Big Bang Theory: I can't stand Sheldon

[wingsandsword]

I realize I like to watch The Big Bang Theory, but the more I watch it the more I realize that I just can't stand Sheldon.

Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a horrible person: he's callous, insensitive, inconsiderate, and poorly tries to be manipulative. He holds is "friends" to imposing and onerous contracts regulating every single aspect of friendship (such as the exact restaurant that take out food for regular gatherings is ordered from) and breaking off friends after three violations of these rules (which can be so petty as forwarding a funny e-mail to him) unless they take his class at the university.

In Thursday's episode "The Agreement Dissection", Sheldon seemed to have crossed that line.

Blackmailing Leonard into signing an abusive contract by putting an "self destruct" timer that will make his laptop send out e-mails that will ruin his relationship by telling compromising information to his girlfriend's parents was too far. I was watching that and thinking "destroy the laptop" as in smash it and break it over your knee, or throw it out the window and let it fall six stories to the pavement below.

I really like the show, but I would so love to see Sheldon get his comeuppance sometime as the primary antagonist that he seems to be on the show, instead of getting the upper hand in the end. Is anybody else here in a similar situation?

 

[Mark CMG]

He could theoretically send that email at any time later of his choosing, so the countdown was merely for effect.

The conflicts in that show thrive based on how onerous each of the characters can be at any given time. I think each of the characters has crossed the line in terms of where the audience might reasonably suspect those lines are drawn but most have had underlying motivations that allow the suspension of disbelief. The other four main characters have crossed their own lines because of their pursuit of love, and often they are caught or it backfires in some way.

I happen to agree, though, that this last episode raised the stakes (Sheldon was merely being selfish, though maybe with some tinge of envy) and I am wondering what the fallout will be. If it is simply swept under the carpet or ignored going forward, I'd being willing to join your side.

 

[Kzach]

You do realise it's a comedy, right?

 

[Wycen]

I've watched perhaps 4 episodes total and I suspect maybe really only 2 or 3.

There is a problem with many comedies, perhaps it is my attention span or view of such shows, I'm not sure.

I'd lump Big Bang Theory into a broad category like The Drew Carey Show and Arrested Development, you can probably add others, in which the central idea is that no matter what the "hero" does, he gets crapped on in the end. Sure it is funny for a certain amount of time, but eventually I reach a point where I don't care anymore. I placed the BBT into this category after watching Sheldon's crap.

From reading Mark's post maybe I'm missing the stuff the other characters do, but that would accelerate my disinterest I suspect.

 

[Crothian]

It was all done to break up Leonard and the girl. That's not why Sheldon did it, that's why the writers did it. It's a fine show but very formulaic and in the end not realistic though I doubt it is supposed to be.

 

[IronWolf]

I think Sheldon is great, of course I do realize the show is a comedy and it gets it's laughs by painting certain things to the extreme. In this case Sheldon seems to have Asperger traits taken to the point of making funny situations.

 

[wingsandsword]

I know this is a comedy, I also know that within the context of the show the reason that Leonard puts up with Sheldon is a backstory that Sheldon saved his life earlier (with a flashback in an episode showing it). However, that last bit of that episode really seemed to be not-fun, like that moment in a game when a player does one of those things you would never do (the thread "That Thing You Won't Ever Do").

It's a funny show, but as Mark CMG put it, Sheldon really raised the stakes/crossed a line. Leonard is genuinely happy with Priya. Sheldon was quite willing to destroy his roommate's happiness and quite possibly get Priya disowned or recalled back to India by her parents just to get an uneven "roommate agreement" contract signed.

Usually Sheldon's quirks and annoyances are petty and quirky, like insisting on sitting in a certain seat, or other harmless things.

As I said, I realized while watching that scene that if anybody I knew, Aspergers or not, saved my life or not, tried to blackmail me like that the friendship would be toast, and I would have probably immediately destroyed the computer while it was counting down, or if I thought about it, just unplugged the wireless router. . .then moved out that night, start hauling stuff off because he's just crossed a point of no return and you can't trust him as a friend or roommate anymore.

I've been in a situation where I had a friend and roommate that crossed a line like that, not quite that bad though, but close, and I moved out and severed ties not long thereafter.

It's a comedy, but Sheldon crossed a line in that last episode. I know there is a debate on whether Sheldon has Aspergers Syndrome (officially the producers say no, the actor says he plays Sheldon as if he has it and assumes he does). I would hope there would be some consequences for such an act, but given that this show alternates between progress and change and a huge reset button, I'm not holding out hope for it.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

... and in the end not realistic though I doubt it is supposed to be.

If you'd known my college roommates you wouldn't say that. My wife and I find BBT to be extremely funny given its resemblance to real life!

 

[Krug]

These days, in the post Seinfeld era, all comedies seem to have extreme characters. For the Office it's Dwight Schrute, Community it's the Asian guy, and for BBT it's Sheldon. I guess it's just the nature of comedy these days because being out there, eccentric and socially inept is part of the deal. BBT is one of those shows I watch but never quite really love, and I think without Sheldon it's just be really bland.

 

[Super Pony]

These days, in the post Seinfeld era, all comedies seem to have extreme characters. For the Office it's Dwight Schrute, Community it's the Asian guy, and for BBT it's Sheldon. I guess it's just the nature of comedy these days because being out there, eccentric and socially inept is part of the deal. BBT is one of those shows I watch but never quite really love, and I think without Sheldon it's just be really bland.

To be fair the "out there" characters have been around for most of modern sit-com history:

Fonzie, Nick Moore, Screech, Carlton, Mr. Furley, Barney Fife, Mike Seaver (or Boner...I mean come on), Joey, Jeannie, Endora, etc.