On loving Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory

I love Sheldon Cooper without reservation. And watching the first season of The Big Bang Theory, it’s remarkable how soon in the show’s inception that Sheldon goes from potentially being the most obnoxious character in TV history, to one of the most lovable, socially awkward geeks. On an email thread among the Clackers a few weeks ago, we got into a heated debate about the show.

Julia said: “My complaint about [The] Big Bang Theory is that there is nothing that elevates the guys from being cardboard cutout nerds.”

Bob countered with: “Look, I can’t make you not disappointed with the show, and I can’t make you like it. On the other hand. I think BBT has done a lot of the things to “elevate” the guys as you say, as well as Penny. I’m thinking specifically of the episode where Penny gets super addicted to one of the online video games that the guys are playing. Leonard and Wolowitz have each had adult relationships with members of the opposite sex.”

And Kona said: “I also think that the Sheldon character has been written incredibly well. He and Abed on Community could have both gone down a dark “punchline” route, but the shows saved them. The folks behind BBT have repeatedly talked about Sheldon not being gay, or bad with women — he just doesn’t care about those things. It’s refreshing to see a character on TV that doesn’t have to deal with the typical relationship issues.”

Of course, I agree that Sheldon is written incrediby well. Jim Parsons has said in interviews that, according to the writers, Sheldon does not have Asperger syndrome. He may not have it, but he certainly has a lot of Asperger characteristics: Flat affect when he speaks sometimes, rigid adherence to schedule (and seating chart), extremely high intelligence. However, one of the things that Parsons and the writers also have right about Asperger’s (whether they intend it or not) is the sly sense of humor I’ve personally seen exhibited by people with the syndrome (including my 14-year-old son).

It may be an inconsistency, but it works really well and it’s really funny. By “it,” I mean that Sheldon exhibits a razor sharp wit that uses sarcasm, even as the character claims not to recognize it. In “The Fuzzy Boots Corollary,” Leonard comes in to the apartment singing with headphones, claiming a sad song is great. Sheldon returns with, “If you’re compiling a mixed CD for a double suicide.” That line shows a wry awareness that Leonard is being extremely emo.

When something affects Sheldon personally, whether it is the cleanliness of Penny’s apartment or his fear of Leonard adopting a cat, he will dive in and try to solve relationship problems. Otherwise, he doesn’t care; he has physics, science fiction, gaming, and Thai food to keep him occupied. So, I don’t think Sheldon’s social awkwardness stems from any kind of innate inability to understand social situations, but rather from his apathy. As he starts to care more, even if it isn’t much, his understanding and navigation begin to improve, allowing character development.

Is there anything funnier than Sheldon saying, “Bazinga!” when he’s making a lame joke? Perhaps it’s Sheldon attempting to smile falsely to show he’s happy for Raj. Or, a personal favorite, from Season 2, episode 1, “The Bad Fish Paradigm,” when Sheldon is on Valium:

As a writer, usually I am first in line to give the writers credit for a fully conceptualized character. However, in this case, Jim Parsons took a character who was written as extremely unlikable and annoying and made him a bitingly funny, three-dimensional nerd. It’s the fact that Parsons is able to vacillate between Sheldon the awkward and Sheldon who thinks he’s funny that makes him stand out even among his excellent costars, who, frankly, have less material to work with because their characters are more aware of social nuance.

In saying that, I would like to acknowledge that there are certain inconsistencies in Sheldon’s character. For one thing, as in episode three, Sheldon claims not to understand when sarcasm is being used … but he uses it himself. When Leonard goes over to ask Penny out, Sheldon says, “Oh Goody. We’re getting a cat.” So, are we really to believe that Sheldon, who can comprehend 27 universes, cannot really fathom sarcasm? I realize this is an inconsistency, but it’s also one of the things I love most both about how Sheldon is written and portrayed.

In Season 2, Episode 1, in which we have the above clip, Parsons’ delivery of Sheldon’s lines while Sheldon is on Valium is completely inconsistent with who we know Sheldon to be and what we know him to be capable of. However, the Valium gives the writers room to play with Sheldon (just as alcohol does in two other episodes, one of which has Sheldon playing piano and singing Fiddler on the Roof in a bar, and the other having him moon a science symposium). Best of all, it gives Parsons the playground to make Sheldon a fully functional 3D character.

Sheldon has a freak flag; most of the time he just doesn’t fly it. But in the Valium episode, Sheldon is walking to bed and has just told Leonard that his work is very derivative. And then the boy raised in Houston, who is also (amazingly for Sheldon) an uncanny mimic, emerges. “That’s not a secret though,” he tells Leonard, and then fixes him with a pointed finger, he says in a thick drawl, “Ever’body knows.”  I have no idea how Parsons (or whoever) came up with that delivery, but that is art. And that is the thing I love the best about the character Sheldon Cooper: neither the writers nor the actor are willing to compromise the creation of art in order to make a character who is so enslaved by the quirks of his personality that he is stifled in the process.

Clacked by Jen Creer
on Oct 04, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT