The Big Bang Theory Season 6 (1 Viewer)

[KevinGress]

Let me make it clear, I have no interest in arguing the right or wrong of being gay, but I do think it's valid to discuss whether Raj is gay.
First, I disagree that Raj has been depicted as hetero right from the beginning. Frankly his sexual orientation is ambiguous. The show has made a running joke (a good one) of Raj and Howard as a couple.
Of the four original male characters it's always been clear that Howard and Lenoard are straight. I'm not sure what Sheldon is, an adolescent who hasn't reached puberty yet? Now only Raj has no female companion in his life.
Sure he may have slept with some woman, and we know no gay man has ever done that.
There was one episode that ends (I think its the end) with Raj saying "Now I know I'm not gay." Something to that effect. When a person says that, they've had questions about the subject, and one incident is not going to erase the doubts.
We continual see a sensitive, even feminine side of Raj in is likes, like books. He likes Eat, Pray, Love. Any guy who likes that must be gay. OK, I wrote that with tongue-in-cheek, but....
By the time the series closes, I hope that Raj finally understands what he is, gay or straight, and is happy and no longer lonely.

Nor do I have any interesting in arguing rightness/wrongness which is why I stuck with the argument of character consistency. I disagree with your statement that Raj's choice of orientation is ambiguous; it's been consistent throughout the show. Example - the first season episode where Penny has furniture delivered and Sheldon and Leonard 'break' in to clean. Early in the episode, Raj calls her 'the pretty girl' and later when she corners him he thinks about marrying an Indian girl. He's done this throughout the show - when he's thought about relationships or simply sex, it's always been about women.
And yes, it's also the episode where Raj comes in after and tells the group that she hugged him and he demonstrates on Howard. But that's where the humor is derived from - two heterosexual men engaging in a hug without thinking of the homosexual implications. If Raj were gay, it would lose that humor.
Yes, he has a sensitive side, sometimes bordering (or crashing into) the effeminate. Again, the humor is derived because he's hetero. Honestly, would it be as funny, if he wasn't? (I contend that when the writers go overboard with it, it isn't. )

 

[Johnny Angell]

You make some good points that I'll have to think about.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Lusting, but unable to act unless he's drunk. What is the psychology here? It could very easily point to Raj's subconscious stopping him from pursuing women, and alcohol is the only way he deaden his subconscious enough to continue with his heterosexual charade.

It's not simply that he's unable to *act*; he's unable to even SPEAK in the presence of an attractive woman. Nobody gay that I've ever known has been like that.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

It isn't like they flirt with that all the time. And you know(and it is who cares) that Johnny and Sara had the same attraction to each other on Roseanne...

HOLY CRAP! This show's been on for 6 years and I never realized that he was the kid on Roseanne!

 

[KevinGress]

HOLY CRAP! This show's been on for 6 years and I never realized that he was the kid on Roseanne!

He's also Rusty, the son, in Christmas Vacation!
It took me two seasons to realize that Kaley (Penny) was on 8 Simple Rules (didn't watch the show) What really upsets me is that I had saved off on my computer a trailer where the daughters are slinking up and down dressed up in sports gear - Kaley in a football jersey and the other daughter dressed as a referee. Anyways, John Ritter comes out trying to get in front of them, saying "These, these are my daughters...." But the computer crashed and I lost it and haven't been able to find it since.......

 

[Chuck Anstey]

She was also on Charmed in the last season for many episodes.

 

[RobertR]

I just love the way Mayim Bialik played her scenes last night. Pitch perfect. "I'm counting on it" LOL

 

[schan1269]

I just watched the episode. I made the mistake of eating a PB&J during the opening..."Can't dig to China"....hahaha, 'bout choked in the peanut butter...

 

[Aaron Silverman]

He's also Rusty, the son, in Christmas Vacation!

Mind blown!!!

 

[David Norman]

I just love the way Mayim Bialik played her scenes last night. Pitch perfect. "I'm counting on it" LOL

I've been a ba-a-a-d girl

 

[Patrick Sun]

And Sheldon probably will still be totally oblivious to his role as the spankster sparking up their relationship. But perhaps it'll establish some form of freak flag for him to fly.

 

[mattCR]

This show also made one of the most topical jokes I've seen in a sitcom in years; by pointing out that Spiderman could figure out how to get a Guatemalan passport (a giant poke at the failure of McAfee, who's fleeing in Central America to manage to get into their country to hide)

In fact, I couldn't figure out how the heck they got that joke slipped in so fast..

 

[David Norman]

This show also made one of the most topical jokes I've seen in a sitcom in years; by pointing out that Spiderman could figure out how to get a Guatemalan passport (a giant poke at the failure of McAfee, who's fleeing in Central America to manage to get into their country to hide)
In fact, I couldn't figure out how the heck they got that joke slipped in so fast..

It was the opening scene so it's possible they reshot that scene for some reason.
"I can think of many things that Spider-man can't do that a spider can. One: crawl in your ear and die. Two: legally leave Guatemala without a passport.
Three: have sex with a spider."

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by David Norman /t/324408/the-big-bang-theory-season-6/30#post_4011147
It was the opening scene so it's possible they reshot that scene for some reason.
"I can think of many things that Spider-man can't do that a spider can. One: crawl in your ear and die. Two: legally leave Guatemala without a passport.
Three: have sex with a spider."

Yeah, that would make sense.. because wow was it timely,and a great joke that really fits the "geek" sensibilities

 

[David Norman]

Yeah, that would make sense.. because wow was it timely,and a great joke that really fits the "geek" sensibilities

That or it was just sheer blind luck though surely nobody could be that prescient. I;d love to hear the explanation
the next time Parsons is on one of the Late Night shows

 

[Hanson]

Originally Posted by KevinGress /t/324408/the-big-bang-theory-season-6/30#post_4010316
Nor do I have any interesting in arguing rightness/wrongness which is why I stuck with the argument of character consistency. I disagree with your statement that Raj's choice of orientation is ambiguous; it's been consistent throughout the show. Example - the first season episode where Penny has furniture delivered and Sheldon and Leonard 'break' in to clean. Early in the episode, Raj calls her 'the pretty girl' and later when she corners him he thinks about marrying an Indian girl. He's done this throughout the show - when he's thought about relationships or simply sex, it's always been about women.
And yes, it's also the episode where Raj comes in after and tells the group that she hugged him and he demonstrates on Howard. But that's where the humor is derived from - two heterosexual men engaging in a hug without thinking of the homosexual implications. If Raj were gay, it would lose that humor.
Yes, he has a sensitive side, sometimes bordering (or crashing into) the effeminate. Again, the humor is derived because he's hetero. Honestly, would it be as funny, if he wasn't? (I contend that when the writers go overboard with it, it isn't. )

Jesus, Luke and Leia were kissing in Episode 4. They retcon stuff all the time. All the time. None of these examples has any bearing on where they take Raj's sexuality. And it looks like they're driving down Gay Street after last night's episode. He's like a sexually confused Jack McFarland at this point.

By the way, none of the stuff you mention loses its humor if Raj is gay.

 

[schan1269]

And you all act like you don't remember the episode his "arrangement" was a lesbian.
And this lesbian purposely chose him cause she thought he was gay.
There aren't enough "gay nerds" on TV...and whether or not Raj ends up straight, gay, queer or Bi has no bearing on what "jokes or shenanigans" have gone before...
I thought the entire bit with "girls night out", especially toward Amy, was top notch. Maybe it takes "insanely hot" to get it even close to up. Afterall Rock Hudson was Bi for christ sake. Unless all the women who said "I slept with him" are all lying. Even today there are women who say it...and they don't have to.

 

[Stan]

And you all act like you don't remember the episode his "arrangement" was a lesbian.
And this lesbian purposely chose him cause she thought he was gay.
There aren't enough "gay nerds" on TV...and whether or not Raj ends up straight, gay, queer or Bi has no bearing on what "jokes or shenanigans" have gone before...

I had totally forgotten that episode until I saw it on TBS a day or two ago. Not only did the lesibian choose him because she thought he was gay, even his parents were proud of him finally coming out.
Raj insists he isn't, but the writers are doing a good job at keeping a running joke going. However it ends up, it's a well done show and doesn't matter one way or the other.

 

[MikeEn]

Jesus, Luke and Leia were kissing in Episode 4.

Wow, I don't even remember Jesus being in A New Hope. Another damned Lucas revision, I suppose.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Wow, I don't even remember Jesus being in A New Hope. Another damned Lucas revision, I suppose.

He was behind Jabba the Hut. That's why you don't remember him.