S04.E17: A Black Hole

[Sarah 103]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

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.

The show with commercials is 30 minutes. The episode without commercials is 18-22 minutes. The part at the end with Sheldon and George was wonderful and so touching. 

11 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

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?

Love triangles work best when the person is dealing with two different people who often represent two different things. I think that's part of the reason this love triangle works so well. 

I liked the idea for this episode, but not the execution. It felt scattered, like a bunch of random imagine spots. I wished there had been more of an actual plotline. Malcolm in The Middle had a fantastic episode where the mother wonders what if her four sons were daughters and how her life would be different. The same series also had another episode that was based on Sliding Doors (what happens if the mother takes two of her sons to go bowling and the father stays home to watch the youngest vs. what happens if the father takes two of his sons to go bowling and the mother stays home to watch the youngest). 

It would have been great if we got to see a full 22 minute episode play out in an alternate universe, or see the same story play out in the normal universe and the alternate universe. 

[HurricaneVal]

Oh how I loved this episode.  All the AUs!  But... holy cow... that first one with the sirens and the announcements and the panic and the feels and the beer?  Perfect.  Duelling Sheldons was great, but opposite world?  Oh yeah.

Speaking of feels, that scene with George and Sheldon....

As far as grocery store baggers are concerned...my store is good so far as keeping cleaning stuff together, frozen stuff together, putting my bread and eggs on top etc.   But the boy baggers see me as a middle aged woman, think I'm weak, and put like three items per bag.  The girl baggers look at me, nod, and load the bags.  A typical weekly trip results in ten bags or four bags, depending on the bagger.  

[shapeshifter]

I usually do self-check and bag my own if that’s an option, but recently I used the checker because that store had a sign that says “15 items or less” to use the self-check. When I got home, half of my dozen eggs were cracked. 
Dr. Sturgis would not have let that happen, right? Or does the soda can pyramid fail indicate otherwise?

[Browncoat]

I don't even let them put eggs or bread in bags -- I catch those as soon as they've been scanned, hold them out, and put them in the bags myself.  The other day, I bought a rotisserie chicken, and the bagger tried to put all my produce on top of the hot chicken!  Fortunately I was able to redirect.  Grocery bagging is a lost art.

[Gimmick Genius]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

  Grocery bagging is a lost art.

You've got to watch "The Girl Earl" episode of MY NAME IS EARL, guest starring Jon Heder. There's a brilliant "grocery bagging" competition.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Gimmick Genius said:

You've got to watch "The Girl Earl" episode of MY NAME IS EARL, guest starring Jon Heder. There's a brilliant "grocery bagging" competition.

I was trying to think of that when I wrote my post!  I remember the competition, and I remember Jon Heder in it, but I couldn't remember which show it was.  Thanks!

[Quark]

Seeing all the Coopers, Meemaw and Dr Sturgis round the table made me realise how much I love all these characters. There's not a single one of them I don't like, which is so rare on TV shows.

Fabulous episode.

 

[SmithW6079]

I loved this episode: The drama with the black hole -- kudos to Lance Barber and Raegan Revord especially -- and the alternate universe with Preacher George and Good-Time Mary. Bald Georgie didn't work for me, because it was so obviously a bald wig on a 17-year-old kid.

 

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

Bald Georgie didn't work for me, because it was so obviously a bald wig on a 17-year-old kid.

Bald Georgie didn’t work for me either, mainly because it didn’t make sense. The other alternate personifications seemed plausible. 

[eel21788]

8 hours ago, Browncoat said:

.  Grocery bagging is a lost art.

Since we're talking about grocery baggers, I have to say:

RIP Terri Leiker

Anyone who was a regular at the Table Mesa King Soopers knew who she was, and she was proof that you don't need a PhD to know how to bag groceries correctly.

Terri, we'll miss you!

[Gimmick Genius]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I was trying to think of that when I wrote my post!  I remember the competition, and I remember Jon Heder in it, but I couldn't remember which show it was.  Thanks!

I remember it specifically because the shooting location for the contest was the Friendship Hall of Sepulveda United Methodist Church in North Hills, Los Angeles. For many years I was part of a theater company which held training there every year. I performed in dozens of one-act plays in that very room!

[Katy M]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Bald Georgie didn’t work for me either, mainly because it didn’t make sense. The other alternate personifications seemed plausible. 

It didn't make a lot of sense, but they switched Sheldon and Missy, and Mary and George, so they were switching Georgie and Dr Sheldon, I guess.  But, they should have had just had Georgie look the same and say something quirky and happy.

[HurricaneVal]

Oh, I thought bald!Georgie was just another layer of "opposite-land."  Not only did he switch personalities with Dr. Sturgis, but their most salient physical features as well--their hair--but also Georgie has a lot of pride in his lush Patrick Swayze locks, so for him to be without was another aspect of "opposite."

But I will agree 100% that was an awful wig.  I'll bet the budget for hair and makeup isn't very big for this show, and that scene required a little more than a standard Maybelline and Paul Mitchell kit.

[Browncoat]

I assumed it was a nod to Georgie's great hair, too.

But, oy, I am sick to death of the "put glasses on and you're automatically smart" trope that they did with Missy.  She can be smart without glasses, and with her normal hair, dammit.

[ams1001]

21 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

But, oy, I am sick to death of the "put glasses on and you're automatically smart" trope that they did with Missy.  She can be smart without glasses, and with her normal hair, dammit.

Sheldon doesn't even wear glasses!

[Katy M]

47 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

But, oy, I am sick to death of the "put glasses on and you're automatically smart" trope that they did with Missy.  She can be smart without glasses, and with her normal hair, dammit.

While I agree with that, they were trying to transmit the new personalities in a matter of a few seconds, so used all the visual aid stereotypes.

[c10]

As Sheldon himself might have observed, there was a nice opportunity for a physics pun on Cooper pairs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_pair). So here it is, in this alternate universe.

[Katy M]

BTW, I think they should have used the word clone, or double AU Self, or something, because Sheldon said he would love to interact with his twin. Um, Sheldon, you interact with your twin on a daily basis.

[HurricaneVal]

I.....................don't think Sheldon has ever considered Missy to really be his twin.  His sister, yeah, his extremely close in age, womb sharing, born nearly at the same time, sister, but not his twin.  To be his twin, Sheldon would require an equal intellect. I really don't think he values the social and athletic genius Missy has as equivalent to his brilliance.  

[Katy M]

16 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

I.....................don't think Sheldon has ever considered Missy to really be his twin.  His sister, yeah, his extremely close in age, womb sharing, born nearly at the same time, sister, but not his twin.  To be his twin, Sheldon would require an equal intellect. I really don't think he values the social and athletic genius Missy has as equivalent to his brilliance.  

Of course Sheldon doesn't consider Missy anywhere near his equal. But, Sheldon is very exact and precise.  Missy IS his twin.  Just like he can't join a sci-fi club because they show fantasy movies even though he also likes those.

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Not only did he switch personalities with Dr. Sturgis, but their most salient physical features as well--their hair--but also Georgie has a lot of pride in his lush Patrick Swayze locks, so for him to be without was another aspect of "opposite."

I think they were just going for the comedic effect, not a perfectly made up bald head.  I thought it was funny. 

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I.....................don't think Sheldon has ever considered Missy to really be his twin.  His sister, yeah, his extremely close in age, womb sharing, born nearly at the same time, sister, but not his twin.  To be his twin, Sheldon would require an equal intellect. I really don't think he values the social and athletic genius Missy has as equivalent to his brilliance.  

Do we know who was born first?

[Katy M]

16 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Do we know who was born first?

Not for sure, but Meemaw said that Missy almost died which means she was probably second.

[displayname]

I love this show <3

[shapeshifter]

 

On 5/9/2021 at 5:59 PM, shapeshifter said:

Bald Georgie didn’t work for me either, mainly because it didn’t make sense. The other alternate personifications seemed plausible. 

19 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I thought bald!Georgie was just another layer of "opposite-land."  Not only did he switch personalities with Dr. Sturgis, but...

I just rewatched the Bald Georgie parts to see if I missed Bald Georgie sounding like or acting like Dr. Sturgis in any way, and I didn't catch it. Am I missing something? Or was the bald wig the only bit?
It just didn't work for me; it took me out of the scene; it was distracting from the otherwise really well-done episode.
But humor is subjective, and there were a lot of other parts of the episode that made it worthwhile to me. I'm just wondering if I missed something.
It might have worked for me if they showed Bald Georgie next to Dr. Sturgis with a Beatles wig. But maybe they tried that, and it was worse, and they ran out of time?

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by shapeshifter

[eel21788]

On 5/10/2021 at 5:57 PM, Katy M said:

Not for sure, but Meemaw said that Missy almost died which means she was probably second.

Not necessarily. She could have had a much lower birth weight, or a placenta that wasn't as well nourished as Sheldon's. I wouldn't put it past Sheldon to start being self-centered in utero and hogging all the nutrients and blood flow. Rh incompatibility is also a possibility although that is extremely rare since Rhogam was invented in the 1970s. Who was born first could also depend on whether Mary had a c-section or vjj delivery. 

[femmefan1946]

On 5/7/2021 at 9:40 AM, 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?

 

[eel21788]

On 5/14/2021 at 12:17 AM, femmefan1946 said:

 

Wow! That pretty much describes my life!

Case in point: the last time I had to take a computer in for repairs, the shop told me it was the first time they had to take a tower out to the parking lot after they opened it to clean an entire cat worth of fur out of it. He told me, "Now your computer will run better just because it can breathe."

[eel21788]

On 5/7/2021 at 4:32 PM, Lukeysboat said:

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! 

According to his DNA test he is a Turkish Angora. I guess that would make him either Western Asian or Eastern European. 

Thankx for the well-wishes. I can certainly use them.

Edited May 16, 2021 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 5/7/2021 at 5:21 PM, ChitChat said:

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!)

He's supposed to be a Turkish Angora. He may actually speak some Greek. When he isn't being fed or getting treats at the appropriate time, he swats my heels to get me walking in the right direction. 

[kay1864]

On 5/6/2021 at 11:42 PM, chocolatine said:

Was Mary getting a haircut in the last episode also part of an alternate universe?

(late to the game, we just finished binging the last two seasons)

This! The previous episode ended on a cliffhanger, pointedly hiding her chopped-up hair, so we should have seen the new improved Mary in this episode, and… nothing.

Wtf, show?

[marriedaniac]

Late to the party, but loved this episode. The alternate universe was hilarious and the black hole fantasy was well done. (Even though it was totally a fantasy because no way would Sheldon openly pray...) and the final scene with George and Sheldon was *feels*.

AU Mary seems fun, and Zoe Perry reminded me of her mother in her Roseanne heyday when she was smiling like that. And George looked good cleaned up in his suit - he even looked slimmer and dashing; shows how good costuming can be on a TV show.

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by marriedaniac

[John Potts]

OK it was funny – but who put Dr Sturgis in front of a camera!? That'd be like the University President putting Sheldon in front of donors to solicit donation (oh, wait...). But I flove how John never lets the world get him down.

“I can behave at home or I can behave at school – I can’t do both.” Spoken like a true teen!

OK – Alt-Mary looked hot in that outfit. And it was truly touching how the Coopers all admitted their love for each other as the world ended (in character too, IMO). Regular Sheldon even came about as close as he ever does to telling his dad he loved him.

Was anyone else expecting the reveal at the end (when Georgie was trying to buy beer) to be that Dr Sturgis had died?

On 5/7/2021 at 1:31 AM, 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.)

The only thing that didn’t ring true was how physical it got. I expect a fight between the two would consist of them both ineffectually slapping at each other.

On 5/9/2021 at 10:59 PM, shapeshifter said:

Bald Georgie didn’t work for me either, mainly because it didn’t make sense

Maybe Superboy blew some chemicals onto his head that caused him to lose his hair, leading to him becoming a supervillain (it’s an Alt-Universe, anything could happen)!

On 1/2/2022 at 3:59 PM, marriedaniac said:

Even though it was totally a fantasy because no way would Sheldon openly pray

Sheldon has allowed the intrusion of God into his rational world to make his mother feel better before (something like “I don’t believe it, but you do”). I can see him doing the same if the world was about to end. He might even claim Pascal's wager makes it advisable (if you know you're about to die, the possibility of there being a God makes it a good idea to get on his good side ASAP).