bad act of any degree that caused hurt to someone else?

[Tensor]

I've been working on the Leonard "problem" and it occurred to me that this is the only time I can recall that he has done anyone any direct harm. And he harmed Penny. That's what makes it so monumental. And before anyone gets hot under the collar, "Electric Can Opener" was about Leonard mitigating the harm that was going to come to Sheldon. Also please disregard any actions arising from events initiated by anyone else. That takes out ALL the consenting adult/moralising stuff we love to dissect. Usually he is defending someone else or himself. He is the opposite of selfish. This time he had a moment of not thinking about anyone but himself.

Am I looking at things through rose coloured glasses? Has Leonard ever before committed a spontaneous stand-alone bad act of any degree that caused hurt to someone else?

 

Going to Alice's hurt Priya.  Yeah, I know she supposedly did worse and he confessed right away; but he didn't know that at the time and Leonard thought about not going to Alice's, and he went anyway.  Although I may be misunderstanding what you mean by the consenting adult thing.  

[Nogravitasatall]

Going to Alice's hurt Priya. Yeah, I know she supposedly did worse and he confessed right away; but he didn't know that at the time and Leonard thought about not going to Alice's, and he went anyway. Although I may be misunderstanding what you mean by the consenting adult thing.

The prior harm was done by Priya. Hr didn't spontaneously run off to Alice. It was reactive. He'd been hurt by Priya and was reacting. And that's an example of what I'm ruling out. I'm looking for a spontaneous bad act, with no predecessor event.

You know, the shit Sheldon does, by being Sheldon.

Btw: I think Priya was relieved, not harmed. It wasn't a quantum event, they weren't entangled. LOL

Edited May 17, 2015 by Nogravitasatall

[meka3000]

The prior harm was done by Priya. Hr didn't spontaneously run off to Alice. It was reactive. He'd been hurt by Priya and was reacting. And that's an example of what I'm ruling out. I'm looking for a spontaneous bad act, with no predecessor event.

You know, the shit Sheldon does, by being Sheldon.

Actually no it wasn't Leonard found out about priyas infidelity after he stopped himself at Alice's apartment.

[Tensor]

The prior harm was done by Priya. Hr didn't spontaneously run off to Alice. It was reactive. He'd been hurt by Priya and was reacting. And that's an example of what I'm ruling out. I'm looking for a spontaneous bad act, with no predecessor event.

You know, the shit Sheldon does, by being Sheldon.

 

OK, gotcha, I told you I probably misunderstood.