I know what it is. The chaRACtures are becoming chARACAtures of themselves. The only one in the show who has arc’d at all from the first season is Penny; who has actually been arc’d beautifully. She was uber stupid the first season, and up til now has actually gotten more grounded and accepting of the nerdyness (almost understanding it!)
Sheldon on the other hand has started to become SO obnoxious and SO…different…that he’s just becoming a characature of himself. I think Wolowitz and Raj and a hoot, and I think Leonard is funny too, which is why I keep watching. However, I am slowly becoming more and more annoyed at Sheldon because I don’t think he’s funny anymore…he’s too fake to be funny.
I had to read that a few times to parse out that you’re saying the characters have become caricatures. The spellings threw me.
I’m not sure I agree with regard to any of them. IMO, Wolowitz started out as a caricature and has evolved into a much more believable character as the show has progressed.
Sheldon, I think, is the same as he always was, which is an unbelievable (yet funny) caricature. I’m having trouble remembering first season plots revolving around him, but as an example I think he was every bit as over the top when studying for his driver’s license. As far as his relationship with Amy, it seems perfectly in line with his character based on his relationship with Leonard’s mom.
Could you give an example of his behavior this episode (or any episode this season) that is an exaggeration of behavior he used to exhibit?
Granted it ties into the “things first season characters do that they don’t do anymore” way of thinking…but he DID have a crush on Penny.
His character has always been that he’s a genius supernerd who distances himself from popular trends because he realizes they’re trends and is above that type of thing. Now he is a robot who looks at everything so analytically that he doesn’t actively participate in anything.
Old Sheldon would not have seen kissing as “an unsanitary mixing of saliva”, he would have wanted to kiss a hot girl as much as anyone. He’s gone from understanding why people do the stupid things they do, and not doing them to not understanding why anybody does anything because logically the blah blah blah whatever.
People on TV are never “real”…but Sheldon is so odd/peculiar/annoying that he’s not even a real person anymore. I literally watch the TV saying “There is no body on earth who would possibly do/say that” and that takes me out of it because it takes the fun out of it.
In all fairness, both Spock and Lt. Cmdr. Data enjoyed the company of felines, albeit not in clowder-sized quantities.
Cats are a sign of intelligence. The more you have, the smarter you are.
To a point. 
I totally noticed that too!
Previous appearances by Metcalf, she pretty much still looked like Roseanne’s sister. Now all of a sudden I had to pay close attention to make sure it was really her. Weird.
Sheldon have a crush on Penny? Defend.
And while he would have understood why lesser being would want to kiss, I don’t think he ever would have. The only hint of any sexual “weakness” on Sheldon’s part was when he & Leonard were at the sperm bank to donate, Sheldon said “I don’t think I can do this” & Leonard said something as to how he practically has a degree in it.
Wasn’t that in the unaired pilot? I think the character has since been developed as almost asexual.
No, that was in the aired pilot:
That exchange was missing from both unaired pilots.
Sheldon was far more sexual in the original unaired pilot, with this exchange:
I liked this episode… but then again, when cats are involved, I almost always like 'em.
One thing I don’t get… at the end, Shamy are giving the cats away along with $20. Where is the logic in giving people money to take the cats…???
I just watched it right now. At the end of the episode it’s also brought up that Sheldon once had sex at a Star Trek convention.
Perhaps they made Metcalf look older. She is only 18 years older than Parsons in real life, though I think Parsons is playing 10 years younger than he actually is.
My reading of the epilogue was that Sheldon was returning the cats and paying rent. Sheldon had barrowed the cats and the whole “Sheldon is devastated by the break-up” was a clever scheme engineered by Sheldon to get what’s-he- face back.
They’re not going to have the cats any longer. The joke is that the sign says, “CATS - $20” which usually means that it costs you $20 to buy a cat. The twist was that they were paying other people $20 to take the cats! 
I got the feeling that Parsons and all the kitties were on a closed set during the bedroom scene, and Leonard and Sheldon’s mom’s live scenes were later edited in. I don’t know why.
I kept thinking that Leonard was going to get out the roommate agreement and find the pet clause.
Under that assumption… wow, Shelly is a diabolical genius! No wonder Horowitz was worried about the lack of jello…
I mean, I get the set-up of the joke but it’s become a little game of trying to figure out his logic. Does he think no one will want the cats if he doesn’t give them money? (The line was full of kids, of course they wanted the kitties, money or not money!) Is he so fond of those cats that even though he can’t keep them, he wants to make sure whoever gets them get a little start-up money to pamper them? Is his can of money getting so full that he needs to disperse some of it? (But there are so many new electronic gadgets he can buy!) I don’t know, I think maybe I’m reading too much into a simple joke set up in a simple way?
I meant Wolowitz… somehow the H transferred over from the first name to the last. :smack:
Ok, hijack time. (Mods tell me if this needs a different thread.) In the opening counterfactual, wouldn’t a world lead by beavers who inspire massive dam building (trapping large amounts of water in lands above sea level) actually decrease sea levels, ensuring the creation of the cheese dainish?
Doesn’t the flat belong to Sheldon? Leonard moved in, so I wouldn’t be sure that Leonard is on the lease or in any case the roommate agreement is probably one sided favouring Sheldon as he was there first