Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Cooper of the CBS hit The Big Bang Theory have had one of the slowest to develop romantic relationships, probably in the history of American television. While a lot of this made perfect sense, considering how little Sheldon previously cared about romance and other people in general, it got to a point where any steps forward for romance obsessed Amy and reluctant Sheldon seemed unlikely.
But, then came that fateful night when the slightly oddball couple finally stepped into the boudoir and made some primetime appropriate boot-knocking happen. Well, it turns out that fans weren't the only ones who were surprised when the long-time twosome finally got down to business. It sounds like stars Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons were kinda shocked at the carnal act, too. Here's what Bialik had to say recently when asked if there was anything she'd do differently about the on-screen romance:
I was honestly surprised that Sheldon and Amy had coitus when they did. I think Jim and I were both kind of surprised that that happened. I don’t know that I would do it differently. As an actor, you really let the writers determine your character. I don’t necessarily have independent thought for Amy that way.
Well, that's nice to hear. You will notice, though, that Mayim Bialik noted that she wouldn't necessarily do anything differently when it comes to Amy and Sheldon getting busy, and this might be because that act has lead to the couple growing by leaps and bounds in the years since. Also, you know, Bialik isn't a writer on the show, and she admits to not having any desire to control Amy's actions in that way; preferring to let the writers do their thing and determine how she lives her life.
If you don't remember, let's go back a bit and talk about the first time Amy and Sheldon got naked. (I mean, I'm assuming they got naked, but with those two you never really know...) Keeping in mind that we're currently in Season 12 of The Big Bang Theory, Amy and Sheldon didn't do the physical deed until Season 9, which was several years after the Season 5 episode where they became official boyfriend and girlfriend and a couple of years later still after they first met and decided to be friends in Season 3. So, as you can see, I wasn't lying earlier when I described their romance as a true slow burn.
Amy and Sheldon had actually just gotten back together after a brief breakup when the happened to consummate their relationship. Sheldon was excited about spending the day off work celebrating the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it was also Amy's birthday, and Penny had wisely told him that ditching her on her birthday would be a super bad idea when they'd just gotten back together. After a visit from a dream Jedi ghost version of Professor Proton, Sheldon decided to spend the day with Amy, and when he went to Bernadette and Penny asking which of three potential gift ideas would be best, surprise, surprise...coitus was among them.
Obviously Penny and Bernadette were pleasantly surprised that Sheldon wanted to have sex with Amy after so long, but once he explained that he felt it was time to show Amy how much he loved her, they helped him decide to make his genitals the perfect birthday gift for Amy. And, even though Amy got spoiled on the big news, they both enjoyed themselves and their yearly do-dirty-things-to-each-other-on-Amy's-birthday tradition was born.
Truth be told, if Sheldon hadn't taken that big step on Amy's birthday we might not have had as much growth in their relationship in the years since, or with Sheldon specifically. Once they did the deed things began to move pretty quickly compared to what came before. In just a few years now, Amy has given up her apartment to live in sin with Sheldon in Penny's old place, they got engaged after a proposition from another woman showed Sheldon just how much he needed and wanted to be with Amy, and then married not long after to great fanfare. Season 12 has seen them work on a scientific theory together and go through a lot of personal and professional trouble to get it completed, published and now they might be nominated for a Nobel Prize for their work.
Through everything, they've learned a lot about each other and Sheldon, in particular, has become a better, more patient and understanding person. He's learning to put himself after someone else, which had never been his strong suit. Sheldon still thinks the world of himself and his intelligence, but he's willing to inconvenience himself for Amy's sake now, even if he does need to sometimes chat things out with a dream Force ghost first, he usually realizes how his previous way of thinking about himself first would be a disservice to Amy and the strength of their romance. And, really, let's be honest, most people don't come this far as people after having sex with someone for the first time, so, good on you Sheldon.
It's pretty easy to understand how Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons could think that sex was happening unduly early between their characters, considering how slowly things had moved previously. But, it also seems to be true that we wouldn't have gotten such amazing character growth by now if they hadn't. And, in keeping with how close the characters are now, when answering fan questions on her personal YouTube channel, Bialik had a not-so-surprising response when asked what other character from The Big Bang Theory she'd like to play:
That’s easy. Sheldon!
Well, it's just love all around for those two, isn't it? With the way things have progressed in their relationship, I wouldn't be totally shocked if the season ended with a tease that those two will be someone's parental units before too much longer. The Big Bang Theory isn't done yet, though, and you can keep track of Amy and Sheldon's continued ups and downs when the final season airs on CBS, Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST.
