The Big Bang Theory
- Thread starter Gojira
- Start date
Amy did not start out "a horny woman". She was withdrawn. "Dating" Sheldon and making new friends (the rest of the gang) made her develop/mature into a "normal" woman. That's called character growth. And since TBBT is a comedy, it's played for fun, especially since her growth has outpaced Sheldon's stunted maturity level. If Amy had stayed as she started, there'd be something wrong with the writing.
Hanging out with the gang made her more human?
Methinks it's more likely that she is knocking back monkey drugs.
Methinks it's more likely that she is knocking back monkey drugs.
Sheldon is suffering the Felix Unger Syndrome. As The Odd Couple progressed, the writers turned Felix into a one-note caricature. He started out as a neurotic guy, sure, but he was a mostly normal guy whose neuroses came to the surface in comedic situations. In later years of the show, they decided THAT was Felix's character, and he became a neurotic mess 24/7, a constant fussbudget and buttinsky. Every show was about how his neuroses ruined an opportunity for Oscar, or about Felix deciding he could do anything better than anyone, taking over and screwing it up. It stopped being funny because it stopped being unexpected and surprising.
That's pretty much how I feel Sheldon's character has progressed to this point. He's become a caricature of himself.
That's pretty much how I feel Sheldon's character has progressed to this point. He's become a caricature of himself.
Turning Sheldon from asexuality to liking it just by constantly insisting on it would be rather ridiculous character development. You can't Stockholm syndrome away asexuality.
Having not seen much of the show, I can at least say that being asexual doesn't necessarily mean one doesn't like or want sex.
Sheldon was not necessarily asexual. He just hadn't gotten past the "girls have cooties" stage of emotional/sexual development. Having Amy in addition to the character growth of his circle of friends in that department has inched him along. Being a comedy, the train scene (wine, staring, kiss) pushed him over a hurdle and seems to have awaken him. Will he take the whole jump? Probably not. We will see him go thru emotional puberty with the Sheldon Spin on it. I know people like this and that's what happens.
A season 2 episode has Penny asking Leonard and Howard regarding Sheldon, "What's his deal", and Leonard's response, "We've been operating under the assumption that Sheldon has no deal".
It's an old style sitcom that has almost no character growth and the only character growth has been horrible. I rather they just write her off the show for awhile.
Yep, that was actually the basis for my comment.
But then it's also contradictory with the (official) pilot, where Leonard implies Sheldon masturbates like a semi pro. The thing is that after the pilot he is portrayed as asexual.
That's not contradictory, unless you're saying they implied he never masturbates after initially indicating he did it a lot.
It was only indicated in the pilot (moreso in the original unaired pilot, in which he'd also had sex at least once) and after that Sheldon was characterized as finding the entire concept of sexuality unpleasant and distasteful. It wasn't because he thought girls had "cooties."
doubleohfive
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More importantly, characters and shows develop and change from the original conception, portrayal and development as long-running series go on. The writers may have initially set out having Sheldon be that character, but eventually settled on the character we now know. It's not a matter of intentional inconsistency as opposed to long-term development. Clouding matters, certainly is the unaired pilot, because it reveals what the original intentions by the creators originally were, but there's a reason that pilot remains "unaired" -- that's not the episode which the studio/network wanted to launch the show with or base their new series around. So in my view, it becomes somewhat "inadmissable in court" so to speak.
Angel started out during it's first season and a half with the characters driven in a certain direction and then in the middle of season two, (in an episode aptly titled "Redefinition") re-sets the characters on their journeys for the rest of the series.
That's just one example. But it does happen. Another example: Ray Krebbs was the ranch foreman on Dallas when it first aired back in 1977. He was having a torrid love affair with teenager Lucy Ewing, the peaches & cream niece of J.R. Ewing. It was saucy and scandalous at the time. Years later on the show, it's revealed that Ray was actually the illegitimate son of Jock Ewing (J.R., Gary and Bobby's father) and thus Lucy's half-uncle. Guess what never, ever got referenced again? That's right -- Ray's affair with Lucy.
Bringing it back to Star Trek: Geordi La Forge started out as the ship's pilot because Roddenberry loved the idea of a blind man piloting this gigantic starship. That La Forge became Chief Engineer was just as much to give Burton more to do on the show as anything else and it had an obvious impact on how La Forge was written and portrayed for the entirety of his appearances thereafter.
The point is: Expecting things to be static and consistent from day one all the way to the very last day of shooting on a series finale 10 years later is completely unrealistic, belies a lack of understanding regarding how television works (practically and intellectually) and frankly is rather foolish.
Angel started out during it's first season and a half with the characters driven in a certain direction and then in the middle of season two, (in an episode aptly titled "Redefinition") re-sets the characters on their journeys for the rest of the series.
That's just one example. But it does happen. Another example: Ray Krebbs was the ranch foreman on Dallas when it first aired back in 1977. He was having a torrid love affair with teenager Lucy Ewing, the peaches & cream niece of J.R. Ewing. It was saucy and scandalous at the time. Years later on the show, it's revealed that Ray was actually the illegitimate son of Jock Ewing (J.R., Gary and Bobby's father) and thus Lucy's half-uncle. Guess what never, ever got referenced again? That's right -- Ray's affair with Lucy.
Bringing it back to Star Trek: Geordi La Forge started out as the ship's pilot because Roddenberry loved the idea of a blind man piloting this gigantic starship. That La Forge became Chief Engineer was just as much to give Burton more to do on the show as anything else and it had an obvious impact on how La Forge was written and portrayed for the entirety of his appearances thereafter.
The point is: Expecting things to be static and consistent from day one all the way to the very last day of shooting on a series finale 10 years later is completely unrealistic, belies a lack of understanding regarding how television works (practically and intellectually) and frankly is rather foolish.
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I certainly agree with that. I only mentioned it because the aired pilot's reference to Sheldon masturbating seemed more like a holdover from the unaired one, given that it was never mentioned again and Sheldon's characterization became very different starting immediately with the show's second episode.
I'm glad they decided not to run with the unaired pilot. That one was...not so good.
Yes, it is actually stated that he finds sexuality distasteful, body contact unpleasant, and that he has no sexual desire.
And guys, the semi pro masturbation comment is in the aired pilot, I don't mean the unaired pilot.
Neat article on the "set" at TBBT.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/03/showbiz/big-bang-theory-set/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
I like the Aquaman/Vulcan salute reference.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/03/showbiz/big-bang-theory-set/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
I like the Aquaman/Vulcan salute reference.
Yes. Bob Newhart as a Jedi Master. 
Great EP.
Great EP.
