S09.E18: The Application Deterioration

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I'm surprised as well they didn't realize the University would hold much of the rights to their patent. 25% seems pretty generous.

I'm only surprised that Sheldon didn't know what he signed up for. I'm sure the other guys were just happy to have a job and probably never even tried to read the terms of their employment. Although, common sense should have told them that using their employer's resources for their own project wasn't a good idea,

[wknt3]

 

Doesn't the fact that Sheldon has had to obsessively, compulsively knock three times on a door and say the person's name each time indicate, since the beginning of this show, that Sheldon is obsessive/compulsive?

 

Yeah, I'm not suggesting that any of his behaviour is not obviously OCD. I'm saying, to date, the writers have made a big hullaballoo whenever asked of explicitly avoiding referring to Sheldon as having any particular conditions. They always just say "No, he's Sheldon-ey" so they wouldn't end up hamstrung by having to try to be true to any diagnosis. That's why it was notable that they had the character say "OCD" in this one. They've broken they're own rule about wanting to leave it up to interpretation and not put any labels on any of it.

I know that the whole issue of bringing in what writer's say about their own work vs what we can actually see in the show is its own whole kettle of fish, but that still brings us back round to the point that this was the first time they put the words in any of the characters' mouths, instead of just leaving it up to us to see it and decide "well obviously that's OCD" vs "this is a fictional world and they can claim all the characters are exaggerations for comedic purposes and not beholden to real behavioral standards".

 

I think the big concern among the writers and producers isn't about being hamstrung by a particular diagnosis even if that's what they say. Their concerns are about the massive PR headache saying that he's on the spectrum or has one of the other possible conditions would create, the audience not wanting to laugh at someone with a diagnosis or the frustration it causes his friends, and most importantly that it closes off the possibility of character growth that exists when it's just Sheldon being Sheldon. We've occasionally had Sheldon realize the effect of his actions on others and express empathy. It makes for big "awww" moments and they don't want to give that up. OCD isn't as sensitive (regardless of whether it should be or not), and they know that they will never want to give up his OCD "quirks". So as long as they don't say it too often or spend too much time focusing on the non-funny aspects they are fine with occasionally saying OCD.

[holly4755]

I am pretty sure that NASA does not let any development by anyone considered an employee to be owned by them, they freely open a lot of their patents to the public that I am shocked that Tang was sold commercially. As I remember it, even though Howard is an employee of the University,I don't remember him ever working on anything not NASA related, there was the the space toilet and the Lunar car for sure. So it may be that he is an employee of both or under contract to NASA via the university. 

 

as to the friend parallel, I am pretty sure there is a general sit com pattern things could follow. And Rachael was alway foolish from the first episode where she ran away from her wedding instead of just calling it off.