S04.E09: Crappy Frozen Ice Cream and an Organ Grinder’s Monkey

[jewel21]

Sheldon and George Sr. dine with President Hagemeyer and a university benefactor. Also, Georgie gives Missy some brotherly advice when Mary won’t let her go to the school dance, and Dale and June convince Meemaw to attend their son’s wedding.

Airdate: 02/25/2021

[Spartan Girl]

Dammit I liked Connie bring friends with Dale’s ex. Stupid sexist tropes.

Loved Georgie coaching Missy on how to get Mary to let her go to the dance using Footloose. Didn’t work, but Georgie still came through.

”Why can’t we have a fun religion?”

”I don’t think there is one.”

It was wrong, but I loved Sheldon losing it and telling off the sponsor. We’ve had enough of ignorant people pretending to be scientists. And hey, it still worked out!

Edited February 26, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[highway61]

Good episode.

I admit I confuse Wendie Malick with Christine Baranski, so when she showed up, I'm saying, "Leonard's mom is the university president!? That doesn't seem right!"

Craig Nelson was a jerk at the wedding but he got off a lot of good zingers! 

Glad the dinner worked out, but really, the president was kinda throwing too much at a kid she didn't even know. Fortunately dad and Billy were there to cover.

Missy's hair was great. 
 

[Chit Chat]

I can't believe how grownup the kids are now, especially Georgie and Missy!  Georgie has some muscles!

[Browncoat]

3 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Dammit I liked Connie bring friends with Dale’s ex. Stupid sexist tropes.

Same!  That whole thing really annoyed me.

I loved that Missy quoted Footloose pretty much verbatim.  Her hair really was great.

[Grizzly]

Sheldon's crack about how he closed his eyes and thought of science on his honeymoon was totally uncalled for.

[ams1001]

I go to church and don't pray...what's the difference? 

Why can't we have a fun religion? 
I don't think there is one.

Did you show your sister Footloose?
Did it work?
NO!
Then no.
 

They really should know better than to put that kind of pressure on Sheldon. He might be smart but he's still a child. They shouldn't be expecting a kid to schmooze donors. If I were a potential donor I might actually reconsider if they did that.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

28 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Dammit I liked Connie bring friends with Dale’s ex. Stupid sexist tropes.

 

Agreed!  That was disappointing.  I enjoyed Connie and Dale's ex as friends. 

Until someone here mentioned it, I never noticed how much Mary's eyes wander from the road while she's driving the kids around.  Both she and George kept turning to talk to the kids in the passenger seat instead of paying attention to the road.  Bad, bad habit!  

[Chit Chat]

29 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Sheldon's crack about how he closed his eyes and thought of science on his honeymoon was totally uncalled for

I agree.  I'll take my comment on this to the 'anomalies' thread.

It was fun watching Sheldon practice his listening and basic communication skills with Billy.   Too bad that lesson didn't stick.

Dear, sweet Billy!  "Thanks for the hospitality!"

 

[Katy M]

14 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

Until someone here mentioned it, I never noticed how much Mary's eyes wander from the road while she's driving the kids around.  Both she and George kept turning to talk to the kids in the passenger seat instead of paying attention to the road.  Bad, bad habit!  

very common on tv shows because they aren't actually driving.

I don't really think Mary had much to worry about.  I went to one school dance in 6th grade and I remember a lot of standing around, looking at boys and giggling and very little dancing.  Plus, I think the no dancing rule is stupid.  No pole dancing?  Sure.   Make sure she's wearing an appropriate outfit?  Absolutely.  

I'm also glad Mary got to Missy before she snuck out.  I'd hate to have her get 'busted for bopping."  I love that movie.

[Twilight Man]

7 minutes ago, Katy M said:

.I think the no dancing rule is stupid..

 

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Loved Georgie coaching Missy on how to get Mary to let her go to the dance using Footloose.

 

58 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I loved that Missy quoted Footloose pretty much verbatim.  Her hair really was great.

and isn't it just like a pastor to say that the one thing that proves that your stupid rule is a bunch of hooey

is naturally forbidden as well.

[Chit Chat]

Maybe there are Baptist churches that frown on school dances, but I was brought up in a Baptist church and that was never an issue.  I don't recall ever hearing anyone in authority at the church having an opinion on it one way or the other.  

[anna0852]

I would bet that only Mary and Pastor Jeff have issues with the dancing.

Didn't we have a reference to Missy taking ballet in an earlier episode? The one where Sheldon was using stats to help the football team win.

 

[Magnumfangirl]

Best episode of the season.  I hated the last two.

[TheLastKidPicked]

I love when the show brings out guest stars who were popular in the 1980's.  It's fun to see them still around.

But it was jarring to see Dave Foley looking so old!  

Edited February 26, 2021 by TheLastKidPicked

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

But it was jarring to see Dave Foley looking so old!  

He's almost 60! (58 last month)

[jewel21]

13 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

I love when the show brings out guest stars who were popular in the 1980's.  It's fun to see them still around.

But it was jarring to see Dave Foley looking so old!  

That's who that was! I couldn't place him for the life of me. 

I liked Georgie helping Missy out. Mary is lucky she has such good kids. She really needs to loosen up a bit before they start rebelling against her and going behind her back. I'm glad she took Georgie's words to heart. 

Billy is too sweet and adorable. I hope the world doesn't make him hard. 

[HurricaneVal]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Sheldon's crack about how he closed his eyes and thought of science on his honeymoon was totally uncalled for.

I looked at that as less of a dig at his future wife as it was a Sheldon version of reciting baseball statistics in his head so as to prolong the encounter.  IYKWIMAITYD.

As much as I love Iain Armitage, Missy and Georgie are the best parts of this show.  Though I have to say, his quietly exasperated "Dad..." at something Billy said was absolutely perfectly delivered.  No superior snottiness, no supercilious sarcasm, just a quiet plea.  Perfection.

[chocolatine]

Dale was a complete jerk - yet again! - and I wish MeeMaw hadn't sided with him at the end. So what if his ex wanted to provoke him? She was just having some fun, but Dale can't let anything go.

When the anti-static furniture guy started talking about Gödel's incompleteness theorems at dinner I thought that it might turn out to be an interesting night for Sheldon after all, but then he quickly devolved into numerology (!?!?) and I knew Sheldon was going to unleash on him. At least the guy wasn't easily offended and still sent a big check to the university and a free chair to Sheldon.

[Browncoat]

8 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Maybe there are Baptist churches that frown on school dances, but I was brought up in a Baptist church and that was never an issue.  I don't recall ever hearing anyone in authority at the church having an opinion on it one way or the other.  

Way back in the late ‘80s, I went to a very Baptist wedding where there was no dancing and no alcohol.  We were also told not to let anyone in the parents’ generation and older catch us playing cards — even card games like Uno.

[EtheltoTillie]

10 hours ago, highway61 said:

Good episode.

I admit I confuse Wendie Malick with Christine Baranski, so when she showed up, I'm saying, "Leonard's mom is the university president!? That doesn't seem right!"

Craig Nelson was a jerk at the wedding but he got off a lot of good zingers! 

Glad the dinner worked out, but really, the president was kinda throwing too much at a kid she didn't even know. Fortunately dad and Billy were there to cover.

Missy's hair was great. 
 

I confused  Baranski and Malick for a minute too and thought it was stunt casting until I realized it was the blonde wig that did it. 

I did not recognize Dave Foley at all. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by GussieK

[nora1992]

10 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Same!  That whole thing really annoyed me.

I thought it was true to life, and didn’t see a trope there.

But the line about second weddings not counting was a veiled dig.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I looked at that as less of a dig at his future wife as it was a Sheldon version of reciting baseball statistics in his head so as to prolong the encounter. 

That's a good way of looking at it! Anything science related excites Sheldon in one form or another.  

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Dale was a complete jerk - yet again! - and I wish MeeMaw hadn't sided with him at the end.

In MeeMaws defense, Dale's ex-wife encouraged Connie to be there,  all the while plotting her revenge on Dale by bringing a younger boyfriend which ended up irritating Dale (which she knew it would), therefore ruining Connie's evening.  I would've felt the same way. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

49 minutes ago, GussieK said:

I did not recognize Dave Foley at all. 

CBS has been showing commercials for “Superstore,” with an ensemble cast which includes Mark McKinney. He, Bruce and Dave were my favorite Kids in the Hall. I am surprised that Mark is not aging well. 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

12 hours ago, highway61 said:

Good episode.

I admit I confuse Wendie Malick with Christine Baranski, so when she showed up, I'm saying, "Leonard's mom is the university president!? That doesn't seem right!"

Craig Nelson was a jerk at the wedding but he got off a lot of good zingers! 

Glad the dinner worked out, but really, the president was kinda throwing too much at a kid she didn't even know. Fortunately dad and Billy were there to cover.

Missy's hair was great. 
 

Wendie Malick is Katie's Mom on American Housewife.  HER mother, on that show, was played by Jessica Walter.  I confuse them all, even though I know better. 

 

[Gregg247]

I went to a Southern Baptist school throughout the 70s and early 80s, and we had plenty of school-sanctioned dances.  In fact, I had no idea Baptists supposedly didn't like dancing until "Footloose" came out in 1984! 

Although it's true that they really don't like gambling.  I learned this the hard way! LOL

[MarthaEllisanne]

I love how George Sr has taken over the adult training of Sheldon - trying to teach him how to navigate a world he is not yet ready for. I doubt Mary could do this - Shelly is her baby and it is hard for her to be tough with him. George Sr understands the academic funding dynamics, which helps.

[LakeGal]

I was disappointed we didn't get to see Missy at the school dance.

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Maybe there are Baptist churches that frown on school dances, but I was brought up in a Baptist church and that was never an issue.  I don't recall ever hearing anyone in authority at the church having an opinion on it one way or the other.  

@ChitChat, do you know* if in rural Texas in the 1980s the frowning on dancing by Baptists might have been a thing? Or, maybe in the 1950s or 60s?
Writers often project the previous generational norms into the present, which, on this show, would mean the 60s to the 80s.
And then there's the rural and geographic settings being perhaps another generation behind the culture, so maybe even 1950s.

___________

*Maybe you've had grandparents who talked about dancing taboos?

Edited February 26, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Chit Chat]

10 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Writers often project the previous generational norms into the present, which, on this show, would mean the 60s to the 80s.
And then there's the rural and geographic settings being perhaps another generation behind the culture, so maybe even 1950s.

I attended in the 60's & 70's in Florida.  I think they were more concerned with not having sex before marriage.  Back then it was such a big deal if you "came up pregnant" in your teens.  That's what I remember the most!  I remember my grandmother saying those exact words, and it kind of startled me that she said it because I was so young and naïve that I wasn't sure what she was talking about! 😉   

I do think the slow dancing was closely monitored by the chaperones at our school dances, and lordy, there was no 'dirty dancing!'  

31 minutes ago, LakeGal said:

I was disappointed we didn't get to see Missy at the school dance.

She did look pretty though!  I say it every season, but I just can't believe how fast the kids are growing!

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, ChitChat said:

It was fun watching Sheldon practice his listening and basic communication skills with Billy.   Too bad that lesson didn't stick.

 

1 hour ago, MarthaEllisanne said:

I love how George Sr has taken over the adult training of Sheldon - trying to teach him how to navigate a world he is not yet ready for. I doubt Mary could do this - Shelly is her baby and it is hard for her to be tough with him. George Sr understands the academic funding dynamics, which helps.

I think Mary's problem goes beyond not being able to be tough with Sheldon. Mary does not realize or does not care that Sheldon will some day have to live in the real world as an adult. Obviously he's just a kid now and that is years to decades in the future. George realizes on some level that eventually Sheldon will be an adult on his own. 

George helping Sheldon with social skills was great. George and Sheldon plotlines are fun. 

13 hours ago, Katy M said:

I'm also glad Mary got to Missy before she snuck out.  I'd hate to have her get 'busted for bopping."  I love that movie.

I love Footloose too. I loved the scene were Ren teaches Willard to dance. In 6th or 7th grade, one of the things I wanted most in the world was for Ren to lead me around with a walkman and teach me how to dance. I do wonder what other movies are in Georgie's box. Georgie had  good point about driving Missy away. I don't think Mary should say yes to every little thing Missy wants, but a middle school dance seems pretty safe and harmless. 

12 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

I love when the show brings out guest stars who were popular in the 1980's.  It's fun to see them still around.

But it was jarring to see Dave Foley looking so old!  

3 hours ago, GussieK said:

I did not recognize Dave Foley at all. 

I did not recognize him at all either. Not even a "I know I recongize him, but I can't quite place him," He's come along way from the young executive in NewsRadio wearing the big boxy suits that were so fashionable in the 1990s but made him look like a kid wearing his father's suits. 

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

When the anti-static furniture guy started talking about Gödel's incompleteness theorems at dinner I thought that it might turn out to be an interesting night for Sheldon after all, but then he quickly devolved into numerology (!?!?) and I knew Sheldon was going to unleash on him. At least the guy wasn't easily offended and still sent a big check to the university and a free chair to Sheldon.

I was hoping it would go that direction too. I thought it would be great for Sheldon to be proving wrong about a snap judgement about someone. Sheldon goes to the dinner thinking the potential donor is someone intelectually beneath him, but ends up discovering the man is  up to date on all the latest theories, developments, and is someone Sheldon can have a serious in-depth conversation with about advanced topics in physics.     

[Driad]

Different time, different state, different church, but when I was quite young, someone gave the Sunday School classes a long stern talk about the evils of drinking. I was baffled because I didn't know he was talking about alcohol (the subject had never come up in my home) and I knew that if you don't drink water etc. you can die. Luckily I was a shy kid and did not stick my hand up and ask what he meant.

[Chit Chat]

7 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I was hoping it would go that direction too. I thought it would be great for Sheldon to be proving wrong about a snap judgement about someone. Sheldon goes to the dinner thinking the potential donor is someone intelectually beneath him, but ends up discovering the man is  up to date on all the latest theories, developments, and is someone Sheldon can have a serious in-depth conversation with about advanced topics in physics.     

That would've been nice, but as we know, Sheldon likes to "one-up" people, so it takes a lot to impress him!  I'm liking the George/Sheldon bonding trips.  It's nice to see. 

[Runningwild]

I went to a Southern Baptist church in Alabama in the late 80s - early 90s. Some of the older people didn’t like the idea of my singles group (30somethings) having a square dance. So we called it a foot fellowship. 

[MollyMelrose]

Missy could always become Catholic. That would accomplish two goals.

First, it would set her mother's hair on fire, which would probably please her to no end.

Second, she could dance as much as she wanted ... as long as there was enough space for the Holy Spirit between her and her partner. 😇

[Kiddvideo]

Really liked this episode. Nice to see George having a good episode after last week's references to depression and crisis, and glad Mary loosened the reins on Missy even if it were Georgie's advice that led her there. She can't be Prom Queen if you don't let her go to the Prom, Mary.

Billy was so sweet and well-mannered.

I didn't think Dale's ex was trying to ruin Connie's night per se. She and Dale give as good as they get, and she knows Connie knows the kind of relationship they have. If anything, I'd think Connie would be wondering why Dale was so upset. He's asked her to marry him yet gets so jealous he lets it upset him at his kid's wedding? I'd shelve that conversation until we were both sober, but it'd be on the agenda for the next date.

I thought Dave Foley looked exactly as he did on The New Adventures of Old Christine, just a little greyer. His voice hasn't changed at all. Nice add to the show!

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

That would've been nice, but as we know, Sheldon likes to "one-up" people, so it takes a lot to impress him!  I'm liking the George/Sheldon bonding trips.  It's nice to see. 

What am I picturing is two intellectuals each trying to one-up the other. Sheldon: Have you read the latest article in ______? I like the idea of Sheldon finding someone to challenge intellectually in one of the last places he expected and by someone he least expected to do it. I agree with you. More scenes of George being a good father to Sheldon please.  

[TheLastKidPicked]

7 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

More scenes of George being a good father to Sheldon please.  

It is great watching the two of them bond.

And this goes both ways.  George learning to be a better father to Sheldon, and Sheldon coming around to appreciate the sacrifices George makes for the family.  While George appreciated the free meal, I'm sure he had more fun things he could do than to put on a tie and go to dinner with a university donor.

 

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

I went to a Southern Baptist school throughout the 70s and early 80s, and we had plenty of school-sanctioned dances.  In fact, I had no idea Baptists supposedly didn't like dancing until "Footloose" came out in 1984! 

It's been more than thirty years since I saw the movie, but if I remember it right it wasn't the Baptist church that was opposed to dancing. It was the specific Baptist minister who wanted to punish all the teens in town for the death of his son by not letting them have any fun. 

 

 

[HurricaneVal]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I do wonder what other movies are in Georgie's box.

It cracks me up that both Mary and Georgie have secret movie stashes.  I want to know what other movies are in Mary's box.

We know there's Roadhouse.  When did Ghost come out?  1990?  Probably not in the stash then.  And likely not Dirty Dancing either. 

 

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Way back in the late ‘80s, I went to a very Baptist wedding where there was no dancing and no alcohol.  We were also told not to let anyone in the parents’ generation and older catch us playing cards — even card games like Uno.

Two of my college friends had no alcohol at their weddings in the early 2000s (both in Pennsylvania). One did have dancing (it was an otherwise "normal" wedding, we just drank iced tea and soda); I think the no alcohol had more to do with the fact that a.) neither of them drank, and b.) she was a year out of college and they didn't have a lot of money. The other one had her reception at a park and there was no alcohol, no dancing, and the only music was the groom's family singing a song at the beginning of the reception. She is religious (nondenominational Christian) and doesn't drink, but I know she didn't have religious objections to dancing since she had no problem going to the weekend dances at our college student center. Not sure about the groom.

Another friend's father was a minister (Lutheran) and would have preferred they have no alcohol at their wedding. She married into a family with... let's just say a very Irish surname. Her in-laws said "don't worry, we'll pay for the bar!"

1 hour ago, Kiddvideo said:

She can't be Prom Queen if you don't let her go to the Prom, Mary.

Very good point! I wonder how she would have responded if Brenda had said that to her.

14 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

It's been more than thirty years since I saw the movie, but if I remember it right it wasn't the Baptist church that was opposed to dancing. It was the specific Baptist minister who wanted to punish all the teens in town for the death of his son by not letting them have any fun. 

A lot of non-Catholic Christian sects also tend to set rules a bit more locally, so some groups within a larger denomination may be fine with dancing while others aren't. (Which is not to say the movie minister didn't have other motives for his rules; I've only seen it once or twice and that was many years ago.)

[Sarah 103]

22 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

It's been more than thirty years since I saw the movie, but if I remember it right it wasn't the Baptist church that was opposed to dancing. It was the specific Baptist minister who wanted to punish all the teens in town for the death of his son by not letting them have any fun. 

You are correct. It was not about the Bapist chuch specfically. After the Reverand's son died in a car crash coming back from something, the town, with the Reverand's approval, passed laws banning all sorts of things. 

Just now, HurricaneVal said:

It cracks me up that both Mary and Georgie have secret movie stashes.  I want to know what other movies are in Mary's box.

We know there's Roadhouse.  When did Ghost come out?  1990?  Probably not in the stash then.  And likely not Dirty Dancing either. 

Dirty Dancing could go either way. The movie came out in the late 1980s, not too long after Footloose, so if one was shown on TV, than the other probably was too. I could see it being in Mary's box because Patrick Swazye. I could also see it in George's box to provide insight into women, and studying it for dance moves to impress the ladies. 

[HurricaneVal]

If this show goes on for a few more seasons, I will crack up completely if Georgie puts a pottery wheel in the garage....

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

What am I picturing is two intellectuals each trying to one-up the other. Sheldon: Have you read the latest article in ______? I like the idea of Sheldon finding someone to challenge intellectually in one of the last places he expected and by someone he least expected to do it. I agree with you.

That would've been fun to see.  As soon as the guy said "numerology," we all knew that was the end of that conversation!  Sheldon would say "poppycock" to numerology, astrology, etc..   I liked how George was there to help steady Sheldon so that he didn't completely blow a gasket!  

I figure that Georgie has some porn in his tape box, but I'm not sure where he would watch it.  He sure didn't want Missy to see anything in that box!  

[Bobbin]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

You are correct. It was not about the Bapist chuch specfically. After the Reverand's son died in a car crash coming back from something, the town, with the Reverand's approval, passed laws banning all sorts of things

The beginnings of a future "Cradle Bay." 😧

Iain Armitage is so multitalented. I wish they could have a reason for another round of Broadway singing and dancing with Jason Alexander like they did early on.

[TheLastKidPicked]

2 hours ago, eel21788 said:

If I remember it right it wasn't the Baptist church that was opposed to dancing. It was the specific Baptist minister

 

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

After the Reverend's son died in a car crash coming back from something, the town, with the Reverand's approval, passed laws banning all sorts of things. 

This is another thing that jumped out at me.  John Lithgow looked so YOUNG when they showed a few seconds of the movie.

[Magnumfangirl]

If Mary was the kind of Baptist that frowned on dancing, she wouldn't drink beer either.

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, Magnumfangirl said:

If Mary was the kind of Baptist that frowned on dancing, she wouldn't drink beer either.

How do you keep a Baptist from drinking all your beer? Invite two of them.

[Gimmick Genius]

32 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

How do you keep a Baptist from drinking all your beer? Invite two of them.

The old joke: Baptists do not drink or smoke ... in front of each other. 

Or, the differences between religions: "Jews do not recognize the divinity of Jesus; Protestants do not recognize the Primacy of the Pope; and Baptists do not recognize one another in the line at the liquor store."

I thought they made Wendy Malick look a lot like Annette Bening.

[SmithW6079]

10 hours ago, GussieK said:

I confused  Baranski and Malick for a minute too and thought it was stunt casting until I realized it was the blonde wig that did it. 

I did not recognize Dave Foley at all. 

That had me stumped too for a second. I knew the president's voice was familiar and then I realized it was Wendie Malick. I'm so used to her being a brunette. She's one of my favorite actresses.

Dave Foley did not age well at all.

I was kind of hoping that when he started talking about science, it would turn out that he was always testing the people who was going to give money to to see if they'd challenge him or if they were going to be sycophantic because they wanted the dough. Then he turned out to be a crazy conspiracy nut, so I was disappointed.

5 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Missy could always become Catholic. That would accomplish two goals.

First, it would set her mother's hair on fire, which would probably please her to no end.

Second, she could dance as much as she wanted ... as long as there was enough space for the Holy Spirit between her and her partner. 😇

That was my thought when they were talking about no dancing for Baptists. "But it's OK if you leave enough room for the Holy Spirit" ... oops, wrong Christian sect.

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

It cracks me up that both Mary and Georgie have secret movie stashes.  I want to know what other movies are in Mary's box.

We know there's Roadhouse.  When did Ghost come out?  1990?  Probably not in the stash then.  And likely not Dirty Dancing either. 

 

I'm pretty sure Georgie's other movies--his "nature" films as he described them--run a little more to the pornographic side. 😉

56 minutes ago, Magnumfangirl said:

If Mary was the kind of Baptist that frowned on dancing, she wouldn't drink beer either.

Mary's not quite as holy roller as she wants to appear.