S03.E20: A Baby Tooth and the Egyptian God of Knowledge

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon has a scientific breakthrough at the dentist’s office. Also, Dale and Meemaw go to the casino, and Georgie makes a big mistake when Dale leaves him in charge of the store.

Airdate: Thursday, April 16, 2020

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

[Spartan Girl]

Poor Georgie. Dale was being way too harsh. Clearly he was more pissed about Connie than the actual robbery.

Missy gets FOUR kids?! Guess she can handle it.

Loved Ryan Stiles as the dentist.

Sheldon's talking poster dream was gold. But what the hell did he put in that tea?

Edited April 17, 2020 by Spartan Girl

[Browncoat]

It's bad enough that Dale takes out his frustrations on Georgie -- he'd better not take it out on Missy, too!  Poor Georgie.  No money and now no job.  

[shapeshifter]

Does Dale think Georgie robbed the till and only came back because he thought he’d “get in trouble”?
Or did Dale fire Georgie because MeMaw accuses him of thinking hiring her grandson entitled him to marry her?

Or is it a combination of the two?

[vibeology]

I'm heartbroken for Georgie. He's great at his jobs and he takes pride in his work. It's a big mistake but I think Dale was taking out his anger at Connie on Georgie. But I've never liked Dale so I'm not surprised at this turn.

[jewel21]

I, too, feel terrible for Georgie. It's clear Dale was in a pissy mood about Connie turning him down and took it out on Georgie, who was trying to make it right by paying for the stolen money out of his own pocket. Gah, I just want to hug the boy and kick Dale in the nuts. I hope Connie does it for me, heh. 

[Ciarrai]

Aw poor Georgie.

[anna0852]

Poor Georgie! It didn't even occur to him *not* to make it right. That was his car fund! Stupid Dale.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Poor Georgie! It didn't even occur to him *not* to make it right. That was his car fund! Stupid Dale.

I watch this show intermittently, so I might be wrong, but I've been assuming Dr. Sturgis was MeMaw's endgame since Wallace Shawn was still around
--although Wallace Shawn doing a vaguely creepy dream character makes me wonder if the writers had bounced around the idea of offing Dr. Sturgis and having him just have a ghost existence in Sheldon's imagination.

 

 

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

It's bad enough that Dale takes out his frustrations on Georgie -- he'd better not take it out on Missy, too!  Poor Georgie.  No money and now no job.  

(a) Dale being mean to Missy would be total character annihilation for Dale,  and (b) Dale being mean to Missy would not fit with the tone of this show.

[Bobbin]

A typical teenager reaction, thinking the robbery was something he should handle himself without having to ask adults (the police) for help. The store wasn't robbed because Georgie left the till open and unattended, it was robbed because a crook stole the money. A lesson learned, one he'll never forget. I wonder how often Dale has been robbed. (The older Montana gets, the more he looks like Jerry O'Connell. I do hope he gets his own spinoff some day.)

This is the second time Sheldon has had a dream revelation. The first time involved numbers, and he woke up before the secret was revealed. 

Edited April 17, 2020 by Bobbin
Typo

[Mystery]

Boy, Dale looked absolutely evil at the end. Poor Georgie. He was doing a great job. That actor is so good. 

Not enough Missy, but I guess that Sheldon has to be the main character *sometimes*. 

[BckpckFullaNinjas]

I’ve liked Dale and the easy chemistry between him and Meemaw.  LOVE Wallace Shawn but Sturgis & Meemaw have no chemistry that I can see. 

So now I’m thinking that their pairing is probably permanent because it’s just another example of the wackiness that ensues when geniuses live among us. 

The poster conversation was way too much fun! 

 

[Browncoat]

Dale was mean to Missy about playing baseball in the first place.  Meemaw had to set him straight about giving Missy a chance. 

[Katy M]

I think Dale fired Georgie primarily because he was mad at Connie.  However, if Georgie worked for a big corporation sporting goods store he would have been automatically fired for leaving the drawer open, so it's not like it's completely unjustified.  And, yes, Georgie should have reported it to the police.  And, whether or not dale fired him, he did the right thing by paying the money back.  Georgie is a good kid.

[Gummo]

We always knew Dale was a dick but he outdid himself here.

 

[kwnyc]

Quote

 

(a) Dale being mean to Missy would be total character annihilation for Dale,  and (b) Dale being mean to Missy would not fit with the tone of this show.

Missy is still valuable to him: she's one of his best players. Dale's a guy who thinks about what he wants, and Georgie was easy to kick because MeeMaw didn't give him what he wants. Missy can win games for him, so I would think he wouldn't give her crap. I would THINK.

MeeMaw has also made it clear more than once that she doesn't want to get married again, so if she does end up back with Sturges, they will be boyfriend/girlfriend again.

[joanne3482]

I know Georgie said he left the till open, but that's one of those older style cash registers. He left the till, but it seems like anybody could have opened it. Dale was definitely in the wrong for the way he treated Georgie, not necessarily wrong for firing him, but for the amount of rage he fired him with. 

[chocolatine]

Dale showed his true colors telling Connie "after everything I've done for your family," as if she owes it to him to accept his marriage proposal because he did something nice for her grandchildren. If anything, *he* has benefitted from having Missy play on his team and Georgie work in his store (robbery notwithstanding, Georgie has been shown to be great at sales). And even after Connie explained that she wasn't rejecting Dale, she just didn't want to get married again, he still reacted like a spiteful jerk.

On 4/17/2020 at 2:13 AM, BckpckFullaNinjas said:

The poster conversation was way too much fun! 

I loved that it wasn't just Sheldon's Einstein, Feynman, and Hawking posters that talked to him, but also Missy's Cyndi Lauper poster, and that Cyndi knew who Gotthold Lessing was. And based on what I've read by and about Richard Feynman, his answer to Sheldon was very much in character for him.

Edited April 19, 2020 by chocolatine

[Snow Apple]

5 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I know Georgie said he left the till open, but that's one of those older style cash registers. He left the till, but it seems like anybody could have opened it. Dale was definitely in the wrong for the way he treated Georgie, not necessarily wrong for firing him, but for the amount of rage he fired him with. 

I have to agree with this and everybody else. Georgie messed up but he made it right. Dale was not out any money. If Georgie must he fired, it could have been done in a calm professional way. Don't take out your rage with Connie on a kid who was trying to make things right.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Georgie was willing to make Dale whole by replacing the cash register money with his own hard-earned money. In what world do you fire someone after he does this? Connie bruised Dale’s fragile, self-absorbed ego, not his heart. 

[Bobbin]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

I think Dale fired Georgie primarily because he was mad at Connie.  However, if Georgie worked for a big corporation sporting goods store he would have been automatically fired for leaving the drawer open, so it's not like it's completely unjustified.  And, yes, Georgie should have reported it to the police.  And, whether or not dale fired him, he did the right thing by paying the money back.  Georgie is a good kid.

I'm not so sure a corporate manager would "automatically" fire a valued employee over a mistake, even a significant one. Besides, with the sales Georgie brings in every day, Dale could absorb the loss even if Georgie hadn't made it up to him. Dale is just a jerk who uses people. And never forget, he killed Trudy Monk! Now, that's unforgivable.

[shapeshifter]

46 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Georgie was willing to make Dale whole by replacing the cash register money with his own hard-earned money. In what world do you fire someone after he does this? 

That^ ("Georgie was willing to make Dale whole by replacing the cash register money") is why I thought Dale probably leapt to the conclusion that Georgie stole the money and then was afraid of the consequences (which fits with the reason Georgie gave for not calling the cops) and that Georgie was returning the money when Dale unexpectedly showed up on Saturday. 

[Yeah No]

I don't know about today, but back in the day when I was young, if your register was short for any reason that amount came out of your salary.  This was not an uncommon thing so Georgie making it right was not seen back then as any admirable gesture, but something he owed.  His not reporting it stolen would only be seen as suspicious by any shop owner.  The shop owner being his grandma's boyfriend wouldn't make any difference.  So while I do think Dale was reacting poorly to fire Georgie, the other stuff was pretty normal for that time.

[Bobbin]

27 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I don't know about today, but back in the day when I was young, if your register was short for any reason that amount came out of your salary.  This was not an uncommon thing so Georgie making it right was not seen back then as any admirable gesture, but something he owed.  His not reporting it stolen would only be seen as suspicious by any shop owner.  The shop owner being his grandma's boyfriend wouldn't make any difference.  So while I do think Dale was reacting poorly to fire Georgie, the other stuff was pretty normal for that time.

True. Even today, if a restaurant customer skips out without paying, the server is stuck with the bill. But they're not automatically fired over the customer's dishonesty. 

56 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

That^ ("Georgie was willing to make Dale whole by replacing the cash register money") is why I thought Dale probably leapt to the conclusion that Georgie stole the money and then was afraid of the consequences (which fits with the reason Georgie gave for not calling the cops) and that Georgie was returning the money when Dale unexpectedly showed up on Saturday. 

That also is possible. But more likely that Dale fired Georgie, with attitude, to punish Connie for rejecting his proposal. Ah, well, only the writers (and the all-knowing god Thoth) know the truth.

[Katy M]

39 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I don't know about today, but back in the day when I was young, if your register was short for any reason that amount came out of your salary.  This was not an uncommon thing so Georgie making it right was not seen back then as any admirable gesture, but something he owed.  His not reporting it stolen would only be seen as suspicious by any shop owner.  The shop owner being his grandma's boyfriend wouldn't make any difference.  So while I do think Dale was reacting poorly to fire Georgie, the other stuff was pretty normal for that time.

When I was young and working in the '80s, if our register was off more than $1 or maybe it was $2, we wouldn't have to pay it back, but the company policy is you would be fired. I'm sure exceptions were made for a still somewhat small amount for a longer-term employee.  One time I accidentally gave a kid a $10 instead of a $1 for change, but luckily she brought it back (to the manager).  I assure you I was yelled at and informed that if it hadn't been brought back I would have been fired.  And I had worked there 1 year with no other incidents at that point.

This situation is different, though.  Georgie immediately offered to pay up, it's a single proprietorship, and Georgie was quite an asset in sales.  Which is why I feel that he was fired mainly because Dale was upset with Connie.  But, I also don't think he has any real cause for complaint because many people would have fired him.  

So, basically I'm saying that Dale was a jerk, but the consequences  weren't really out of line wit what might have happened in that situation.

[Mystery]

I think that Georgie meant to replace the money without telling anyone, and that's why he didn't report it. If baby Dale hadn't come home early, he never would have known. 

[Chit Chat]

Good for Georgie for doing the right thing.  Chalk that up to parents who brought him up right!  I'm sure we're going to see some fireworks from MeeMaw, or possibly George, when they get wind of how Dale treated Georgie.  I understand that it's a business owner's right to fire someone because of what happened, but Dale was such a jerk about it and he took out his bad mood on Georgie.  That's not cool.  

[camom]

I just wonder how much training Dale gave Georgie.  Did he tell him what to do in the case of theft (money or merchandise)?  Dale left a teenager totally in charge, and teenagers don't automatically know what to do when things go wrong.  I hope Dale goes away soon.

Sheldon at the dentist was pretty funny.  

[mammaM]

Good episode:

Ryan Stiles as the dentist, making Mary tell Sheldon, "You're his mommy"

Missy's line about Sheldon figuring out the answer to the universe and then forgetting it😂.

And poor Georgie!

 

[Browncoat]

Yes, Dale had every right to fire Georgie, but he didn't have to be such an ass about it.  Georgie was trying to make things right.  

[madpsych78]

George (Sr.) wasn't in this episode, was he?

[hoodooznoodooz]

Georgie was an enthusiastic, creative employee. The customers clearly like him. He was an asset to the store. Georgie had given Dale no reason to not trust him. He trusted him enough to leave him in charge of his store. If he fired Georgie because he was suspicious, I will hate Dale even more than I already do. 

[PWHCHCH]

Interesting to me how you Americans talk about how justified a Manager is for firing staff over incidents such as this, or for giving a customer the wrong change, servers paying for customers that skip out on paying etc 
 

that sort of thing would not fly here in New Zealand. In fact you could take your employer to court for unjustified dismissal and would likely win a few thousand dollars. It’s extremely hard to fire staff here, ymmv if that’s a good or bad thing. 

[Bort]

21 minutes ago, GSManiac said:

Interesting to me how you Americans talk about how justified a Manager is for firing staff over incidents such as this, or for giving a customer the wrong change, servers paying for customers that skip out on paying etc 

That’s how it was THEN, not necessarily how it is now. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, camom said:

I just wonder how much training Dale gave Georgie.  Did he tell him what to do in the case of theft (money or merchandise)?  Dale left a teenager totally in charge, and teenagers don't automatically know what to do when things go wrong.  I hope Dale goes away soon.

Good point, which is probably what MeeMaw will say when she reams out Dale.

[itsadryheat]

7 hours ago, Katy M said:

Dale was a jerk

Typical jock guy reaction. Connie bruised his fragile ego and he took it out on Georgie.

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, GSManiac said:

that sort of thing would not fly here in New Zealand. In fact you could take your employer to court for unjustified dismissal and would likely win a few thousand dollars.

I didn't like what Dale did, but I would find it hard to argue that it was unjustified.  Georgie did leave the till unattended, which is about the worst thing you can do, aside from stealing it yourself.  I would have preferred if Dale had made it a teachable moment though, Georgie's a bright kid and I'm sure he would have learned from his mistake.  If you're going to hire teenagers, they're probably going to have to learn a lesson or two.

This probably needed to happen though, because Dale had been starting to get too likable lately.  Got to remember he's a villain at heart.

And we got to see Dr. Sturgis - sort of.  I was thinking he was probably gone from the show.

[BitterApple]

Wow, that was a total dick move on Dale's part. Even if he was within his rights to fire Georgie, I'd argue the revenue Georgie brought in plus his willingness to repay the money warranted a second chance. I agree Dale was just being petty because his proposal got shot down.

Aside from that, Sheldon at the dentist was funny and we didn't get enough Missy.

[kili]

Quote

Good for Georgie for doing the right thing. 

I don't think that Georgie did the right thing and I think Dale did the wrong thing by taking the money. If you make employees make up what thieves steal, you end up making them take unsafe actions. That's how they end up getting shot or punched or dragged under cars. 

Unfortunately, part of the cost of business is getting robbed. The rewards of running a business are counter-balanced by the risks.  Forcing minimum wage employees to be your free insurance company is not right. You train your employees well, put in anti-robbery devices and you buy real insurance. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out the Georgie did close the till and the thief got in some other way. 

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, GSManiac said:

Interesting to me how you Americans talk about how justified a Manager is for firing staff over incidents such as this, or for giving a customer the wrong change, servers paying for customers that skip out on paying etc 
 

that sort of thing would not fly here in New Zealand. In fact you could take your employer to court for unjustified dismissal and would likely win a few thousand dollars. It’s extremely hard to fire staff here, ymmv if that’s a good or bad thing. 

Ummmm.....check the thread above, as far as I read none of "us Americans" thought Dale was justified in firing Georgie over the cash register mistake.  Justified in docking his pay for the missing cash register amount, perhaps, but we all pretty much thought Dale was being a dick in firing him.

It is true though, that depending on what state you live in there may be no requirement for an employer to declare a justifiable reason for termination when one is let go from a job.  My state is an "employment at will state" which means your employer can let you go at any time for any reason, and doesn't even have to give a reason.  However, only certain reasons mean you would be ineligible to collect unemployment benefits.  If you were terminated without any given reason, you can collect.  You can also collect if your termination isn't specifically stated as "fired with cause".  I don't know if this kind of cash register incident would be considered a justifiable cause to fire someone if the money was technically stolen by someone other than Georgie.  I don't know if the government would automatically assume that Georgie stole it because there's no evidence of that.  He kind of screwed himself a little by not reporting it to the police, but even without that he might still be able to collect.

Speaking of "unjustifiable dismissal" a lot of people here in the States (including me) have won wrongful termination cases.  Not that any teenager like Georgie would ever go that far nor would he necessarily succeed, but in my case the payout was well worth it for me.

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, kili said:

I don't think that Georgie did the right thing and I think Dale did the wrong thing by taking the money. If you make employees make up what thieves steal, you end up making them take unsafe actions. That's how they end up getting shot or punched or dragged under cars. 

If the theft had been a result of someone robbing him at gunpoint, I would absolutely agree with you.  I would also agree that shoplifting thefts shouldn't be paid back.  But, from Georgie's own mouth, he left the drawer wide open and unattended.   Plus, he didn't not inform the police in a timely manner.  Or at all actually.  That very may well have affected Dale's ability to get reimbursed by his insurance.

[shapeshifter]

I’m still hung up on my notion that Dale assumes Georgie was lying about someone stealing the money when the drawer was open, and that Georgie took it —in part because he had the right amount of money on him, and $400 is a lot for a teen like Georgie to save. So I keep wondering how that drama would play out. 
This post—

6 hours ago, kili said:

I don't think that Georgie did the right thing and I think Dale did the wrong thing by taking the money. If you make employees make up what thieves steal, you end up making them take unsafe actions.

—gave me the idea that maybe Georgie would confront Dale about the firing —maybe tell Dale it’s not fair for him (Georgie) to both make up for the theft out of his own pocket and get fired, at which point Dale will realize he was wrong about Georgie —which could lead to Dale realizing he was wrong to be angry at Meemaw too. 
 

3 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If the theft had been a result of someone robbing him at gunpoint, I would absolutely agree with you.  I would also agree that shoplifting thefts shouldn't be paid back.  But, from Georgie's own mouth, he left the drawer wide open and unattended.   Plus, he didn't not inform the police in a timely manner.  Or at all actually.  That very may well have affected Dale's ability to get reimbursed by his insurance.

Yes, but:

16 hours ago, camom said:

how much training Dale gave Georgie.  Did he tell him what to do in the case of theft (money or merchandise)?  Dale left a teenager totally in charge, and teenagers don't automatically know what to do when things go wrong.  

 

[Katy M]

I would think he would know not to leave the drawer open and unattended.  And, he knew he should call the police because he did.  He just decided not to report it so he wouldn't get in trouble.

I actually agree that Dale shouldn't have left a teenager in charge by himself all weekend.  Georgie asked if he could fire people so Dale must have other employees, at least one of which must be an adult

[FrankOFoley]

I wonder, maybe hope, that Dale will leave Connie as a setup to bring back Jim Beaver (the guy from the cemetery aka “Bobby” in another incarnation) as a love interest. From the few minutes he was on during the cemetery episode it seems like he’s well balanced, unlike the polar opposites of Sturgis and Dale. I really think this would play better with Connie’s “fun” character.

[kili]

Quote

If the theft had been a result of someone robbing him at gunpoint, I would absolutely agree with you.  I would also agree that shoplifting thefts shouldn't be paid back.  But, from Georgie's own mouth, he left the drawer wide open and unattended.

Georgie thinks that is what must have happened because he can't imagine it happening any other way. Thieves can be quite imaginative. Maybe the employee Georgie wanted to fire opened and emptied the drawer (disgruntled they were not asked to be the manager).

We have to pay in advance for gas where I live. Even though my area has a law that employees don't have to make-up stolen goods, an employee at a gas station didn't know that. He rushed out to stop a gas-and-go and ended up under the car and dragged a long distance. It was gruesome. He was still alive when found, but died shortly thereafter. For $40 worth of gas. Georgie ran out into the parking lot when he noticed that the money was missing. I suspect he would have stood in front of a car to prevent that $400 from leaving.

He should have reported it to the cops, but he should not be asked to pay $400 for leaving the drawer open. Minimum wage was about $4/hour back then. That's 100 hours of work before taxes. Georgie would have been very motivated to do stupid things to stop a thief if he'd spotted them. 

[Katy M]

8 minutes ago, kili said:

Georgie thinks that is what must have happened because he can't imagine it happening any other way. Thieves can be quite imaginative. Maybe the employee Georgie wanted to fire opened and emptied the drawer (disgruntled they were not asked to be the manager).

Or maybe since Georgie was there he actually knows that he left the register open.  I'm not inclined to make up facts that the show isn't giving us when Georgie said straight out that he left the register open.

[Browncoat]

No one asked Georgie to pay back the money.  He did that out of the goodness of his heart.  Or, more likely, a desire not to let Dale know the store was robbed.

[possibilities]

I wanted to know if the amount that Georgie brought in via his sales charm was substantially more than the usual daily take. It seemed to me that it was, partly because I've never seen the store be that busy before, partly because the cop on the phone seemed to think $400 was a lot of money to be in the till, and partly because they made such a big deal about how well Georgie was doing with the customers.

If he was bringing back more than what Dale expected to be there, it might allay any suspicions he had, if he had any, about whether Georgie was being honest in describing what happened.

Also, when I worked a cash register, the machine kept track of sales, so he could check the internal receipts to see if Georgie was giving him the full amount he was supposed to, vs stealing because he thought he could get away with it.

At the same time, though, when I worked retail, the cashier was NEVER supposed to leave the cash register unattended, the drawer was supposed to be watched at all times, and it could and was supposed to be locked if unattended for any reason. Not doing so is as big of a mistake as not locking the front door when you close up at night, and definitely a major offense worthy of being fired. It's not like Georgie was robbed at gunpoint, which would not be his fault.

I thought Dale was harsh, but he didn't start off that way the second Georgie showed up. I think we're meant to dislike him, and that he did lean into his anger because he was mad at Connie and looking for a way to vent it on someone. But I don't think the firing was inherently wrong.

My main surprise is that this is a comedy, and that ending was not even a little bit funny.

[shapeshifter]

18 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I wanted to know if the amount that Georgie brought in via his sales charm was substantially more than the usual daily take. It seemed to me that it was, partly because I've never seen the store be that busy before, partly because the cop on the phone seemed to think $400 was a lot of money to be in the till, and partly because they made such a big deal about how well Georgie was doing with the customers.

If he was bringing back more than what Dale expected to be there, it might allay any suspicions he had, if he had any, about whether Georgie was being honest in describing what happened.

Also, when I worked a cash register, the machine kept track of sales, so he could check the internal receipts to see if Georgie was giving him the full amount he was supposed to, vs stealing because he thought he could get away with it.

At the same time, though, when I worked retail, the cashier was NEVER supposed to leave the cash register unattended, the drawer was supposed to be watched at all times, and it could and was supposed to be locked if unattended for any reason. Not doing so is as big of a mistake as not locking the front door when you close up at night, and definitely a major offense worthy of being fired. It's not like Georgie was robbed at gunpoint, which would not be his fault.

I thought Dale was harsh, but he didn't start off that way the second Georgie showed up. I think we're meant to dislike him, and that he did lean into his anger because he was mad at Connie and looking for a way to vent it on someone. But I don't think the firing was inherently wrong.

My main surprise is that this is a comedy, and that ending was not even a little bit funny.

Yes, @possibilities, that^ sums up what I was thinking too. 
And especially:

19 minutes ago, possibilities said:

My main surprise is that this is a comedy, and that ending was not even a little bit funny.

Like: "WTH?!"
Right?

 

[Chit Chat]

25 minutes ago, possibilities said:

My main surprise is that this is a comedy, and that ending was not even a little bit funny.

I agree.  It was rather harsh.  Hopefully there will be a redeeming moment in the next episode.

18 hours ago, GSManiac said:

Interesting to me how you Americans talk about how justified a Manager is for firing staff over incidents such as this, or for giving a customer the wrong change, servers paying for customers that skip out on paying etc ,that sort of thing would not fly here in New Zealand.

As Yeah No said, in many states we are 'employees at will.'  It's a bit controversial.  I've seen many heated debates about it.  I don't agree with Dale firing Georgie, but sadly, it can happen that way in real life. 

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Speaking of "unjustifiable dismissal" a lot of people here in the States (including me) have won wrongful termination cases. 

Good for you!  Mr. Chat won one too with a big company here that wouldn't let him come back to work after an on-the-job injury, even after he did the rehab and wanted and asked to go back to work.  If you get a good attorney, you can win against some of these companies in an 'employee at will' state.