S04.E05: A Musty Crypt and a Stick to Pee On

[Bort]

Dale and Meemaw work out relationship issues while playing Dungeons and Dragons with Sheldon and Missy. Also, Mary and George take a trip with Coach Wilkins and his wife, and Georgie freaks out when his girlfriend thinks she’s pregnant.

Airdate: 17 December 2020

Please, no discussing spoilers from The Big Bang Theory that have not “happened” yet. 

[Spartan Girl]

Apparently the girlfriend's dad was too late in scaring Georgie off at the end of the last episode. At least they aren't pregnant.

"I may not have believed in God, but I sure loved acting like one." 

I loved the Dungeons and Dragons game, if only for the fantasy sequences. Missy turning herself into a Ninja Turtle Princess of Power was the best! Oh I miss that theme song.

Glad Dale finally decided to drop the born again Christian act.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Spartan Girl

[ams1001]

Love Missy's pizza preferences: "everything except" ...and proceeds to list every vegetable you might find on a pizza.

[Chaos Theory]

Of course Georgie’s fantasy had him and his gf having twins and still living in his bedroom.    But yeah I thought “roller coasters “ was a good answer for scary things that turn out great.  

The Dungeons & Dragons game was worth it for the fantasy sequence alone.   I don’t really like Dale but he was funny at the end.

[chocolatine]

23 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Of course Georgie’s fantasy had him and his gf having twins and still living in his bedroom.

But don't forget, he got an offer to fill in for Slash. That's a pretty great fantasy, twins notwithstanding.

I thought George was downright mean to Mary.

Spoiler

He seemed more like the George Sheldon described on BBT than this show's George.

 

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Missy turning herself into a Ninja Turtle Princess of Power was the best! Oh I miss that theme song.

That was amazing. They need to market that as a Halloween costume!

[jewel21]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Of course Georgie’s fantasy had him and his gf having twins and still living in his bedroom.    But yeah I thought “roller coasters “ was a good answer for scary things that turn out great.  

The Dungeons & Dragons game was worth it for the fantasy sequence alone.   I don’t really like Dale but he was funny at the end.

I said rollercoasters the same time he did. I agree with him that it was a good answer, heh. 

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

I said rollercoasters the same time he did. I agree with him that it was a good answer, heh. 

I thought roller coasters too, but then immediately realized that is a terrible metaphor for marriage. 

And I loved the episode except for George and Mary squabbling. 

[anna0852]

I didn't like George and Mary squabbling.

The rest was great. What stood out for me was as Georgie is waiting on that test, all he's thinking of is stepping up and being responsible. Marrying Jana (and changing behavior to reflect that they're parents), working 2 jobs to support his kids, saying No to an absolute dream offer. He wasn't fantisizing about running away or trying to get out parenthood, he was envisioning (in his own way) how he needed to step up.

 

[Magnumfangirl]

Hilarious episode!  Mary's monkey butt insult to George was too funny!

[shapeshifter]

49 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

What stood out for me was as Georgie is waiting on that test, all he's thinking of is stepping up and being responsible. Marrying Jana (and changing behavior to reflect that they're parents), working 2 jobs to support his kids, saying No to an absolute dream offer. He wasn't fantisizing about running away or trying to get out parenthood, he was envisioning (in his own way) how he needed to step up.

I loved Georgie's fantasies of stepping up too. It surprised me, but I guess that's the difference on a show that the writers know has a sizeable younger viewership. 
Interesting that comedy writers are being more responsible than many other adults these days.
I guess we gotta take our role models wherever we can.

[Gulftastic]

I'm a little shocked we didn't get an episode based around Georgie and his girlfriend's first time. I feel like they respect the viewers enough to let us accept that they are young people doing what young people do. Unusual for a sitcom. 

 

Will we ever see Veronica again?

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

Will we ever see Veronica again?

According to IMDb, Isabel May/Veronica has had starring roles  in a TV series and 2 movies, so good for her during the pandemic!

[Kiddvideo]

What does George sacrifice? He’s the main earner and an involved parent, but Mary works and does most everything else. He doesn’t work multiple jobs or put in overtime. He still fishes, goes out for beers every once in a while, drinks every night at dinner, and spends Sundays watching football. It’s nice to be recognized and appreciated, but I’m not certain how his contributions are greater than hers.

I’ve been irked with the Georgie/sex storyline since George and Mary tossed-up their hands about the shaggin wagon and put the responsibility on the girlfriend’s parents. It feels like a double standard since he’s not the one getting pregnant. I did like his reaction to the scare, immediately thinking about raising them even if it were framed in the negatives of responsibility.

Dale seems to have conflated going to church with not being an angry drunk.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

And I loved the episode except for George and Mary squabbling. 

I don’t recall George and Mary ever having a tender moment.  Their interactions are always full of vitriol towards each other.  The only difference in last night’s episode was they were bickering in front of people not in their immediate family.

[Mellowyellow]

George was uncharacteristically mean in this episode. I could list several episodes where Mary is a pill and he just takes it in his stride so it's really bizzare today to see him so inconsiderate and almost hostile when she's been nothing but reasonable and pleasant. It's almost like they were trying for a certain storyline and the execution fell flat.

Georgie's storyline was well done. I liked that he was ready to take responsibility (hehe and raise the babies in his room) but acknowledged that he was relieved and didn't want to marry Jana.  

Missy transforming into Ninja Turtle Princess was epic! I think the storyline of getting the others involved in Sheldon's interests (albeit reluctantly) is awesome. It still lets Sheldon be Sheldon but the others add so much fun.

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I don’t recall George and Mary ever having a tender moment.  Their interactions are always full of vitriol towards each other.  The only difference in last night’s episode was they were bickering in front of people not in their immediate family.

There aren't a lot, but some. There's the episode where they're watching Sheldon's video on why he should be allowed to go to college.  There's the episode where she has a miscarriage. And they were trying the episode where he took her out on a date, but I'm not sure it really worked out.

[kili]

Quote

What does George sacrifice? He’s the main earner and an involved parent, but Mary works and does most everything else. He doesn’t work multiple jobs or put in overtime. 

George gave up his dream job, free housing and better pay because Mary didn't want to give up her job at the church. He could be coaching football at a big college and more financially stable, but instead is the second tier coach at a high school in small-town Texas eking by financially so that Mary could keep the job she liked and refused to leave. He also puts up with constant verbal abuse from Mary's mother for Mary's sake. 

Quote

It’s nice to be recognized and appreciated, but I’m not certain how his contributions are greater than hers.

I think that is the point of the exercise. It doesn't mean he's the bestest, it just means that she appreciates what he does do.  The point of the exercise was to give the other a compliment or express appreciation. 

[joanne3482]

Am I remembering wrong, or didn't Georgie at some time do the math on his own birthday vs his parents' anniversary? I can see where that's what influenced him about his own 'stepping up' fantasy. 

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

Am I remembering wrong, or didn't Georgie at some time do the math on his own birthday vs his parents' anniversary? I can see where that's what influenced him about his own 'stepping up' fantasy. 

No, Sheldon "did the math."  But, Mary said he was early but he weighed a normal amount because he had a full head of hair.  She did tell him later, though.

[LekoBoy]

I'm sure there have been others, but the teenagers-as-parents trope was done to death thirty-five years ago on "Mama's Family" when Bubba dreamed what his life would be like with Melanie Ledbetter, a slew of kids, and multiple jobs.  Including "I just finished my day job, and I have ten minutes until I have to go to my night job."

[Chaos Theory]

9 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

I'm a little shocked we didn't get an episode based around Georgie and his girlfriend's first time. I feel like they respect the viewers enough to let us accept that they are young people doing what young people do. Unusual for a sitcom. 

 

Will we ever see Veronica again?

“First time” episodes are more appropriate for characters like Sheldon and it was actually pretty fun on BBT.   I think it’s actually more telling the way Georgie views pregnancy then anything else.  It shows his character.  Maybe he worded it badly but he is the kind of guy who would have stepped up and been a dad regardless of marriage.   Even giving up the chance at the teenage equivalent of his dream job.  His kid would come first.  That actually shows something that I don’t think Sheldon had until very late in BBT.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[tennisgurl]

I guess getting rid of Georgie's van was just delaying the inevitable huh? I am really glad they didn't drag out the pregnancy scare, and I thought that Georgie actually handled it alright. He didn't get angry at his girlfriend or ask if it was his or anything, he was mostly just freaking out, and even in his freak outs he was trying to take care of his hypothetical kids. Really, I think the roller coaster analogy was pretty good, especially for Georgie! 

The DnD game was really fun, especially Ninja Turtle Princess! Get on that, Halloween costume makers! I want to see that thing in ever Party City in American next October. Of course Sheldon even as a kid loved being a DM, its the perfect blend of using lots of trivia AND telling people what to do. 

Edited December 18, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Driad]

Glad there is more than one drugstore within driving distance, so Georgie and his girlfriend didn't have to go to "Nosy Neighbors Drugstore" where Mary bought a pregnancy test once.  Georgie probably doesn't know about that, but he and girlfriend would want to go to a store where they would not be recognized.

[WinnieWinkle]

1 hour ago, kili said:

George gave up his dream job, free housing and better pay because Mary didn't want to give up her job at the church. He could be coaching football at a big college and more financially stable, but instead is the second tier coach at a high school in small-town Texas eking by financially so that Mary could keep the job she liked and refused to leave.

That episode bugged the hell out of me.  Mary had valid concerns about moving that went beyond her job at the church but that episode didn't really go into that.  It was also really unbelievable that a second tier coach at a high school in small-town Texas was being scouted to coach at a big college.  Did that ever really get explained?  If so I don't remember it.  The whole point of that episode seemed to be to underline that George and Mary have a troubled marriage and it's mostly Mary's fault.  

[Sarah 103]

12 hours ago, anna0852 said:

What stood out for me was as Georgie is waiting on that test, all he's thinking of is stepping up and being responsible. Marrying Jana (and changing behavior to reflect that they're parents), working 2 jobs to support his kids, saying No to an absolute dream offer. He wasn't fantisizing about running away or trying to get out parenthood, he was envisioning (in his own way) how he needed to step up.

Georgie can be responsible when the situation calls for it, and he does have a strong sense of right and wrong. I like that the writers took a character that could have very easily been a bully and jerk but instead went a different direction and created a great character. He has his faults, but his good qualities make up for them.

1 hour ago, kili said:

The point of the exercise was to give the other a compliment or express appreciation. 

Yes! It isn't a competition. The idea is to think about the other person and all of the things, large or small that they do for you. It goes both ways, because each person is supposed to say something about the other.

[Katy M]

6 minutes ago, WinnieWinkle said:

It was also really unbelievable that a second tier coach at a high school in small-town Texas was being scouted to coach at a big college.  Did that ever really get explained? 

I think, and I could be conflating this with another show or something, that one of George's former head coaches was coaching at that college.  It was definitely a "who you know" situation whether it was the head coach or one of the other coaches, or even a player.

[kili]

Quote

It was also really unbelievable that a second tier coach at a high school in small-town Texas was being scouted to coach at a big college.  Did that ever really get explained? 

He used to be a prestigious coach at a prestigious school, but when he reported other teams for breaking the rules, he was black-balled and couldn't get a job (explained in the Pilot). He ended up having to move to a small town and take a small tier job to provide for the family (Mary didn't have her church job at that time).  The head coach in Oklahoma who tried to hire him had been another Texas coach who knew his history and wanted to run a clean system. 

George lost a lot for following the rules and that is the foundation for a lot of his world weariness and cynicism. The Oklahoma job was his shot at redemption and Mary denied him that opportunity. 

I think it is pretty obvious that George didn't want Mary on this trip. Maybe he wanted some alone time. Maybe he wanted to just relax in the pool. He certainly didn't want to have "relationship" talks. 

I like how Missy quickly figured out how being a wizard would allow her to be the character she wanted to be.

[Twilight Man]

17 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Missy turning herself into a Ninja Turtle Princess of Power was the best! Oh I miss that theme song.

 

6 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Missy transforming into Ninja Turtle Princess was epic!

 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

The DnD game was really fun, especially Ninja Turtle Princess! Get on that, Halloween costume makers! I want to see that thing in ever Party City in American next October.

"There is no such thing as a female Ninja Turtle!!!"

(POOF!!!!)

"Hello, Sheldon.   I am you, from the future."

"Oh, hello, Sheldon."

"Hello, Sheldon.   I have brought you some news from the future regarding a "female Ninja Turtle" that you will probably find most distressful.   You may want to sit down."

"Oh, OK.   I'm just glad that Star Wars is probably still awesome."

"Oh, Sheldon.    You DEFINATELY NEED to sit down now."

[WinnieWinkle]

7 hours ago, kili said:

George lost a lot for following the rules and that is the foundation for a lot of his world weariness and cynicism. The Oklahoma job was his shot at redemption and Mary denied him that opportunity. 

I couldn't remember that episode very well and went back and read the discussion we had here about it.  Sigh.  Pretty much what I expected.  The fine hand of Chuck Lorre making sure that we all know that if the marriage breaks down it's damn well going to be the woman's fault.  If George is still resentful of something that happened two years ago and was never mentioned again then he needs to man up and discuss this with Mary like an adult.  Based on this episode I don't see that happening.   What did stand out for me in this episode was the dismissive way George treated Mary - from not bothering to include her in the week-end plans despite knowing the other coaches were bringing their wives, to not telling her what amenities the hotel offered to just plain being mean to her for most of the car ride - she did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment and it was obvious enough to the other coach and his wife to comment on so it's not like we were meant to see this as funny or trivial.  It's like they are putting the writing on the wall for the marriage being over.

Edited December 19, 2020 by WinnieWinkle

[The Kings Foot]

19 hours ago, chocolatine said:

But don't forget, he got an offer to fill in for Slash. That's a pretty great fantasy, twins notwithstanding.

I thought George was downright mean to Mary.

  Reveal spoiler

He seemed more like the George Sheldon described on BBT than this show's George.

 

Didnt have to be Slash, couldve been Izzy.  😁

[The Kings Foot]

20 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

 

I loved the Dungeons and Dragons game, if only for the fantasy sequences. Missy turning herself into a Ninja Turtle Princess of Power was the best! Oh I miss that theme song.

 

Thanks to Netflix's The Toys That Made US  I can tell  you why Young Sheldon would be able to use the theme song easily.   It was composed and sung by  Chuck Lorre .

[chocolatine]

17 minutes ago, The Kings Foot said:

Didnt have to be Slash, couldve been Izzy.  😁

I thought about that too, but Izzy left the band in 1991. Isn't the show further along in the timeline by now?

Edited December 18, 2020 by chocolatine

[The Kings Foot]

18 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I thought about that too, but Izzy left the band in 1991. Isn't the show further along in the timeline by now?

I think theyre exactly in the summer of 1991.  It was 1991 in the Graduation Episode and havent  restarted school yet. And checking wikipedia......Izzy left in November 1991.

Edited December 18, 2020 by The Kings Foot

[chocolatine]

4 minutes ago, The Kings Foot said:

I think theyre exactly in the summer of 1991.  It was 1991 in the Graduation Episode and havent  restarted school yet. And checking wikipedia......Izzy left in November 1991.

But by the time Georgie's twin babies would have been born in his fantasy, it would already be 1992. 😄

[theredhead77]

4 hours ago, Twilight Man said:

"female Ninja Turtle" that you will probably find most distressful.   You may want to sit down."

What in the fresh hell is that^^?? Thank goodness WW 1984 is coming out in a few days. In the mean time I'll be over in the corner curled up with my Care Bears and Hot Wheels pretending I never saw or heard that.

[Chit Chat]

16 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

I'm a little shocked we didn't get an episode based around Georgie and his girlfriend's first time. I feel like they respect the viewers enough to let us accept that they are young people doing what young people do. Unusual for a sitcom. 

I agree.  Some things are better left unsaid.  I wonder how many younger viewers they have given that many of the show's characters are pretty young.  Maybe they're trying to be respectful of that.  I don't know that Lorre is respectful of many things, but hey, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

But by the time Georgie's twin babies would have been born in his fantasy, it would already be 1992. 😄

But he's not psychic.

[Bobbin]

This episode reinforces my wish to see a Georgie and Missy spinoff, during Sheldon's college years when he had no idea what was happening back home.

[Gimmick Genius]

"What's a Paladin?" Oh, come on - Dale is old enough to remember Have Gun, Will Travel.

[PWHCHCH]

Was it just me or does it look as though Annie Potts had some work done recently on her face. Her mouth in particular looked rather tight. 

[nora1992]

Best line of the episode: The hotel has a nice gym, that I walk past on my way to the breakfast buffet.

Glancing at hotel gyms should count as exercise.

[Beetlepoet]

On 12/18/2020 at 2:57 PM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I don’t recall George and Mary ever having a tender moment.  Their interactions are always full of vitriol towards each other.  The only difference in last night’s episode was they were bickering in front of people not in their immediate family.

They had a pillow talk scene in a season 1 episode. It looked a bit weird as it was in the opening of the episode but was a cute scene also. 

[Rebky]

8 hours ago, Gimmick Genius said:

"What's a Paladin?" Oh, come on - Dale is old enough to remember Have Gun, Will Travel.

While I've heard of that show, I've never watched it in reruns.  Is Paladin a character in the show? (Please excuse my ignorance) 🙂

 

[Chit Chat]

On 12/18/2020 at 6:57 AM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I don’t recall George and Mary ever having a tender moment.

He was very sweet to her when she had the miscarriage.  To me, they represent a lot of marriages where the husband and wife love each other very much, but either one or both of them have a hard time expressing their feelings.  Maybe George didn't see any PDA with his parents (as was the case back in the day!), but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about Mary.   I can understand him being uncomfortable to have his friends pretty much demand that he communicate with Mary as they were driving along.  That's not easy if you're not used to communicating in that way.  The other coach and his wife were a little over the top in how they expressed themselves, but hey, whatever works best for a couple, then so be it! 

As much as I like Mary, I feel like George is fighting a losing battle when it comes to how they parent Sheldon.  Mary thinks that she knows what is best for Sheldon in every situation, without giving consideration to what George thinks.  I'm sure that's frustrating for him and that can cause resentment, which is apparently what happened in the case of Paige's parents.   Having said that though, George wasn't very nice to her in this episode, which I thought was out of character for him. 

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, PWHCHCH said:

Was it just me or does it look as though Annie Potts had some work done recently on her face.

I too noticed a change in her face, but it was the opposite of what you perceived, @PWHCHCH, and, as a contemporary of Annie Potts, and as a portrait artist since my teens, you might want to consider what I thought I noticed: Annie Potts looked older. 😨😱
Craig T. Nelson seems to me to have also noticeably aged this season. He is just 8 years older than Annie Potts, but perhaps has foregone typical Hollywood anti-aging enhancements.
So perhaps Annie Potts refrained from her routines of Botox or whatever so their pairing would look believable?

[DanaK]

Good episode all around, though I too didn't particularly like the way George and Mary communicated or didn't

I think a need a reminder why Mary is so religious while her own mother is decidedly not and neither is George (and certainly not Sheldon).

[Bobbin]

2 hours ago, Rebky said:

While I've heard of that show, I've never watched it in reruns.  Is Paladin a character in the show? (Please excuse my ignorance) 🙂

 

Richard Boone was Paladin, "a knight without armor in a savage land," per the theme song. His business card read, "Have gun, will travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco." He was a Western version of the "Equalizer," you might say, fittingly.

Parentingwise, George is more often right than Mary. Also, as a former university coach, he is more familar with academia and is comfortable on any college campus for when Sheldon has to scout universities.

[ProudMary]

It was awful of George to not even just casually mention to Mary that the hotel has a very nice pool. That omission made it perfectly clear that George saw this as "his" weekend, and he continued with that attitude as they were arguing. He didn't even say a quick, "Sorry." He rubbed the salt a little deeper into the wound by saying he brought his swim trunks. Really hurtful. That said, if I'm packing a suitcase, a "just in case" bathing suit is always the first thing I throw in, buried on the bottom, but there if I need it. 

I'm glad we're done with fake goody-two-shoes Dale. That got old quickly as it was obviously insincere. Dale should have known that Connie's too smart not to have seen through that right away. C'mon writers, give Connie a new suitor who's worthy of her.

[Medicine Crow]

5 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Richard Boone was Paladin, "a knight without armor in a savage land," per the theme song. His business card read, "Have gun, will travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco." He was a Western version of the "Equalizer," you might say, fittingly.

 

Paladin was appointment TV for me, along with The Equalizer with Edward Woodward ... loved those shows!!