[DOUBLE] Willing suspension of disbelief in THE BIG BANG THEORY
Willing suspension
of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and
aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge who suggested that if a
writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth"
into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning
the implausibility of the narrative. [Wikipedia]
In simple words we keep aside our reason and enjoy the art or
literature. Where reason kills the amusement or thrill or joy, the
willing suspension of disbelief prepares the ground for harmony with
the artist or writer. That ( willing suspension of disbelief) is a
small price we pay for being subjected to a great experience.
Sheldon is a collection
of strange behaviours. To enjoy the work of art, namely Sheldon, the
audience practices the attitude which Coleridge called as Willing
suspension of disbelief.
When [S07E06] Sheldon snatches the cookie from Leaonard and says,
“Now give me that cookie I
discovered an element”, we need to have a double
willing suspension of disbelief. Because we had already practiced
this attitude with Sheldon's antipathy for his food being touched by
others.
We all very well remember the incident in which Sheldon
throws away the food just because Penny has touched it. Now will
such a person take someone else's cookie even if it is to show off
the importance he gained after he made a great discovery?
We are OK with Sheldon's that
habit (thanks to our capacity to suspend disbelief) but now he
behaves the opposite as he snatches a cookie from Leonard. That too
is OK. Again thanks to our capacity to suspend disbelief.
We watch TBBT to laugh. Therefore
we keep aside our reasoning and laugh when Sheldon says,“Now
give me that cookie I discovered an element”. But here we are
suspending our disbelief for the second time. I would like to call
it DOUBLE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF.
However “reason” is the
substratum. TBBT had to introduce a new character named Lucy to make
Raj to talk in front of women without the help of alcohol. Raj's
cure is made possible without the willing suspension of disbelief
from the part of the audience.
Howard Wolowits is no more! I am sorry to inform you the sad news! What we see in today’s BBT is the ghost of Wolowits. He used to be a lot more lively, funny, energetic, charming…the list goes on. Marriage is a religion which is built on the foundation of boredom. I firmly believe that Wolowits is undergone a religious conversion from that of a bachelor one to a married one.
You could do it to Leonard. That wouldn’t make much of a difference, he could still be the same. But when you made Howard to marry, you were actually ripping his real self off. What he has to do now? Can he pathetically woo the ‘no chance’ women now. No way! I must say you MURDERED Howard.
But still there are rare occassions in which we see the glimpse of a genius comedian but it is like a lion locked in a cage that rarely roars. Open tha cage and let the comedian be free.
Here the writers have acted like responsible parents who see to it that their children get married not so late. But was it necessary? However Simon Helberg is a gifted comedian who could make us laugh even if he is given only the role of a statue that stands still!
We need the real Wolowits back. Put him in such situations where he can dance his true dance.
The Big Bang Theory is a satire on, and celebration of human nature. I laughed a lot, and understood a lot from these characters who innocently declare their wisdom and foolishness with an irresistible charm. The setting of the story in general is in Pasadena, California, United States. The main characters include a Jew and an Indian. Why not a Muslim among the characters? If handled carefully such a character could be a synthesis of two opposing cultures. The creators of the show were very careful in avoiding all such possible chances of aberration from their motto: “make all laugh”.
The Big Bang Theory is all about innocent laughter. Be child like (did Osho say that?), be flexible and then open your hearts to the pure joy that let yourself taste the bliss of immortality. I believe this TV show is an antonym for the words like rigidity, stubbornness, tenacity etc. This show is a celebration of our complexes, follies and egotistic manners.
The Cast and Characters
The cast can’t be better. Penny is hundred percent Penny. Sheldon is Sheldon to the core, and everyone else is so. If you really want to know how the characters (cast) can change the show, watch the Season 1 Episode 0.
a.Sheldon [Jim Parsons]
Sheldon is the soul of The Big Bang Theory. There are Episodes that wholly centers on him. There are times when Sheldon transforms into a child, into a dictator, into a giant super-ego (or a giant d**k), into an obedient son, and the list goes on. I love to watch the scenes in which Sheldon is alone with Penny, or when Sheldon confronts Penny. Those are beautiful scenes. We can literally (literally? literally?) see here two opposite poles meeting each other often in a hostile manner. But we are surprised to see the harmony between the two. In fact, Sheldon is the true match for Penny. Though the physical intercourse is between Leonard and Penny the synthesis of thesis and anti-thesis is when Sheldon and Penny come together.
b.Leonard [Johnny Galecki]
Leonard is the stage on which other characters perform. He is the mother of the show; he understands everyone, stands up for everyone, he is the one who gets all the blows finally. He is the one who mediates between Sheldon and Penny, Wolowits and Sheldon, and them and the rest of the world. He is tiny but courageous. He is a guy who understands the grays. He suffers from the fact that never once he was loved by his mother. May be that’s what he sees in penny. When the occasion comes he transforms into a Napoleon Bonaparte or a sweating vulnerable teenager or a saint of all virtues or cupid himself!
c.Penny [Kaley Christine Cuoco]
She is the charm of the show. I like her so much. Who doesn’t? She is naughty and modest. She is ambitious and depressed. She is feminine and masculine. She is soothing and raging. When her hair is combed straight backward she looks furious and we see a real villain in her; and when the hair style is again changed she becomes adorable. She is everything a woman can be.
d.Howard Wolowits [Simon Helberg]
Howard is a pure comedian. I think he can all alone lead a comedy show without anyone to assist him; he is a genius. It is a wonderful experience to watch him in action. He loves his mother though that process is not very pleasant. He had some very serious conflicts with Penny in the beginning. But, later on it’s Penny who plays an important role in his life by introducing him to Bernadette.
e.Raj [Kunal Nayyar]
Raj is not often allowed to dance his true avatar. Whenever he gets such a chance he uses it to the maximum. We can see his potential even when he makes a simple nod with his eyes narrowed. He can’t talk to women unless he is drunk. But when he talks it is another Sheldon we listen to. A lot is left in him that is yet to be explored.
Other characters are all important and each one has an individuality which makes them important and memorable though they don’t appear as often as the leading characters.
It is not just the dialogues that make this show a hearty experience but the overall intelligence of the people working behind this project. They take care of each and every aspect, like when my eyes are stuck on some parts of Penny which is completely unnecessary for the understanding of the plot, immediately the camera from another angle will continue the story. When Sheldon makes a remark cameras will absorb the facial expressions of all others and then only the appropriate one will be shown to us. This sense is not seen in many other TV shows. There are episodes that are of poor standards. We always compare one episode with the other. If one brilliant episode is followed by an average one, the latter in comparison to the former may seem terrible.
I will be dedicating one post for each episode. I do this only because I love the show so much; this is a natural reflection of the light that the show sheds upon its child like viewers. Not to judge but to enjoy am I writing this blog. All this can, like Sheldon says, be a big BAZINGA!
