Ship Zone [Spoilers] Shamy: Season 9

[Judith]

53 minutes ago, April said:

In terms of fun forum activities and since it's gotten a bit quiet here:

A reminder for anyone who isn't lurking much outside this thread- you can cast your votes for your favourite episodes of S9 until tomorrow!

Currently Opening Night is leading (to the surprise of no one) but a lot of other fab Shamy episodes are in the Top 8. There are still some fluctuations on the bottom half on the list so your vote can still influence the outcome!

~~~

And since we're at it: Technically we already had the "What are your favourite Shamy episodes this season?" discussion a couple of weeks ago but now that the whole season is over and opinions had a few weeks to stew how do you think about it now? And for any newcomers feel free to chime in! Don't be shy!

I loved the Holy Trinity: Platonic-Earworm-Opening Night.  Platonic had a wistfulness/bittersweetness that I thought was very well portrayed. Earworm and Opening Night were perfect from beginning to end. Darling playing over Shamy kissing, the tag scene with Dave at the corridor and the 2 bed scenes were the highlights for me. Err yeah...I better stop here.:D

I actually voted for Sales Call which surprised me but I really liked it, even if it was just Skype calls. Happy Shamy/best Best...sorry I don't remember what that was/asteroid Amy/I miss yous.

I liked Meemaw. There were some things about that ep that irked me at first but eventually I changed my mind about them. There's only one thing that pisses me off but you know, as a bigger person I'll just let it go :D

Valentino was great. FwF/relationship talk/the toast at the end and the confetto (sp?) joke.

 I loved Solder for Sheldon telling Amy his biggest secret all on his own and of course Big Bear for the tag scene.

I also really liked Spock. Not exactly a Shamy ep but great nonetheless.

 

[kerrycec03]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 9:58 AM, Judith said:

Just watched the Shamy scenes from Platonic Permutation on that  magical place that I can't link. Mayim was right, it was a beautiful episode (I think that was the word she used). Especially the aquarium scene. There was a lot of nuance packed into the dialogue in all their scenes.

I agree, this episode is in my top 5 of the season for this reason.  So much revealed, growth on both sides, emotions, it was actually a truly beautiful episode so I'm with Mayim on that one.

[April]

The whole stretch from Spock to Opening Night was a winning streak for me!

• Loved Spock as a character piece for Sheldon.
• Mystery Date was sweet and hilarious in many ways - never thought I'd say that about an episode where Sheldon and Amy try to date other people! It revealed a lot about what went wrong in the past and while they both had "options" they're ultimately still hung up about each other leading perfectly into the reconciliation. Plus, it gave us DAVE, patron saint of the good ship Shamy! LOL
• I agree with Mayim and all of you who also said that this was beautiful! Yes, the ending was sad but also very fitting.
• Never getting over the fanfic-sappiness in this but damn, I'd have to lie if said I didn't love it to bits! Also, DAVE!! <3
• Opening Night is just perfect! <3

And after that we still had a load full of Shamy goodness this season! It's so hard to chose. My favourites are probably the Solder/Big Bear combo because feels <3 and Valentino for the sheer hilarity and bonus sweetness. Sales Call would be a runner up for me cause despite it being Shamy light in terms of screen time the skype calls were super adorable! In the end it's probably only Meemaw that is a bit lagging behind cause the other big Shamy moments were just so much more enjoyable by comparison.

[BigBangEnthusiast]

2 hours ago, April said:

In terms of fun forum activities and since it's gotten a bit quiet here:

A reminder for anyone who isn't lurking much outside this thread- you can cast your votes for your favourite episodes of S9 until tomorrow!

Currently Opening Night is leading (to the surprise of no one) but a lot of other fab Shamy episodes are in the Top 8. There are still some fluctuations on the bottom half on the list so your vote can still influence the outcome!

Just took another peek at the voting results.  The bottom half of the list is quite a bit different than it was a couple of hours ago.  I'm happy to see my favorites made the list so far.

[mirs1]

I liked very much the Spock episode, it was a turning point for Sheldon and showed him that sometimes coping mechanisms just don't work and you have to admit your pain. Mystery Date was also very funny, I remember that when I read the TR and watched the sneak peeks for that episode I was really mad because both Sheldon and Amy were trying to move on and dating other people, but  now that all ended well, I have to say it has some of the funniest lines of the season; moreover, it's also very telling that, when he described to Howard and Raj his perfect girlfriend, Sheldon was basically speaking about  Amy, and also Amy saying "some people think that the sexiest organ is the brain" seems pretty close to describe Sheldon. I'm not a huge fan of Platonic Permutation, TBH, but it has many very sweet scenes. Of course there's nothing left to say about 9.10 and 9.11, they are perfection to me! The Skype calls in 9.12 were very cute and old school Shamy, I loved them. As for the meemaw episode, it's for sure not my favourite Shamy episode this season,  it's a bit sad that now Amy knows about the ring, at least I cooled my jets since then. The VD episode was very cute, finally a happy FwF, after the angry one in 9.2 and it was necessary IMO to hear from Sheldon that the break-up was good for the relationship and that even if he suffered for it, he was grateful that it had happened. I loved the hoarding episode, because it shows that Amy is the only persons with which Sheldon can be himself and the only one he can admit  his failures with. Big Bear is my favourite episode for the second half of the season, the tag is one of the best Shamy moments of all times, they seem so comfortable with each other and so in sync. 9.23 was ok, but for sure not the best episode possible...All in all, a great season for our babies! Who would have bet on that, during last season hiatus?

Edited June 1, 2016 by mirs1

[Jonny]

I had a hard time watching some of the turmoil between them in the early episodes with both displaying some pretty hurtful and not nice to see behaviour towards each other, but they were both in pain so it was understandable but unpleasant at times.

The Spock Resonance the first real turning point with Sheldon revealing his true feelings in a spectacular blow up of emotions. Spock and Sheldon's use of him as a role model to carry out his life was his suit of armor/protective barrier to emotions but there was clearly a chink in it because of love. The acting by Jim was absolutely superb, I would imagine it must have been refreshing for him to act more emotionally instead of the usual comedy.

Honestly I didn't care for Mystery Date that much but The Platonic Permutation was very good. Mayim was brilliant in the episode about trying to rebuild their friendship but then realizing she wanted him back and perhaps she had made a huge mistake. Heartbreaking ending to the episode but I think it was understandable that Sheldon turned her down.

Earworm has synergy with Platonic these two episodes showed deep down that Amy the previous episode and Sheldon in this one wanted to get back together. Superbly written episode imo, thought the beach boys song choice was inspired. After a lot of turmoil and drama it was great to see them back together.

The Opening Night is well imo the Magnum Opus of Season 9. Maybe Earworm was a better episode from a Shamy perspective but I think as a whole Opening Night was the best episode of the entire Season and should go down as one of the best of all seasons. Everything just felt spot on, the lines, the acting, the tricky balance of trying to make it romantic but not too out of character, the Star Wars storyline. I just think it so incredibly well done.

Sales Call had some nice sweet skype scenes between Shamy, looked like Amy was blushing quite a bit. Empathy Optimization I didn't care for much at all really, thought it was a horrible episode.

Meemaw Materialization wasn't that great either but it did reveal the ring (writers please don't drag this out too long!). Sheldon did stick up for Amy a bit though perhaps not as vociferous as I would have liked, but Meemaw is a powerful figure in Sheldon's life so the fact he stood up for Amy at all says a lot.

Solder Excursion I liked because Sheldon felt comfortable to reveal his biggest secret.The way I look at it is it's good that Amy knows, if they were to get married at some point in my view it's much better for that to be out there beforehand. Loved the way Amy stood her ground with the laptop, clearly she remembered the time when Sheldon struggled to decide whether to get an Xbox One or PS4 and probably didn't want to go through all that again lol, "Please Pass The Butter!"

Big Bear was the last episode that really had much Shamy in it. Nice sweet scenes before going to the cabin, loved the way Amy manipulated him he saw through it but went along with it anyway. Enjoyed the drinking game scenes, they looked so comfortable with each other and relaxed.

[2L344]

37 minutes ago, Jonny83 said:

I had a hard time watching some of the turmoil between them in the early episodes with both displaying some pretty hurtful and not nice to see behaviour towards each other, but they were both in pain so it was understandable but unpleasant at times.

The Spock Resonance the first real turning point with Sheldon revealing his true feelings in a spectacular blow up of emotions. Spock and Sheldon's use of him as a role model to carry out his life was his suit of armor/protective barrier to emotions but there was clearly a chink in it because of love. The acting by Jim was absolutely superb, I would imagine it must have been refreshing for him to act more emotionally instead of the usual comedy.

Honestly I didn't care for Mystery Date that much but The Platonic Permutation was very good. Mayim was brilliant in the episode about trying to rebuild their friendship but then realizing she wanted him back and perhaps she had made a huge mistake. Heartbreaking ending to the episode but I think it was understandable that Sheldon turned her down.

Earworm has synergy with Platonic these two episodes showed deep down that Amy the previous episode and Sheldon in this one wanted to get back together. Superbly written episode imo, thought the beach boys song choice was inspired. After a lot of turmoil and drama it was great to see them back together.

The Opening Night is well imo the Magnum Opus of Season 9. Maybe Earworm was a better episode from a Shamy perspective but I think as a whole Opening Night was the best episode of the entire Season and should go down as one of the best of all seasons. Everything just felt spot on, the lines, the acting, the tricky balance of trying to make it romantic but not too out of character, the Star Wars storyline. I just think it so incredibly well done.

Sales Call had some nice sweet skype scenes between Shamy, looked like Amy was blushing quite a bit. Empathy Optimization I didn't care for much at all really, thought it was a horrible episode.

Meemaw Materialization wasn't that great either but it did reveal the ring (writers please don't drag this out too long!). Sheldon did stick up for Amy a bit though perhaps not as vociferous as I would have liked, but Meemaw is a powerful figure in Sheldon's life so the fact he stood up for Amy at all says a lot.

Solder Excursion I liked because Sheldon felt comfortable to reveal his biggest secret.The way I look at it is it's good that Amy knows, if they were to get married at some point in my view it's much better for that to be out there beforehand. Loved the way Amy stood her ground with the laptop, clearly she remembered the time when Sheldon struggled to decide whether to get an Xbox One or PS4 and probably didn't want to go through all that again lol, "Please Pass The Butter!"

Big Bear was the last episode that really had much Shamy in it. Nice sweet scenes before going to the cabin, loved the way Amy manipulated him he saw through it but went along with it anyway. Enjoyed the drinking game scenes, they looked so comfortable with each other and relaxed.

I concur with a lot of what you've written here. The first episode that got my vote this season was Spock for the reasons you already gave. I just didnt care for the angst in the episodes before it and even now I really dont care to watch them. Like you said, the mean spirited manner in how both characters were portrayed sometimes, not to mention the casual indifference of everyone else, just has me at "ugh"...its just my feels on it, not debating the merits of "necessary" evils in those episodes--it is what it is!

The usual 9x9--9x11 got my votes along with the VDay FwF episode which I was happy to see after that awful solo FwF episode with Sheldon. Karaoke bar episode got a vote too for the fun it had and also Solder for reasons already mentioned. And last but certainly not least I gave an enthusiastic vote for Big Bear, not only because I attended that taping but because there were so many Shamy moments--Amy's excitement at Sheldon reversing his decision and deciding to go, to the drinking game, and of course the tag scene.

Heres hoping in S10 that the writers pick up where THAT episode left off versus the Substitution nonsense!

 

Edited June 1, 2016 by 2L344

[Jonny]

1 hour ago, 2L344 said:

I concur with a lot of what you've written here. The first episode that got my vote this season was Spock for the reasons you already gave. I just didnt care for the angst in the episodes before it and even now I really dont care to watch them. Like you said, the mean spirited manner in how both characters were portrayed sometimes, not to mention the casual indifference of everyone else, just has me at "ugh"...its just my feels on it, not debating the merits of "necessary" evils in those episodes--it is what it is!

The usual 9x9--9x11 got my votes along with the VDay FwF episode which I was happy to see after that awful solo FwF episode with Sheldon. Karaoke bar episode got a vote too for the fun it had and also Solder for reasons already mentioned. And last but certainly not least I gave an enthusiastic vote for Big Bear, not only because I attended that taping but because there were so many Shamy moments--Amy's excitement at Sheldon reversing his decision and deciding to go, to the drinking game, and of course the tag scene.

Heres hoping in S10 that the writers pick up where THAT episode left off versus the Substitution nonsense!

 

Bizarrely I had completely forgotten about the Valentino episode! Some nice moments between them during the live FWF episode but I was mega pissed at the time that just when we were going to get a real insight into Sheldon's mind and his feelings he was cutoff mid flow by the cupid dance. Characters interrupt each other all the time on the show and sure Sheldon has done it to Lenny before but I was really annoyed with the writers.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Jonny83

[2L344]

14 minutes ago, Jonny83 said:

Bizarrely I had completely forgotten about the Valentino episode! Some nice moments between them during the live FWF episode but I was mega pissed at the time that just when we were going to get a real insight into Sheldon's mind and his feelings he was cutoff mid flow by the cupid dance. Characters interrupt each other all the time on the show and sure Sheldon has done it to Lenny before but I was really annoyed with the writers.

lol agreed! Lennys were pleased though no doubt!

[kazzie]

Picking favorites is hard for me as each episode has an element that another doesn't. I like some for different reasons to others.

I really want to to a binge watch the whole of season 9 again. Alas, Time!

 

[rachelshamyfan]

When the season 9 DVD arrives I may take a day off just to watch it all again, Inc gag reel and all interviews 

 

I've not been around much here recently busy with work and r/l

Hope you are all good

[Stephen Hawking]

17 minutes ago, rachelshamyfan said:

When the season 9 DVD arrives I may take a day off just to watch it all again, Inc gag reel and all interviews.

I usually go through the series in a weekend.

The only time I've watched a new set during a week's holiday, was when I started watching TBBT.

Then, I bought the Seasons 1-6 Box Set, took a week's holiday, and hammered my way through all 135 episodes.

[April]

1 hour ago, rachelshamyfan said:

When the season 9 DVD arrives I may take a day off just to watch it all again, Inc gag reel and all interviews 

 

I've not been around much here recently busy with work and r/l

Hope you are all good

It's pretty quiet here now - hope this place is getting more busy when we're getting closer to S10 or everyone else is also joining in rewatching S9 when the DVDs come out. Until then...

[Judith]

@2L344 mentioned Line Substitution...I definitely think that the timing of this ep was fishy. The 23rd was expected to be a Shamy ep with some storyline progress and you'd think the writers would do sth about the sex storyline. They didn't want to for whatever reason so they threw this in. While  the premise was believable (to me) and it had several positive elements,  I think it would have worked better if it came sooner in the season. But then the writers would have had to pick up the aforementioned storyline, right?  

In the end I get what the writers were going for but the execution could have been better. The good thing is that Sheldon promised not to do it again so we can only wait and see if he meant it.

[I Miss Dan]

I wish those of you who can make videos, would make a "Shamy" version of "Cake By The Ocean" over the summer break.

[Carm6773]

How many of us would like to see a return of the Catholic schoolgirl outfit next season?

 

[Stephen Hawking]

10 minutes ago, Carm6773 said:

How many of us would like to see a return of the Catholic schoolgirl outfit next season?

Awesome as she looked in that outfit, I think I prefer her in the Nurse Chapel outfit.

To borrow a scene from The Egg Salad Equivalency:-

Sheldon: Okay, come with me.

Amy: Where are we going?

Sheldon: To my bedroom, so I can take everything off but those glasses. And maybe the boots.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Stephen Hawking

[joyceraye]

Amy wears a schoolgirl's pinafore dress aka gymslip much of the time anyway.

How anybody can tell a school uniform is catholic  or not beats me. Is it an American thing ?

[April]

9 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

How anybody can tell a school uniform is catholic  or not beats me. Is it an American thing ?

Short answer: Yes, it's an American thing.

Long answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_school_uniform

[joyceraye]

32 minutes ago, April said:

Short answer: Yes, it's an American thing.

Long answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_school_uniform

Thanks, April. That's interesting and informative, especially the term jumper which in UK  is any knitted, closed top such as Raj often wears over his shirt.  The ones that button up the front, such as Amy and Bernadette wear, are called cardigans or 'cardies'.

The description of a school jumper in the wiki article sounds like what we call a gymslip which is traditionally part of school uniform for girls on this side of the pond. Many schools wear something more modern now.  Adults don't wear gymslips here. Is there a reason Amy sometimes dresses like an old-fashioned schoolgirl, or do forever 63s wear them too in the US ? It obviously doesn't turn Sheldon on although she wore one last Valentine's Day,

More or less all schools here have a uniform but not all schools rigidly enforce the wearing of it.

[Stephen Hawking]

1 hour ago, joyceraye said:

especially the term jumper which in UK  is any knitted, closed top such as Raj often wears over his shirt.  

I believe, in the USA, they're called Sweater Vests.

Mind you, Americans also call Waistcoats vests.

Which certainly makes the song Walkin' My Baby Back Home, confusing for us this side of the pond.  

[April]

10 hours ago, joyceraye said:

The description of a school jumper in the wiki article sounds like what we call a gymslip which is traditionally part of school uniform for girls on this side of the pond. Many schools wear something more modern now.  Adults don't wear gymslips here. Is there a reason Amy sometimes dresses like an old-fashioned schoolgirl, or do forever 63s wear them too in the US ? It obviously doesn't turn Sheldon on although she wore one last Valentine's Day,

I think those jumper dresses made a bit of a comeback in recent years - not a huge trend, mind you, but I see something similar every now and then when I'm looking for clothes. Though I guess depending on the style they can still come across as a bit old fashioned which naturally makes it perfect for Amy. lol

[Jonny]

You have to love that she wears clothes that are more based on comfort rather than aesthetics, how rare is that? I am kind of surprised the writers have stuck to pretty much her same clothing throughout her time on the show, It must have been tempting that with her character evolving and becoming more open socially that she would perhaps change her style a bit. But the writers decided not to and I guess that should be praised.

[mirs1]

56 minutes ago, Jonny83 said:

You have to love that she wears clothes that are more based on comfort rather than aesthetics, how rare is that? I am kind of surprised the writers have stuck to pretty much her same clothing throughout her time on the show, It must have been tempting that with her character evolving and becoming more open socially that she would perhaps change her style a bit. But the writers decided not to and I guess that should be praised.

That's one of the things I like the most about Amy. There were things in her life she wasn't happy of, before she met Sheldon and his friends and, as soon as she got the opportunity to live the experiences she hasn't lived up to that moment, she jumped on that. But her wardrobe was not one of those things,  she was and still is happy with her looks, she wears what she wears because she likes it and she feels comfortable with it, there are women like that in RL,  you just don't see them very often on TV. When she split up with Sheldon she stated that she didn't want to change her dresses, even if there was a lot of peer-pressure by  Bernie and Penny and even if it is rather common and "cliche" to change hair or wardrobe after a break up. I appreciated that very much in 9.3 and overall I will be very disappointed if at any time the writers would drastically change that aspect of hers. Anyway, I think this season the custom department has made her a bit different and more "attractive", but still pretty much IC. She had curly hair in all the most important "Shamy" episodes and she wore more often nicer dresses, all bought at "For ever 63", of course, but they suit her and she looked very nice. There were episodes where she wore her "usual" dresses and others where she wore terrible ones, too, but overall this season for me is the one Amy looked at her best.

I also like this aspect of Amy related to Shamy. I mean, there are plenty of stories about the "ordinary" girl who falls for a guy and, in order to get him, she transforms her looks,  her wardrobe, her hair and so on. Here you have a girl who is "ordinary" and the guy likes her for who she is,  "quirks and all". And, viceversa, of course, she likes Sheldon for  who he is.

Edited June 5, 2016 by mirs1

[Stephen Hawking]

I like the way Amy dresses.

I very much liked the outfit she wore, in The Mystery Date Observation.