S03.E08: The Sin of Greed and a Chimichanga from Chi-Chi's

[Bort]

Quote

The University makes George Sr. a lucrative job offer in the hopes of recruiting Sheldon. Georgie gets a job working for Meemaw's new boyfriend. Mary is determined to rid her home of greed.

Airdate: Thursday, November 21, 2019

As always, please do not discuss events of The Big Bang Theory that have not “happened” yet. 

[Browncoat]

Hah!  I'm not the only one who noticed (and appreciated) Georgie's hair!  But what happened to his job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?  And he's had his own money for a while from reselling snow globes. 

I laughed at Sheldon's voiceover about Wesley Crusher.  And at the pastor running back for the toaster oven in the tag.

Edited November 22, 2019 by Browncoat

[Spartan Girl]

Sheldon definitely learned his tendency to overreact from Mary.

Big LOL at Mary replacing Georgie's Black Sabbath with Jesus Christ Superstar.

I miss Chi-Chi's.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Hah!  I'm not the only one who noticed (and appreciated) Georgie's hair!  But what happened to his job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?  And he's had his own money for a while from reselling snow globes. 

I laughed at Sheldon's voiceover about Wesley Crusher.  And at the pastor running back for the toaster oven in the tag.

Too bad they couldn’t connect with Dr.Sturgis playing the head of the Ferengi.

[Sarah 103]

I had some problems with this episode. I'm guessing Georgie goes out on dates and that he's allowed to have dinner with his friends (if he gets permission first). What Mary should have said was something like, "It's great that you have your own money, but tonight is a school night and we're having a family dinner. You can buy your own dinner on weekends." Mary's problem wasn't that he had money, it's that he was being disrespectful to her. 

George wasn't being greedy. He didn't ask for any of that, it was just given to him because the school was trying to keep him there. Also, George knows that Sheldon isn't happy in high school, so maybe college isn't a bad idea. He could have made that case. 

I get it's a sitcom and they need drama/conflict, it's just that tonight's episode didn't work for me and fell flat. I wish they had gone more with Mary's concern about her kids growing up too quickly instead of focusing on greed. That could have worked better for me. Maybe Mary's realizing her kids are growing up and that scares so she goes crazy with family related church activities, or just family/togetherness type stuff in general. 

[Lily H]

This show is rapidly becoming unwatchable for me. I am so repulsed by Mary's rigid religious fundamentalist lunacy that it spoils everything else, because all I can think about is how much I would like to punch her in the face. I think the character works better in small doses.

[Guest]

I’m glad that the show confirmed when Sheldon start college. They just couldn’t put it off much longer for both Sheldon and continuity.

 I know a lot of people are irritated with Sheldon but Mary is rapidly becoming my least favorite character. I understand that she is overly controlling because she’s fighting a losing battle to keep her family from changing but she’s doing a massive disservice to everyone. The last season has just proven how wrong she was to block the movie to Oklahoma. 

[Sarah 103]

9 minutes ago, Dani said:

I’m glad that the show confirmed when Sheldon start college. They just couldn’t put it off much longer for both Sheldon and continuity.

I don't think the move to college is going to change the show that much, especially now that it's such a strong ensemble cast. Since Sheldon will probably go to school locally, he will still be interacting with his family. We can get storylines about Sheldon in college, and still have storylines about all of the other family members too.  

[Guest]

15 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I don't think the move to college is going to change the show that much, especially now that it's such a strong ensemble cast. Since Sheldon will probably go to school locally, he will still be interacting with his family. We can get storylines about Sheldon in college, and still have storylines about all of the other family members too.  

I agree. I think it will be a good change and that will help keep the show from getting too stall or repetitive. 

Edited November 22, 2019 by Guest

[Caseysgirl]

I think Craig Nelson and Annie Potts have a lot of chemistry.  I actually could never see someone as sardonic and uninhibited as she being with the Wallace Shawn character.

Edited November 22, 2019 by Caseysgirl
Missed a word

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, Caseysgirl said:

I think Craig Nelson and Annie Potts have a lot of chemistry.  I actually could never see someone as sardonic and uninhibited as she being with the Wallace Shawn character.

I guess everybody's over shipping MeeMaw with Wallace Shawn.  I actually agree that they seemed an unusual pairing to begin with, but they sold me on it.

I agree with others that if there was a problem in the family, it wasn't greed like Mary said.  She should have been happy that George was going to be bringing in more income for the family.  I don't think what George was doing was a problem at all.  Georgie was just disobedient and disrespectful.  

Pastor Jeff buying a toaster oven was kind of funny.

I like both Black Sabbath and Jesus Christ Superstar, by the way.

[nora1992]

12 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Hah!  I'm not the only one who noticed (and appreciated) Georgie's hair!  But what happened to his job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?  

Isn't the actor who played the neighbor/auto mechanic now starring in a different CBS show?  We probably won't see him again, unless the part is recast.  

[Bali]

9 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Mary's problem wasn't that he had money, it's that he was being disrespectful to her. 

George wasn't being greedy. He didn't ask for any of that, it was just given to him because the school was trying to keep him there. Also, George knows that Sheldon isn't happy in high school, so maybe college isn't a bad idea. He could have made that case. 

I get it's a sitcom and they need drama/conflict, it's just that tonight's episode didn't work for me and fell flat. I wish they had gone more with Mary's concern about her kids growing up too quickly instead of focusing on greed. That could have worked better for me. Maybe Mary's realizing her kids are growing up and that scares so she goes crazy with family related church activities, or just family/togetherness type stuff in general. 

Mary's problem is that she's a loon. I didn't enjoy Mary's storyline much either. But I think in the end, it boiled down to her focusing on greed so that she didn't have to focus on the kids growing up. You can do something about the greed, you can't stop the kids from growing up.

OK- about this episode. This may go down as one of my favorites for one reason alone. I didn't know I needed Wallace Shawn in an elf costume, but apparently I did, because that still has me giggling. I also enjoyed, "What's a kerfuffle?" "Not that." "Now that's a kerfuffle." And I enjoyed the whole family tromping over to Meemaw's house. "Your daughter's gone crazy. Oh Good, I like him."

But I did want to smack the pastor. I was in my house going, "It's just a toaster oven. You can't cook a pizza in a toaster, and the toaster oven saves on electricity. JUST BUY IT!"

[Armchair Critic]

Funny because I used to always order the chimichanga at Chi Chi's. I have fond memories of going there in high school and on my first dinner date. 🙂 

I guess Mary doesn't bother me that much because it seems like people were more religious like that back then. My parents were pretty strict with us growing up but now they have loosened up and are the cool grandparents, go figure.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

12 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I don't think the move to college is going to change the show that much, especially now that it's such a strong ensemble cast. Since Sheldon will probably go to school locally, he will still be interacting with his family. We can get storylines about Sheldon in college, and still have storylines about all of the other family members too.  

George should put off the switch as long as possible.  He's going to have some very long commutes with Sheldon, and will probably become a Star Trek expert!

Edited November 22, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[TheLastKidPicked]

I like when Young Sheldon brings in actors who were popular back in the 80's.  It completes the circle somehow.

But do any of you also get a tinge of sadness to see the actors who were in their prime back then looking so much older now?

Edited November 22, 2019 by TheLastKidPicked

[kwnyc]

I like how they are layering in Georgie's talents that lead to him growing up to be a successful businessman: he can't sell the snowglobes until he makes them desirable; he then becomes a candy king, and now he's selling sporting goods on commission. He's a tire whisperer, so put it all together, and he becomes "Doctor" Tires.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, nora1992 said:

Isn't the actor who played the neighbor/auto mechanic now starring in a different CBS show?  We probably won't see him again, unless the part is recast.  

He is but he’s on another Chuck Lorre show. If they want him back for an episode it would probably happen. 

[babyhouseman]

8 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Funny because I used to always order the chimichanga at Chi Chi's. I have fond memories of going there in high school and on my first dinner date. 🙂 

I guess Mary doesn't bother me that much because it seems like people were more religious like that back then. My parents were pretty strict with us growing up but now they have loosened up and are the cool grandparents, go figure.

I'm in the South, and I had a family member who went very religious after having kids. I find Mary to be realistic. 

[Chit Chat]

36 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

I'm in the South, and I had a family member who went very religious after having kids. I find Mary to be realistic. 

IIRC, Mary became religious after becoming pregnant with Georgie out of wedlock.  According to MeeMaw, Mary was quite wild in her teen years.  I think she's trying to atone for her past behavior. 

[Beetlepoet]

I'm glad that the whole college and job offer things didn't turn into a big family fight like the one in the Thanksgiving episode of last season (which is one of my favourite episodes btw). Also I'm glad to see that they didn't show Mary as the bad guy at least this time, she had a legitimate reason for being concerned about Sheldon going to the college. But I'm still insisting that she deserves to get some credit in the next episodes. Her overreaction to the "sin of greed is conquering my family" thing was funny to watch. 

Georgie's reaction after hearing Jesus Christ Superstar instead of Black Sabbath in his walkman made my day. 😄 

3 hours ago, ChitChat said:

IIRC, Mary became religious after becoming pregnant with Georgie out of wedlock.  According to MeeMaw, Mary was quite wild in her teen years.  I think she's trying to atone for her past behavior. 

I remember Meemaw telling Missy that she became religious because of her. When Missy was born, her health was in danger, so Mary prayed and promised to be a better Christian if Missy managed to recover. 

Edited November 23, 2019 by Beetlepoet

[Yeah No]

I got a kick out of Sheldon watching "Star Trek: Next Generation" on his VCR, and for the show sticking to realism with that 3rd season episode "The Enemy", which I just noticed aired in November of 1989.  Funny, I was just posting here last week about recording on my VCR back then and wondering when we would see Sheldon doing it.  That was quick!

Mary taking away the TVs reminded me of my best friend, who just around that year started going to an evangelical church and ended up throwing out her TV and all her cassette tapes because they "came from the devil".  Needless to say when she came to her senses, she regretted it.

I LOVED the Black & Decker toaster oven the pastor got.  I owned that exact model!!!  I had completely forgotten about it - thanks, show for the nostalgia.

I have only one nitpick, and that's that the women's clothing on this show really should have shoulder pads.  Just about everything back then did, even T shirts!

[rmontro]

17 hours ago, Bali said:

Mary's problem is that she's a loon.

Agree, I don't like the way she's being written, she's coming off like a wacko.  I don't recall this being the case previously.  She's been a good mother with a limited worldview, who is also a person of faith.  But lately they've been pushing her over the top.

[Homily]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I have only one nitpick, and that's that the women's clothing on this show really should have shoulder pads.  Just about everything back then did, even T shirts!

That takes me back!  I have broad shoulders and I used to have to take those stupid shoulder pads out of almost every top or jacket that I bought back then.  What were the fashion people thinking??

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

Agree, I don't like the way she's being written, she's coming off like a wacko.  I don't recall this being the case previously.  She's been a good mother with a limited worldview, who is also a person of faith.  But lately they've been pushing her over the top.

I've said it before but if they keep down this path I am out of this show.  They are pulling the usual Chuck Lorre crap of making the wife a shrew and the husband a poor put upon guy who only screws up because he was pushed by his mean wife.  

[HazelEyes4325]

On 11/21/2019 at 8:01 PM, Sarah 103 said:

I had some problems with this episode. I'm guessing Georgie goes out on dates and that he's allowed to have dinner with his friends (if he gets permission first). What Mary should have said was something like, "It's great that you have your own money, but tonight is a school night and we're having a family dinner. You can buy your own dinner on weekends." Mary's problem wasn't that he had money, it's that he was being disrespectful to her. 

The way I saw it, it had more to do with Mary's control issues than anything.  I don't think she was upset with Georgie having money--he's had money and jobs before--but his independence.  And while I think there are very good reasons not to send a 10 year old, even a prodigy, to college, it felt to me like the reasons for Mary's resistance were much more along the lines of not wanting her baby grow up than worrying about his mental and social well-being.

My MIL was much like this.  When my husband (the older of the two boys) was about thirteen, she had a very, very hard time dealing with it and really damaged their relationship.  When his younger brother hit about the same age, she went overboard trying to keep him a baby.  And why I say overboard, he's now in his 40s, still living at home, and has never had a job.

I think sometimes when women put so much, or even all, of their own identity into motherhood, this happens when they start seeing the end of the their "active" motherhood (not a good term...motherhood is always active!  How about, "mothering of minors") they might start to struggle and sometimes that comes out as controlling.

[Sarah 103]

On 11/22/2019 at 9:50 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

George should put off the switch as long as possible.  He's going to have some very long commutes with Sheldon, and will probably become a Star Trek expert!

I could picture an episode with a fun subplot about the two of them commuting. Maybe they find some radio show or audio book they both love but for totally different reasons. 

[Driad]

When YS began, more than two years ago, Sheldon was nine years old, right?  Now he is ten.  It appears that show time runs more slowly than our time.

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, Driad said:

When YS began, more than two years ago, Sheldon was nine years old, right?  Now he is ten.  It appears that show time runs more slowly than our time.

It is. Based on the Nobel announcement the finale last season was set in October 1990. The first 2 seasons covered one year. 

[Chit Chat]

On 11/22/2019 at 6:06 PM, Beetlepoet said:

I remember Meemaw telling Missy that she became religious because of her. When Missy was born, her health was in danger, so Mary prayed and promised to be a better Christian if Missy managed to recover. 

I completely forgot about that conversation!  Thanks for posting that.  🙂 

[kathe5133]

22 hours ago, Homily said:

That takes me back!  I have broad shoulders and I used to have to take those stupid shoulder pads out of almost every top or jacket that I bought back then.  What were the fashion people thinking??

I have narrow shoulders and wide hips.  Loved shoulder pads!  They made my waist look tiny!  

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, kathe5133 said:

I have narrow shoulders and wide hips.  Loved shoulder pads!  They made my waist look tiny!  

Me too.  And at my age with tummy issues I could use a little waist minimization these days.  Oh well.

[SnarkySheep]

On 11/22/2019 at 6:36 PM, ChitChat said:

IIRC, Mary became religious after becoming pregnant with Georgie out of wedlock.  According to MeeMaw, Mary was quite wild in her teen years.  I think she's trying to atone for her past behavior. 

And if you really think about it, her story kind of dovetails with Veronica's, which is interesting.

If I were TPTB, I would have shown the ending with Pastor Jeff and the toaster as seen on video by the Sears security team...

[MoreCoffeePlease]

A kerfuffle over singing "How Great Thou Art" at church?  Are the writers members of my church?

Love "What's the buzz? Tell me what's happenin' ..."  Big Jesus Christ Superstar fan.

When the pastor went back to look at the toaster ovens, I swear there was a "Salad Shooter" on a lower shelf. This was a great small appliance for quickly slicing things, and it also had a grating blade, which I used a lot before you could buy bags of grated cheese. (Yes, I am that old.)  I'm glad that the props department has fun with this stuff.

Another Chi Chi's fan here. Always got the fried iced cream for dessert. 😊

Edited November 25, 2019 by MoreCoffeePlease

[Bali]

19 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

A kerfuffle over singing "How Great Thou Art" at church?  Are the writers members of my church?

That's not a kerfuffle- per Meemaw

[John Potts]

I think people are being harsh on Mary. It's not just that Sheldon is only 10 (and really uncomfortable with change) so setting off to a new College is likely to be a big wrench for him. The last time Sheldon attempted to try out for a college he ended up setting Dr Sturgis' house on fire! OK, maybe her reactions were a little extreme (and I loved that it was her mother who pointed out what she was doing), but she does have real concerns about how Sheldon might handle a college environment.

And kudos for the writers for correctly quoting Paul's letter to Timothy ("The love of money is the root of all evil"). Evidently Georgie could do with a little more religious awareness when he came out with the line, "What's evil about Black Sabbath?"

And how sad is it that I had no trouble identifying the Star Trek - TNG episode purely from Sheldon's description (The Enemy)?

Edited November 28, 2019 by John Potts

[Bort]

1 hour ago, John Potts said:

And how sad is it that I had no trouble identifying the Star Trek - TNG episode purely from Sheldon's description (The Enemy)?

I may have you beat. The scene was them talking about modifying Geordi’s visor, I pegged the episode on that snippet alone.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, John Potts said:

I think people are being harsh on Mary. It's not just that Sheldon is only 10 (and really uncomfortable with change) so setting off to a new College is likely to be a big wrench for him. The last time Sheldon attempted to try out for a college he ended up setting Dr Sturgis' house on fire! OK, maybe her reactions were a little extreme (and I loved that it was her mother who pointed out what she was doing), but she does have real concerns about how Sheldon might handle a college environment.

That was because he was living with someone completely unequipped to care for a child. In this scenario Sheldon would still be living at home and commuting during the day.  

I think that Mary actually has a really relatable point of view but that the writers are falling back on the trope of the controlling wife. I really liked the scene with Connie and Mary but the rest of the episode went too far.

The two previous episodes where Sheldon tries to live away from home did a better job of showing that Sheldon wasn’t ready to go to college. This time they only showed that Mary wasn’t ready. The fact that Mary also refused to even consider a move that could have been ideal for Sheldon and George makes her look worse.  

I think this episode would have been better if the roles were reversed. George could have been hesitant about coaching a bad team and having a long commute with Mary pushing for it to keep Sheldon at home every night. This is felt too much like a retread that didn’t add anything to the overall story. 

Edited November 29, 2019 by Guest

[lh25]

On 11/22/2019 at 2:48 AM, rmontro said:

I like both Black Sabbath and Jesus Christ Superstar, by the way.

I do too, but I remember when JCS first came out, and a lot of Christians refused to listen to the music or watch it because they thought it was a disrespectful portrayal.  Even in my pretty liberal part of the country.  Based on that, I was surprised Mary would promote it. 

[PennyPlain]

On 11/28/2019 at 9:22 PM, Dani said:

I think that Mary actually has a really relatable point of view but that the writers are falling back on the trope of the controlling wife. I really liked the scene with Connie and Mary but the rest of the episode went too far.

Sadly this seems to be the way they are determined to go with Mary's character.  She didn't start off that way but I can see Lorre's fine hand at work.  Women are the bad guys in almost every relationship.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, lh25 said:

I do too, but I remember when JCS first came out, and a lot of Christians refused to listen to the music or watch it because they thought it was a disrespectful portrayal.

I remember, and I imagine it is still considered controversial.  There are, admittedly, a few "iffy" aspects to it.  I'm guessing if Pastor Jeff was okay with it, Mary would be too

[msrachelj]

On 11/22/2019 at 1:34 PM, TheLastKidPicked said:

I like when Young Sheldon brings in actors who were popular back in the 80's.  It completes the circle somehow.

But do any of you also get a tinge of sadness to see the actors who were in their prime back then looking so much older now?

Only because it reminds me I'm older too and I hate it!

On 12/8/2019 at 12:01 PM, lh25 said:

I do too, but I remember when JCS first came out, and a lot of Christians refused to listen to the music or watch it because they thought it was a disrespectful portrayal.  Even in my pretty liberal part of the country.  Based on that, I was surprised Mary would promote it. 

I remember that also. Older people, like my father, did think it was disrespectful. 

[msrachelj]

Unfortunately 'young Sheldon" is losing his adorable young little boy looks as he is getting older and hence, is becoming more unlikeable as a character. This happens a lot in sitcoms with few exceptions. 

[Beany Malone]

6 hours ago, msrachelj said:

I remember that also. Older people, like my father, did think it was disrespectful. 

I rermember the movie was definitely controversial,  with the rise of the religious right recently I bet it would be even more controversial now! Anyway my very Catholic mother took my sisters and I to see JSC when it came out. She was probably a little older than Mary is meant to be on YS and she loved it.  She thought it was a great way to get "the kids" interested in Jesus...and musicals 😊.