A geek and seemingly without any normal human emotions, Caltech physicist Sheldon cooper only talks in riders and complex scientific terms, which quite tangents across our heads. But, on rare occasions when he does show his human side, his romantic interior — Sheldon becomes way more compelling.
It will not be an exaggeration if we call The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper played by Jim Parsons one of the most complicated characters on TV. Over 12 seasons, we have seen him grow from a clueless misanthrope into a more mature person who slowly gets in syn with all other human emotions. The insightful process, without a pinch of doubt, made him one of the most compelling characters on TV.
How was Sheldon Cooper the most misunderstood character?
Highlights —
- When The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon spoke about love
- Sheldon opens up at a caterpillar’s speed — inch by inch
- Understanding the misunderstood
When Sheldon spoke about love
Let’s dig into the theoretical physicist, Dr, Sheldon Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D, also the nerd of nerds, who did come across as a romantic, albeit in a very different way. In an episode titled ‘The Prom Equivalency’ in season 8, Sheldon and Amy share a beautiful moment where he tries to tell her about his feelings in the most Sheldon-like way, and it overwhelms Amy so much that she gets a panic attack.
Amy tries to confess her feelings for him, but before she gets into it, Sheldon stops her and says, “There’s no denying I have feelings for you that can’t be explained in any other way”. Just when we were expecting another Sheldon-like response, he dropped a science-infused proposal.
“I briefly considered that I had a brain parasite, but that seems even more far-fetched. The only conclusion was love.”
Amy tries to lie down on Sheldon’s bed to recover from her shock with what had just happened. But Sheldon was back to his usual self and says, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just because I love you doesn’t mean girls are allowed in my room.”
Sheldon opens up at a caterpillar’s speed — inch by inch
The Big Bang Theory writers initially crafted Sheldon as a shallow, stereotypical man who loves comic books, is clueless about the opposite sex, and only bothered about scientific phenomena. Penny and Leonard were the focus couple. They were meant to add the spark to the show. But as the show progressed, Sheldon, very occasionally, started flashing a romantic side. These moments came out of the blue, which made them even more heart-warming.
Earlier, many felt bad for Amy. They thought she would ultimately get hurt in the relationship. On the contrary, Sheldon’s unpredictability never lets the spark die down, which happens in normal love stories after the confession of love. Penny and Leonard are the best examples of a typical couple, whose story becomes one-track after their proposal. In the case of Sheldon and Amy, every small step towards love was a big moment. They were slow in reaching there (at least from Sheldon’s end) but their journey was far more interesting.
It was hard for Amy to convince Sheldon to every next step in their relationship. Remember, when Amy wanted to take advantage of the blanket fort they built on date night (where only childlike fun was allowed)?
She asks if she could sleep over after so much fun. It was a big ask for Sheldon, who eventually agrees,after a lot of convincing, to a friendly, G-rated, boy-girl sleepover. Amy wanted Sheldon to do normal boyfriend things, but, knowing Sheldon, she didn’t have big expectations. Every time we thought Sheldon will break Amy’s heart, he did the exact opposite, which made it adorable. Sheldon opened his heart inch by inch.
Understanding the misunderstood
Amy loves Sheldon but always falls flat on her face when she tries to gauge his feelings for her. She gets frustrated and decides to take a break. In the very next moment, to everyone’s surprise, we see Sheldon preparing to propose to her. He talks to his favourite doll Gollum. “Well, Gollum, you’re an expert on rings,” he says, taking out a small box from his desk drawer. “What do I do with this one?” While most of our jaws dropped, we also realised that we were to witness, for the first time, Sheldon handling a break-up. He accepts he is hurt. For Sheldon, it’s a new feeling that he hardly ever dealt with before. No piece of paper has cut him so deep.
This reaction was unexpected from a man who tracks his bowel moments on a spreadsheet and uses the term “coitus” for sex. He is annoyed and jealous when Amy starts dating other guys.
Sheldon and Amy are so cute together that it’s not just their friends and the audience who root for them, but also Amy’s date for that night, a Sheldon Cooper fan, who asks him to kiss her. When The Big Bang Theory started, we thought Sheldon was a shallow geek who hates any form of intimacy. His sudden actions and heart-warming dialogues reveal that there’s also a beautiful, innocent human side to the seemingly rude geek. Neither Amy nor his friends could fully understand Sheldon. We have always been able to understand him only when he defines his emotions in a dialogue. It is hard to comprehend him from his expressions most of the time.
There’s only one occasion where Sheldon can’t convey his emotions in words. At his wedding, when Amy and Sheldon exchange vows, Sheldon is so overwhelmed with what Amy says, that he is rendered speechless for the first time in his life. “Amy… I usually know exactly what to say, but in this moment, I have no words,” Sheldon says.”I guess… I’m overwhelmed by you. In a good way, not in the elevator in a haunted mansion way.”
He continues: “Even if I can’t tell you now how I feel, I will spend my life showing you how much I love you.” The more we misunderstand Sheldon, the more he stuns us. Let us know what you think about Sheldon Cooper in the comments box below.
