S03.E21: A Secret Letter and a Lowly Disc of Processed Meat

[SnarkySheep]

On 5/1/2020 at 9:53 AM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

In my house the flashlights were frequently dead and one hoped to find one that still worked.  Batteries were as scarce as hen's teeth, so our best bet was to find another flashlight that worked.

And don't forget, this is 1990...in a household with five people, literally tons of things would have been used by each person that required batteries, from flashlights to smoke detectors to kids' toys to radios. It was a wonderful day when the world switched over to rechargeable via USB.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

Sheldon's social skills aren't that great. There's a combination of he often doesn't understand or care how what he says impacts people. I have no problem believing that Missy would think it and I understand that Sheldon often makes her life difficult. Missy has far better social skills and knew what she said would hurt Sheldon.

Sure, she probably knew it would hurt him.  But, she wasn't setting out to hurt him as her primary goal.  And, even if she was, it's good for him that at least one member of the family doesn't bend over backwards for him.

[rmontro]

One big side of this episode was that it showed how quickly Mary and George's marriage could hit a snag.  After seeing that, it's not too hard to imagine how things could spiral out of control and fall apart.  Up until now, things have been mostly sunny.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Unpopular opinions:

I don’t like George drinking at a bar with a teacher who finds his son so annoying.

I don’t approve of egging the store, even if Dale deserves it.

But otherwise, great episode.

Even though they only give Missy a few minutes of screen time, she’s the MVP.

”You know, there’s a lady who does that.”

Note to self: If the reason you met someone was because he was being a d- - - to your granddaughter, maybe don’t date him.

 

[CrazyMoon]

Mrs. Sparks is played perfectly by Melissa Peterman who played the uber obnoxious "Barbara Jean" in Reba. Seeing Mary be so vulnerable brought out Brenda's best side...and the two are really bonding. I hope that gets factored in during the next season. I get cigarettes & wine coolers in a chicken coop while discussing the weights of the world...how else does a small town survive!

The whole episode was great, top to bottom...Mary knows now she can't trust her instincts regarding Sheldon...and it's time to trust George.

 

 

 

[catlover79]

On 5/1/2020 at 12:18 PM, mojoween said:

I loved the one teacher’s reaction when he got to the bar and saw Sheldon was there.

"Awww, come on!!" 😂

[Tyro49]

If this wasn't supposed to be the actual season finale, does anyone know what it was supposed to be?

[anna0852]

My guess is that it would have been Sheldon's graduation. Makes sense if he'll be in college next season. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Tyro49 said:

If this wasn't supposed to be the actual season finale, does anyone know what it was supposed to be?

Steven Molaro talked about it in a TVLine interview. I’m spoiler tagging it because he said it may end up happening on season 4. 

Spoiler

TVLINE | Was Episode 22 going to feature Sheldon’s graduation from high school?

Yes. I think it’s an important moment. I certainly would still like to get a chance to see it. Who knows what the world has in store for any of us, but it’s a big moment for the show and in his life, and the script is written, so let’s do it. That’s my feeling. I will tell you the first two days of it that we shot were remarkable.

 

[kwnyc]

Quote

There are times George knows what's better for his son than Mary. George doesn't always understand Sheldon, but he loves him and wants him to do well in life.

It's true. George is a pretty good father to all his kids, and treats each one differently. Unlike Mary, he doesn't focus on Sheldon at the others' expense, but he does think about what his youngest son needs, and tries to provide solutions. (You can tell he's a good football coach. He knows that you find out what motivates each player, and give them that.)

He's the one who took Sheldon to the (failed) space shuttle launch, who took him to California, and put together a rather impressive video for Mary. He is a good Dad, and no wonder Old Sheldon misses him.

[chitowngirl]

On 5/1/2020 at 7:05 AM, Yeah No said:

I was amazed at how much their kitchen floor resembled mine in the '80s!

That WAS the tile my parents had in their apartment! 

[rasalas]

On 4/30/2020 at 8:53 PM, ChitChat said:

I liked Dale at first.  They really turned him into a jerk!  I'm not a fan of Connie and Dr. Sturgis though.   

Did they turn Dale into a jerk, or was that what he already was and we saw it slowly revealed?

[tessaray]

7 hours ago, rasalas said:

Did they turn Dale into a jerk, or was that what he already was and we saw it slowly revealed?

I think he was always a jerk, at least from how he treated Missy at first. He was just trying to be nicer because he wanted Connie. Once she turned him down, he reverted to his normal self. I did like how it would slip out from time to time. 

Though it could have gone either way, because as a coach he would occasionally have his human moments. 

[Chit Chat]

11 hours ago, rasalas said:

Did they turn Dale into a jerk, or was that what he already was and we saw it slowly revealed?

Other than his attitude towards Missy (which wasn't surprising given the circumstances), I thought he acted okay to Connie afterwards.  Of course I thought that what his ex-wife couldn't say to Connie was a warning of his true nature.  

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Other than his attitude towards Missy (which wasn't surprising given the circumstances), I thought he acted okay to Connie afterwards.  Of course I thought that what his ex-wife couldn't say to Connie was a warning of his true nature.  

He was awful to John. He took such glee in making fun of the weird guy that both Connie and George asked him to stop repeatedly. 

[HyeChaps]

So maybe now Connie can be good friends with Reba.

 

[CrazyMoon]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

So maybe now Connie can be good friends with Reba.

 

Now that's a tantalizing thought.

[Chit Chat]

On 5/5/2020 at 9:11 PM, Dani said:

He was awful to John. He took such glee in making fun of the weird guy that both Connie and George asked him to stop repeatedly. 

So true.  I totally forgot about that!  He and Connie seemed to be getting along pretty well up until that point, if memory serves me right! 😉

[theredhead77]

Dale always had underline asshole tendencies but after he sheer cruelty to Dr. Sturgis Connie should have dumped him. Not to get back with Dr. Sturgis but because Dale is a cruel man.

I would love to see Reba pop up to hang out with Connie. I think she would be a great asset to the show.

I teared up a bit when Sheldon wanted his dad, not with sadness for Mary but for Sheldon, realizing his mom betrayed him but for seeing his dad really did have his back.

[possibilities]

Does Connie know how Dale behaved on the camping trip?

[John Potts]

I loved
"Cindy Crawford or Jessica Rabbit"
"One's real, one's a cartoon!"
"And you couldn't get either of them, now answer the question!"

(I've certainly had discussions like that)

Really liked the neighbour here - she's not a friend, but she was still sympathetic enough to invite Mary round. And her "Drinking, smoking and lying too!" just capped their unlikely relationship.

On ‎5‎/‎1‎/‎2020 at 5:48 PM, rmontro said:

Sheldon's going to have a beard when they come back at this rate.  A Spock beard, of course.

Wouldn't that make him evil? (OK, Mirror Spock wasn't that evil, but he hung out with Evil guys)

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, John Potts said:

Wouldn't that make him evil? (OK, Mirror Spock wasn't that evil, but he hung out with Evil guys)

Seeing Sheldon as evil might be a bit of a stretch, but not much of one.

[iwantcookies]

On 5/1/2020 at 1:45 PM, Browncoat said:

Not that this show would go there, but I had a brief thought that Sheldon might find some other battery-powered appliance in the bedside table.  

Me too

[SmithW6079]

On 5/3/2020 at 12:28 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

Unpopular opinions:

I don’t like George drinking at a bar with a teacher who finds his son so annoying.

I don’t approve of egging the store, even if Dale deserves it.

But otherwise, great episode.

I thought the other teacher was just at the bar and  came up to George, who was having drinks with his assistant coach. Even if he was with them, George might not know what the teacher really thinks of Sheldon. 

I agree about the egging. Dale is a dick, but egging his store is vandalism, and it'll be obvious that a recently fired, disgruntled employee and a bitter ex-girlfriend are responsible. 

[Coffeefrog19]

Mary’s character is really starting to annoy me. She’s acting like a helicopter mom.  She babies Sheldon way too much and it makes me want to slap her. I like his dad more. 

[januaryman]

This is one of my favorite episodes - everybody got funny lines and there were good emotional scenes. Iain's not a good fake-crier though compared to Raegan - maybe he's improved since then.  I wonder how they got him to wear that dress.

Poor Mr. Givens can't escape Sheldon anywhere.