S04.E11: A Pager, a Club and a Cranky Bag of Wrinkles

[Bort]

Dr. Linkletter pushes Sheldon to make friends with his fellow students at college. Also, Georgie gets a pager.

Airdate: 11 March 2021

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

[DanaK]

Note: Shifted to 8:30pm ET tonight due to the President's address. Check your listings if you are in a different time zone than ET as it may not change for you

[Browncoat]

How much effort did it require for Reba to sing so badly?  I imagine that day on the set was a lot of fun.

 

[Spartan Girl]

Mary, I feel your pain, I hate The Simpsons too (though not for the same reasons I'm sure). Can't believe she liked OJ, Sheldon is right, time really is funny.

I get why Sheldon attached himself to Linkletter. Tam and Dr. Sturgis were all he had, and now they're gone. 

Connie and Dale's ex made up, thank goodness. LOL at Reba singing badly.

Double LOL at Georgie getting suckered into doing chores for that elderly lady because of a wrong pager number. But the fact that she had a granddaughter is proof that no good deed goes unrewarded, at least on tv shows.

[ams1001]

Wil Wheaton's cute but not cute enough to watch Star Trek 😂

What is it with these adults being so afraid to lay down the law with Sheldon? (Or even the janitor. Why doesn't Dr. L tell him not to let people into his office? Why would a janitor think he should be doing that in the first place?) 

lol....Reba's character can't sing. 

I'd join the Read in Silence club.

[Browncoat]

Georgie has a good heart.  I feel like Missy really would have just told the old lady nope.

I'd join the Read in Silence club, too.

 

[highway61]

That was the original Meemaw, right? She’s annoying in every decade!

[tennisgurl]

“The only Simpson my mom ever liked was OJ. Times funny like that.” LOL 

[Chit Chat]

2 minutes ago, highway61 said:

That was the original Meemaw, right? She’s annoying in every decade!

She sure looked like her.  I wasn't too crazy about this episode.  

[Chit Chat]

2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

“The only Simpson my mom ever liked was OJ. Times funny like that.” LOL 

We liked him okay back in the day until we found out what a monster he was!  We had no idea that he abused his wife in the years leading up to her murder.  Of course nowadays with 24/7 news and social media, that would've found it's way into the news a lot sooner.  Maybe it was well-known then and we were just oblivious to it.  😉  

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, highway61 said:

That was the original Meemaw, right? She’s annoying in every decade!

That was Judith Drake; Meemaw in BBT was played by June Squibb. 

She did look familiar but I couldn't quite place her; she's been in lots of stuff.

[shapeshifter]

31 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Can't believe she liked OJ

I still remember my mom yelling at the TV from the couch, "Go, OJ!" and I think calling him "The Juice."

[Chit Chat]

I'm hoping that Mary liked OJ prior to the murders in 1994.   If she still liked him after that, well, yikes! 

With every episode Missy looks like she's grown a few more inches!  I like her scenes with Georgie.   Sheldon is so annoying!  I hated that his feelings got hurt by the professor, but damn, there was no other way that he was going to get the message!  

[tennisgurl]

This is definitely one of the "Sheldon is annoying" episodes, which are never my favorites. More adults really need to explain boundaries and basic social skills to him, and this is also one of those episodes that really goes hard on his most insufferable qualities. I do think the reading quietly club sounds pretty great though. 

Georgie really is a sweet kid. He really got sucked way down that chores rabbit, but luckily there's a cute granddaughter at the end of it. 

Glad that Connie Dale's ex made up so quickly. Reba must have been having a blast playing such a lousy singer, it takes a really talented singer to sound that hilariously bad at singing. 

[UncleChuck]

I am amused that Ed Begley Jr. has gone full circle in his career.  As a young intern on St. Elsewhere, he struggled without success to suck up to the old curmudgeon surgeon and now he has reached the point where he is playing the old curmudgeon.

Missy must be growing every week.  I have noticed that lately she is either seated or lying down in every scene, and even when she is seated on the bed or a couch, she is slouched down to hide her height.

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'd join the Read in Silence club.

That's the only kind of club I'd join.

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I'm hoping that Mary liked OJ prior to the murders in 1994.   If she still liked him after that, well, yikes! 

Sheldon is 11, so it must be 1992 - when the show started it was 1989 and he and Missy were 8 - so Mary's in the clear.

I wish Mary hadn't coddled Sheldon by pretending that it was really important for him to join a club and just told him flat-out that Prof. Linkletter doesn't want to have daily lunches with him. Sheldon needs to start learning how to read social cues. His fellow college students won't be as solicitous about his feelings.

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Sheldon needs to start learning how to read social cues. His fellow college students won't be as solicitous about his feelings.

Unfortunately for Sheldon, this is something I don't think he'll ever fully understand.   I guess it's kind of like emotions like empathy, you either have it or you don't.   He is just so darn literal in everything!  

[Chaos Theory]

Sheldon doesn’t understand the necessity of social interaction.  For him school is a place you learn.   So why does it matter where he eats his lunch?     I think the big issue is that no one ever really sat him down and explained why social interaction was important.  Mary has made a few attempts to get him to interact socially but it always ends badly because Sheldon also needs to be and be acknowledged as the smartest person in the room.    This is not something that changes until he gets a lot older and a certain roommate moves in with him.

I thought the car ride with Mary was hilarious.  Of course Mary would try to get the Simpsons off the air.  “any day now Mary.”    And yeah I can see Mary and clan liking pre-murder trial OJ Simpson.  In his Prime he was a talented football player.  I doubt she cared for the Naked Gun movies though.

Reba’s bad  karaoke  was hilarious 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[hoodooznoodooz]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

This is definitely one of the "Sheldon is annoying" episodes, which are never my favorites. More adults really need to explain boundaries and basic social skills to him, and this is also one of those episodes that really goes hard on his most insufferable qualities.

 

7 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I wish Mary hadn't coddled Sheldon by pretending that it was really important for him to join a club and just told him flat-out that Prof. Linkletter doesn't want to have daily lunches with him. Sheldon needs to start learning how to read social cues. His fellow college students won't be as solicitous about his feelings.

So why is Sheldon so arrogant and entitled? Is it because of Mary? Or would he end up this way with any parents?

Because we can’t say it enough: Missy is THE BEST. And, as always, I love Georgie. I do completely embrace that the siblings of such a smug phenomenon would shine in these ways.

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Sheldon doesn’t understand the necessity of social interaction.  For him school is a place you learn.   So why does it matter where he eats his lunch?     I think the big issue is that no one ever really sat him down and explained why social interaction was important.  Mary has made a few attempts to get him to interact socially but it always ends badly because Sheldon also needs to be and be acknowledged as the smartest person in the room.    This is not something that changes until he gets a lot older and a certain roommate moves in with him.

Part of the problem, though Sheldon won't admit this, is that he does in fact crave social interaction. It's why he seeks out Dr. Linkletter and why he starts talking in the read quietly club. Sheldon's problem is that he doesn't really have any true peers right now. He's on a different level from kids his own age but too young to be a good friend to people at his intellectual level. I think it's why he debates, corrects and all that other annoying stuff he does. He wants to talk to other people but cannot figure out how to relate to anyone.

[mammaM]

"The Connie and June Show".

Hanging out in a casino bar, drinking, swearing and doing karaoke. I would watch the hell out of that show. Who's with me!?😂😂

[Browncoat]

59 minutes ago, mammaM said:

"The Connie and June Show".

Hanging out in a casino bar, drinking, swearing and doing karaoke. I would watch the hell out of that show. Who's with me!?😂😂

Count me in!  

[WinnieWinkle]

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Mary, I feel your pain, I hate The Simpsons too (though not for the same reasons I'm sure).

I don't hate The Simpsons but back in the day I wouldn't let my kids watch because I didn't think it was meant for kids - no matter how much merchandizing came out that was clearly aimed at kids!! - I kept to this until I realized that compared to stuff like South Park The Simpsons was pretty tame!

[ams1001]

I remember having to ask my parents if we could watch the Simpsons. I am 45.

[mxc90]

Janitor Jim must not like Dr. Linkletter. 

Surprised the love struck Georgie didn't ask the girl if she's "Bruce".

Edited March 12, 2021 by mxc90

[shapeshifter]

31 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

Janitor Jim must not like Dr. Linkletter. 

• Or Sheldon told Janitor Jim that Dr. Linkletter was his "friend" 😞 and they had lunch together every day.
• Or Dr. Linkletter is too professionally snobbish to talk to the janitor (which could also explain @mxc90's supposition that "Janitor Jim must not like Dr. Linkletter" but Janitor Jim might not care at all about Dr. Linkletter). 
• Or Dr. Linkletter doesn't want to rock the boat with Janitor Jim lest the cleanliness of his office suffers.

Yes, I thought a Lot about this. Custodians are the real Gods of office buildings, IMO, and they earn it.

Edited March 12, 2021 by shapeshifter

[mxc90]

57 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Or Sheldon told Janitor Jim that Dr. Linkletter was his "friend" 😞 and they had lunch together every day.
Or Dr. Linkletter is too professionally snobbish to talk to the janitor. 
Or Dr. Linkletter doesn't want to rock the boat with Janitor Jim lest the cleanliness of his office suffers.

These all makes sense.

Edited March 12, 2021 by mxc90

[Bobbin]

11 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

Missy must be growing every week.  I have noticed that lately she is either seated or lying down in every scene, and even when she is seated on the bed or a couch, she is slouched down to hide her height.

Fortunate casting, really. Girls mature sooner than boys. Predictably, Sheldon and twin Missy will be the same height as adults.

[Shelbie]

I love Missy and wish we could get an episode narrated by her as an adult.

[HurricaneVal]

A Wil Wheaton sighting!  Love the continuity....

Did anyone else think that Bruce was going to end up dead, and Bruce's grandma was paging him in nostalgia, then using Georgie as a replacement, then when Georgie was going to tell her he was done, he'd find out that Bruce was dead and keep helping anyways out of the goodness of his heart, but keep it secret?  That's where I saw that going, but finding out Bruce had a cute sister or cousin keeping Georgie involved was good too.  I wonder if Grandma was crafty and made sure her cute grand daughter was around right about when she calculated Georgie would be getting impatient....

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Georgie really is a sweet kid. He really got sucked way down that chores rabbit, but luckily there's a cute granddaughter at the end of it. 

This is one of those episodes that demonstrates what a fundmentally decent person Georgie is. He isn't perfect, but he did help an old woman when he didn't have to. There was no reason for him to say yes other than it was the right thing to do. Fate smiled and just by being himself, he impressed a really cute girl. 

13 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Sheldon needs to start learning how to read social cues. His fellow college students won't be as solicitous about his feelings.

I think George is trying, but he's not getting any support from Mary, which makes it difficult. 

4 hours ago, mammaM said:

"The Connie and June Show".

Hanging out in a casino bar, drinking, swearing and doing karaoke. I would watch the hell out of that show. Who's with me!?😂😂

I love the idea of a show. I'm picturing more of a talk show type of program. They drink, they talk to each other, there's a guest, and they do karaoke (maybe sometimes the guest joins in too). An alternate version is the two of them doing running comentary on everyone else in the casino bar. 

1 hour ago, Shelbie said:

I love Missy and wish we could get an episode narrated by her as an adult.

I desperately want this too. I would love to hear Missy's perspective on her family, especially her siblings. 

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

So why is Sheldon so arrogant and entitled? Is it because of Mary? Or would he end up this way with any parents?

I'm taking my response to this in the 'Nitpicks, anomalies' thread. 

[BitterApple]

15 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

 

Missy must be growing every week.  I have noticed that lately she is either seated or lying down in every scene, and even when she is seated on the bed or a couch, she is slouched down to hide her height.

I noticed that too! It seems like they often shoot Missy from the waist up whenever she's in scenes with Sheldon. I can't remember the last time they stood next to each other.

[eel21788]

16 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

I am amused that Ed Begley Jr. has gone full circle in his career.  As a young intern on St. Elsewhere, he struggled without success to suck up to the old curmudgeon surgeon and now he has reached the point where he is playing the old curmudgeon.

I remember when he was a high school student on Room 222, although I don't remember him being precocious or obnoxious like Sheldon. They did do an episode where a highly intelligent kid got promoted to high school early but couldn't fit in. I thought I remembered EBJ being in that episode but according to IMBD, he wasn't.

Edited March 12, 2021 by eel21788

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, highway61 said:

That was the original Meemaw, right?

Oh, you're right, I didn't pick up on that.

[curbcrusher]

Something that struck me last night. What casino are they visiting? I didn't think Texas had any casino's in the 90's, and I thought Louisiana only had riverboat gambling until the mid 90's when the land based casino in New Orleans opened up. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

23 hours ago, ams1001 said:

23 hours ago, highway61 said:

That was the original Meemaw, right? She’s annoying in every decade!

That was Judith Drake; Meemaw in BBT was played by June Squibb. 

She did look familiar but I couldn't quite place her; she's been in lots of stuff.

Everything from House of 1000 Corpses to Young Sheldon... fun career!

[DoYouLikeMutton]

21 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Did anyone else think that Bruce was going to end up dead, and Bruce's grandma was paging him in nostalgia, then using Georgie as a replacement, then when Georgie was going to tell her he was done, he'd find out that Bruce was dead and keep helping anyways out of the goodness of his heart, but keep it secret?  

I hadn't thought of that premise, but thought it was abundantly clear why Bruce gave up his pager or changed his number . . .  That said, I thought the "Georgie gets a pager" played out well, as I had no idea what the story line would be.  

[Katy M]

Sheldon was insufferable this week, but that said, I laughed hilariously at his debate to get into (stay out of) debate club.

those clubs seemed more like HS clubs than college clubs, tbh.  

And, he likes Star trek, doesn't really care for sci-fi, goes to sci-fi club and finds out they watch Star trek but he won't join because that's fantasy?  What?????  that's riduclous even for Sheldon.

Georgie's so sweet.  I probably would have run a few errands for her and then tried to track down Bruce's new number, LOL.

I have to disagree with everybody about Reba. I don't think it would be that hard for a good singer to sound bad.  It's easy to sound bad. that's why even good singers rehearse.

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, Katy M said:

And, he likes Star trek, doesn't really care for sci-fi, goes to sci-fi club and finds out they watch Star trek but he won't join because that's fantasy?  What?????  that's riduclous even for Sheldon.

Actually, I’m on team Sheldon WRT Science Fiction is not Fantasy, and I will always watch or read SciFi but generally not Fantasy. 

ETA: However, as “nersplained” below by @HurricaneVal, Sheldon actually does like fantasy; he only objects to calling it science fiction. So I’m only on Team Sheldon WRT the labeling issue.

Edited March 14, 2021 by shapeshifter

[WinnieWinkle]

18 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Actually, I’m on team Sheldon WRT Science Fiction is not Fantasy and I will always watch or read SciFi but generally not Fantasy. 

Our local sci/fi channel has (fantasy) beside the various Star Treks in their guide.  No.  Just no.  

[ams1001]

45 minutes ago, Katy M said:

And, he likes Star trek, doesn't really care for sci-fi, goes to sci-fi club and finds out they watch Star trek but he won't join because that's fantasy?  What?????  that's riduclous even for Sheldon.

It was Star Wars he objected to, not Star Trek.
"The Force is basically magic. At that point you may as well be watching the Hobbit."
"That's next week."
"I think we're done here."

[Katy M]

52 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Actually, I’m on team Sheldon WRT Science Fiction is not Fantasy and I will always watch or read SciFi but generally not Fantasy. 

But it shouldn't matter what the name of the club is.  He likes Star Wars (apparently I forgot which they said) and the Hobbit, so he would want to watch it.  the club just became more likeable to him, not less.

[ams1001]

Has he talked about Star Wars or the Hobbit in this show before? Maybe he gets into them later.

Though I'd say D&D is fantasy, too, and he likes that...

[Katy M]

11 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Has he talked about Star Wars or the Hobbit in this show before? Maybe he gets into them later.

Though I'd say D&D is fantasy, too, and he likes that...

He got obsessed with the LOtR books.  Not sure about Star Wars.

[MollyMelrose]

 

[possibilities]

"Beam me up, Scotty" is fantasy, as far as I'm concerned. You can call it science, but it's not.

[HurricaneVal]

Hang on, apologies in advance, imma gonna nerdsplain here.

It isn't that Sheldon doesn't like Star Wars or The Hobbit.  Despite being a fan of both, Sheldon is first and foremost a pedant.  His objection to the club isn't due to the content they were viewing, but due to including fantasy novels/movies/shows in a club labelled science fiction.

If they had named the club "Science Fiction and Fantasy," Sheldon would have been A-OK.

I know.  A lot of people don't see a difference between Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Harry Potter, Stargate SG-1, etc. because they're not really into it, but to a SFF nerd?  They are all very different, and the fandoms are a complicated spirograph venn diagram.

"Science Fiction" is actually a pretty narrow field.  "Fantasy" is very broad and encompasses everything from The Hobbit to Avatar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  There is a lot of snobbery as well, as stans of this genre or that genre disparage each other's favorites.  Lots of hardcore Tolkien fans dismiss the Marvel universe and vice versa.

Sheldon--young or contemporary--is both a snob and a pedant.  He rejected that club because he couldn't bear that the name didn't reflect the subject.

Well, that and he didn't really want to join any club and was looking for excuses to walk away.

[aemom]

13 hours ago, Katy M said:

I have to disagree with everybody about Reba. I don't think it would be that hard for a good singer to sound bad.  It's easy to sound bad. that's why even good singers rehearse.

I'm a singer and it's so programmed in your head about doing it well that it takes constant concentration to sing badly. As she was doing it, I was thinking how hard it must be for her.

[shapeshifter]

25 minutes ago, aemom said:

I'm a singer and it's so programmed in your head about doing it well that it takes constant concentration to sing badly. As she was doing it, I was thinking how hard it must be for her.

In replaying the clip posted above, I noticed she started out more speaking loudly than singing. Then she gradually threw in more and more wrong notes. It seemed like she was concentrating a lot on doing a good job of singing badly.