S04.E14: Mitch's Son and the Unconditional Approval of a Government Agency

[Bort]

When the IRS accuses Sheldon of making a mistake, he’ll stop at nothing to prove them wrong. Dale is forced to get a colonoscopy and tries to convince Meemaw to join him.

Airdate: 15 April 2021

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

[Browncoat]

I hope Meemaw has two bathrooms in her house.

[Spartan Girl]

Well, it was nice to see Sheldon owning up to possibly getting his family in real trouble with the IRS all because he couldn’t face that he was possibly wrong. Even when it turned out he was right, I still loved him and George teaming up against the IRS.

Missy finding loopholes for swearing was priceless.

I’m not looking forward to getting a colonoscopy. I don’t have to worry about it for a while but still.

[Browncoat]

Just now, Spartan Girl said:

Missy finding loopholes for swearing was priceless.

Especially when she was reading the Bible.

[SeanC]

I believe this is officially the first TV show to do a Queen's Gambit homage/parody.

[ams1001]

Loved Connie teasing Dale about her delicious steak. Now I want steak.

Interesting that the IRS guy can bring up their file with just the name Cooper and eight keystrokes.

Missy and her not-swearing was hilarious. "I don't have a donkey but if I did I'd take my ass out of here." I wonder if Georgie knows how much exasperation he caused his mother by telling her about edited-for-TV movies.

-Your son is extremely intelligent.
-Yep.
-I hope we get audited next year.
-'Til he says something stupid let's go.

Something tells me their file will have a note that says "DO NOT AUDIT THIS FAMILY, YOU WILL REGRET IT" on it in the future.

[Chit Chat]

That was a fun episode! Yay for seeing more of Georgie and Missy!

A quick comment on Chuck Lorre's vanity card:  He said that he's watered down his vanity cards because he doesn't want to be a target for the anger out there.  Look, dumbass, you've been putting out controversial vanity cards for years, and apparently you're getting some heat for it, so don't go crying about it now, because you're the one who put divisive crap out there to start with.  Dolt.  Rant over. 

5 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Something tells me their file will have a note that says "DO NOT AUDIT THIS FAMILY, YOU WILL REGRET IT" on it in the future.

So true!  They might add "It's not worth it!!"  

[chitowngirl]

10 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’m not looking forward to getting a colonoscopy. I don’t have to worry about it for a while but still.

It’s not the colonoscopy, it’s the prep. The procedure itself is a piece of cake. And honestly, the prep isn’t THAT bad. It’s just easy fodder for TV.

[Chit Chat]

3 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

It’s not the colonoscopy, it’s the prep. 

If they could make the prep something other than that horrible syrupy liquid then it wouldn't be so bad, but after half of a bottle (which is huge), I couldn't take one more sip without gagging and almost throwing up!!  There has to be a better way. We can land a rover on Mars, but we can't come up with a better way to make a person poop their guts out in an easier way? C'mon researchers!  Develop something better.   

[Driad]

This is at least the third recent sitcom with a colonoscopy plot. What's going on?

When Sheldon called the IRS man from the pay phone, did he say whose return he was calling about?  IRS man was able to look it up but I'm not sure how.

When Mary objected to Missy's vocabulary, she called Missy "Melissa Cooper." Was Mary only 2/3 angry, or does Missy not have a middle name?

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, Driad said:

When Sheldon called the IRS man from the pay phone, did he say whose return he was calling about?  IRS man was able to look it up but I'm not sure how.

I thought he only said his name, not his parent's names or address.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

40 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Interesting that the IRS guy can bring up their file with just the name Cooper and eight keystrokes.

 

45 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I hope Meemaw has two bathrooms in her house.

I had the same thoughts.

 

[Snow Apple]

6 minutes ago, Driad said:

When Sheldon called the IRS man from the pay phone, did he say whose return he was calling about?  IRS man was able to look it up but I'm not sure how.

I'm more surprised Sheldon used a pay phone. Doesn't he have a germ phobia? 

[greekmom]

I loved the IRS showdown.

 

[Chit Chat]

Dale should've gone home in order to prep (shit his guts out) for his colonoscopy.  There's nothing romantic about a couple doing this together!! 

[nelroy78]

Son of a Mitch!

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, greekmom said:

I loved the IRS showdown.

Yeah, that was a clever way to make an otherwise boring scene a lot more interesting!

[nelroy78]

Just now, ChitChat said:

Dale should've gone home in order to prep (shit his guts out) for his colonoscopy.  There's nothing romantic about a couple doing this together!! 

Yep, it was one thing for three guys to do it together in The Unicorn but quite another for a couple to do it together.

[Chit Chat]

I figured Connie's reluctance to seeing the doctor had to do with her husband's death.  At least we got to hear a little about that situation.  

[Kiddvideo]

If the goal was to save money they couldn’t afford to spend, Sheldon lost that chess match. They still had to pay the accountant to go through 3 years of itemized returns. Sure, he bested the IRS agent, but he screwed his family out of whatever the accountant charged. I liked the scene with the agent, though I wish George had held Sheldon responsible for making up for the added expense.

Did I miss Georgie somewhere? And kids always think they’re trying something new (Missy.) Kids have been trying to use the Bible as a reason to curse since the printing press was invented.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

17 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Did I miss Georgie somewhere?

He's the one who clued Missy in about the redacted cursing.

Edited April 16, 2021 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Kiddvideo]

10 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

He's the one who clued missy in about the redacted cursing.

Lol. How’d I miss that?? Thanks!

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I wonder if Georgie knows how much exasperation he caused his mother by telling her about edited-for-TV movies.

To me, the more important question is does he care or how proud of his little sister is he? 

I liked this episode. George is a fantastic father to Sheldon. Missy vs. Mary is fantastic and I can't to wait to see more of it. I like seeing Georgie being a good older brother to Missy and explaining how things work.   

Based on how literally Sheldon takes things and his knack for finding loopholes, I can't wait to see the episode where Missy or Georgie is punished for something and Sheldon finds a way for one of his siblings to break the spirit of the punishment, but not the letter of the punishment. (For Georgie-"You can't drive our car," and Sheldon points out they didn't say anything about someone else's car.)

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

If they could make the prep something other than that horrible syrupy liquid then it wouldn't be so bad, but after half of a bottle (which is huge), I couldn't take one more sip without gagging and almost throwing up!!  There has to be a better way. We can land a rover on Mars, but we can't come up with a better way to make a person poop their guts out in an easier way? C'mon researchers!  Develop something better.   

There is, but in the U.S. most doctors and their staff are ignorant of it. 
 

8 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Missy vs. Mary is fantastic

The writers did an excellent job of making teenage rebellion amusing. Too bad it doesn’t look like that IRL. 

[Twilight Man]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Missy finding loopholes for swearing was priceless.

 

1 hour ago, Kiddvideo said:

kids always think they’re trying something new (Missy.) Kids have been trying to use the Bible as a reason to curse since the printing press was invented.

 

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Missy and her not-swearing was hilarious. "I don't have a donkey but if I did I'd take my ass out of here."

It's a good thing she left before she got to the part about Lot and the city he lived in.

(I'm not 100% certain but something on the lines of..........)

The neighbors asked Lot to bring his two (angel) friends outside so that they can have sex with them.

(Well, it's called sodomy for a reason).

Mary would have had a conniption fit if Missy started reciting that.

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

If they could make the prep something other than that horrible syrupy liquid then it wouldn't be so bad, but after half of a bottle (which is huge), I couldn't take one more sip without gagging and almost throwing up!!  There has to be a better way. We can land a rover on Mars, but we can't come up with a better way to make a person poop their guts out in an easier way? C'mon researchers!  Develop something better.   

 

26 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

There is, but in the U.S. most doctors and their staff are ignorant of it. 
 

The writers did an excellent job of making teenage rebellion amusing. Too bad it doesn’t look like that IRL. 

Miralax mixed with Gatorade or something like that for mine a couple of years ago. And you are asleep for the procedure, which has some risk, so it’s not nothing. But probably all of it better than in the 80s

I think I enjoyed the IRS plot the best

Edited April 16, 2021 by DanaK

[chocolatine]

Loved George giving Sheldon a football pep talk at the IRS office and Sheldon calling him on it but still feeling "properly pepped" afterwards.

[Bobbin]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

This is at least the third recent sitcom with a colonoscopy plot. What's going on?

I think March or April is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It seems like a number of shows had this same topic during the Spring a couple of years ago.

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

There is, but in the U.S. most doctors and their staff are ignorant of it. 

Please elaborate!

[SmithW6079]

6 hours ago, ChitChat said:

A quick comment on Chuck Lorre's vanity card:  He said that he's watered down his vanity cards because he doesn't want to be a target for the anger out there.  Look, dumbass, you've been putting out controversial vanity cards for years, and apparently you're getting some heat for it, so don't go crying about it now, because you're the one who put divisive crap out there to start with.  Dolt.  Rant over. 

Lorre is entirely correct. The SJW "woke" crowd decides they are offended by something, declares war, and does their best to destroy someone for having the "wrong" opinions (i.e., not opinions they deem acceptable). They're as bad as the reactionaries on the opposite end if the spectrum.

[shapeshifter]

 

10 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’m not looking forward to getting a colonoscopy. I don’t have to worry about it for a while but still.

It’s not the colonoscopy, it’s the prep. The procedure itself is a piece of cake. And honestly, the prep isn’t THAT bad. It’s just easy fodder for TV.

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

10 hours ago, ChitChat said:

If they could make the prep something other than that horrible syrupy liquid then it wouldn't be so bad, but after half of a bottle (which is huge), I couldn't take one more sip without gagging and almost throwing up!!  There has to be a better way. We can land a rover on Mars, but we can't come up with a better way to make a person poop their guts out in an easier way? C'mon researchers!  Develop something better.   

There is, but in the U.S. most doctors and their staff are ignorant of it. 

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

Please elaborate!

Taking to the Small Talk thread here: https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/91533-small-talk-dinner-at-red-lobster/?tab=comments#comment-6724980

ETA:

6 hours ago, Bobbin said:

I think March or April is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It seems like a number of shows had this same topic during the Spring a couple of years ago.

So... Happy National Colon Cancer Awareness Month???
See also from Wikipedia: "The manner of celebration for national colon cancer awareness month varies."
Humor is, IMO, a contributing factor in my being alive to post this.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2021 by shapeshifter

[DoYouLikeMutton]

7 hours ago, DanaK said:

Miralax mixed with Gatorade or something like that for mine a couple of years ago. And you are asleep for the procedure, which has some risk, so it’s not nothing. But probably all of it better than in the 80s

As someone who is of the age to have had multiple colonoscopies in their lifetime, I will say the prep procedures have gotten better over the years.  My first prep was the worst.  They had me stop eating certain foods up to a week before, and every day as the procedure approached more and more foods were restricted.  By the time the day came for the procedure, I was so weak and tired, and hadn't had a normal meal in over a week. 

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Lorre is entirely correct. The SJW "woke" crowd decides they are offended by something, declares war, and does their best to destroy someone for having the "wrong" opinions (i.e., not opinions they deem acceptable).

I should've been more specific in that I was referring to all of the negative stuff he put out about politics in the past 4 years, and I'll leave it at that.  He wrote a vanity card one time that said that he was going to  basically stay neutral and not write stuff that might offend part of his audience, but he just couldn't do it.  I thought that was what he was referring to.  I disagree with the woke crowd too. 

Ah, taxes.  That takes me back to the good old days when we did taxes by hand, and if you didn't have all of the forms you needed, you went to the library or the post office to pick them up.    Subtract line 7 from line 9, and if that amount is over x amount, multiply the lower amount by 3% and put this on line 10.   You can now claim 1% of the amount shown on line 10 as actual expenses paid.  Put that amount on line 11......  😉

[DoYouLikeMutton]

2 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Ah, taxes.  That takes me back to the good old days when we did taxes by hand, and if you didn't have all of the forms you needed, you went to the library or the post office to pick them up.    Subtract line 7 from line 9, and if that amount is over x amount, multiply the lower amount by 3% and put this on line 10.   You can now claim 1% of the amount shown on line 10 as actual expenses paid.  Put that amount on line 11......  😉

Yes, and chances were the different forms were spread out on a large table or counter and you could help yourself to what you needed!

[Katy M]

Fun fact: I still do my taxes by paper.  Mostly because I think it pisses them off.

I was laughing my butt off with that weird face Sheldon was making when he was waiting for his dad to leave.  

Maybe George went to an accountant who was having one of those promotions of "We'll look at your taxes for free and you only pay if we find yu more money."  Regardless of whether or not this cost them any money, I still think George should have punished Sheldon. He specifically told him to let it go so that they wouldn't get on the IRS' radar and Sheldon did it anyway.  Kid needs to learn to listen and obey.  To me this is worse than the refrigerator thing because nobody specifically told him not to take the refrigerator apart and he should have learned a lesson from that.

I'm with Connie.  Avoid the doctor and just plop over dead when it's time.

[shapeshifter]

42 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I'm with Connie.  Avoid the doctor and just plop over dead when it's time.

But ultimately Connie didn’t go that route. 
 

In 2016 I noticed a small, slightly painful lump in my stomach area. It was Stage 4 colon cancer. If it hadn’t been treated successfully immediately, I would have been dead in 6 months. Sometimes I wonder if that might not have been better. For one thing, my adult kids would have benefited from my employer’s life insurance policy. But they don’t think that would have been better. 
Maybe Memaw/Connie weighed her options and figured Sheldon needed her. 

[shapeshifter]

Can’t edit the above comment, so adding here: Happy belated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

[hoodooznoodooz]

13 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

But ultimately Connie didn’t go that route. 
 

In 2016 I noticed a small, slightly painful lump in my stomach area. It was Stage 4 colon cancer. If it hadn’t been treated successfully immediately, I would have been dead in 6 months. Sometimes I wonder if that might not have been better. For one thing, my adult kids would have benefited from my employer’s life insurance policy. But they don’t think that would have been better. 
Maybe Memaw/Connie weighed her options and figured Sheldon needed her. 

We are very happy that you are here.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

11 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

But ultimately Connie didn’t go that route. 
 

In 2016 I noticed a small, slightly painful lump in my stomach area. It was Stage 4 colon cancer. If it hadn’t been treated successfully immediately, I would have been dead in 6 months. Sometimes I wonder if that might not have been better. For one thing, my adult kids would have benefited from my employer’s life insurance policy. But they don’t think that would have been better. 
Maybe Memaw/Connie weighed her options and figured Sheldon needed her. 

Glad you are still around Shapeshifter!   You add a lot to these forums and I am sure to your children's lives as well.

[WinnieWinkle]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I still think George should have punished Sheldon.

How?  Sometimes kids punish themselves way better than a parent ever could.  George knew Sheldon felt terrible about what he'd done and regretted it.  Taking away privileges or making him stay in his room or however you punish an 11 yr old wouldn't have made Sheldon feel any worse about what happened and, more importantly, wouldn't have taught him anything he hadn't already learned.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

That IRS agent did look exactly as you’d imagine.

[camom]

Quote

I’m not looking forward to getting a colonoscopy. I don’t have to worry about it for a while but still.

Get one when it's time!  A colonoscopy saved my life.

Quote

I still think George should have punished Sheldon.

I agree.  Sheldon basically stole the check that George thought had been mailed and contacted the IRS even though his father specifically told him not to.  Sheldon may be brilliant, but he has absolutely no respect for authority.

Missy is my favorite character.

[rmontro]

I didn't think the ending made that much sense.  Is the IRS really going to penalize a father for buying his son a train?  But whatever, I'll handwave it, it's a sitcom.

Loved this week's vanity card at the end.

[Katy M]

9 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I didn't think the ending made that much sense.  Is the IRS really going to penalize a father for buying his son a train?  But whatever, I'll handwave it, it's a sitcom.

Loved this week's vanity card at the end.

technically, I would think it would be the "scammer" (in this case Sheldon) who would get in trouble.  

[rhys]

I thought the message was due to the 2 peoples deaths that were on the vanity card. I just figured they both died from colon cancer.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If it hadn’t been treated successfully immediately, I would have been dead in 6 months. Sometimes I wonder if that might not have been better. For one thing, my adult kids would have benefited from my employer’s life insurance policy. But they don’t think that would have been better. 

I'm glad you're doing well.  The forums wouldn't be the same without you!  Small ripple in the big pond effect, shapeshifter!  :)  

13 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Is the IRS really going to penalize a father for buying his son a train?  But whatever, I'll handwave it, it's a sitcom.

I think he wanted to see how far he could push Sheldon, and to teach him not to mess with the IRS!  Although Sheldon was proven right, at least he had to eat some humble pie along the way.  I'm glad that he tripped himself up at first, so at least he got to experience what it feels like to be losing and how his actions affected the people he loves.   I'm with George though, some things just aren't worth the fight!!

[rmontro]

45 minutes ago, Katy M said:

technically, I would think it would be the "scammer" (in this case Sheldon) who would get in trouble.  

How did Sheldon scam the IRS?

44 minutes ago, rhys said:

I thought the message was due to the 2 peoples deaths that were on the vanity card. I just figured they both died from colon cancer.

I bet you're right.  I wondered who those people were whose names were on that card.  That would explain the colonoscopy plotline.  I didn't mean that card, however.  I meant the other one, the one with the small print.

Dale and MeeMaw would probably be smarter doing their colonoscopies on separate occasions.  That way they could drive each other home  afterward.  Not much romance in spending the night together on the toilet.  I hope they had separate bathrooms.

[Katy M]

56 minutes ago, rmontro said:

How did Sheldon scam the IRS?

He didn't scam the IRS. theoretically he scammed George for accepting payment for a service he wasn't licensed for, and therefore not legally qualified to do.  But, of course being his son and getting paid with a model train makes the whole argument ludicrous.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

Not much romance in spending the night together on the toilet.  I hope they had separate bathrooms.

Dale must be extremely comfortable around Connie to go through the experience of a pre-colonoscopy prep together!  Yuk!  

Disclaimer:  I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting one.  I only had to prep the day before, and other than the terrible taste of the liquid you have to drink, the rest was a breeze.   In the grand scheme of things, it's really not so bad.  

Missy is really testing her boundaries with Mary!  I don't like this side of her though.  Cute Missy with just a side of snark is fine with me!  I don't want her to be a little hellion.  Her bonding with Georgie over curse words and other things of that nature are funny though. 

 

[rmontro]

39 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Dale must be extremely comfortable around Connie to go through the experience of a pre-colonoscopy prep together!  Yuk!  

Disclaimer:  I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting one.  I only had to prep the day before, and other than the terrible taste of the liquid you have to drink, the rest was a breeze.   In the grand scheme of things, it's really not so bad.  

Missy is really testing her boundaries with Mary!  I don't like this side of her though.  Cute Missy with just a side of snark is fine with me!  I don't want her to be a little hellion.  Her bonding with Georgie over curse words and other things of that nature are funny though. 

When you talk about older relationships, there aren't many illusions left about the less pleasant aspects of our anatomies.

I'm glad your colonoscopy was a breeze, mine was not so pleasant.  I didn't mind drinking the awful liquid so much, and it cleared fairly quickly without turning into a long ordeal.  But the night before, I could not sleep at all (I'm a night owl), and in the morning I was so wiped out that I couldn't wait for them to put me out so I could get some sleep.  I was also starving.  Then when I woke up I was in intense pain, apparently they had blown too much air in me, and it was intensely uncomfortable until I was able to release it all several hours later.  Even then I was sore for about a week.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't find Missy's storyline to be so cute.  The yippee-ki-yay Mr. Falcon commentary about censored movies was pretty funny, although I'm not sure how much of a joke it was since it was real.