[Spoilers] Discussion: Season 10

[JohnPhD]

The original Sheldon could be both childlike and childish. His unconditional love for physics had a sort of radiant innocence.  I feel they've largely eliminated the attractive childlike aspects and kept the childish. Sheldon0 was a great comic creation but the nature of his character meant that he could never be credibly domesticated. Now, in order to keep a story going or in response to public demand, they've semi-domesticted Sheldon and destroyed what was unique in the character. It doesn't come across as "growth" to me.

 

[Jonny]

16 minutes ago, JohnPhD said:

The original Sheldon could be both childlike and childish. His unconditional love for physics had a sort of radiant innocence.  I feel they've largely eliminated the attractive childlike aspects and kept the childish. Sheldon0 was a great comic creation but the nature of his character meant that he could never be credibly domesticated. Now, in order to keep a story going or in response to public demand, they've semi-domesticted Sheldon and destroyed what was unique in the character. It doesn't come across as "growth" to me.

 

It's a no brainer and that's the difference between shows that last say a season or two and one like this one that has 10 and looks like it will have at least 12 under its belt by the end. You have a good concept but you adapt to your audience. Sheldon has evolved in this example because the majority of the audience clearly wanted it to happen.

I know we grumble and complain about a storyline or character/s at times but they know what they are doing, they have proven that for 10 years. They know their show better than anyone.

[hokie3457]

10 minutes ago, Jonny said:

It's a no brainer and that's the difference between shows that last say a season or two and one like this one that has 10 and looks like it will have at least 12 under its belt by the end. You have a good concept but you adapt to your audience. Sheldon has evolved in this example because the majority of the audience clearly wanted it to happen.

I know we grumble and complain about a storyline or character/s at times but they know what they are doing, they have proven that for 10 years. They know their show better than anyone.

Completely true @Jonny . Here we are shippers and ardent lovers of the show. TPTB create a show for ALL viewers, the majority of which are "casuals".

[Capt. Hilts]

10 hours ago, serenaded214 said:

He was the funny oddball genius in earlier seasons, but they didn't treat him like a child then.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 

Did you miss:

• the Season three episode where Penny and Leonard are broken up and they argue about who's taking Sheldon shopping and Leonard telling her what not to do with him at Disneyland?  
• Or the one where Sheldon is forced to take a vacation and Leonard tells him to 'stay' like he's a dog and Penny calls him down the stairs as though he's a dog?  
• Or the one where Leonard and Penny are fighting and Sheldon runs off to the comic book store?  

When challenged about being an adult he mentioned he shaves "once every ten days" as evidence of being an adult.  The guy's on the spectrum and, sometimes, he gets overwhelmed and can't deal with things.  

Edited February 26, 2017 by Capt. Hilts

[A.D.A.]

Sheldon was always childish, but Sheldon wasn't always in a relationship with a woman that is very much characterised as a fairly normal adult. I seriously skipped some episodes this season because Shamy is giving me the creeps (the one where she drugs him being on of them) and I can't watch their dynamic for extended periods of time anymore. One seriously has to wonder about writers who think: "We want to develop this character so that he can enter a working romantic and also sexual relationship. Which of his existent traits should we make more pronounced? Oh, I know, the times when he was treated and/or acted like a five year old."

It's not consistent, of course, nothing much in this show is characterisation-wise (for example, he seemed very grown up in the actual coitus episode, to the point where I found his dialogue, nice as it was, actually seemed too aware and sensitive for Sheldon at times). It's consistent enough for me, though, to finally take the advice one is given so often and employ the "don't like, don't watch" strategy.

[wowbagger]

14 hours ago, serena_1995 said:

 

I miss some of Sheldon's mad-genius like , precise manner of cerebral talking and Lenny's iconic punchlines in response to him. l like his character development but I want them to retain more of the old flavor complex dialogues that Sheldon used to utter. I feel like he had a better vocabulary then . When he launched into an explanation of pressures of reciprocity of gift giving , when he explained why Penny's belief in astrology was "mass cultural delusion" , his conclusion of the effect of lady bugs on Raj or his dumpling paradox in the restaurant, it was all brilliant IMO .

The scene where he explains "rock-paper-lizard-scissors-spock"  to Raj is iconic and quite funny. i also referred to it for a graph theory course I took in college. Also, I was recently watching a scene where Sheldon is talking about Schrodinger's cat to Penny while simultaneously & continuously moving to look for a suitable spot in 4B, and  IMO that was quite a marvelous bit of nuanced physical comedy from JP. Even his facial expressions in the episode where Lenny spill green paint on his spot or when he receives the spock napkin were pretty hysterical.

I think that was a big reason why he deservedly got awards and fan attention as early as season 2.I find the current portrayal of Sheldon to be less nuanced and more of a dumbed down caricature.  ; I don't recall many memorable or interesting things he has said or done  lately...but that is just my lone and very subjective opinion.

I think the point about vocabulary is spot-on, as is the point about increased....laziness? Sloppiness in characterisation? (although to be fair this season has been rather better than many previous seasons on that respect).

I agree with the examples you cite about Sheldon, and I'll add an example for Amy, another very cerebral character who was sanded off and dumbed down quite a bit. (again, this season has been much better than previous seasons). Here I am thinking of the very precise choice of words the writers used to give characters like Sheldon or Amy. Consider 'I don't object to the concept of a deity, but I'm baffled by one who takes attendance.', or 'I share your aversion to soiled hosiery'. Is it the specificity of her pomposity? The fact that the sentiment uttered isn't standard Hollywood Atheism, but genuine scientific procedural curiosity? The fact that we're trusted to unpack the layers of the exchange? The AV Club at one point remarked about Amy (this would be circa S4, maybe S5?) that the writers did this thing with her that they did with Sheldon, where every single word was just exquisitely chosen.

And yes, I understand that both characters were socialised and what-have-you, and honestly i am fine with socialisation. For example, I enjoy Sheldon's bluntness but I actually have never enjoyed his dickishness*. but it seems a pity that socialisation seems to march hand in hand with dumbing down on the show.

Incidentally, I'm not saying that there was a Golden Age of the show in which everything was perfect and no stupid or nasty jokes were ever made. Obviously that is not true. I'm just saying that the show, over time, has begun to coast more and more. And that laziness comes across in the coarsening, or non-specificity, of vocabulary choices.

The show can still get it together and put across sharp, well observed bits of dialogue. But I do think that the writers frequently don't bother. And you just notice it more in later seasons because by that time expectations have been set. I'm sure there was plenty of sloppiness in earlier seasons too. It's just that it becomes noticeable in later seasons because by then there's been time for Flanderisation or for a once-beloved running gag to become an irritant and so on. You need time to build the crutches that later seasons will lean on.

* I don't enjoy the dickishness because of the neediness it implies I.e. The need to establish dominance in a gathering. I much prefer him when he actually wants to understand what is going on but doesn't have the tools or inclination to wade through social niceties.

[Capt. Hilts]

4 minutes ago, wowbagger said:

I agree with the examples you cite about Sheldon, and I'll add an example for Amy, another very cerebral character who was sanded off and dumbed down quite a bit. (again, this season has been much better than previous seasons). Here I am thinking of the very precise choice of words the writers used to give characters like Sheldon or Amy. Consider 'I don't object to the concept of a deity, but I'm baffled by one who takes attendance.', or 'I share your aversion to soiled hosiery'. Is it the specificity of her pomposity? The fact that the sentiment uttered isn't standard Hollywood Atheism, but genuine scientific procedural curiosity? The fact that we're trusted to unpack the layers of the exchange? The AV Club at one point remarked about Amy (this would be circa S4, maybe S5?) that the writers did this thing with her that they did with Sheldon, where every single word was just exquisitely chosen.

And yes, I understand that both characters were socialised and what-have-you, and honestly i am fine with socialisation. For example, I enjoy Sheldon's bluntness but I actually have never enjoyed his dickishness*. but it seems a pity that socialisation seems to march hand in hand with dumbing down on the show.

Incidentally, I'm not saying that there was a Golden Age of the show in which everything was perfect and no stupid or nasty jokes were ever made. Obviously that is not true. I'm just saying that the show, over time, has begun to coast more and more. And that laziness comes across in the coarsening, or non-specificity, of vocabulary choices.

The show can still get it together and put across sharp, well observed bits of dialogue. But I do think that the writers frequently don't bother. And you just notice it more in later seasons because by that time expectations have been set. I'm sure there was plenty of sloppiness in earlier seasons too. It's just that it becomes noticeable in later seasons because by then there's been time for Flanderisation or for a once-beloved running gag to become an irritant and so on. You need time to build the crutches that later seasons will lean on.

* I don't enjoy the dickishness because of the neediness it implies I.e. The need to establish dominance in a gathering. I much prefer him when he actually wants to understand what is going on but doesn't have the tools or inclination to wade through social niceties.

I really like this comment and like how you wove the characterization of Amy into this.

I agree that she has been dumbed down.  Far moreso than Sheldon.  I'm going to put on my pollster hat [yes, I'm in polling] and assume that that version of Amy did not test well.  Those traits are not tolerated, let alone rewarded, in women to the degree to which they are in men.

They need to bring some of that back, for her.   We don't see much evidence she's  a science geek these days.  How about Sheldon eating dinner across the hall because she's doing 'brain stuff' in their kitchen?  I don't know.  But, I, too, would like to see her dialog geeked up again.  

Astute!

[mirs1]

I remember that during the celebrations for the 200th episode, there was an interview where the writers proudly claimed that TBBT had during the years shifted its subject and now it's a family comedy. In the same interview, Johnn Galecki expressed the fact the vocabulary had also changed and the lines are much easier to memorize nowadays. So, my opinion is that it's not this or that character that have been "dumbed down", but  the show altogether. Probably it is more evident on Sheldon and Amy than on other characters, but that's the direction the writers have chosen for their show for some years now.

Edited February 26, 2017 by mirs1

[spidergirl]

8 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

I remember that during the celebration of the 200th episode, there was an interview where the writers proudly claimed that TBBT had during the years shifted its subject and now it's a family comedy. In the same interview, Johnn Galecki expressed the fact the vocabulary had also changed and the lines are much easier to memorize nowadays. So, my opinion is that it's not this or that character that have been "dumbed down", but  the show altogether. Probably it is more evident on Sheldon and Amy than on other characters, but that's the direction the writers have chosen for their show for some years now.

And there were viewers who complained in past the show had for times very complex dialogues that they could not follow well. I dont agree with them as usually the last lines of these dialogues explained the complex concepts behind them in a very acessible language but maybe I am bit biased for working in science field. Maybe writers might have choosen that way for the show could be enjoyed by more viewers but personally  I miss  more science in dialogues. It could be very handled as the characters have been aging in their jobs too and the tendency is science people talk about more deep knowledges they have gotten meanwhile. But I guess that reality could take off a bit the comedy tone of the show though. I understand it and it won't ruin my fun with the show at all.

 

[wowbagger]

53 minutes ago, Capt. Hilts said:

I really like this comment and like how you wove the characterization of Amy into this.

I agree that she has been dumbed down.  Far moreso than Sheldon.  I'm going to put on my pollster hat [yes, I'm in polling] and assume that that version of Amy did not test well.  Those traits are not tolerated, let alone rewarded, in women to the degree to which they are in men.

They need to bring some of that back, for her.   We don't see much evidence she's  a science geek these days.  How about Sheldon eating dinner across the hall because she's doing 'brain stuff' in their kitchen?  I don't know.  But, I, too, would like to see her dialog geeked up again.  

Astute!

it's an interesting point. I have often wondered to what degree the show tests and responds to audience reaction. And I certainly agree that arrogance and proud geekery are not rewarded in women to the degree that they are in men.

but my hypothesis tends to be that the writers follow their broad vision for the show. However, their vision isn't unified. So for example some of the writers might want the gang to grow up, and some might not. Even the writers who want the gang to grow up might not agree on what 'growing up' means. Does it mean putting away unrealistic dreams and appreciating what you have? Does it just mean not going to Comic Con (eyeroll)? So we'll have a disconnect from time to time, or bizarre compromises that make no sense and send really strange messages (see the 'marriage of three' debacle of last season, juxtaposed with magically appearing/vanishing financial problems. Or that godforsaken 'sex once a year' gag that meant poor Bernie had to give birth to a five-year-old or something).

[BigBang15]

11 hours ago, Carlos said:

If I were Leonard and found that out I would disfigure Raj.

Why? Leonard and Penny were not even dating. Leonard was still dating Priya (live, not via Skype). The episode does not show who led who (as far as Penny & Raj). The last scene they were in (before the bedroom), they were both drinking wine and both were just as tipsy.

What right does Leonard have to do anything to anyone, let alone Raj?

[Tensor]

12 minutes ago, BigBang15 said:

Why? Leonard and Penny were not even dating. Leonard was still dating Priya (live, not via Skype). The episode does not show who led who (as far as Penny & Raj). The last scene they were in (before the bedroom), they were both drinking wine and both were just as tipsy.

What right does Leonard have to do anything to anyone, let alone Raj?

You mean other than keeping information from Leonard and Penny?

[serenaded214]

Seriously, as I said earlier, this stuff has always been part of his character. The idea of Lenny as his ersatz-parents has been established early on, not to mention us getting episodes where he wants his mother to still treat him like an 8 year old. Ah yes, so much dignity! lol The thing is Lenny never stopped being his ersatz-parents so now that he moved out we get a few "their kid moved out and the parents occasionally remember how it was when kiddo still lived with them" lines. I don't see how that has much to do with Sheldon's maturity now. 
In fact a lot of what's heralded as Sheldon being oh-so mature in early seasons doesn't really have much to do with mature behaviour at all. Sure, he'd recite more cracking science jargon or complex geeky references but you don't need to be all grown up to do that. The way he behaved though was incredibly immature with his overbearing selfishness, his unwillingness to deal with other people in a respectful manner, his tendency to throw a temper tantrum when the simplest thing didn't go his way, his inability to see himself at fault and disregard for other people's needs, etc etc. are all big signs of immaturity and childish behaviour. But somehow people look past that because... Sheldon used more big and nerdy vocabulary??
What we see these days from him though is that he is displaying more mature behaviour as he has realised that he's not as perfect as he used to think he is and he's actively working on improving his own shortcomings and caring a whole deal more about his interpersonal relationships. Sure, he sometimes fumbles and stumbles through these attempts at becoming a better person as he doesn't get everything right and it's still a process that is ongoing and not finished as such. Heck, growing up never really ends, does it? It's an ongoing process for everyone! So with that in mind I do see a whole lot more mature behaviour from him these days than in earlier seasons.
And as said all of that is, imho, independent to the show's overall level of nerd cred slacking a little these days. The science and geeky references are still there but not necessarily in form of those iconic scenes in the past. But this is not tied to Sheldon's maturity in any way - it's an overall issue with the show and conflating these two in a weird hyperbole doesn't really address what's actually going on.

Yeah, no. He had a few childish quirks back in day, which did not overtake his entire character. He was still the highly intelligent, arrogant, obnoxious man outside of those incidents. Nowadays, every single episode has some kind of joke about him being treated like a child or him acting like a child. I feel that it overtaken his character.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

It's a no brainer and that's the difference between shows that last say a season or two and one like this one that has 10 and looks like it will have at least 12 under its belt by the end. You have a good concept but you adapt to your audience. Sheldon has evolved in this example because the majority of the audience clearly wanted it to happen.
I know we grumble and complain about a storyline or character/s at times but they know what they are doing, they have proven that for 10 years. They know their show better than anyone.

So... What? Domesticated Sheldon can no longer have intelligent dialogue?

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[Enrico Fermi]

2 hours ago, mirs1 said:

I remember that during the celebrations for the 200th episode, there was an interview where the writers proudly claimed that TBBT had during the years shifted its subject and now it's a family comedy. In the same interview, Johnn Galecki expressed the fact the vocabulary had also changed and the lines are much easier to memorize nowadays. So, my opinion is that it's not this or that character that have been "dumbed down", but  the show altogether. Probably it is more evident on Sheldon and Amy than on other characters, but that's the direction the writers have chosen for their show for some years now.

I feel like the jargon-heavy dialog was dialed down pretty early on, like midway through the first season.  It's jarring to go back and watch the first few episodes of the series because the way all the guys talk is such a departure from the way they talk now.  Even with the scenes this season of the guys working on the guidance system they don't come off as nerdy in their speech as they did then.  One could argue that the way they talked originally was actually unrealistic, but it was funny for how novel it was.

[Stephen Hawking]

22 hours ago, Chrismo said:

4a is only across the hall

I don't think there's much chance of him leaving a bed with Amy in it, to flee to 4A.

22 hours ago, Itwasdestined said:

And I think I continue to enjoy the show because I don't stalk the dialogue looking for one off punchlines to dwell on and critique every episode.

 

I do trawl the punchlines, but still love the show, so I don't think your two points are necessarily cause and effect.

22 hours ago, 3ku11 said:

I'm Sorry but Leonard sleeping with some random woman. Is not the same thing as Penny sleeping with Raj.

I wasn't aware anyone said it was the same.

19 hours ago, serena_1995 said:

I miss some of Sheldon's mad-genius like , precise manner of cerebral talking

I think my favorite is from The Anything Can Happen Recurrence:-

Sheldon: Amy’s sick.

Leonard: Aw. What’s wrong with her?

Sheldon: Well, she talks a lot. She always wants to hold hands.

[Stephen Hawking]

20 hours ago, serena_1995 said:

I was recently watching a scene where Sheldon is talking about Schrodinger's cat to Penny while simultaneously & continuously moving to look for a suitable spot in 4B.

Did you notice how Sheldon had no trouble, choosing a place to sit, in Amy's apartment.

ETA: And that was even before they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Stephen Hawking

[April]

37 minutes ago, serenaded214 said:

Yeah, no. He had a few childish quirks back in day, which did not overtake his entire character. He was still the highly intelligent, arrogant, obnoxious man outside of those incidents. Nowadays, every single episode has some kind of joke about him being treated like a child or him acting like a child. I feel that it overtaken his character.

"Overtake his entire character"? Oh my, how dramatic! Obviously I can't tell you how to feel about it but personally I have a hard time seeing how a few jokes here and there equal "overtake" - especially when the guy actually makes an effort to grow up and not behave like a petulant child all the time. Yes, running gags like that are annoying, nobody's denying that. But imho it's an accumulating effect at work cause we've essentially heard the same joke for years. If we got a S1/2/3 style Sheldon story with his past behaviour proudly on display you'd probably be just as annoyed by his childish antics because there isn't really much maturity about any of that. Back then those stories where less annoying cause we haven't lived through 7-10 years of that same joke then. It certainly is grating on me more during rewatches for that very reason.

37 minutes ago, serenaded214 said:

So... What? Domesticated Sheldon can no longer have intelligent dialogue?

How about: these things are two separate issues entirely?? I don't think anyone in the writer's room made the concious decision of "Oh Sheldon is more socially apt now - let's make him stupid!" No, as pointed out plenty of times: Scaling back the jargon-heavy dialogue happened all across the board. It's not a "Sheldon issue" it's a "show issue" cause there's a bigger focus on interpersonal relationships that don't require this writing style. Looking through the thread I think most of us are in agreement that they could have found a better balance and some more nerdy science talk would be much welcomed. But not just from Sheldon - all the characters could use some more of that. Sheldon and Amy are great when their cerebral rapport is on full display with both of them challenging each other. Sheldon and the guys are great when they enthusiastically chat about some nerdy science project of the week or effortlessly switch to Klingon or Vulcan mid-conversation. Heck, the girls are brilliant when they're allowed to have their geeky moments! There needs to be a rhythm and purpose to those scenes or else what is the point? Singling Sheldon out as the one who has to sprout jargon-heavy dialogue for no reason doesn't automatically make good scenes or even good characterisation.

[Capt. Hilts]

2 hours ago, serenaded214 said:

So... What? Domesticated Sheldon can no longer have intelligent dialogue?

 

I thought the Buridan's donkey piece was great.

[bfm]

37 minutes ago, April said:

How about: these things are two separate issues entirely?? I don't think anyone in the writer's room made the concious decision of "Oh Sheldon is more socially apt now - let's make him stupid!" No, as pointed out plenty of times: Scaling back the jargon-heavy dialogue happened all across the board. It's not a "Sheldon issue" it's a "show issue" cause there's a bigger focus on interpersonal relationships that don't require this writing style. Looking through the thread I think most of us are in agreement that they could have found a better balance and some more nerdy science talk would be much welcomed. But not just from Sheldon - all the characters could use some more of that. Sheldon and Amy are great when their cerebral rapport is on full display with both of them challenging each other. Sheldon and the guys are great when they enthusiastically chat about some nerdy science project of the week or effortlessly switch to Klingon or Vulcan mid-conversation. Heck, the girls are brilliant when they're allowed to have their geeky moments! There needs to be a rhythm and purpose to those scenes or else what is the point? Singling Sheldon out as the one who has to sprout jargon-heavy dialogue for no reason doesn't automatically make good scenes or even good characterisation.

Agreed! I think Shamy's hallway conversation in "The Veracity Elasticity" is a proof they can do that! I loved that scene, thought it was great (perhaps not as brilliant as "Schroedinger's friendship" which I actually aplauded, but still very good). I wish they would do more of these. Doesn't have to be Sheldon, could be a sophisticated scientifc conversation between the guts or Amy and Bernadette. I also enjoyed Shamy's scientific fight in "The Hot Tub Contamination" but that one might be less enjoyable for people who are not familiar with the realm of scientific experiments.

[3ku11]

Imo Leonard should disown Raj if he finds out the truth. It has nothing to do with whether Leonard has a right. Based on their current relationship statuses back then. It's common courtesy. You watch That 70s show it was a common occurrence bed hopping. This show generally Leonard was Penny's one. They always preserved that through out the series run. Very protective of Lenny onscreen. It's why you never saw Penny in a serious relationship with anyone else onscreen. Raj was the worst and most shocking thing they ever did. Because it contradicted all of this. I hate dredging this up. But I think it's important as fans we understand it was innaprproate on so many levels. Leonard sleeping with DR Plimpton is like Penny hooking up with Mike, Zac etc. Too get an equivalent. It would be like if Leonard hooked up with Bernadette. 

So to me considering Rajs character. Hoping Howard dies so he can get Bernadette. Taking advantage of a not Lupid Penny. When she lupid told Raj we can't date because we're friends. Raj lying about what really happened to Leonard's face for years. Raj is not the kinda person you want around. So might be a meaty plot. Penny tells Leonard the whole story. Leonard thinks about everything Raj has done, and is done with him. 

Edited February 26, 2017 by 3ku11

[Carlos]

10 hours ago, Jonny said:

It's a no brainer and that's the difference between shows that last say a season or two and one like this one that has 10 and looks like it will have at least 12 under its belt by the end. You have a good concept but you adapt to your audience. Sheldon has evolved in this example because the majority of the audience clearly wanted it to happen.

I know we grumble and complain about a storyline or character/s at times but they know what they are doing, they have proven that for 10 years. They know their show better than anyone.

But also there is the possibility of doing a show the right way (meaning with creative integrity) and making the viewing audience "follow" it , instead of the other way around. IMO the writers know how to keep the ratings going, I guess, but that doesn't mean the overall story is that good, not to mention lack of continuity, character assassination, repeated storylines, unfunny jokes, etc. Also the fact that TBBT is a highly rated show is not only down to the writers. I would venture to say it also has a lot to do with the actors, since sometimes they make what I consider crap almost palatable. All this , of course JMO.

[Tensor]

The discussion of the events of 4.24 have been moved to Non-season 10 Show Discussion.

[3ku11]

2 hours ago, Carlos said:

But also there is the possibility of doing a show the right way (meaning with creative integrity) and making the viewing audience "follow" it , instead of the other way around. IMO the writers know how to keep the ratings going, I guess, but that doesn't mean the overall story is that good, not to mention lack of continuity, character assassination, repeated storylines, unfunny jokes, etc. Also the fact that TBBT is a highly rated show is not only down to the writers. I would venture to say it also has a lot to do with the actors, since sometimes they make what I consider crap almost palatable. All this , of course JMO.

I'm not sure the show have prooven they know what they are doing either. Their lazy writing prooves it. The actors are all worthy of better. But since 2013. For better or for worse, the writers have been phoning it in, or winging it. I'm starting to think Season 11 and 12 is a very bad idea. But it's not up to me. And I also don't see much changing with the show over the next two seasons. Based on the last two. Jmo.

[JohnPhD]

21 hours ago, A.D.A. said:

Sheldon was always childish, but Sheldon wasn't always in a relationship with a woman that is very much characterised as a fairly normal adult.

 

IMO there's an inconsistency in how nearly normal Amy is portrayed as. When she's with Sheldon she's usually portrayed as very much the more nearly normal one, to the extent of being almost his keeper (altho come to think of it, is drugging your difficult SO for a journey normal?). But without S she sometimes behaves quite abnormally, Eg in the Batchelor Party episode we were told she sat in Penny's closet as a "sin closet" because her crazy mother told her to on the phone. And she herself has been a difficult traveller - eg the 3 women were once unable to fly to Las Vegas because Amy punched a security official. Perhaps Amy as Sheldon's keeper is just a recycling of Leonard and Lenny as Sheldon's keeper. That joke never gets old, does it? Yes, actually.

[wowbagger]

3 hours ago, JohnPhD said:

IMO there's an inconsistency in how nearly normal Amy is portrayed as. When she's with Sheldon she's usually portrayed as very much the more nearly normal one, to the extent of being almost his keeper (altho come to think of it, is drugging your difficult SO for a journey normal?). But without S she sometimes behaves quite abnormally, Eg in the Batchelor Party episode we were told she sat in Penny's closet as a "sin closet" because her crazy mother told her to on the phone. And she herself has been a difficult traveller - eg the 3 women were once unable to fly to Las Vegas because Amy punched a security official. Perhaps Amy as Sheldon's keeper is just a recycling of Leonard and Lenny as Sheldon's keeper. That joke never gets old, does it? Yes, actually.

Interesting point, that. Concur on what a movable feast 'normal' is on the show. And I absolutely agree that Amy of late is allowed to be eccentric and bizarre primarily in the presence of the girls (I am even blanking on recent examples of her weirding out a male Designated Normal like Leonard like she used to do). A pity. There is room for Amy to say things that would make Sheldon look at her with a puzzled frown, and I do so like it when Sheldon is allowed to be the straight man.

hell, I'd love ANY of the rest of the gang to be the weird ones while Sheldon is given a break from his antics. It HAS happened on occasion and it has invariably been delightful. I understand that Sheldon's usually the weird one, but maybe mix it up some more.