Amy turning normal

[danielbal]

When we fist saw Amy at the end of Season 3, she was basically the female version of Sheldon. Even though Sheldon has changed a lot since then as well, Amy has become a completely ordinary person. When/why did that happen and what do you think about this change?

[Capt. Hilts]

Socialization.

It happens.

[joyceraye]

I'm not sure she's yet changed so much as to be called 'normal'. She listed the coffee machine in her lab as a Brazilian lab assistant. She got on with Howard in the lab because she was as daft as him, dancing to music and squealing at his conjuring tricks. With her colleagues at Princeton her conversation showed up her individual way of putting things : 'It didn't stink but the rat wouldn't have known if it did.'

'So we can hurt our friends' feelings without taking responsibility ? Me likey'  is still tainted with original Amy. Applying their own strange branch of mathematics to their wedding and its participants is very Shamy. It's hard to imagine normal women going along with Sheldon on that. Remember why she went back to Sheldon after dating other men ? She'd missed playing silly games. She ould do better but better was boring.  The kind of men she attracts say a lot about her too : Kripke, Stuart, Dave. ... and Sheldon !

So far, Amy's socialisation has progressed further than Sheldon's. Her streaks of normality are certainly showing now.  Alongside Sheldon, Amy can seem calm,confident and wife-like, but not all the time. Classic Amy is still there.

[hokie3457]

1 hour ago, danielbal said:

When we fist saw Amy at the end of Season 3, she was basically the female version of Sheldon. Even though Sheldon has changed a lot since then as well, Amy has become a completely ordinary person. When/why did that happen and what do you think about this change?

What an interesting question.  @joyceraye makes some great points as well.  One of the striking things about very early Amy was her robotic-like manner of speaking and her off-putting social skills, very much a carbon copy of Sheldon.  Receiving a compliment from Penny, she asks if she is a lesbian.  As time went on that response was sort of turned on its head by her only slightly-masked advances toward Penny.  Amy turned into someone yearning for social acceptance instead of shying away from it as in her first episodes.

Now she is leaps and bounds ahead of Sheldon, but still is her nerdy self as @joyceraye points out.  In the spots we have seen for episode 10.13, her interactions with Leonard echo her not-so-latent geekiness.

Again, a great question and I would enjoy hearing other people's thoughts.....

[djsurrey]

Early on she told Sheldon that she should side with the others at times to fit in (or something like that). Then Penny rubs off on her some.

Edited January 10, 2018 by djsurrey

[Die Zimtzicke]

Amy had been bullied as a child and never had friends. Putting her in a more normal living situation made her more normal, in my opinion. But I'm not sure what it normal anymore, either. But I think she's more comfortable with other people and it's made her more comfortable with herself and that's what's making her less stiff.  I think she was very wary of people before due to her previous experiences

[Capt. Hilts]

3 hours ago, hokie3457 said:

What an interesting question.  @joyceraye makes some great points as well.  One of the striking things about very early Amy was her robotic-like manner of speaking and her off-putting social skills, very much a carbon copy of Sheldon.  Receiving a compliment from Penny, she asks if she is a lesbian.  As time went on that response was sort of turned on its head by her only slightly-masked advances toward Penny.  Amy turned into someone yearning for social acceptance instead of shying away from it as in her first episodes.

Now she is leaps and bounds ahead of Sheldon, but still is her nerdy self as @joyceraye points out.  In the spots we have seen for episode 10.13, her interactions with Leonard echo her not-so-latent geekiness.

Again, a great question and I would enjoy hearing other people's thoughts.....

Amy wanted to be socialized - to fit in.

Sheldon was far less interested in fitting in, let alone being socialized.  But he has shown he does, to a limited extent.  But not nearly as much as the others.

Edited January 10, 2018 by Capt. Hilts
For clarity.

[April]

5 hours ago, danielbal said:

When we fist saw Amy at the end of Season 3, she was basically the female version of Sheldon. Even though Sheldon has changed a lot since then as well, Amy has become a completely ordinary person. When/why did that happen and what do you think about this change?

I would disagree with the idea of her being "completely ordinary" cause as other have said there are plenty of situations where her quirky personality is still very present.

Sure, though, she's relatively more normal compared to Sheldon, especially when you consider where they both started out. The difference is, and the writers actually said this in more than one interview, that with regards to friends and a social life etc. Amy wanted all of this. Upon gaining this circle of friends she threw herself into this experience and wanted to catch up with everything she missed out in her youth - hence why she's sometimes behaving like a high school girl. Sheldon on the other hand resisted any change for the longest time. It's only with the breakup that he's more willing to give changes a chance, hence why you get the big steps like sex, moving in together and now marriage in relatively close succession.

[bfm]

44 minutes ago, Capt. Hilts said:

Amy wanted to be socialized - to fit in.

Sheldon was far less interested in fitting in, let alone being socialized.  But he has shown he does, to a limited extent.  But not nearly as much as the others.

And also has much more difficulty doing so. 

[Capt. Hilts]

8 minutes ago, bfm said:

And also has much more difficulty doing so. 

Exactly!  He's got spectrum issues.

[Stephen Hawking]

4 hours ago, joyceraye said:

Classic Amy is still there.

And thank goodness for that.

4 hours ago, djsurrey said:

Early on she told Sheldon that she should side with the others at times to fit in (or something like that).

Her exact words were:-

Actually, as the newest member of your social group, I believe I’ll gain more acceptance by arbitrarily siding with your friends from time to time.

[MsGreentea]

I am really a pretty new fan so I am sill binge watching re-runs so to me Amy had a reverse frontal lobotomy or went through a Pinocchio moment and became a real girl.  I guess there was a transition- but I didn’t see it.  My speculation is that the writers moderated her personality so the jokes didn’t get too old and robotic - which is okay.  

[joyceraye]

1 hour ago, MsGreentea said:

I am really a pretty new fan so I am sill binge watching re-runs so to me Amy had a reverse frontal lobotomy or went through a Pinocchio moment and became a real girl.  I guess there was a transition- but I didn’t see it.  My speculation is that the writers moderated her personality so the jokes didn’t get too old and robotic - which is okay.  

It was when Amy was sitting at a table with four grown men, talking about going to join a line of some hundred other grown men to see a film for the sake of extra seconds, that she decided to gatecrash a girls' night. She got strange what-to-do-on-a-girls'-night ideas  from the internet which would have been what decided the other two to socialise her if she was going to be tolerable. After the slag-off-Priya drinking session followed by going ballroom dancing, Sheldon took her home and she kissed him. Those to me were the crucial events that put Pinocchio Amy on the track to transitioning her life as a real girl. Although she denied it at the time, she obviously fancied Sheldon. I love Shamy now but I do miss the couple they were. They were so refreshing and different.

The writers  at Paleyfest said Penny and Bernadette showed Amy a side of life she hadn't been aware of before and she liked what she saw so she wanted to join it. ' 'Cause that's what I do now.'  Then we saw her letting her hair down bit by bit and allowing herself to develop feelings for Sheldon that went beyond admiring his intellect.

[bfm]

7 hours ago, MsGreentea said:

I am really a pretty new fan so I am sill binge watching re-runs so to me Amy had a reverse frontal lobotomy or went through a Pinocchio moment and became a real girl.  I guess there was a transition- but I didn’t see it.  My speculation is that the writers moderated her personality so the jokes didn’t get too old and robotic - which is okay.  

To be fair Bernadette has undergone a major transition in a much shorter period of time. Early Bernadette (roughly seasons 3-4) was this goody-good catholic girl who couldn't lie. Compare that with fiesty, manipulative, moraly questionable Bernadette we have now (I don't remember when this has started but I think it was at least as early as season 5, she has already been this way in Scavenger).

Edited January 11, 2018 by bfm

[joyceraye]

3 hours ago, bfm said:

To be fair Bernadette has undergone a major transition in a much shorter period of time. Early Bernadette (roughly seasons 3-4) was this goody-good catholic girl who couldn't lie. Compare that with fiesty, manipulative, moraly questionable Bernadette we have now (I don't remember when this has started but I think it was at least as early as season 5, she has already been this way in Scavenger).

Bernie came under Penny's wing too. Then Amy,who was on her intellectual level, joined them and had her part to play. They influenced Penny in turn. Then Bernie got to know Howard's mother and saw what influenced him. Getting her doctorate and a very well-paid job on the strength of it  gave her confidence and standing. She was able to bring out her stronger side amongst Howard's social group faster than did Amy because she was more neurotypical and without Amy's 'spectrum' issues or emotional under-development.

[Jonny]

Meeting the group, especially Penny and Bernadette allowed her to experience things she never got the chance to before. Like others have said Amy painted a picture of never really having friends especially girl friends so understandably when she finally did it changed her life a lot and massive change like that can produce some interesting behaviours.

I think there were three stages of Amy on this show:

1. As she appeared on the show, kind of robotic and limited in terms of social interaction experiences.

2. Kind of a teenage phase, finally having a real group of friends and an actual boyfriend. This produced some interesting and often hilarious stories that were reactions (in some cases overreactions lol) to everday /life stuff that she missed out on when she was younger.

3. The Amy you see now, more experienced and mature. Happy with life and content, having a great circle of friends and a fiance that adores her.

It really has been fun to watch her change through experiences both good and bad throughout the years. Its a big testament to the writers that in my view they have made her journey compelling. The writers also deserve praise for managing to keep her just as nerdy and weird even though as a person she has changed a great deal, she still makes me laugh just as much in Season 11 as she did in Season 4.

She's the best/most interesting character on the show in my eyes so I am totally biased LOL!

[bfm]

43 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

Bernie came under Penny's wing too. Then Amy,who was on her intellectual level, joined them and had her part to play. They influenced Penny in turn. Then Bernie got to know Howard's mother and saw what influenced him. Getting her doctorate and a very well-paid job on the strength of it  gave her confidence and standing. She was able to bring out her stronger side amongst Howard's social group faster than did Amy because she was more neurotypical and without Amy's 'spectrum' issues or emotional under-development.

I think Bernadette's is a case of making later changes to the early character. It is like the comment about Sheldon masturbating in the pilot, this early portrayal does not fit with the later character. Bernie also described herself as tough as a kid and adolescent so I don't think it could be regarded as effects of her social environment. 

As for Amy she doesn't have "spectrum issues". It could be an option at first but it appears it is an issue of environmental deprivation.

[Die Zimtzicke]

17 hours ago, Capt. Hilts said:

Exactly!  He's got spectrum issues.

I totally agree with this and have said it myself many times. My 30 year old Asperger son loved Sheldon because he said Sheldon was the only person on TV like him. Now he doesn't watch anymore. He's fixated on Freddie Highmore in The Good Doctor. But we always thought Sheldon was on the spectrum even though they would not say so. I never thought Amy was on the spectrum. Just socially awkward.

Edited January 11, 2018 by Die Zimtzicke

[hokie3457]

13 minutes ago, Die Zimtzicke said:

I totally agree with this and have said it myself many times. My 30 year old Asperger son loved Sheldon because he said Sheldon was the only person on TV like him. Now he doesn't watch anymore. He's fixated on Freddie Highmore in The Good Doctor. But we always thought Sheldon was on the spectrum even though they would not say so. I never thought Amy was on the spectrum. Just socially awkward.

It appears at times that they want Sheldon to be all things to as many different fans as possible (I'm not one of them, but I have to admit, I am sort of liking the totally different version of Sheldon on YS---as much as they want to explain certain things away [sorry Jim Parsons], I am not buying that it is the same character. Only one based on that which is on TBBT---my opinion only!).  They want him to be snarky and superior to his friends, but they want him to have a heart of gold.  They want him to think lowly of all others and think Penny is a moron and promiscuous, but they want him to have a special bond with her.  They want him to ridicule other's areas of studies (such as Bert and Amy) but want him to work professionally with them.  They want him to dismiss Leonard's work as derivative, but when he needs him to prove a theory, it is a totally different story.  Both Leonard and Howard are graduates of extremely prestigious universities, but nope.  Nowhere near intelligent.....I could go on and on.  Just not a fan......(this post sort of has no point, but I'm leaving it anyway.....) 

[Die Zimtzicke]

2 minutes ago, hokie3457 said:

It appears at times that they want Sheldon to be all things to as many different fans as possible (I'm not one of them, but I have to admit, I am sort of liking the totally different version of Sheldon on YS---as much as they want to explain certain things away [sorry Jim Parsons], I am not buying that it is the same character. Only one based on that which is on TBBT---my opinion only!).  They want him to be snarky and superior to his friends, but they want him to have a heart of gold.  They want him to think lowly of all others and think Penny is a moron and promiscuous, but they want him to have a special bond with her.  They want him to ridicule other's areas of studies (such as Bert and Amy) but want him to work professionally with them.  They want him to dismiss Leonard's work as derivative, but when he needs him to prove a theory, it is a totally different story.  Both Leonard and Howard are graduates of extremely prestigious universities, but nope.  Nowhere near intelligent.....I could go on and on.  Just not a fan......(this post sort of has no point, but I'm leaving it anyway.....) 

I think it makes a good point. Amy's change is explainable...many of us have done it. Sheldon's seem to be a plot point. Whatever they need to do to make a joke they do and then it goes by the wayside. I watched YS a couple of times and couldn't stand it and stopped. The girl who plays Missy is good and so is Laurie's daughter, with good reason, but I just don't like how anyone else plays the characters. They are nothing what I expected. It's like the Meemaw sized disappointment I had on TBBT.

I knew they would screw over TBBT canon and they have and continue to do so. I just don't know how much I can blame Jim for this. I haven't decided.

[hokie3457]

20 minutes ago, Die Zimtzicke said:

I think it makes a good point. Amy's change is explainable...many of us have done it. Sheldon's seem to be a plot point. Whatever they need to do to make a joke they do and then it goes by the wayside. I watched YS a couple of times and couldn't stand it and stopped. The girl who plays Missy is good and so is Laurie's daughter, with good reason, but I just don't like how anyone else plays the characters. They are nothing what I expected. It's like the Meemaw sized disappointment I had on TBBT.

I knew they would screw over TBBT canon and they have and continue to do so. I just don't know how much I can blame Jim for this. I haven't decided.

I really like Missy and Mary here, but I also like this version of Meemaw (the portrayal on TBBT was awful!).  I also like Georgie and George (so far).  Again, I am not a fan of Sheldon as he is presented on TBBT.

I know what you mean about blaming Jim.  He and Todd are listed as "Executive Producer", but I'm not sure how much input he actually has. In everything that is depicted in the press it appears he (Jim) does have a key role, but that could be just what is put out by Lorre/Molaro.....

[3ku11]

9 hours ago, Jonny said:

Meeting the group, especially Penny and Bernadette allowed her to experience things she never got the chance to before. Like others have said Amy painted a picture of never really having friends especially girl friends so understandably when she finally did it changed her life a lot and massive change like that can produce some interesting behaviours.

I think there were three stages of Amy on this show:

1. As she appeared on the show, kind of robotic and limited in terms of social interaction experiences.

2. Kind of a teenage phase, finally having a real group of friends and an actual boyfriend. This produced some interesting and often hilarious stories that were reactions (in some cases overreactions lol) to everday /life stuff that she missed out on when she was younger.

3. The Amy you see now, more experienced and mature. Happy with life and content, having a great circle of friends and a fiance that adores her.

It really has been fun to watch her change through experiences both good and bad throughout the years. Its a big testament to the writers that in my view they have made her journey compelling. The writers also deserve praise for managing to keep her just as nerdy and weird even though as a person she has changed a great deal, she still makes me laugh just as much in Season 11 as she did in Season 4.

She's the best/most interesting character on the show in my eyes so I am totally biased LOL!

Interesting. I generally find her disinteresting, disengaging, uncompelling, and boring. But that is just me. 

[joyceraye]

Well, just as we're discussing Amy's metamorphosis into a grown-up 'normal' person, she washes out her sinuses at someone else's kitchen sink. ROTFLMAO.

[Jonny]

7 hours ago, joyceraye said:

Well, just as we're discussing Amy's metamorphosis into a grown-up 'normal' person, she washes out her sinuses at someone else's kitchen sink. ROTFLMAO.

My sister uses one (neti pot) and lets just say I had the same reaction as Leonard and Penny did when I saw her using it once lol

[Die Zimtzicke]

7 hours ago, joyceraye said:

Well, just as we're discussing Amy's metamorphosis into a grown-up 'normal' person, she washes out her sinuses at someone else's kitchen sink. ROTFLMAO.

My dad had one of those and used to do the same thing. It didn't phase me and that's probably why. But it was fun to see Amy and Leonard doing the science projects. I always thought they could be friendlier than they were.

By the way, congrats to Mayim on her big win,