Wednesday, January 6, 2010
THE WHOLE SITCOM WAS IN A HOT, DENSE STATE: As usual, the artist formerly known as Miss Alli has nailed it with this dissection of how Big Bang Theory went from the pilot (which I hated) to a highly enjoyable sitcom, with an emphasis on how important diminishing the sexism inherent in the original concept was to making the show work--making Penny an equal (in some ways, if not raw intellect) to Sheldon and Leonard has been key to creating an enjoyable ensemble, even if they need to find something to do with Wolowitz. (Via Sepinwall on Twitter, naturally)
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Great explanation of what the male gaze is. I could use that essay and the accompanying clips to explain that concept to someone who's never even heard of The Big Bang Theory.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on Wolowitz. I'm coming to terms with my crush on the weirdo little perv, and I'm incensed that they're hooking him up with the seemingly vapid Bernadette. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I'm a Howard/Leslie shipper. WOLOWINKLEWITZ 4EVA!
I just loaned Season 1 to a friend who wanted to get into BBT. She watched the entire season but now has no desire to see Season 2. Guess I should have suggested she start with Season 2. Oops.
ReplyDeleteHuh. As only an occasional viewer, I had noticed I like it better, but I'm not sure that de-woodening Penny is most of it for me - I think that a lot of it was de-Sheldoning Leonard (and the general differentiation of the different members of the geeky quartet). Also, embarassingly, me getting used to Johnny Galecki as something other than Darlene's David.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Big Bang but after watching those later clips I want to start!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't make it through the pilot either, and while I was unimpressed with Penny, I was mostly turned off by its sitcom-iness and the whole "laughing at" rather than "laughing with" thing which Sepinwall always talks about. I actually remember turning the show off during Sheldon's couch rant, which was just too awkward for me (but even that clip is better now that I've grown to love Sheldon so much).
ReplyDeleteI love this show now!! I did not make it through a whole episode during my try at it the first season, but now it is must see viewing (even when it is a rerun like this past Monday), and watching my fiancee nearly choke with laughter everytime they said asymptote makes it even better!
ReplyDeleteAlso how great is a show that uses knowledge of asymptotes a key to making a joke go from funnyish to hilarious?!
I've been saying this since last season, just how much better the show was once Penny wasn't a shrill moron. Kelly Cuoco deserved much better and she got it. Plus, shifting the emphasis away from Leonard (much as I like him) helped a lot too.
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