As a religious viewer of the hit sitcom, Big Bang Theory, I’ve become extremely pleased with the direction that the show has moved in since it began in 2007. Dr. Sheldon Cooper, arguably the reason for the show’s success in conjunction with the bubbly blonde, Penny, repeatedly makes me cry with laughter.
There is no doubt that Sheldon is socially awkward, tremendously condescending (although, he did get his doctorate at a very young age), and a bit extra at times (does the cereal really need to be ordered by fiber amount?), but ultimately he’s lovable and relatable, and those aspects are what makes watching the show all the more enjoyable.
He has funny quirks… (Don’t we all?)
He takes knocking to a new level. *Knock Knock* “Penny”, *Knock Knock* “Penny”, * Knock Knock* “Penny.” Plus, he always wears a funny t-shirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath, despite living in California. Let’s also not forget to mention the two breath laugh that occasionally graces us with its presence when he finds something funny.
He has a “spot”
I know when my friends come over, I’m secretly hoping they won’t sit in my spot; I just never voice these desires like Sheldon. And when asked about his spot, he has an exact and logical explanation describing why it is the best seat in the house. “In the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer, it’s directly in the path of a cross-breeze created by opening windows there and there. It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide as to create a parallax distortion. I could go on but I think I’ve made my point. ”
He has a knack for “besting” Leonard.
Sheldon is a weird type of crazy, there’s no doubt about that, but one of my particularly favorite scenes that demonstrates his hilarious craziness comes in Season 7, Episode 11. To set the scene, Leonard finds Sheldon wearing his robe in a large ball pit working on a difficult science concept, but Sheldon does not want to leave, so Leonard must get in to catch Sheldon. However, Sheldon is more agile than he looks, and continuously pops up just out of Leonard’s reach, and exclaims, “BAZINGA” just before diving back under to disappear again.
He has an intense respect for his mother, despite constantly disagreeing with her.
Need I say more?
He was bullied as a child for being different, but embraced it.
I think everyone has been bullied to a certain degree, so this makes Sheldon extremely relatable. It’s also inspiring that despite some childhood grievancesgrievances; he still pushed forward and became extremely successful (but still of course socially awkward).
Finally, whenever things begin to change dramatically in his life, he embarks on a journey to figure things out.
I think there is a certain point in everyone’s life where big changes have happened or are about to happen, and this tends to freak us out. Often times we are faced with the decision to either accept the change head on and succeed, or let it tear us down. However, most times people fail to mention that a few weeks journey across the United States may be just what you need to figure out how to not let those drastic changes tear you down, and that’s just what Sheldon did. He came back all the more ready to face the change, and conquer it, and isn’t that the message we should all be focusing on?
I think it’s safe to say that while being a socially awkward scientist, Dr. Sheldon Cooper is still an extremely relatable character that I can’t help but continue to love every time I watch the show.