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.
OK, taking it within the context of "It's a comedy, it's fictitious,"
yadda yadda yadda, a few points I feel need bringing up in the analysis of Sheldon:
--Sheldon is petty. Sheldon is always petty, but Jim Parsons (the actor) portrays it in such a way that rather than coming off as a jerk, he comes off as ineffectual and the object of ridicule. Contrast him to the character of Barry Kripke, who is a mirror of Sheldon's pettiness to the point of being abusive to those who don't agree with him. Contrast him to Wil Wheaton's "nemesis" portrayals, where his railing against Wheaton is always ineffectual and a little saddening.
--For his faults, Sheldon is a good person, one who assists his friends in need, even if he does it in some of the most convoluted methods possible. He has been the one to lend money to friends when needed, has helped them hide embarrassing facts, and has driven Penny to the hospital (being terrified of driving) when she had dislocated her shoulder. I forgot about this one from Wikipedia -- he tried to build a nuclear reactor to give his home town free electricity.
--His concern for Penny is a really interesting piece of the show for me -- I'm one of those oddballs who thinks that the writers will have Sheldon and Penny dating at some point, if only for a single episode to show how weird it would be. She seems to have an understanding of him that no other character on the show has, and their dynamic has always been a highlight of the show for me. He shows the softest spot in his personality for her without fail.
--For all of his "culture snobbery", he has many holdovers from his Texan rural upbringing that show up in odd ways. His desire for hot dog franks in his spaghetti, his knowledge of football, his love for "mee-maw" and "moon pies", and his "Soft Kitty" song. For me, just when I think his snobbery is intolerable, he reveals a fact that makes him that much more human and vulnerable.
In the end, though Sheldon has his roommate agreements and his pettiness, he is often the butt of a given joke due to his eccentricities. It's hard for me to dislike someone who frequently has their plans blow up in their face to humorous effect.
