S05.E01: One Bad Night and Chaos of Selfish Desires

[DanaK]

Quote

Sheldon and Missy both run away from home, and Mary gets upsetting news about George Sr., on the fifth season premiere of YOUNG SHELDON, Thursday, Oct. 7 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT)

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by DanaK

[Kiddvideo]

This episode really irritated me. Everyone was shrill, and I wanted them to just shut up. Stop whining, stop crying, stop being stupid.

Everyone was orange, and the set was weirdly lit. Sheldon’s too big to be given the same kind of lines he had as a 7 year old. Georgie’s skeevy. Brenda and George dancing around a mutual attraction is gross.

[Spartan Girl]

So no cheating. Yet. But yeah, it’s just a matter of time.

At least the show is aware that they’re going into some dangerous territory and they’re trying to be nuanced without vilifying anyone. 

I’m kind of annoyed that throughout all that, Mary never bothered to find out that Missy got her heart broken. I know the heart attack overshadowed everything, but still, that last bit of Mary being so clueless about why Missy burned her notebook ruined a perfectly awesome Missy moment.

[aqusdealer]

I noticed that Sheldon really seems taller now. Growth hormones have finally kicked in! Let's enjoy the current character before his voice changes.  So the question arises whether George and Brenda will finally give in to their mutual adoration. Like a movie sequel that may or may not ever arrive. Of course, they are attracted to each other. They both represent something that they are (or were not) getting from their respective spouses. Brenda wants to feel special and George wants less religion and more spark . That spark may turn out to be Mrs. Sparks indeed. To me, there is something disturbing about the couple. Close neighbors? The infidelity? The "guilt trip aspect" that came up with the frequency of a metronome? Not sure, but I think I would have preferred it if George were destined to have a fling, that it be with the school librarian. She'd definitely be game, there's some distance  and at least some chance he wouldn't be caught and would have time to realize the mistake he was making. If he treads into Brenda territory, he'll eventually lose everything. Maybe that is the plan.

[possibilities]

He's a coward, though. The thing to do is talk to your wife and try to fix your marriage. She was willing to try. It's all well and good to say "you never asked" but he's an adult. He has to take responsibility and speak up, not sneak around. But he doesn't want to try, he wants to blame mary, sulk, sneak around, feel guilty, and stew in his cowardly mess.  

[Kiddvideo]

Oh, Brenda said the kids were with Herschel. Billy has a sister again!

[tessaray]

10 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Oh, Brenda said the kids were with Herschel. Billy has a sister again!

I noticed that too. 

Making George squirm for the whole episode was a weird choice and not much fun to watch. The only scenes I really enjoyed were Sheldon and Dr. Sturgis and George and Missy getting a father/daughter moment.

[BitterApple]

3 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Everyone was orange, and the set was weirdly lit. 

Omg, I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the set! I thought the lighting looked so off-kilter and artificial, especially during the backyard scenes.

I didn't hate the episode, but I didn't love it either. Missy and Dr. Sturgis were the bright spots. 

I think the show runners are in a difficult position. Young Sheldon started out as a lighthearted family comedy, but it's impossible to keep it that way unless they retcon adult Sheldon's entire story. I don't want a long, dragged-out season of "will they or won't they" with George and Brenda. 

[Magnumfangirl]

4 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Everyone was orange

The makeup was definitely weird.  

[snarkylady]

I usually don’t pay much attention to Lance Barber’s acting but I thought this episode gave him more to work with and he did a good job.  Zoe Perry, on the other hand….

I agree the coloring was odd, maybe they were trying to distract us from how much older Missy and Georgie looked.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

I find the George and Brenda attraction unfathomable as I don't think Brenda was ever particularly nice to any of the Cooper's.  I suppose they were just two lonely hearts fueled by some alcohol.  It seems like a ridiculous premise, however, if discretion is one of their goals.  With George and his family living next door and Meemaw across the street, they're just asking to be caught.  George was deservedly riddled with guilt since he knows something likely would have happened had it not been for a medical emergency.

 

[MollyMelrose]

Huge challenges ahead for the show runners/writers.

First and foremost is the George situation. Cheating and early death are not topics ripe with merriment for a family sitcom. This is compounded by the fact that the George we have come to know is a stand-up guy. Flawed, but good-hearted. Such a wonderful relationship with Missy. Not going to be easy watching a marriage implode or him going down a dark path.

Next are the growing kids. They aren't cute littles anymore; by nature, they are becoming less easy to love adolescents. Sheldon is only going to grow more obnoxious until he (hopefully) meets up with, say ... a geeky little community of friends in someplace like Pasadena in a decade or so. And then there's complete horn dog Georgie. Not exactly rootable. 

Hoping they'll be able to pull it off, 'cause I really have loved this show.

 

 

 

[theredhead77]

I stand by what I said before (in a different thread here), I don't mind if they go down the path of George sleeping with someone else, but I want it to be after they are separated and I don't want it to be Brenda.

I LOVE Georgie. He's very much a teenage boy with a good heart and loves his family. He is needling his dad, yes, but at the end of the day, you can tell he loves his family. I know Jerry O'Connell watched YS to form his adult Georgie but I can 110% see how this Georgie grew up to be that Georgie.

[kwnyc]

You can also see the seeds of Georgie as the kid who ends up holding a family together as a very young man. He's not the brightest, and he mouths off a lot, but he is a serious person who takes responsibility for his family.

It's a GOOD challenge (if you're a writer or actor) to figure out ways to show a character's growth, especially if they are young actors who shoot up a foot between seasons! I hope the s how is up to it, because it will be rewarding if they can do it.

George looked like he'd put on weight, and looked pretty awful (mostly makeup, I hope). And Mary is someone who really DOES have to be right all the time. And Jesus is her backup. It takes two to make an unhappy marriage, and neither of them seems to have the tools to cross the gap that separates them.

 

 

[SusanM]

20 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

It takes two to make an unhappy marriage, and neither of them seems to have the tools to cross the gap that separates them.

I was worried for awhile that they were going to make George and his "woe is my life" attitude and potential cheating all Mary's fault but I think (I hope) they've pulled back a little on that.  Last season they had George being downright mean to Mary for absolutely no reason and Mary in several scenes trying to reconnect with George and he was just an ass.  This year I really hope if they are going to keep going down this dark path that they remember exactly what you said "it takes two".  If they go back to blaming Mary for the choices George makes I'm out.  To be honest after this episode I've already got the door open...just waiting to see how things go from here.

[shapeshifter]

Georgie was definitely rocking that Patrick Swayze hairdo, and in the scene at Brenda's, George had his hair perfectly arranged too. Kudos to the hair and makeup person for contributing to the story without distracting from it.

 

14 hours ago, aqusdealer said:

I noticed that Sheldon really seems taller now. Growth hormones have finally kicked in! Let's enjoy the current character before his voice changes.  So the question arises whether George and Brenda will finally give in to their mutual adoration. Like a movie sequel that may or may not ever arrive. Of course, they are attracted to each other. They both represent something that they are (or were not) getting from their respective spouses. Brenda wants to feel special and George wants less religion and more spark . That spark may turn out to be Mrs. Sparks indeed....

My initial thoughts were exactly the same about "Sheldon really seems taller now" and "Let's enjoy the current character before his voice changes." I appreciate the prose of your recap, @aqusdealer.
Sheldon's new height was a little shocking, but it's great that he and Missy will be able to be seen together more naturally again now that he's caught up to her.

I mainly noticed the weird orange lighting so many mentioned upthread in the outdoor backyard scene. I'm assuming Covid is to blame in some way, which makes me feel a little sad and weary--which I guess fits much of the episode.

 

2 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Huge challenges ahead for the show runners/writers.
First and foremost is the George situation. Cheating and early death are not topics ripe with merriment for a family sitcom. This is compounded by the fact that the George we have come to know is a stand-up guy. Flawed, but good-hearted. Such a wonderful relationship with Missy. Not going to be easy watching a marriage implode or him going down a dark path....

I think the writers, actors, et al. demonstrated in this episode that they are up to the task, but, yeah, hopefully they can maintain that level of quality. It will be daunting.  
Perhaps an Emmy will come of their efforts?

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by shapeshifter

[tennisgurl]

Very relived that we didn't start the season with cheating, but it seems like its inevitable. The writers really are in a tough spot, Mary and George's marriage falling apart followed by George's early death is not going to be easy for a fun family comedy to navigate, but I don't think its impossible. Sitcoms have dealt with hard topics before and done well at it, so I am hoping that they figure out a way to deal with everything that we know has to happen but still give us some laughs. This show has always been more dramatic then its parent show, so here's hoping. 

Not my favorite episode, but I really enjoyed Missy setting her notebook on fire. Although it makes me really sad thinking about how hurt she'll be when she finds out about her dad having an affair in the future. I really hope we're getting faked out and its not Brenda George has the affair with, that would just make everything worse. 

It really is sad watching Mary and George trying to fix their marriage but being unable to due to their own various hang-ups. They do love each other but they are just so bad at communicating with each other and have so many of their own issues that they haven't dealt with, you can see how things have gotten so bad.

[3 is enough]

We have always known that George dies when Sheldon is 14, and that he cheated on Mary. I can handle that, but the part that bugs me is Brenda.  All last season we saw how she and Mary struck up a friendship, and now there is a possibility that she might cheat with George? 

No.  I really hope they don't go there.  Cheating is bad enough, but cheating with someone who is a friend of your spouse is so much worse.

I just hope this was a teaser and nothing further happens between those two.

[Snow Fairy]

I though George looked like the actor had some kind of botox or fillers... totally weird

[SoMuchTV]

Maybe it was so obvious that nobody else has commented on it yet, but each kid coming to George to talk was almost like the ghosts visiting Scrooge. Sheldon: I’ve done something wrong and there haven’t been consequences!  Missy: he cheated on me with another girl!  Was there something with Georgie?

[shapeshifter]

I see the impending George≈Mary marriage dissolution as just being the classic “we grew apart” that was so common in the last half of the 20th century when, for reasons of still-iffy birth control and still conservative social morés around being sexually active, kids got married right out of high school, before their brains were even mature. Then they often matured into adults with very different lifestyles. Plus, for the first time in history, fewer marriages ended with the death of the wife in childbirth, and then fewer women were becoming widows due to husbands dying of heart disease.

It does seem like a bit much to saddle a 20-minute-per-episode comedy with both the growing apart story and the fatal heart attack. Still, based on what we saw last season and in this season premiere, I do think the story is way more tolerable than similar story arcs seen on dramas. 

[shapeshifter]

32 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Maybe it was so obvious that nobody else has commented on it yet, but each kid coming to George to talk was almost like the ghosts visiting Scrooge. Sheldon: I’ve done something wrong and there haven’t been consequences!  Missy: he cheated on me with another girl!  Was there something with Georgie?

Here’s the transcript of the George and Georgie moment. I’ll trust you to the interpretation, @SoMuchTV:

• [Georgie] What are you doing?
• [George] Trying to fix this radio.
• [Georgie] Should you be doing that with a weak heart?
• [George] I'm just sitting here.
• [Georgie] You look a little sweaty.
• [George] What do you want?
• [Georgie] I'm gonna go hang out with Jana. Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay.
• [George] Hold on. Are you worried I'm gonna have a heart attack and interrupt "private time" with your girlfriend?
• [Georgie] Yes.
• [George] At least you're honest.
• [Georgie] Glad you think so.
• [George] Bye.
• [Georgie] See you.

[SoMuchTV]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

Here’s the transcript of the George and Georgie moment. I’ll trust you to the interpretation, @SoMuchTV:

• [Georgie] What are you doing?
• [George] Trying to fix this radio.
• [Georgie] Should you be doing that with a weak heart?
• [George] I'm just sitting here.
• [Georgie] You look a little sweaty.
• [George] What do you want?
• [Georgie] I'm gonna go hang out with Jana. Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay.
• [George] Hold on. Are you worried I'm gonna have a heart attack and interrupt "private time" with your girlfriend?
• [Georgie] Yes.
• [George] At least you're honest.
• [Georgie] Glad you think so.
• [George] Bye.
• [Georgie] See you.

Hmm not as anchor-droppy as the other kids. I’ll have to think about that one. 

[chitowngirl]

I’ve always loved that for as much as Connie needles George, when the chips are down, she’s there to do whatever the family needs.

[Sarah 103]

 

12 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I LOVE Georgie. He's very much a teenage boy with a good heart and loves his family. He is needling his dad, yes, but at the end of the day, you can tell he loves his family. 

Georgie is a bit of girl crazy horn dog, but when his family needs him, he's there. If he thinks his younger siblings are in danger or trouble, he will do what he can to help them. 

11 hours ago, kwnyc said:

You can also see the seeds of Georgie as the kid who ends up holding a family together as a very young man. He's not the brightest, and he mouths off a lot, but he is a serious person who takes responsibility for his family.

I completely agree with this. 

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

I’ve always loved that for as much as Connie needles George, when the chips are down, she’s there to do whatever the family needs.

The way I saw it is that Connie may not like George, but she still loves her daughter Mary. She was never going to cut ties with her daughter over her choice in men. Also, whatever she thinks of George, Connie loves her grandchildren. She would never hurt or ignore her grandchildren because of George. 

This was a great episode. I can't wait to see where the season goes from here. My understanding was everything fell apart and went wrong after Sheldon left for school and was no longer living at home. As long as he is still living at home, nothing too horrible is going to happen to the family on this series.  

[rmontro]

5 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

This was a great episode. I can't wait to see where the season goes from here. 

It should be interesting, but this show just got a heckuva lot darker.

[Chit Chat]

22 hours ago, possibilities said:

He's a coward, though. The thing to do is talk to your wife and try to fix your marriage. She was willing to try.

I really don't know how Mary would've reacted to the news that George & Brenda were getting a little too chummy.  There's one side of Mary that might be rational and willing to hear him out, but there's another side to her that might've packed up and went over to her Mother's house.  It's hard to tell with her. 

I would've preferred that George reach out to Pastor Jeff and talk to him in private.  As goofy as this show makes Pastor Jeff, I think there's a serious side to him (he was helping Brenda through her divorce), so I think he could give George some advice.  If needed, he could be the mediator between Mary and George as they navigate through that particular discussion.  They really need professional counseling, but I don't see that happening since it would probably not be in their budget.  

13 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

George was deservedly riddled with guilt since he knows something likely would have happened had it not been for a medical emergency.

Probably so.  Thing is, Brenda is the one who was coming on to him, so for that I'm very disappointed in her!  Hands off another woman's man, bitch!!  If George had or eventually does hook up with her, then a pox on him too!  ;)    This show is wandering off into a very unfunny sitcom, and I won't tune in to see it become a train wreck.  Like some others, I'm on an episode-by-episode basis with it. 

[shapeshifter]

On 10/8/2021 at 10:05 PM, ChitChat said:

Thing is, Brenda is the one who was coming on to him

As much as I am thinking: "Brenda! WTH???" I also appreciate that by making Brenda the instigator of the tryst, the writers are leaving room for George to still be a character that we did, for the most part, appreciate. George is still the guy who coached Missy.

Edited October 10, 2021 by shapeshifter
the inevitable typo

[possibilities]

31 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I really don't know how Mary would've reacted to the news that George & Brenda were getting a little too chummy. 

Oh no, I didn't mean that. I meant talk to her about how he's unhappy in the marriage, and what is bothering him. In the car on the way home from the hospital, Mary seemed concerned and open to dealing with what had precipitated the fight before he want to the bar. But George shut down the conversation and made it sound like it was nothing.

I actually thought the angina was a panic attack, because he wanted to say yes to Brenda's overture but was NOT going to do it. BUt they did leave that ambiguous.

[shapeshifter]

On a different note🎵...
Raise your hand if you loved Sheldon soothing himself by humming the theme from OG Star Trek.🖐️

And we're all glad Dr. Sturgis is back and going to read Tolkien while Sheldon reads Plato, right? 

[possibilities]

I was bothered that Sheldon didn't think of learning how to be self-regulating, and no one else suggested it to him, either. A society that relied entirely on punishment, where no one would behave decently unless forced, would be rough.

[kay1864]

On 10/7/2021 at 9:13 PM, aqusdealer said:

I noticed that Sheldon really seems taller now. Growth hormones have finally kicked in!

I noticed that his nose looked quite different. Missy doesn’t seem to have changed that much though. Her growth (and facial change) seemed to have been between season 3 and 4.

17 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Cheating and early death are not topics ripe with merriment for a family sitcom.

Truer words. And I love your phrase “topics ripe with merriment”.

[kay1864]

17 hours ago, kwnyc said:

George looked like he'd put on weight

I thought the same about Brenda, between Previously on and the opener. But maybe it was because she was sitting down.

[kay1864]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

he wanted to say yes to Brenda's overture but was NOT going to do it. BUt they did leave that ambiguous.

On my second viewing of the bar scene opener, I was quite impressed with both actors’ timing, and facial expressions. Very well-executed.

Edited October 9, 2021 by kay1864

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

I was bothered that Sheldon didn't think of learning how to be self-regulating, and no one else suggested it to him, either. A society that relied entirely on punishment, where no one would behave decently unless forced, would be rough.

Sheldon's concern with punishment makes sense given his "Christian upbringing" (in quotes because in the Christian bible, the teachings attributed to Jesus are generally opposed to punishment). 
Although we see and hear Sheldon rejecting the existence of God in this episode, we also learn that he hasn't yet read Plato. Basically, Sheldon is still in his Silly Putty (or formative) stage. His questioning of the fairness of punishment demonstrates that he's still forming his own opinions on the matter of punishment (and other issues).

Maybe in another episode this season Sheldon will discover self-regulation.🙃🙂

[Deskisamess]

Gah...I sure hope they don't go down the infidelity road. Lonely women who zero in on middle aged husbands who don't talk to their wives about their frustrations are the worst of women. She's been thru her own crappy failed marriage, with all the heartache that comes with it, yet deems it ok to heap that damage on another women, who she also knows and has spent time with. These are the worst of women.

George is a coward who won't bring up the difficult discussion with his own wife about his frustrations and ego issues that come to all men during his stage of life. Mary is a wife and mother just trying to do what she thinks is best, but she needs to pay attention when several people all tell her the same thing about always needing to be right.

The kids are growing up, that's for sure. How old are they supposed to be? Didn't they say something about Missy being 11?

That Georgie is a good looking young man.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, Deskisamess said:

Lonely women who zero in on middle aged husbands who don't talk to their wives about their frustrations are the worst of women. She's been thru her own crappy failed marriage, with all the heartache that comes with it, yet deems it ok to heap that damage on another women, who she also knows and has spent time with.

Agreed.  No excuses for George here, he owns his own choices but for Brenda to go after the husband of a friend and neighbour is just beyond it for me.  Bad enough if they go down the cheating road but if they do it with someone who has been part of the family life to some extent - way worse,

1 hour ago, Deskisamess said:

The kids are growing up, that's for sure. How old are they supposed to be? Didn't they say something about Missy being 11?

The last episode from last season said the twins were 11 so this year they must be turning 12.  If they go by BBT canon then George has 

Spoiler

two years left

 

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, SusannahM said:

No excuses for George here, he owns his own choices but for Brenda to go after the husband of a friend and neighbour is just beyond it for me. 

He didn't seem interested at first, but she wasn't taking no for an answer!  Why do women do this to other women?  She got dumped so now she's going to help destroy someone else's marriage?  Ugh.  Surely there was some other single man in that bar that would've happily gone home with her!  

Edited October 9, 2021 by ChitChat

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

He didn't seem interested at first, but she wasn't taking no for an answer!  Why do women do this to other women?  She got dumped so now she's going to help destroy someone else's marriage?  Ugh.  Surely there was some other single man in that bar that would've happily gone home with her!  

Wait. What? Based on this 👆 and the other comments above, I take it that lonely, horny, back-stabbing Brenda is a type with which all y'all are familiar???
I thought she was just an invention for this show so George didn't look too bad. 
Well, I always was pretty clueless about this stuff, hence my own relationship failures.

[SusanM]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought she was just an invention for this show so George didn't look too bad. 

I think that's true.  Since this show started they've been excusing George's moods and drinking by blaming Mary.  I shouldn't be surprised that George considering having a fling with another woman will be blamed on The Other Woman.

[treeofdreams]

Ironically, Brenda/Melissa Peterman played a similar role on Reba - had an affair with the husband when he and his wife were having problems in their marriage.

[Deskisamess]

11 minutes ago, treeofdreams said:

Ironically, Brenda/Melissa Peterman played a similar role on Reba - had an affair with the husband when he and his wife were having problems in their marriage.

The entire premise of Reba was the reason we never watched it. I can't stand Melissa Peterman, and won't watch any show in which she has more than a passing part.

Infidelity shouldn't be fodder for entertainment.

[Chit Chat]

17 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

I shouldn't be surprised that George considering having a fling with another woman will be blamed on The Other Woman.

George is equally responsible if he had followed through with it.  I blame Brenda for initiating it, and when he didn't seem interested, she persisted (Let's dance.  Let's go back to my house.)  Yes, he would share blame if he acted on his feelings for her, but he wasn't the one who was inappropriate to start with.  She disrespected Mary and her marriage in those moments.  

40 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Wait. What? Based on this 👆 and the other comments above, I take it that lonely, horny, back-stabbing Brenda is a type with which all y'all are familiar???

Over 30 years in the dental field, I've pretty much heard it all.  You'd be surprised at the things people tell us!!  For instance, I simply asked one of our longtime patients (approx. 50ish yrs old) how she was doing.  Her answer?  "Me & Joe's (her husband) sex life is great!!"  That was about the biggest WTH moment I've had.  

[Deskisamess]

21 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

I think that's true.  Since this show started they've been excusing George's moods and drinking by blaming Mary.  I shouldn't be surprised that George considering having a fling with another woman will be blamed on The Other Woman.

Not blamed on her fully, but it's not like they are strangers. She knows both George and his wife, and their children. Which makes her behavior horrible. As the scene was written, she was the one leading the way.

But at the end of the day, he is responsible for his behavior as well. But her behavior doesn't get a pass either.

Unhappy people+drinking=bad decisions. Every single time.

[SusanM]

5 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

George is equally responsible if he had followed through with it. 

Absolutely and totally agree but given that this is a Chuck Lorre show I have no doubt in this world that blame is going to placed squarely on Mary and/or Brenda (or whatever other Other Woman comes along) if George really does cheat.

Edited October 9, 2021 by SusannahM

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, SusannahM said:

Absolutely and totally agree but given that this is a Chuck Lorre show I have no doubt in this world that blame is going to placed squarely on Mary and/or Brenda (or whatever other Other Woman comes along) if George really does cheat.

I think they've done a pretty good job of showing the flaws in both Mary and George, and with those combined, they've lead to some serious issues in the marriage.  I agree with you though.  Lorre is writing from a man's perspective.  Hopefully whatever happens will reflect the problems that each of them brings to the marriage and not just blame it on one of them.  This in no way condones bad behavior on George's part though.  There is no excuse for infidelity (in my humble opinion.)    No matter what Mary has said or done that bothers George, at least she didn't step outside of her marriage.  He might blame her for certain things, but once he crosses that line, then he's really done damage to their marriage. 

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by ChitChat

[possibilities]

The sad thing is, I don't expect to see anything about how Mary is also unhappy, living with a husband who sulks all the time, and doesn't want to engage with her on any level.

[Chit Chat]

17 minutes ago, possibilities said:

The sad thing is, I don't expect to see anything about how Mary is also unhappy, living with a husband who sulks all the time, and doesn't want to engage with her on any level.

I'm not trying to blame Mary, but there have been a few things that probably make George resentful or feel like his opinion doesn't matter:   1) Mary wouldn't even entertain the thought of them moving to where George could've been a college football coach.  She said no and that was the end of that discussion.   2)  Mary is so consumed with Sheldon's wellbeing and that comes at the expense of his, Missy & Georgie's feelings. 3)  George isn't really into the church family like Mary is, and I think that makes things a more difficult for them. However, he has been supportive of her job and we've seen him attend church functions.   4)  Connie is constantly putting him down.  He knows that she holds a grudge for him getting Mary pregnant (as if Mary had no say in the matter!)   Mary should put her foot down with Connie on that one. 

Having said that,  George does need to pay more attention to Mary and make her feel wanted.  He definitely needs some help in the romance department!  Most men aren't good about opening up about their feelings, so I do wish that he and Mary would get some counseling to sort things out.  If George was happy with his career, I think things would be totally different for him and Mary.  They both need help!! 

 

[freeser]

10 hours ago, ChitChat said:

 3)  George isn't really into the church family like Mary is, and I think that makes things a more difficult for them. However, he has been supportive of her job and we've seen him attend church functions.   

I think Mary's church involvement is really a problem also.  I was watching a repeat the other day with the scene of Meemaw telling Missy why Mary was so into the church.  Meemaw said that Mary was a smoking, drinking rebellious teenager in the beginning.  After Missy was born, she changed totally and became the church going person she is now.  Meemaw told Missy that she almost did not make it when she was born.  She said Mary promised that if Missy lived, she would change and become devoted to God and the church.  

Not that her change was a bad thing, but what it did change was that George was suddenly not married to the person he thought he knew.  George seems much more into the smoking and drinking and fun part of life.  That apparently was who Mary was in the beginning.  Now she has changed and is very different.  But George did not change.  His marriage situation did.  I think George loves his kids, but wishes Mary was more of the person she was many years ago.  It seems the things George and Mary did for enjoyment and fun in the beginning are appalling to Mary now.  George is left to have fun, watch sports, drink, etc on his own now.  Mary is left to satisfy her needs through the church.  They have been on very different paths for a long time now.  The future does not look bright for either of them.  

[possibilities]

I mean, fine. So get divorced if you can't work it out. But own up to what is going on, don't sulk, sneak, cheat, and blame the other person. And, you know, talk about it. TRY. Mary might be willing to loosen up and have some fun, even if it didn't mean she would smoke and drink. She doesn't seem to mind if George drinks, so she's not completely controlling. They could tell her mother to stop insulting him, they could find other ways to connect. But neither of them is even trying, so far.