S03.E16: Pasadena

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon visits CalTech for the very first time. Also, Georgie is furious when Mary listens in on a phone call with his girlfriend, and Meemaw tries to cheer up a jealous Missy.

Airdate: Thursday, February 20, 2020

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

[Chaos Theory]

George may not have understood Sheldon but he sure did love him.

""The Captain and Mr. Spock don't hold hands."  I am guessing Young Sheldon doesn't read Star Trek fanfiction,  

The Conversation between Georgie and Mary was interesting.  

 

 

[nora1992]

The phone eavesdropping took me back: it would happen all the time when I was little, and there were only two phones in the house.

Sweet how George calmed Sheldon.

Missy is an unsung treasure.

[Browncoat]

I would love it if we see Missy in the next episode with pierced ears. 

[Spartan Girl]

I grinned like an idiot at the last shot of Sheldon and George at the Big Bang cafeteria.

George using Star Trek to pep talk Sheldon into touching it out on the plane was everything. I'm 32 and I still get a little scared during takeoff whenever I get on a plane.

Poor Georgie finding out he's unplanned. And poor Missy being left out, but Meemaw knows how to make it better.

"How did I raise such a turd?!" Oh Meemaw

[ams1001]

The Mr. Spock and Kirk scene was so sweet. 

Is there a word for nostalgia for the future? That silent view of the cafeteria...

[Izzy85]

43 minutes ago, nora1992 said:

Missy is an unsung treasure.

She really is my favorite character on this show. I just adore her 🥰 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I grinned like an idiot at the last shot of Sheldon and George at the Big Bang cafeteria.

I shed a tear.   What a meaningful moment that was.  

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

George may not have understood Sheldon but he sure did love him.

""The Captain and Mr. Spock don't hold hands."  I am guessing Young Sheldon doesn't read Star Trek fanfiction,  

Mary knows all the detials like his bathroom schedule and exactly how he likes his food prepared. George knows the big picture. He is aware that Sheldon likes Star Trek and figured he could use what he knew about the show to help Sheldon. 

When Sheldon made the comment about holding hands, my first thought was "I wonder what will happen when Sheldon discovers fan-fiction."

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I grinned like an idiot at the last shot of Sheldon and George at the Big Bang cafeteria.

I think almost every Big Bang Theory fan smiled at the last shot of the CalTech cafeteria. 

[jewel21]

Damn if this episode didn't get me right in the feels. 

I loved Sheldon holding George's hand.

And I both grinned and teared up at the last shot of the CalTech cafeteria. 

Well done, show. Well done. 

[anna0852]

I almost burst into tears seeing the cafeteria. I had no idea I missed BBT that much. And they haven't even been gone a year.

[Bobbin]

Good for Mary not fudging on the facts of Georgie's life. Well played. In just a few minutes she helped Georgie mature by a couple of years.

I shed a pre-nostalgic tear or few at the cafeteria reveal, almost as many as when Sheldon was crying at the thought of being alone and friendless for the rest of his life, and then we got a glimpse of each of his future friends, a taste of all that lies ahead. Very well done.

[Driad]

Didn't Georgie already know that he was unplanned?  I'm picturing a conversation at the kitchen table, but maybe that was something else.

And I loved the cafeteria shot.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Driad said:

Didn't Georgie already know that he was unplanned?  I'm picturing a conversation at the kitchen table, but maybe that was something else.

And I loved the cafeteria shot.

Georgie asked her if she was pregnant when she got married because Sheldon did the math. Mary lied and told him he was a big, fat premie. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

“Is she your girlfriend?”

”Dad, can you make her stop?”

”Yeah, I could, but I won’t. Also, I can’t.”

[hoodooznoodooz]

This family is so terrific.

Georgie was brilliant with his resentful responses to his mom.

 

[Mystery]

I would've rather watched MeeMaw and Missy's Big Adventure. Sheldon-heavy episodes just don't do it for me anymore; I don't find it interesting or amusing to watch him relentlessly get his way. I felt like even the end was the show going once too often to the future well. 

If this show ever has him by himself without his siblings, I'll be gone. 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Mystery

[HurricaneVal]

I love the Missy chatacter, she has the best lines.  But my heart also breaks for Missy -- especially with that look in her eyes in that scene where she tells Sheldon that he got a computer and she got a booger book from the library.  And again in the car with Meemaw.  

[Pietr]

What got me at the hand holding scene was also the other step it was for Sheldon.  I'm pretty sure he was still wearing mittens last time they said grace at dinner.

[hoodooznoodooz]

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I love the Missy character, she has the best lines.  But my heart also breaks for Missy -- especially with that look in her eyes in that scene where she tells Sheldon that he got a computer and she got a booger book from the library.  And again in the car with Meemaw.  

The booger book conversation was really well done.

I loved Missy updating George with regard to the spying/lying/grounding, telling him that everyone was mad, but she was happy, and George appreciating with a smile how these events entertain her.

[mammaM]

All I can say is if Missy doesn't have pierced ears in the next episode I'm gonna be very disappointed with Meemaw😂

[Armchair Critic]

13 hours ago, nora1992 said:

The phone eavesdropping took me back: it would happen all the time when I was little, and there were only two phones in the house.

I could relate to Georgie, I got busted so many times as a teenager from my parents picking up the phone when I was on it. 

[zoey1996]

I very rarely watched TBBT, and even I appreciated the cafeteria shot!

Aw, Missy.  

2 hours ago, mammaM said:

All I can say is if Missy doesn't have pierced ears in the next episode I'm gonna be very disappointed with Meemaw😂

Totally agree with this!

[Kiddvideo]

Sheldon calling Meemaw to see if she was still alive got a laugh from me. I didn’t see that coming at all. And I know he hadn’t flown before, but I can’t imagine Sheldon didn’t know about the safety demonstration or that he voluntarily ran into the lav. I think George’s pep talk was sweeter, but I picture Sheldon correcting the flight attendants or annoying passengers with trivia about the aircraft or the Wright brothers.

[kwnyc]

Quote

Mary knows all the detials like his bathroom schedule and exactly how he likes his food prepared. George knows the big picture. He is aware that Sheldon likes Star Trek and figured he could use what he knew about the show to help Sheldon. 

George is actually a very good coach; that scene of him yelling at the team not to QUIT because they don't know what lies ahead was an example of that. He knows how to get the best out of each player. (He was, after all, recruited to a college program.) 

And that was gorgeous when Sheldon let his father take his hand. The character is most interesting when he's a little boy, as well as a genius. (Like when he took the refrigerator apart and couldn't get it back together.)

There's just some fine acting and writing all the way 'round with this show.

[grommit2]

13 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Good for Mary not fudging on the facts of Georgie's life. Well played. In just a few minutes she helped Georgie mature by a couple of years.

I shed a pre-nostalgic tear or few at the cafeteria reveal, almost as many as when Sheldon was crying at the thought of being alone and friendless for the rest of his life, and then we got a glimpse of each of his future friends, a taste of all that lies ahead. Very well done.

Yeah.  Alone and friendless.
Sometimes it just works out that way.
Sometimes one makes a stupid, stupid mistake that stays with you for the rest of your life.
Sometimes...<<SIGH>>

[hoodooznoodooz]

I am so happy that Mary was able to express how much she cherishes not-a-mistake Georgie, and how, at that moment, he was 100% receptive to her love.

Montana did a phenomenal job with the combination of emotions- - hurt, angry, jaded. As did Raegan. When she reacted to MeeMaw’s pierced ears comment, her pleasure was authentic. 

I agree that George is a fine, wise, inspiring coach. 

[MadyGirl1987]

Loved this episode. Thought all the pairings between the younger and older cast were done well, especially George and Sheldon. I love when we see that under it all, Sheldon is still just a little kid. 
 

That ending in the BBT cafeteria was perfect!

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, mammaM said:

All I can say is if Missy doesn't have pierced ears in the next episode I'm gonna be very disappointed with Meemaw😂

Near the end, I was actually expecting this episode to be "continued next week".  I thought we might get to see some (well, more) of Sheldon and his dad's time in California, and some of the adventures of Missy and Meemaw. 

It would be great to see Missy have pierced ears next episode, but I could also see her backing out at the last minute so as not to displease her mother.  But Meemaw would have definitely gone through with it lol.

I was apparently less impressed by the Big Bang cafeteria than most people here.  I thought it was a little schmaltzy and predictable.  Good episode though. 

[Beetlepoet]

One of the best episode of the whole series. Enjoyed every moment, but I would love to see the cutted scene with Missy and Meemaw. I hope they’ll put these scenes in the season 3 DVD as extra, they didn’t have anything in the season 2 DVD, just episodes.

For a moment, I thought Sheldon would really get off the plane, I’m glad it didn’t happen and they got to see Caltech. George made a great job as a parent. The ending scene was perfect. 

Mary also did a good job in her speech to Georgie. I’m also glad that didn’t turn into a religious speech. Also I love to learn about Mary and George’s past.

I really cracked up when Mary said “I’m a cool and fun mom” and George tried not to burst with laughter. 😂

Edited February 21, 2020 by Beetlepoet

[Katy M]

I think it's a good thing that George went and not Mary.  I think Mary would have demanded that they let her and Sheldon off the plane.  George handled that perfectly.  I don't know that a flight attendant would have been that quick to use the phrase security with a little kid. It was pretty clear what was going on. "If you can't calm him down and return to your seats within 2 minutes we'll have to ask you to deplane," sounds more realistic to me.

My sister always got her own way when we were kids.  I used to think it was because my mom liked her better.  But, then as an adult, I decided that wasn't it and I finally just asked my mom why she always got her way.  My mom said it was because I was more easygoing and that my sister would throw fits.  I told her she was lucky I was too stupid to figure that out or she would have had two fit throwers.  I now know my mom was just taking the path of least resistance, but I think if she had known all the hurt it caused me, she would have done it differently.

I liked Mary's conversation with Georgie.  It made up for her lying to him before which I was not down with.  

[Chit Chat]

41 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I liked Mary's conversation with Georgie.  It made up for her lying to him before which I was not down with.  

I liked it too, but I'm sure she didn't want him to ever think that he was a mistake, so she had to be careful in how she gave him the news of  her unplanned pregnancy.  I hope that this brings them closer together.

It's funny when kids look at their parents and think that they know nothing, and/or never experienced any of the things that they are going through.  If they only knew half of the crap that most of us did in our youth, they'd be shocked!  

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

I was apparently less impressed by the Big Bang cafeteria than most people here.  I thought it was a little schmaltzy and predictable.  Good episode though. 

Even though I'm a BBT fan, I honestly had forgotten that Cal-Tech was where the guys worked.  It was in that moment of seeing the cafeteria again that I had that, "oh yeah, that's right" moment.  I seem to be blocking out small details like that from my brain!  Yikes!

 

[SailorGirl]

Correct me if I’m wrong but we also got the first occurrence of Sheldon’s three knocks. He knocked three times on the bathroom door and said Dad, then did it again, then when he went in, he did the third time on the shower door. Wonder if they’re phasing this in as a new quirk for Sheldon with some sort of explanation coming as to why in order to get around the BBT reason we were given for the three knocks.

[Bobbin]

9 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I am so happy that Mary was able to express how much she cherishes not-a-mistake Georgie, and how, at that moment, he was 100% receptive to her love.

Montana did a phenomenal job with the combination of emotions- - hurt, angry, jaded. As did Raegan. When she reacted to MeeMaw’s pierced ears comment, her pleasure was authentic. 

I agree that George is a fine, wise, inspiring coach. 

Every episode brings me more respect for everyone in the Cooper family. And the cast. And the writers. Bravo.

ETA:  There was also irony in that Cal Tech cafeteria lunch room scene that didn't dawn on me at first. Before we saw where they were standing, Sheldon was imagining all of the deeply profound discussions that must take place there! Comparing superheroes, analyzing romantic failures, and endless trivia? The best of times just the same.

Edited February 22, 2020 by Bobbin
Added thought.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Bobbin said:

There was also irony in that Cal Tech cafeteria lunch room scene that didn't dawn on me at first. Before we saw where they were standing, Sheldon was imagining all of the deeply profound discussions that must take place there! Comparing superheroes, analyzing romantic failures, and endless trivia? The best of times just the same.

That thought crossed my mind as well.  Half those conversations were probably Leonard whining about Penny.

[HyeChaps]

Bravo to Dr. S for making a dream come true!

[EtheltoTillie]

I liked when Mary took the photo, and Sheldon said Aww, you made me smile. 

[mojoween]

Goddamn I did not at all expect the cafeteria scene to get to me but whoo-boy did it.  So many emotions thinking on all we learned on the BBT series!

[Beany Malone]

13 hours ago, rmontro said:

Half those conversations were probably Leonard whining about Penny.

True but not for lack of trying on the part of Sheldon.  I loved some of those suggestions he would make on things they should be talking about rather than boring stuff like love and  life.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Bravo to Dr. S for making a dream come true!

It was a very nice thing he did for Sheldon.  

Sheldon was so frantic about his one chance to meet Stephen Hawkins.  If only he could've seen into the future!!  

[Artsda]

Loved the ending scene with the CalTech cafeteria. 

[aemom]

I really like that Mary told Georgie the truth about getting married because she was pregnant and that she used to be wild and crazy.

He really needed to hear that, and I imagine that their relationship will turn a corner now. She's seeing him as more mature and he now has a different perspective of his mom that will help him better relate to her.

Edited February 22, 2020 by aemom
Typo

[Yeah No]

On 2/21/2020 at 2:51 PM, rmontro said:

Near the end, I was actually expecting this episode to be "continued next week".  I thought we might get to see some (well, more) of Sheldon and his dad's time in California, and some of the adventures of Missy and Meemaw. 

Me too, I actually felt a little let down that there wasn't more of a focus on their actual time at Caltech.  And Missy and Meemaw together are gold so more of that would have been nice.  Both actresses are spectacular.  Predictable or not, I did love the cafeteria shot at the end, though.  I admit to having a schmalzy side and this got to me.  Maybe if the show was a little longer than 17 minutes I might not have felt gypped.

[rmontro]

20 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Me too, I actually felt a little let down that there wasn't more of a focus on their actual time at Caltech.

Yeah I mean it's in the episode description that Sheldon visits CalTech for the first time.  It isn't unreasonable to think we might get to see some of it.

I have a sentimental side myself for sure, just for whatever reason the cafeteria scene just came off as awkward to me.  Who knows why?  Maybe because they've done similar references to Big Bang Theory before.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

I have a sentimental side myself for sure, just for whatever reason the cafeteria scene just came off as awkward to me.  Who knows why?  Maybe because they've done similar references to Big Bang Theory before.

I think the cafeteria scene left me wanting more.  Like they squandered a golden opportunity to center an episode around young Sheldon's experience at CalTech and instead all we got was him freaking out on the airplane and this lame-o cafeteria teaser.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I think the cafeteria scene left me wanting more.  Like they squandered a golden opportunity to center an episode around young Sheldon's experience at CalTech and instead all we got was him freaking out on the airplane and this lame-o cafeteria teaser.

It left me wanting more but I think it might have been a good thing they underplayed the moment. Episodes like this are always in danger of dipping into fan fiction territory.

I think the episode description and title were a mistake. The other Big Bang tie-ins were unexpected which made them pleasant surprises. This time they built up the expectation and then under delivered. It would have worked at lot better if they had just said Hawking was in LA without mentioned CalTech by name. 

[Chit Chat]

11 hours ago, rmontro said:

Yeah I mean it's in the episode description that Sheldon visits CalTech for the first time.  It isn't unreasonable to think we might get to see some of it.

Episodes like this leave me wanting more, but since it's just a 30 minute show, I understand that they've got to try and get in as much as they can that involves everybody.  I do think it was nice that they showed George managing Sheldon's anxiety.  Sometimes Mary thinks she's the only one who can handle Sheldon, so it's nice to see George take the lead on that from time to time.   I also liked that Mary was the one to tell Georgie about her unplanned pregnancy.  It was a nice moment between them.

It's nice to see the relationship between Sheldon & his Dad because I had a preconceived notion of what it was like, and this show is telling us (as of now) that it was better than I imagined.  

[ehall1052]

On 2/22/2020 at 11:49 PM, Yeah No said:

Maybe if the show was a little longer than 17 minutes I might not have felt gypped.

Ha! That is no exaggeration! I taped this episode and one of my favorite shows was to begin in 20 minutes so I decided to watch YS. I watched it, zipped through the commercials and was finished with the show before my 20 minutes were up! Must be easy for the actors to learn their few lines.

[Bali]

13 hours ago, rmontro said:

Yeah I mean it's in the episode description that Sheldon visits CalTech for the first time.  It isn't unreasonable to think we might get to see some of it.

I have a sentimental side myself for sure, just for whatever reason the cafeteria scene just came off as awkward to me.  Who knows why?  Maybe because they've done similar references to Big Bang Theory before.

I think it's because I feel like the school would have updated the cafeteria at least some between when Sheldon was 10 and the end of BBT. 

On 2/21/2020 at 9:08 PM, SailorGirl said:

Correct me if I’m wrong but we also got the first occurrence of Sheldon’s three knocks. He knocked three times on the bathroom door and said Dad, then did it again, then when he went in, he did the third time on the shower door. Wonder if they’re phasing this in as a new quirk for Sheldon with some sort of explanation coming as to why in order to get around the BBT reason we were given for the three knocks.

I know others disagree with me, but I'd still be fine with a full recon on that situation. 

[Beetlepoet]

6 hours ago, ehall1052 said:

Ha! That is no exaggeration! I taped this episode and one of my favorite shows was to begin in 20 minutes so I decided to watch YS. I watched it, zipped through the commercials and was finished with the show before my 20 minutes were up! Must be easy for the actors to learn their few lines.

When I watch the show with my family in Turkey, we do it on commercial breaks, because they’re almost always longer than 20 minutes, with trailers of upcoming shows. And guess the length of the TV shows: almost 3 hours! 10 YS episodes are equal to 1 Turkish TV show, true story.

I guess the episodes have the mean length of 18 minutes, the longest was the Thanksgiving episode of last season was 21 minutes, if I remember correct. I wouldn’t say no to a 3 hour long YS, but not every week, it would be too much. 😂Wish they made 22 minutes long at least... 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Beetlepoet