The Big Bang Theory: Howard's Mom Died…

[Harleena]

So, since her real-life voice actress, Carol-Ann Susi, died of cancer, the character of Howard's mom died. How do you guys feel about this? I'm really sad about what happened.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, there are always three options when something like this happens.

1. replace the actor/actress, which rarely works on live action TV. But in this case, we never see the mother, so they very well could have done that.
2. write the character off without killing them
3. kill the character off.

I like that they started with option 2, having her go off to Florida, but then snapped back and actually had the character die. They could have just either replaced the actress or just have her Marris-ized and have her just mentioned but never heard. But they did the bold thing that guarantees genuine drama as well as a much needed plot point for the series.

 

[D'Snowth]

I wish this whole show would just die and disappear forever.

 

[Gonzo14]

I really liked the way they did it. They acknowledge her death and the fact that even though she wasn't seen, she was a very loved character and having someone else be Mrs. Wolowitz just wouldn't be the same. I personally think that's the way to go instead of having someone else play them. Just like how the made Coach from Cheers or Paul from 8 Simple Rules pass away after their actors died. It's sad, but that's life, and they added it to the show.

I know that a lot of people have been bashing The Big Bang Theory, because they've added more women and storylines, but I love it. The earlier seasons were great with the guys just being nerdy and girlfriend-less, but I really enjoy seeing how they've changed and grown. The character development is excellent and doesn't seem forced. Even when they did the unthinkable and gave Sheldon a girlfriend, it's slow progression is very Sheldon-like. It is one of the many shows that I own on DVD and plan on continuing to buy each new season.

 

[Drtooth]

I know that a lot of people have been bashing The Big Bang Theory, because they've added more women and storylines, but I love it. The earlier seasons were great with the guys just being nerdy and girlfriend-less, but I really enjoy seeing how they've changed and grown. The character development is excellent and doesn't seem forced. Even when they did the unthinkable and gave Sheldon a girlfriend, it's slow progression is very Sheldon-like. It is one of the many shows that I own on DVD and plan on continuing to buy each new season.

Personally, I think that was the best thing they did with the show. It gave the characters more purpose and depth beyond the "socially awkward guys who like non-adult things" jokes they kept beating like a dead horse. It's actually become a better show the more it progressed. Sheldon has especially gotten slow character development in the past few seasons. I'm just thinking those who do nothing but bash the show only watched the first season. And it did kinda... well... it wasn't as good, let's just say.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm just thinking those who do nothing but bash the show only watched the first season. And it did kinda... well... it wasn't as good, let's just say.

As I've said many times before, my beef with the show is how oversexed the characters are. I mean, honestly, anytime I've looked up while the show was on in the background, all I ever see is the characters in bed with each other. It's bad enough that all TV shows have to be about the sex nowadays, but it's worse when you take a typically asexual group of people and turn them into sex maniacs (is Chuck Lorre seriously a sex addict who likes to live out his fetishes and fantasies through his characters or what?). I can get behind wanting to break away from the typical socially awkward, obsessive fanboy stigma - I know not all nerds are like that - but when I was growing up, I can tell you from experience that sex was one of the farthest things from nerds' minds. In fact, during my high school years, my best friend and I had a classmate who was the embodiedment of Eddie Haskell, only he had a very perverse sense of humor . . . we often would sarcastically remark how much fun it must be to have him in Human Anatomy. I really wouldn't mind seeing a show that was genuinely about nerds, as opposed to a show about sex maniacs that happen to have neurotic tendancies and personalities. Mainstream nerds today come off as depraved and deranged people . . . now that I think of it, suddenly, the old stigma of socially awkward fanboys seems a lot more ideal.

 

[Gonzo14]

As I've said many times before, my beef with the show is how oversexed the characters are.

That's an interesting perception of the show. Compared to some of the other sitcoms I enjoy (Friends or How I Met Your Mother for example), Big Bang Theory isn't nearly as sexual as those shows.

There's Howard, who came full circle from creepy pervert to happily married guy. Sheldon who was initially completely asexual, but now with Amy slowly inching forward toward physical intimacy (but it will be a long time, before any actual sex is involved). Raj, who's had his moments of being a little pervy, but overall is just lonely. That leaves the main sexual aspect of the show to Leonard and Penny, and I'll admit they do mention sex a lot between them, but I never really took it for an oversexualized show. That's just my own interpretation though

 

[Flaky Pudding]

I saw this episode last Sunday and almost cried. Poor Howard, .

 

[Katzi428]

I used to love the show. But Sheldon seriously gets on my nerves. . So I didn't watch it much this season. I knew about the episode where Howard finds out his mom passes away. I figured I'd watch it. So sad! When Sheldon said he wanted to tell Howard something, I mumbled under my breath, "Keep your froggin' mouth shut Sheldon!" because normally on the show it seemed like everything was about him . Surprisingly Sheldon could empathize w/Howard since now both had lost a parent.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm the opposite. Sheldon was the reason I bothered watching.

But on the other hand, Sheldon has undergone a a massive dose of character development. He genuinely cares for others now, and he's more accepting of his relationship with Amy that got a nice kick of depth. While a show that's been on this long usually falls to Flanderization and stagnation, I'm glad to see there's been a strong bout of depth with most of the characters. In fact, the show is, oddly enough, better than it's ever been! I attest that to giving all the nerds relationships. Walowitz's lame horn dog jokes were happily put to rest after falling in love and marrying Bernadette. Even Penny's incessant tendency of making pedantic comments to the others seems to dried up a bit.

And I wondered why the show gets a substantial amount of hate. The casual audience jumped ship before anything good happened.