I’m seriously annoyed with the Big Bang Theory writers! Some of my displeasure was expressed in my post “Big Bang Theory Discrepancies Distress Me“, but last week’s episode brought the same issues up again.
“The Stag Convergence” focused on Bernadette’s apparent surprise at Howard’s shady past:
Bernadette: When I first met Howard, he seemed so innocent to me, just a sweet little guy who lives with his mother.
Except that’s not even true! Compare that quote with this one from “The Hot Troll Deviation” episode in season 4:
Bernadette: Howard, a girl doesn’t go out with a man like you, with your looks, your fancy patter, and your tight hoochie pants if she isn’t expecting him to eventually make the move.
I’m really annoyed at the changes they’ve made to Bernadette’s character – she has gone from being one of my fave secondary characters to possibly the one that I like the least. I would much rather see Kripke, Stuart, Amy, Zack, really anybody besides bitchy Bernadette. So I am taking to the internets to declare my frustration!
Why does it bother me so much? Because it feels like laziness. The writers just change her basic character motivations and background, and assume that none of the viewers will notice and/or care. It could all be worked out in a better way, but they didn’t bother to even try. If this is a plotline that they really wanted to happen (and I don’t even know why, because bitchy Bernadette isn’t even that entertaining), why couldn’t it have been with another woman? And then Howard can realize that the other woman isn’t right for him, because she doesn’t want (or even like) kids and doesn’t approve of his past. Then he can get back together with Bernadette. Poof, problem solved!
Instead, the writers have taken a really likable character and slowly degraded her into a farce. I am not amused. It just feels like an insult to the many fans that tune in each week, expecting a coherent plotline that stays true to the character’s established histories and personalities. I’m a writer, and as I work on my books, I don’t just randomly make one character into a different person as the chapters progress. Granted, I have the ability to go back and change things, as my books aren’t published yet. But would it really have been so hard to adjust these new episodes in a way that actually worked?
I will concede that this gem from Howard made things much better, but it still doesn’t make up for the easily avoided discrepancies:
Howard: Tell her I’m really sorry, and if she doesn’t want to marry me, I get it. But what I really want her to know is the guy that she’s disgusted by, is the guy that I’m disgusted by, too. But that guy doesn’t exist any more, he’s gone, and the reason is because of her. So, if this relationship is over, let her know that she made me a better man, and tell her thank you.
