S04.E17: A Black Hole

[Bort]

The Coopers discuss the possibilities of black holes and alternate universes when Dr. Sturgis comes over for dinner.

Airdate: 6 May 2021

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

[highway61]

The black hole scene was actually pretty intense. Everyone was good. 

[ams1001]

"It's just so funny when he's upset. But I'm sorry about it."

Alternate universe Mary seems fun.

Of course Sheldon can't even get along with himself. (I know it was Missy's fantasy, but it'd probably be true.)

Poor Dr. Sturgis. 😞

I loved the scene with Sheldon and George at the end. A sweet moment after all the absurdity.

Nice try, Georgie.

[Spartan Girl]

Okay, I nearly fell for the black hole fakeout because it was so emotional.

The alternate universe was priceless. Bald Georgie, Texas Sturgis, Preachy George, NY Connie, Genius Missy, Regular Sheldon, and Loose Mary! LMAO!

Of course the end was a heartbreaker. Will Sturgis and Connie ever get it together? 

[Browncoat]

I LOVED the alternate universe.  Like Sheldon, I thought the dinner was really fun.  

[tennisgurl]

Damn it show, your supposed to warn me ahead of time when your going to make me tear up. 

[Frost]

Poor Dr Sturgis missed his cue!  Wallace Shawn looked so frail in this episode.  It's making me sad on a whole other level.

Excellent episode.   Young Sheldon is really good at mixing the funny and the heart rending.

[Chit Chat]

12 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I loved the scene with Sheldon and George at the end. A sweet moment after all the absurdity.

This made me so sad though, knowing what lies ahead.  Sigh.  My Dad passed away in December, so it definitely struck a chord with me.

Just now, Frost said:

Wallace Shawn looked so frail in this episode. 

Yes, he sure did.  That was sad too.   I need to find something happy to watch now.  

[freeser]

8 minutes ago, Frost said:

  Wallace Shawn looked so frail in this episode.  It's making me sad on a whole other level.

I believe 'Dr. Sturgis' said he was 71 years old.  I just checked and Wallace Shawn is really 77 - so he is even older than his character.  

[Chit Chat]

On a happier note, Mary looked hot!!  I loved George as a minister.  Sheldon was a slouch. Missy was super smart.  Connie looked really good too with her hair styled that way.   At least this episode had some funny moments!

[Izzy85]

God damn! Zoe Perry is gorgeous 😍 lol

[Twilight Man]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Of course Sheldon can't even get along with himself. (I know it was Missy's fantasy, but it'd probably be true.)

Since "Sheldon" couldn't possibly exist with another person who is just as intelligent as him,

One of them would probably point out that since the moment of "duplication",

both "Sheldon"s would technically be leading separate lives; therefore, one of us would arguably

be just slightly smarter than the other,

then the two of them would be arguing over which one is the smarter one.

"I own the subscription to Science Weekly magazine."

"I read that magazine too."

"Yes, but I was the first to read it.   That's makes me slightly smarter."

"How does that make you smarter??"

"Because while you were reading it, I was learning something else.  That makes me smarter."

[Driad]

2 minutes ago, Twilight Man said:

"Because while you were reading it, I was learning something else.  That makes me smarter."

We can hope that eventually Sheldon will learn the difference between smart and well-informed.

[tennisgurl]

That black hole scene was surprisingly intense, everyone was really bringing it, even knowing that it was going to be a dream or a fantasy sequence. 

The alternate universes were a lot of fun, especially Texan Dr. Sturgis and the amazing team of preacher George and barfly Mary, who was looking amazing in that dress. Also loved how George and Georgie were trying to participate in the science talk. "I'm participating in the conversation, I didnt sit there like lump." 

It was great seeing Dr. Sturgis again, although I so wanted him to tell Connie that he regretted breaking up with her. Come on, this is your moment! Maybe in a different universe. 

I feel like Missy is right about two Sheldon's, they would drive each other nuts while complaining that there must be something wrong with the other Sheldon. 

Then after that sadness, we get the even bigger hit to the feelings with narrator Sheldon talking about how he wishes that he had told his dad he loved him more before he died while Sheldon and George have a nice moment after diner. Right in the gut. 

[WinnieWinkle]

The Black Hole sequence was amazingly well done.  

Spoiler

I guess they are not walking back that George dies when the twins are 14.  That scene was incredibly touching.

 

[Runningwild]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Damn it show, your supposed to warn me ahead of time when your going to make me tear up. 

I know!  I LOLed a few times and then at the end I was wiping away tears. 
 

My favorite part of the black hole scene was that Georgie really did go get a beer. 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Runningwild

[BitterApple]

I normally hate alternate-universe style episodes, but I enjoyed this one.

For the second time in three weeks, this show made me cry. The end scenes of MeeMaw/Dr. Sturgis and Sheldon/George were very touching, especially when coupled with Jim Parson's voiceover.

Mary looked gorgeous all dolled up. 

I'm glad it went out on a funny note with Georgie trying to buy beer, but it looks like next week's episode is going to have a dark tone. 

Edited May 7, 2021 by BitterApple

[hoodooznoodooz]

“Mary, I believe I recognize these tater tots from when I packed them in your bag.”

[chocolatine]

Was Mary getting a haircut in the last episode also part of an alternate universe? Because her hair in this one looked the same as it always does.

54 minutes ago, Runningwild said:

My favorite part of the black hole scene was that Georgie really did go get a beer. 

That's how I knew that scene was a fakeout, because I don't think Mary would have let him have one even if the world was about to end. Also, we know that the world didn't end in 1992.

[AD35]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

barfly Mary, who was looking amazing in that dress.

While it may have been in an alternate universe, it might have offered a glimpse of what "our" Mary was like when she first met George and ended up having Georgie.

Spoiler

She even hinted about it on "the other show".

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by AD35

[Kiddvideo]

I had to rewatch it and turn on cc because I couldn’t understand Dr. Sturgis when he was trying to talk Texan. Other than that, this one fell flat for me. The season has been about changes, and the alternate universes and Sheldon/George scenes emphasized how quickly life can turn. Yeah, yeah, yeah, bad changes happen in reality, but I prefer my entertainment to be funny escapism.

[Caoimhe]

32 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, bad changes happen in reality, but I prefer my entertainment to be funny escapism.

Me too.  I am not sure I will keep watching this show given what TBBT would indicate is coming up.

[nora1992]

8 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

“Mary, I believe I recognize these tater tots from when I packed them in your bag.”

I liked Mary’s joy in his bagging skills!  Heavy things on the bottom, cold things together, etc.

Feels like that scene provides more training than my local grocer…..

[ams1001]

38 minutes ago, nora1992 said:

I liked Mary’s joy in his bagging skills!  Heavy things on the bottom, cold things together, etc.

Who knew you needed a PhD in Physics to bag groceries properly?

[shapeshifter]

Oh John. 😞

But thanks show, for conveying how despondent so many are feeling these days and yet managing to end on a positive note. That's what I try to do too.
Hmmm. I wonder if it just annoys most people.
At least with a show of at most 30 minutes of screen time to which the viewers have pre-committed themselves, they're not likely to walk out before you get to the heart warming part. And kudos to the writers for teasing the heartwarming throughout. I should do more of that.

I love the concept of alternate universes.

And now I will never again use "black hole" as a negative metaphor.

Edited May 7, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Snow Apple]

I knew the world didn’t end but I thought maybe there was an explosion in town. Maybe a house or car and they’ll feel awkward later. I liked how they confessed their love for each other but Georgie still wanted to go out with a beer.

AU Mary was pretty but George in a suit also looked very dashing.

[WinnieWinkle]

10 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I'm glad it went out on a funny note with Georgie trying to buy beer, but it looks like next week's episode is going to have a dark tone. 

I PVR this (the only way I can watch is being able to FF through the endless commercials) and it cut off part way through.  Definitely a dark tone from what I could see but on the plus side it looks like they are giving Missie a little more story than she's gotten so far this season.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

12 hours ago, Izzy85 said:

God damn! Zoe Perry is gorgeous 😍 lol

Yes, agreed, Zoe Perry is very pretty.  Even though they make her plain and dowdy for the show, she has that pencil thin waist.

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Was Mary getting a haircut in the last episode also part of an alternate universe? Because her hair in this one looked the same as it always does.

That's right, I thought we'd get to see her new haircut in this episode!

[BitterApple]

13 hours ago, Frost said:

Poor Dr Sturgis missed his cue!  Wallace Shawn looked so frail in this episode.  It's making me sad on a whole other level.

Excellent episode.   Young Sheldon is really good at mixing the funny and the heart rending.

Lulz! When did he miss his cue? I didn't catch it.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Was Mary getting a haircut in the last episode also part of an alternate universe? Because her hair in this one looked the same as it always does.

That's right, I thought we'd get to see her new haircut in this episode!

The production codes for the 2 episodes are sequential (T12.16765 and T12.16766) so I guess they went with the comedic rule-of-3 joke that Mary showed up 3 times in a row to get a haircut and left 3 times without one, in this case with the 3rd time showing up in a hat looking like she really was getting one (probably she just had her hair up, and maybe got a little trim).

Or...?

[Gregg247]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode with all the alternate reality "what if's".  They were all great.

I wish they'd done one where Georgie was the genius, since grown-up Georgie will be played by the guy who travelled throughout the multi-verse for 4 seasons on "Sliders"!

It was great to finally have Dr. Sturgis back with the rest of the cast.  I've started to warm up to Team Meemaw/Dale, but now I think I'm back on Team Meemaw/Dr. Sturgis.  Who would have guessed that the best romantic triangle on TV would involve all senior citizens?

[chitowngirl]

37 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Lulz! When did he miss his cue? I didn't catch it.

He missed his cue in telling Connie how he regretted them breaking up.

 

[Kiddvideo]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Who knew you needed a PhD in Physics to bag groceries properly?

I used to work special events for a publishing company in New York City. The owners of an upstate NY grocery store chain, Price Chopper, attended one of our conferences and Mr. Golub repacked his and his wife’s gift bags because they were “packed wrong.” They were the best couple. For dinner Mrs. Golub asked if they were seated together and was “disappointed” because she’d seen a “nice young man” she wanted to sit next to. They were so charming and fun. I worked that job around the world for 10 years, and they were my favorites. Rachel Ray had worked for them, too, and they had the nicest things to say about her.

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, Frost said:

Poor Dr Sturgis missed his cue!  Wallace Shawn looked so frail in this episode.  It's making me sad on a whole other level.

Just to clarify: "Dr. Sturgis missed his cue" refers to the character missing an opportunity to declare his love for Connie, not that Wallace Shawn missed an acting "cue," right? 

 

Yes, this 100%

15 hours ago, Frost said:

Young Sheldon is really good at mixing the funny and the heart rending.

Edited May 7, 2021 by shapeshifter

[CrazyMoon]

Loved that the new middle school sophisticated Missy (I can behave in school or I can behave at home, you cant have both) went crying like the scared little girl she really is to her Daddy during the Black Hole crisis...

 

[eel21788]

][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[;pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp8lllllllllllllllllll8l7l5ll4lllllllllllllll4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

This was typed by the cat who watched with me last night. I'd delete it, but it seems important to him. Can anyone translate?

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[;pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp8lllllllllllllllllll8l7l5ll4lllllllllllllll4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

This was typed by the cat who watched with me last night. I'd delete it, but it seems important to him. Can anyone translate?

There are a lot of fours in there, so I googled what it might mean. Some numerology site told me:

Quote

When strength and efficiency are needed, it's number 4 to the rescue. The 4 in Numerology is a no-nonsense number with a heads-down approach to life and work. It is extremely dependable and lends a great amount of stability to a person or situation. The 4 is dedicated to advancing, but in a more conservative way than a progressive one. It sticks to what is tried-and-true instead of attempting methods that are new.

Sheldon himself has pointed out that he does not like change...

hmm...

Though "pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp" suggests that your cat is just blowing raspberries at us.

[Callietwo]

6 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

Me too.  I am not sure I will keep watching this show given what TBBT would indicate is coming up.

I'm leaning in that direction myself.  I didn't like the previews for next week.  

[MollyMelrose]

I can participate, Smart Ass.

Good job, Lump.

Father-son bonding at its finest. 🤣🤣🤣

So glad we were able to have dinner with the Coopers and Dr. Sturgis. Who knew talking science could be so awesome?

[WinnieWinkle]

38 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

This was typed by the cat who watched with me last night. I'd delete it, but it seems important to him. Can anyone translate?

Based on my experience back in the day with my Mother's extremely spoiled siamese cat I believe what this is saying is "Stop what you're doing right now and pay attention TO ME!"

[Frost]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Just to clarify: "Dr. Sturgis missed his cue" refers to the character missing an opportunity to declare his love for Connie, not that Wallace Shawn missed an acting "cue," right? 

Yes.  The alternate reality Dr Sturgis had an almost identical conversation with Connie, but used it to tell her he regretted ending their relationship, which lead to them reuniting.   "Our" Dr Sturgis seemed to realize the conversation was going along the same lines as his imagined one, but lost his nerve.  ☹️

[DoYouLikeMutton]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Just to clarify: "Dr. Sturgis missed his cue" refers to the character missing an opportunity to declare his love for Connie, not that Wallace Shawn missed an acting "cue," right? 

 

Yes, this 100%

 

11 minutes ago, Frost said:

Yes.  The alternate reality Dr Sturgis had an almost identical conversation with Connie, but used it to tell her he regretted ending their relationship, which lead to them reuniting.   "Our" Dr Sturgis seemed to realize the conversation was going along the same lines as his imagined one, but lost his nerve.  ☹️

Thanks for the clarification.  I, too, wondered what you meant.  Agreed, Dr. Sturgis missed a chance at saying what he really wanted to say to Connie.  I thought Connie might have steered the conversation in that direction and suggested a rekindling, but maybe that will be a cliffhanger for next week's season finale.   

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

There are a lot of fours in there, so I googled what it might mean. Some numerology site told me:

When strength and efficiency are needed, it's number 4 to the rescue. The 4 in Numerology is a no-nonsense number with a heads-down approach to life and work. It is extremely dependable and lends a great amount of stability to a person or situation. The 4 is dedicated to advancing, but in a more conservative way than a progressive one. It sticks to what is tried-and-true instead of attempting methods that are new.

Sheldon himself has pointed out that he does not like change...

hmm...

Though "pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp" suggests that your cat is just blowing raspberries at us.

 

1 hour ago, WinnieWinkle said:

Based on my experience back in the day with my Mother's extremely spoiled siamese cat I believe what this is saying is "Stop what you're doing right now and pay attention TO ME!"

Interesting theories. I'll discuss it with him and get back to you.

[Katy M]

this episode was great.  I just have one complaint.  I know Dr Sturgis is overqualified to be a bag boy.  But, i don't like the way everybody was talking down about it.  there's nothing wrong with it.  I'm sure he doesn't need to work, but if he wants to do this why not?  Up until the can stacking he was doing fine.

[71dude]

"Why am I the only normal one in this family?"

It was great to have the six main regulars together and bouncing off each other for the first time in ages. Hopefully we'll get more of that next season and fewer isolated subplots. 

Sheldon ran off at the end of the opening sequence - I've never seen that before. 

I didn't read the summary but I hope it's not a tragic clilffhanger. 

[treeofdreams]

8 minutes ago, 71dude said:

Sheldon ran off at the end of the opening sequence - I've never seen that before. 

He was dressed as The Flash - they have used it before.

[Gimmick Genius]

5 hours ago, eel21788 said:

][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[;pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp8lllllllllllllllllll8l7l5ll4lllllllllllllll4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

This was typed by the cat who watched with me last night. I'd delete it, but it seems important to him. Can anyone translate?

Send it to Chuck Lorre; he might use it as one of his close-of-credits cards

[Lukeysboat]

5 hours ago, eel21788 said:

 

][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[;pollllplplplplplplplplplplplp8lllllllllllllllllll8l7l5ll4lllllllllllllll4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4l4llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

 

I hope your cat is not Chinese. Four is very unlucky in Chinese culture (I think perhaps Japanese and Korean, too) since the word for “four” sounds like the word for “death.” 

Here’s to good health for you and your cat! 

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, eel21788 said:

This was typed by the cat who watched with me last night. I'd delete it, but it seems important to him. Can anyone translate?

Normally I speak cat pretty well, but that's Greek to me!  Might be a nudge to drop the mouse and get him some dinner (mixed in with some cat expletives!)

As far as bagging groceries, it's usually the guys who don't understand the concept of how to bag groceries properly.  I load the conveyor belt with all my cold/frozen stuff first, with the appropriate "cold" bags, but inevitably stuff is loaded incorrectly.  Bread on the bottom; cold stuff mixed with other stuff.  I'm in the South, and when it's blazing hot outside, you really need your cold/frozen stuff together so that it doesn't sweat or thaw out on the ride home.  I usually end up moving everything around once I get it to the car.  The worst is when you have 5 reusable bags and they cram the whole cartload into 2 bags.  Of course in the grand scheme of things, if this is my worst problem for the day, then I'm doing pretty good.    First world problems and all.  ;)

I think that Missy is more like her mother was at her age.  I'm picturing Mary walking around sassing Connie like that in her teens.

 

 

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

The worst is when you have 5 reusable bags and they cram the whole cartload into 2 bags. 

And when you forget your reusable bags, they use five plastic bags when your stuff would fit in two.

8 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I think that Missy is more like her mother was at her age.  I'm picturing Mary walking around sassing Connie like that in her teens.

 And that probably terrifies Mary!