When
the phrase "Geek Television" hits my ears, I immediately think of "The
Big Bang Theory." I know, it's not what some would call true geek
television. Science-fiction! Discovery Channel! Nova! Anime! A
sitcom about four awkward men's lives isn't what most geeks would
consider Geek Television. Some would even say that TBBT has sanitized
geek culture, made it palatable for the masses, even diluted it.
But
when I think of geek culture as a whole, I think of community. And
that's what "The Big Bang Theory" has revealed to everyone about geek
culture. We see the friendship and camaraderie of geeks in all of their
idiosyncratic, awkward splendor. Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj
don't claim their vocation as scientists as their badge of geekdom --
it's through gaming, Dungeons and Dragons, comic book collecting, and
countless hours of arguing about pop culture details that we see the
bonds of community forged tighter than Superman's outfit. In fact, the
show never succeeds quite so well as when we see these four reveling in
that which makes them geeks. Whether purchasing a prop from "The Time
Machine", playing Mystic Warlords of Ka'a, or thumbing through comics in
Stuart's comic book store, these four characters rely on the right to
assemble as the agent that binds them all.
The series solidifed this in the season 6 episode "The Bakersfield Expedition", where the men's female counterparts buy some comic books to see what all the fuss is about, and end up heatedly arguing over comic book character minutiae. It proves that the activity gets us involved, but the community keeps us enthralled.
It's because of shows like TBBT that the rest of the world has a window into our geeky lives. So soak it in -- we've got the world watching us now.
But
when I think of geek culture as a whole, I think of community. And
that's what "The Big Bang Theory" has revealed to everyone about geek
culture. We see the friendship and camaraderie of geeks in all of their
idiosyncratic, awkward splendor. Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj
don't claim their vocation as scientists as their badge of geekdom --
it's through gaming, Dungeons and Dragons, comic book collecting, and
countless hours of arguing about pop culture details that we see the
bonds of community forged tighter than Superman's outfit. In fact, the
show never succeeds quite so well as when we see these four reveling in
that which makes them geeks. Whether purchasing a prop from "The Time
Machine", playing Mystic Warlords of Ka'a, or thumbing through comics in
Stuart's comic book store, these four characters rely on the right to
assemble as the agent that binds them all.The series solidifed this in the season 6 episode "The Bakersfield Expedition", where the men's female counterparts buy some comic books to see what all the fuss is about, and end up heatedly arguing over comic book character minutiae. It proves that the activity gets us involved, but the community keeps us enthralled.
It's because of shows like TBBT that the rest of the world has a window into our geeky lives. So soak it in -- we've got the world watching us now.
There Is No Box.
Zach
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