[Spoilers] Discussion: Season 10

[3ku11]

2 hours ago, veejay said:

I’ve come across on this interesting article, which is a bit extended and seriously concerned with the current status of our beloved comedy. I think the expressed opinion here is plausible and not far-fetched or biased at all, despite the headline (IMHO).

http://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-reasons-why-we-are-ready-for-the-big-bang-theory-to-end/?streamview=all

Possibly a small stimulus for an upcoming summer hiatus discussion.

I go on social media and majority of the audience are ready for the show to end. This is not shippers talking. But mostly everyone. I feel the show has outgrown its welcome, but that is just my opinion. Usual opinion "Targeting the lowest common denominator". "Show has not been funny in years". They are not wrong LOL. I am too invested to stop watching now though. 

Edited May 14, 2017 by 3ku11

[veejay]

15 minutes ago, jenafan said:

If one insists on comparing, then it does seem so.    

However, that does not mean Sheldon is written for the purpose of making Leonard look bad or Leonard is written badly to make Sheldon look good.  

The writers have simply chosen to write character traits in Leonard and Sheldon they wish to exploit that have nothing to do with one or the other but create a form of sibling rivalry between the Sheldon haters, the Sheldon apologists, and those in the middle of the argument who just want peace and to enjoy the show as it is written and as a whole.

JMHO. Obviously, I can't think for the writers.  

I agree with you, even if Sheldon as a character bugs me more than makes me laugh since the last three years.

[Jonny]

4 minutes ago, 3ku11 said:

I go on social media and majority of the audience are ready for the show to end. This is not shippers talking. But mostly everyone. I feel the show has outgrown its welcome, but that is just my opinion. Usual opinion "Targeting the lowest common denominator". "Show has not been funny in years". They are not wrong LOL. I am too invested to stop watching now though. 

And yet all these people on social media still watch it.

If I hated the show as much as they claim they do I wouldn't keep watching it, especially those pining for the old days when you had 3 guys trying to get into the girl across the halls knicker's and the other being for the most part in his own bubble. Those days aren't coming back.

[spidergirl]

37 minutes ago, Jonny said:

And yet all these people on social media still watch it.

If I hated the show as much as they claim they do I wouldn't keep watching it, especially those pining for the old days when you had 3 guys trying to get into the girl across the halls knicker's and the other being for the most part in his own bubble. Those days aren't coming back.

Agree and I am glad they aren't! It would be like a person in their forties as they wished be doing all stuff they used to do in their tweties. It would not make sense as people grew neither it would be sound realistic, one of the good things about this show, as viewers can relate some of the storylines with themselves.  Being stuck in past soon or later became an issue for these people. In show's narrative and timeline if it had been stuck with these guys as they were in season 1-4, surely the show had been already canceled and we had also not had so interisting talks around here. For all reasons I am looking foward to seeing what future holds to all these characters. Surely I am happy about some things the show had been giving me as viewer, others I hope they can surprise me for good.  However in reality life is not perfect so I enjoy the excitment of finding out what these two more seasons could come up to each of the characters.  It would be so boring if everything was perfect  and in the way I wish it should be for the each of the characters . 

Edited May 14, 2017 by spidergirl

[mirs1]

3 hours ago, veejay said:

I’ve come across on this interesting article, which is a bit extended and seriously concerned with the current status of our beloved comedy. I think the expressed opinion here is plausible and not far-fetched or biased at all, despite the headline (IMHO).

http://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-reasons-why-we-are-ready-for-the-big-bang-theory-to-end/?streamview=all

Possibly a small stimulus for an upcoming summer hiatus discussion.

That article might have some points, for example I very much agree with the fact the show relies too much in old jokes. They should move on from old stereotypes, like the nerd who got the hot girl, wearing her down, this not reflects the show anymore.

There are some things which IMO are doubtful, for example I love the character development and I find it very truthful with RL. Nerds get older, find new interests which might replace some old ones (for example Netflix over their old DVDs, or new video games over Halo nights...), some of them have to give up SDCC once in a while because they just had a baby or they think they should spend more time with their SO, but that doesn't make them less of a nerd. However, that's not everybody's cup of tea, so I get this kind of criticism. 

Anyway, there are also a lot of nonsense in the article

 Avoid the typecasting...That ship sailed many years ago, and the actors know it very well, so much so that some of them have invested in their own production companies in order to have new projects, also for themselves (Johnny played in a movie he also produced last year and so will Jim do this summer); frankly, at this point, their best interest would  be to keep going with the show as long as they can just  to make money to produce their own stuff. 

Move towards the prequel...That show has no chance if it is not supported by TBBT and airs after it to use its audience. I can see that if the fans like it (and that's not really a sure thing, I'm very doubtful) it can move to some other night and have a more independent life, but as it is, the prequel has necessarily to be very tied to the main show.

The actors are less invested...That might be true from a personal PoV, even if we are just speculating on this, none of us really knows what actors think about the show. Anyway, that has no influence whatsoever on their performances. They are all professionals, so they do their job at their best, it's not that they are phoning it just because they are making the same character for 10 year, saying so it's just unfair for their craft.

 

Edited May 14, 2017 by mirs1

[hokie3457]

6 hours ago, No Regrets said:

What you're saying makes sense until I start thinking about how Leonard as a character is so often looked down upon by the writers for whatever reason. He's not fit enough, he's not successful enough, he's not attractive enough, he was lucky to land Penny (they'll even let Leonard imply that himself over and over), he's not a good enough husband, he's not a good enough son, he's not as popular at work and so on and so on. Even if they're not deliberately trying to make Sheldon look better, Leonard will always come off as inferior because that's how they make almost every character see him. And that's what bothers me so, so much. Leonard is a good guy and he doesn't deserve that as a character. 

From originally being nearly the POV character on TBBT, Leonard has become the show's Alan Harper from Two and a Half Men.

[3ku11]

5 minutes ago, hokie3457 said:

From originally being nearly the POV character on TBBT, Leonard has become the show's Alan Harper from Two and a Half Men.

Or Meg lol.

[5Mississippis]

4 hours ago, veejay said:

I’ve come across on this interesting article, which is a bit extended and seriously concerned with the current status of our beloved comedy. I think the expressed opinion here is plausible and not far-fetched or biased at all, despite the headline (IMHO).

http://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-reasons-why-we-are-ready-for-the-big-bang-theory-to-end/?streamview=all

Possibly a small stimulus for an upcoming summer hiatus discussion.

Ouch! 

[Jonny]

40 minutes ago, hokie3457 said:

From originally being nearly the POV character on TBBT, Leonard has become the show's Alan Harper from Two and a Half Men.

That was inevitable though right? 

As soon as the guys started to actually have relationships and experienced what some of life has to offer they didn't need Leonard to be that link as much. That's what he was at times early in the show, the guy who clearly has issues of his own (with his parents most notably) but that didn't stop him, he was more level headed and had more success on the life front for example with women or other social situations. He was kind of seen as the leader because of that, the one they turned to in those situations. Penny also played a similar role, they were both that bridge.

They still do turn to Penny and Leonard, you have seen that this season but not as much in the past and that makes a lot of sense to me why that's the case.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Jonny

[bfm]

Regarding the making Leonard/Lenny look bad to elevate Sheldon/Shamy, I personally see it a lot, especially this season. There are many comments (especially Sheldon's) directly doing this or adjacent scenes implying it. There is a reason why other posters and I feel like these comparisons exist and not comparisons between Lenny and Howardette or Leonard and Howard, Penny and Amy/Bernadette etc.

[JohnPhD]

On 5/13/2017 at 1:03 PM, bfm said:

Yeah I think you're right. First, I think they will show Amy's response because Molaro said not showing it would make fans feel betrayed if they didn't.

So for Molaro only the newer fans supposedly brought in by Shamy count. He's shown innumerable times that he doesn't care how betrayed the original fans for whom Leonard and Penny are the romantic couple they care about may feel. This really is an outrageous thing for M to say if you think about it. I know nothing about this Molaro apart from what I've read on this forum, but I kind of intensely dislike him.

[bfm]

My guess is we will have a time jump in 11X01or 11X02. Maybe Amy's reaction and then a time jump. It is just a guess though, as good as any.

[No Regrets]

8 hours ago, shamyyellow said:

I guess I just see that Sheldon/Shamy fans let it go while Leonard/Lenny fans don't because they're unhappy with the storylines and lack of progress they've been given. And no, I'm not saying that's unreasonable. I guess I'm just pointing out that the problem always comes back to Lenny being mistreated. Shamy is in a good place, so those jokes at his/their expense don't really bother us. If the writers would just fix Lenny and give their fans something more/better to focus on, this probably wouldn't even be a discussion.

Maybe for others it wouldn't be, for me it would because Leonard's treatment has always bothered me even when Lenny were fine. Just look at his relationship with his mother. To her, he's such a disappointment while she just LOVES Sheldon. Where is the basis for that? What exactly about Leonard is disappointing? That he has a respectable job? That he earns good money? That he turned out to be a decent man despite receiving no love as a child whatsoever? Sure, if Leonard and Penny were fine it certainly would balance the bad stuff out a little and it certainly felt better to me when I felt that Penny always had his back, but overall the message I feel the writers always get across is "Leonard isn't good enough" and I just don't see the basis for that. 

And I'm thinking we all suffer from selective memory a little depending on which character(s) we love the most, no?

[Stephen Hawking]

On 09/05/2017 at 0:11 AM, vonmar said:

ETA: It was taken the night of the taping of 7x8 "The Itchy Brain Simulation"  (according to Twitter)

Of course it was.

The giveaway is Amy's yellow cardigan, the kettle, 2 cups, and the box of tea bags.

 

[Swedish Chef]

9 minutes ago, bfm said:

My guess is we will have a time jump in 11X01or 11X02. Maybe Amy's reaction and then a time jump. It is just a guess though, as good as any.

A time jump in either episode 1 or 2 seems to be very likely at the moment. Time will tell if we are right. 

[mirs1]

My guess\wish, instead, is a few episodes with Amy still in Princeton and Sheldon back in Pasadena, before the time jump. I would like to see how Amy's experience goes. I know we are not going to have huge plots about her, but maybe some Skype calls to Sheldon and the others could give us a glimpse of what she is doing in NJ,  they did something like that when Howard went to space and it worked pretty well, I think. Ideally, for me, after 11.1 (which I guess will be devoted to the proposal aftermath), she could be back for 11.3-11.4. It could also be useful to gradually catch up with real time, in the last couple of season the show has been a bit messy as for the time line.

Edited May 14, 2017 by mirs1

[Die Zimtzicke]

10 hours ago, veejay said:

I've come across on this interesting article, which is a bit extended and seriously concerned with the current status of our beloved comedy. I think the expressed opinion here is plausible and not far-fetched or biased at all, despite the headline (IMHO).

http://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-reasons-why-we-are-ready-for-the-big-bang-theory-to-end/?streamview=all

Jeeze, and when I said on several boards I wanted it to go out after ten while it was still fresh and on top I got reamed out. This is interesting.

[Carlos]

19 hours ago, veejay said:

I’ve come across on this interesting article, which is a bit extended and seriously concerned with the current status of our beloved comedy. I think the expressed opinion here is plausible and not far-fetched or biased at all, despite the headline (IMHO).

http://www.fame10.com/entertainment/7-reasons-why-we-are-ready-for-the-big-bang-theory-to-end/?streamview=all

Possibly a small stimulus for an upcoming summer hiatus discussion.

That article is great and it details in very eloquent and well thought out explanations all the problems inherent with TBBT now a days. I have no way to prove this, but it seems to me that people now watch it more out of habit than because of the show's quality.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Carlos

[Die Zimtzicke]

7 hours ago, Jonny said:

If I hated the show as much as they claim they do I wouldn't keep watching it, especially those pining for the old days when you had 3 guys trying to get into the girl across the halls knicker's and the other being for the most part in his own bubble. Those days aren't coming back.

I don't like everything about it but I still like to watch it. I complain about what I don't like and enjoy what I do. But you are right about it not going back to those days. I just still like it better than what else it out there, though.

37 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

My guess\wish, instead, is a few episodes with Amy still in Princeton and Sheldon back in Pasadena, before the time jump. I would like to see how Amy's experience goes. I know we are not going to have huge plots about her, but maybe some Skype calls to Sheldon and the others could give us a glimpse of what she is doing in NJ,  they did something like that when Howard went to space and it worked pretty well, I think. Ideally, for me, after 11.1 (which I guess will be devoted to the proposal aftermath), she could be back for 11.3-11.4. It could also be useful to gradually catch up with real time, in the last couple of season the show has been a bit messy as for the time line.

I still think there's a lot of comedy that could be done with them opening as the gang is searching for the missing Sheldon, especially if Ramona is also missing.

[mirs1]

That is interesting...probably TBBT will have a tough competitor on Thursday nights next season, it will be against the Will and Grace reboot

http://ew.com/tv/2017/05/14/nbc-schedule-2017-18/?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

42 minutes ago, Die Zimtzicke said:

I still think there's a lot of comedy that could be done with them opening as the gang is searching for the missing Sheldon, especially if Ramona is also missing.

That can happen in the premiere, but it can't be dragged out for more than one episode, after all they need to make just a phone call to understand where Sheldon is. After 11.1 either there is the time jump and Amy returns home or they explore having Amy in Princeton for a while. I prefer the latter.

Edited May 14, 2017 by mirs1

[Swedish Chef]

Another site that think season 10 was weak.

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/the-big-bang-theory/49399/the-big-bang-theory-season-10-episode-24-review-the-long-distance-dissonance

Overall, this season has been one of the show’s weakest, with sparks of interest like Raj’s relationship with the university’s cleaning lady and Bernadette’s trouble adjusting to motherhood batted away as quickly as they were introduced. But there have been bright spots, and new characters like Bert promise to keep the show fresh as we move further into the double digits.

If I were to guess, the rest of the show will be much like this episode - unsurprising, preoccupied with Sheldon, only occasionally funny yet comforting in its own way.

[bfm]

1 hour ago, No Regrets said:

Maybe for others it wouldn't be, for me it would because Leonard's treatment has always bothered me even when Lenny were fine. Just look at his relationship with his mother. To her, he's such a disappointment while she just LOVES Sheldon. Where is the basis for that? What exactly about Leonard is disappointing? That he has a respectable job? That he earns good money? That he turned out to be a decent man despite receiving no love as a child whatsoever? Sure, if Leonard and Penny were fine it certainly would balance the bad stuff out a little and it certainly felt better to me when I felt that Penny always had his back, but overall the message I feel the writers always get across is "Leonard isn't good enough" and I just don't see the basis for that. 

And I'm thinking we all suffer from selective memory a little depending on which character(s) we love the most, no?

I don't care about Beverly because it is clear that she is a terrible, troubled, sick person. As long as it is just her I really don't care. What bothers me is that I feel that Leonard was way more appreciated (many times not enough, bt still appreciated) earlier in the series but as it progressed this appreciation vanished. Now he is beaten by everyone with barely anyone appreciating him. Seriously, when was the last time he was really appreciated? I think it wasn't more than 4-5 times this season, most of them not very significant (By his dad and by Sheldon at the re-do, by Penny at the Comic-Con episode and when he suggested they help Raj, and together with Penny when Raj left) . And it's not that there is nothing to appreciate him for. What about giving Amy tips on handling Sheldon and trying to warn her about Ramona? She was so ungrateful. What about continuing to drive Sheldon to work when he has a driver's license? And this what about HIS super fluid idea, that was the basis of the gyroscope project? Sheldon took over it and (somewhat unintentionally) took all the credit, later on it was never mentioned that it was his idea and Sheldon became the superhero of the project. Sheldon and Howard made meaningful contribution but without Leonard's idea they wouldn't have this project, but of course he is only good to draw Charlie Brown's hair and Sheldon keeps devaluating his intelligence. These are just few examples, there are many more.  

Edited May 14, 2017 by bfm
merged

[Jonny]

13 minutes ago, bfm said:

I don't care about Beverly because it is clear that she is a terrible, troubled, sick person. As long as it is just her I really don't care. What bothers me is that I feel that Leonard was way more appreciated (many times not enough, bt still appreciated) earlier in the series but as it progressed this appreciation vanished. Now he is beaten by everyone with barely anyone appreciating him. Seriously, when was the last time he was really appreciated? I think it wasn't more than 4-5 times this season, most of them not very significant (By his dad and by Sheldon at the re-do, by Penny at the Comic-Con episode and when he suggested they help Raj, and together with Penny when Raj left) . And it's not that there is nothing to appreciate him for. What about giving Amy tips on handling Sheldon and trying to warn her about Ramona? She was so ungrateful. What about continuing to drive Sheldon to work when he has a driver's license? And this what about HIS super fluid idea, that was the basis of the gyroscope project? Sheldon took over it and (somewhat unintentionally) took all the credit, later on it was never mentioned that it was his idea and Sheldon became the superhero of the project. Sheldon and Howard made meaningful contribution but without Leonard's idea they wouldn't have this project, but of course he is only good to draw Charlie Brown's hair and Sheldon keeps devaluating his intelligence. These are just few examples, there are many more.  

Sheldon didn't take all the credit for that project, I think they did a nice job highlighting that all three were needed to make the project a success. Leonard had the initial theory, Howard with an idea to test it or make use of it and Sheldon did the maths.

It took all three of them to make it work, something Leonard pointed out on at least a couple of occasions.

Oh and I loved the Charlie Brown hair thing backfiring on them as they tried to manipulate and trick him. Thought it was hilarious and one of the highlights of the season.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Jonny

[hokie3457]

21 minutes ago, bfm said:

I don't care about Beverly because it is clear that she is a terrible, troubled, sick person. As long as it is just her I really don't care. What bothers me is that I feel that Leonard was way more appreciated (many times not enough, bt still appreciated) earlier in the series but as it progressed this appreciation vanished. Now he is beaten by everyone with barely anyone appreciating him. Seriously, when was the last time he was really appreciated? I think it wasn't more than 4-5 times this season, most of them not very significant (By his dad and by Sheldon at the re-do, by Penny at the Comic-Con episode and when he suggested they help Raj, and together with Penny when Raj left) . And it's not that there is nothing to appreciate him for. What about giving Amy tips on handling Sheldon and trying to warn her about Ramona? She was so ungrateful. What about continuing to drive Sheldon to work when he has a driver's license? And this what about HIS super fluid idea, that was the basis of the gyroscope project? Sheldon took over it and (somewhat unintentionally) took all the credit, later on it was never mentioned that it was his idea and Sheldon became the superhero of the project. Sheldon and Howard made meaningful contribution but without Leonard's idea they wouldn't have this project, but of course he is only good to draw Charlie Brown's hair and Sheldon keeps devaluating his intelligence. These are just few examples, there are many more.  

Sheldon was enlisted by Leonard to "do the math". There was an episode in Season 10 where the highly vaunted Dr Cooper had problems with that. In fact many of the televised scenes with Sheldon's contributions that the project were of him having problems, with him shirking his part of the work or multitasking with other things with Amy. However we needed to hear only if his (Sheldon's) and Howard's disappointment at the ending of the project. This is getting to be all too typical.

Edited May 14, 2017 by hokie3457
Spelling

[bfm]

2 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Sheldon didn't take all the credit for that project, I think they did a nice job highlighting that all three were needed to make the project a success. Leonard had the initial theory, Howard with an idea to test it or make use of it and Sheldon did the maths.

It took all three of them to make it work, something Leonard pointed out on at least a couple of occasions.

And yet they had to have Leonard and Howard unable to understand the math...I mean, I understand they needed to have them needing Sheldon but them looking at the board that clueless? that was absurd.