- Dh & I have long been big fans of "The Big Bang Theory" -- but last week's episode left me shaking my head. You might remember that, earlier this season, Leonard & Penny argued about whether to have children: he wants them, she doesn't. That episode ended with Leonard deciding (somewhat unconvincingly) that he could live without children. This week, Penny's old boyfriend Zack and his wife Marissa invite Leonard & Penny over for dinner -- and then drop a bombshell: they confess they're struggling with infertility (Zack's, specifically) -- and ask Leonard to be their sperm donor (!). Penny is flabbergasted, both by the request and by the fact that Leonard wants to do it -- but eventually, she decides that if he can accept her wish to remain childfree, she can accept his wish to help Zack and Marissa have a baby. I wish I could cheer them on, but it all seems just too glib & easy. I have to admit, I just don't have a good feeling about this... :(
- This recap from Glamour expresses things better than I can!
- From the reviewer from Fansided: "It’ll be interesting to see whether Leonard goes through with the donation of offspring in the coming weeks. I’m hoping it leads to a surprise pregnancy with Penny instead." (Of COURSE you do...!!)
- I was glad to see this article from The Globe & Mail this weekend: "‘Emotional trauma’: New therapy for couples undergoing fertility treatments targets relationship strife" -- the recognition that (a) couples desperately need emotional support while they're going through infertility treatment, (b) support at present is woefully lacking, especially from the drs/clnics themselves and especially in rural/remote areas & (c) things are slowly changing. Of course, there's the requisite couple with the happy ending -- including a second (surprise!) pregnancy! -- but overall, it's a great piece.
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
Wow. Just wow about Big Bang Theory. Curious to see how they navigate this one given it's a complete emotional bomb.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation from The Globe & Mail!
Oh, good grief. I haven't caught up with The Big Bang recently - I suspect they've put it on hold here over the summer break. I'm still annoyed they made Bernadette have kids when she didn't want to. I wonder if they're now going to do it to Penny too. As if it is the only possible appropriate ending to the series. Argh.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Globe and Mail piece was excellent, except for the obvious - as you pointed out. Why do reporters ALWAYS have to end with the IVF baby or surprise pregnancy? And both, in this case? I guess the issue of emotional support for those who don't get the so-called "happy ending" would be too much for one article. Or beyond the imagination of the authors/editors. Double argh.
GAAAAAHHHHHH! I used to see "The Big Bang Theory" at the gym on the TV, but only see it because I didn't connect any headphones. Captioning helped though, and I have enjoyed the snippets I've seen. But this...this storyline sounds hideous. And OF COURSE people want to see a surprise pregnancy, and that "ah, I didn't realize I really DID want kids!" moment that the childfree by choice are rankled by. I have friends in this camp, and they HATE when people are like, "you'll see, you'll change your mind, you just better hope it's not too late!" It's a viewpoint that isn't respected by the norm. I would love to see an infertility subplot NOT WORK OUT on a major tv show, and for a tv couple to live their lives childfree. Wouldn't that be awesome? I hate when a TV show that is entertaining turns into a fertility subplot from hell. My sympathies!
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