When rewatching The Big Bang Theory, what stands out isn’t Penny and Leonard’s love story or Sheldon finally winning a Nobel Prize. Rather, it’s the massive transformation undergone by Amy Farah Fowler since her introduction in Season 3. Over time, her character became less robotic and one-dimensional like Sheldon as she grew an understanding, emotional personality. Amy Farrah Fowler’s character change was a calculated move by The Big Bang Theory‘s writers.
Fans met Amy in Season 3, Episode 23, “The Lunar Excitation,” when Howard and Raj posted Sheldon’s information on a dating site. While Sheldon initially refused to go on the date, he was blackmailed by his friends into meeting her. He was instantly drawn to the quirky Amy, not because she shared his high intellect, but because she mirrored his alienating behaviors: a dry sense of humor, the inability to understand tact, the robotic manner of speaking and an aversion to romantic relationships.
Amy’s Original Version Wouldn’t Have Advanced The Big Bang Theory
But in making Amy exactly like Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory writers failed to introduce a new character that viewers were eager to know. In the long run, she didn’t add enough to the show’s dynamic, because it already had one socially tone-deaf and self-absorbed character. Her initial characterization, had it stayed put, would have done nothing to advance the storyline of the show.
Fortunately for The Big Bang Theory, Amy’s character underwent a drastic transformation. However, the writers didn’t change her personality completely; they tweaked her just enough. She remained a watered-down version of her Sheldon, but she also acquired a distinct personality. The best thing is that shedding Amy’s “Sheldon-ness” didn’t come out of nowhere; backstory, and reasons for her character development, were added as the show progressed.
There Was One Critical Difference Between Sheldon and Amy
Fans soon learned that, although Amy seemed as antisocial as Sheldon, and seemingly hated intimacy, there was a big difference between them. Amy was not inherently asocial, and didn’t have an aversion to sex like Sheldon. For him, the very concept of relationships was alien, even though he had a loving and caring childhood. In Amy’s case, growing up with an overprotective mother, who governed every aspect of her life, suppressed her social skills and made her lose touch with her own feelings.
But as Amy’s story moved forward, it was made obvious she wanted to experience everything she had missed. Something as simple as a girls’ night out excited her. Her weird relationship with Sheldon brought her close to Penny (played by Kaley Cuoco) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), which, in turn, helped Amy to overcome her fear of socializing. Years of being bullied in school also affected her ability to make friends; in her early interactions with Penny and Bernadette, she came off as clingy and annoying. However, they didn’t shun her like others did, and the fact that Amy was not under her mother’s thumb anymore allowed her to understand and forge friendships.
Amy and Sheldon’s Relationship Blossomed
Amy’s conditioned upbringing had deprived her of the knowledge of how to navigate any relationship, let alone a romantic one. Unlike Sheldon, whose quirks and poor social skills came naturally, Amy’s had been forced upon her. However, with time and an understanding environment, she learned to grow out of them. She started recognizing her repressed feelings, whether it was lust for Penny’s ex, Zack, or her feelings for Sheldon. She initially insisted she has no interest in intimacy, but she soon realized that she, too, sought all forms of it in her relationship.
While she still retained parts of her Sheldon-like personality, apparent in moments when she had no qualms about secretly experimenting on her friends, she blossomed into a patient and caring person. Amy even became Sheldon’s moral compass, who guided him to function less like a robot and more like a human being. Thus, in a bid to make Amy interesting, The Big Bang Theory afforded her development that none of its other characters ever got.
