misogyny of The Big Bang Theory, pt 2
See pt 1, about SSN 1 ep 15, if you want.
Now I'm in SSN 2, maybe ep 8, of BBT & the misogyny is much better. Its still there, in pretty much every episode, but its better. Or less bad, I should say.
Until.
Howard is once again being an absolute creep to Penny. She tells him off, that he's creepy and will die alone.
GOOD.
About fucking time.
But the guys need Howard (the engineer) for their robot destruction competition, so Leonard cashes in his ONE FAVOR with Penny to get her to go over to Howard's to apologize.
She resisted, but then with his FAVOR request (she owed him one), she relented. She went to Howard's. She apologized. She listened to his sob story about how he's been a creep who's been rejected by girls & women his whole life.
ITS NOT HER JOB BRO. And she had nothing to apologize for. And Leonard sucks for asking her to apologize.
Howard ends up trying to kiss Penny after she's like "This is the first time I feel like you've been a real person, and THIS Howard - This howard I actually like." So he tries to kiss her & she punches him in the face. GOOD. He deserved it. And it was self defense.
The last scene of the episode is: Penny has just left, then Howard says to his friends that now he's "half-way to pity sex" and again with the goddamned laugh track.
This was another painful, bad episode. They had such an opportunity to deliver. They started to, then they pulled back, and made a joke of men harassing women.
How it should have gone was:
She calls him out. As meanly as she pleases. It's fair, she's been harassed by him for a year and a half. Politeness not needed at this point. (this happened)
He gets really depressed. (this happened too)
His friends go to his house. They provide him emotional support. And they talk to him about why his behavior is wrong, and what he needs to do better. (did not happen)
Howard then goes and apologizes to Penny. (did not happen)
...
That's how it shoulda gone.
But NOPE.
...
All the ha-ha joke stuff about Howard being a creep rubs me the wrong way. But it almost bothers me more that the other guys get a pass for just watching it fucking happen, over and over with woman after woman.
Like yes, Howard is the primary bad actor. But it's his friends who enable him. Who witness it repeatedly. Who do nothing, ever. And then side with him when a woman puts in the effort to call him on his shit.