(no subject)
I was going to post this as a comment on Paradox, but it turned out to be more than just a rant about Penny. It turns out I have a whole slough of problems with The Big Bang Theory as it stand today.
Here are my problems with the show, starting from the feelings of Sexism in the show and getting more general as it goes along.
1. After 4 seasons, Penny still does not have a last name. This didn't bother me as much at first, because it was intimated that the writers were eventually going to give her name. I have seen no evidence that they are actually planning on doing this.
2. Penny has, from the beginning, been seen as a sex symbol. Even in the "ideal" relationship (as the writers see it) between Leonard and Penny, his main interest is that she is a vagina that he can stick his penis into. Almost all the men in her life treated her like this, with the exception of Sheldon which was why I shipped them in the first place.
3. Penny has undergone a serious character degeneration. Her dreams and aspirations have been forgotten and she and the writers have settled on the idea of her as a career waitress. Whereas she was once socially savvy with a certain amount of independence, she has been relegated to the role of food-moocher and party accessory, and has become unhealthily obsessed with Leonard.
(The next two relate not so much to Penny, but the show at large. However, I wanted to get them off my chest.)
4. When TBBT started, I was given the impression that the viewers would get the opportunity to see these people grow as a result of their interactions with people they normally wouldn't spend time with. It's what a socially responsible show with ANY pretensions towards greatness would do. The only person who has made any kind of character growth has been Howard as a direct result of his relationship with Bernadette. Everyone else, I feel, has gotten worse.
5. My biggest Pet Peeve with the show: NOTHING EVER RESOLVES. Watch a bunch of episodes at once and you'll see what I mean. Every episode is a one shot and I feel that the writers have given up on any kind of continuity or character development, having reduced the show to a strings of one-liners, gags, and jokes. I get it. It's a sitcom and it's a comedy. It doesn't have to be particularly brilliant and it doesn't have to be mind-blowing. The show as it stands can be quite funny and it does draw in ridiculous ratings. However, there is no reason why it can't push the envelope a little bit more, except for laziness on the part of the writers and producers. I think CBS and Chuck Lorre had the opportunity to do something amazing with the show and they completely wasted it.
I still try and catch episodes of the show when I can, but it is no longer Mandatory for me. My show is now Community. I expect that like many great shows, it will degenerate into the same mind-numbing stuff that has been the fuel for the television industry from the very beginning, but I can always hope that this show will be the one that changes all that.
Here are my problems with the show, starting from the feelings of Sexism in the show and getting more general as it goes along.
1. After 4 seasons, Penny still does not have a last name. This didn't bother me as much at first, because it was intimated that the writers were eventually going to give her name. I have seen no evidence that they are actually planning on doing this.
2. Penny has, from the beginning, been seen as a sex symbol. Even in the "ideal" relationship (as the writers see it) between Leonard and Penny, his main interest is that she is a vagina that he can stick his penis into. Almost all the men in her life treated her like this, with the exception of Sheldon which was why I shipped them in the first place.
3. Penny has undergone a serious character degeneration. Her dreams and aspirations have been forgotten and she and the writers have settled on the idea of her as a career waitress. Whereas she was once socially savvy with a certain amount of independence, she has been relegated to the role of food-moocher and party accessory, and has become unhealthily obsessed with Leonard.
(The next two relate not so much to Penny, but the show at large. However, I wanted to get them off my chest.)
4. When TBBT started, I was given the impression that the viewers would get the opportunity to see these people grow as a result of their interactions with people they normally wouldn't spend time with. It's what a socially responsible show with ANY pretensions towards greatness would do. The only person who has made any kind of character growth has been Howard as a direct result of his relationship with Bernadette. Everyone else, I feel, has gotten worse.
5. My biggest Pet Peeve with the show: NOTHING EVER RESOLVES. Watch a bunch of episodes at once and you'll see what I mean. Every episode is a one shot and I feel that the writers have given up on any kind of continuity or character development, having reduced the show to a strings of one-liners, gags, and jokes. I get it. It's a sitcom and it's a comedy. It doesn't have to be particularly brilliant and it doesn't have to be mind-blowing. The show as it stands can be quite funny and it does draw in ridiculous ratings. However, there is no reason why it can't push the envelope a little bit more, except for laziness on the part of the writers and producers. I think CBS and Chuck Lorre had the opportunity to do something amazing with the show and they completely wasted it.
I still try and catch episodes of the show when I can, but it is no longer Mandatory for me. My show is now Community. I expect that like many great shows, it will degenerate into the same mind-numbing stuff that has been the fuel for the television industry from the very beginning, but I can always hope that this show will be the one that changes all that.