S05.E03: Potential Energy and Hooch on a Park Bench

[Bort]

Sheldon tries to convince Dr. Sturgis to return to the university. Georgie upsets the family when he makes a life-changing decision.

Airdate: Thursday, 21 Oct 2021

[ams1001]

Dr. Sturgis singing Air Supply was a thing I didn't know I needed in my life.

 

[Spartan Girl]

18 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Dr. Sturgis singing Air Supply was a thing I didn't know I needed in my life.

 

Even funnier was him and Dr. Linketter sitting on the park bench singing “Lollipop.”

Georgie dropping out is going to put more of a strain on the family…

[Browncoat]

What happened to Georgie's job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?

[theredhead77]

Tato Skins need to make a full comeback. I've seen then in random vending machines but not at the grocery store. Those things were awesome.

[Katy M]

32 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

What happened to Georgie's job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?

He hasn't worked their in eons.  He's been working at Dale's sporting goods store for quite some time.

I laughed when Georgie thanked the principal for telling his dad for him.  George should have told Mary and they should have talked and gotten on the same page before yelling at Georgie.  But, I agree, he shouldn't drop out.  He only has a year left.  There's time enough to work after that.

 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

What happened to Georgie's job at the tire place?  Did I miss something?

He was working for Brenda's husband, but since he left the show, that storyline of him working at his shop got dropped.  

[Bobbin]

One of my high school classmates dropped out two months before graduation. Six years later he was married to his boss's daughter. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I've taught Science and Math, and only a Mathematician thinks you can't succeed in life without being able to solve polynomial equations. It really bugs me when the parent's reaction to a young adult making a life decision that they disagree with is that they're "throwing their life away." Stay tuned to see how this plays out for the Cooper clan.

ETA:  Pounding square pegs into round holes is a waste of human resources. If you have no skills, a diploma or college degree certainly gives you an edge. Georgie has skills and charm. He'll do O.K. The only life he's "throwing away" is the one his parents want him to live for them.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Bobbin
Added thought

[HurricaneVal]

5 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Tato Skins need to make a full comeback. I've seen then in random vending machines but not at the grocery store. Those things were awesome.

Oh man.  I feel exactly the opposite!  😆 I saw Missy eating Tato Skins and had a full body shudder.  I couldn't stand those things.   I won't hold it against you if you don't hold it against me!

 

I thought it was funny and kind of telling that Georgie's girlfriend had the best argument for staying in school.  Sticking it out to the end of the year would make his life easier now, and be fun as well.  She's the only one who gave Georgie second thoughts.  

Now I'm off to hum myself to sleep with endless repetitions of "Lollipop, lollipop...oh loll-i, lolli-lolli, lollipop! *pop* Dee-doh-doh-doh..."

[Browncoat]

8 hours ago, ChitChat said:

He was working for Brenda's husband, but since he left the show, that storyline of him working at his shop got dropped.  

Thanks!  I’d forgotten that Brenda’s husband ran the tire store.  Too bad they couldn’t have figured out a way to remind us why Georgie, the tire whisperer, stopped working there.

[Kiddvideo]

Glad to see Georgie’s girlfriend walk away from the relationship. Thought the episode was the strongest of the season so far. Funny and a lot of favorite faces. 

[greekmom]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Georgie dropping out is going to put more of a strain on the family…

I was going to just post this but say it's going to put a strain on the marriage.

Very few people drop out of high school or college/university and succeed in life. It's like saying start posting on youtube and you will make money.  Only 1% of youtubers actually make any cash from the videos.

I thought that Georgie did pursue community college till he dropped out to help Mary after George Sr died so that they can help Sheldon with the extra expenses for school when he was overseas?!? Correct me please if I am wrong.

I do like George Sr. I think he's a good dad and there's been some sweet moments with him and the kids.  I do hope the whole cheating thing is a misunderstanding.  Is it this season that Sheldon will catch him?

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Kiddvideo said:

Glad to see Georgie’s girlfriend walk away from the relationship. Thought the episode was the strongest of the season so far. Funny and a lot of favorite faces. 

I loved this episode. So many good parts.   
But—

14 minutes ago, greekmom said:

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Georgie dropping out is going to put more of a strain on the family…

I was going to just post this but say it's going to put a strain on the marriage

After Mary got word of Georgie dropping out of high school, every scene showing Mary in her black dress that revealed just enough but not too much made me sad. 😞 

And not once did we hear George say how nice she looked. 😔 

The only emotional reprieve was  when they were in agreement and yelling together about it, and Sheldon came out in his pjs to aske them to stop fighting, and Mary stopped to think, and then explained that they were just agreeing loudly. 😐

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, Bobbin said:

It really bugs me when the parent's reaction to a young adult making a life decision that they disagree with is that they're "throwing their life away."

Well, at age 17, most aren't mature enough to really understand the ramifications of dropping out of high school.  I'm sure there are cases where it works out just fine, but I'd think for most people, without that diploma or GED (which I've seen many go back and get), their choices would be limited.  There are a few courses in high school that really didn't help me in the long run, but you do what you've got to do in order to graduate.   Georgie shouldn't quit.  The finish line is so close!!

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

And not once did we hear George say how nice she looked.

To be fair, he came home knowing that Georgie had quit high school.  He was blind to everything else going on around him!  Men are like that.  They usually focus on one thing at a time, and his focus was on Georgie!   

Edited October 22, 2021 by ChitChat

[aqusdealer]

Darn, everything I wanted to say about last nights episode just flew out the window. All I can think of is wanting to try Tato Skins! How did I miss these?

Blast you all for giving me a Pavlovian response to something I’ll most likely never experience. At least one person said they were awful… it helps a little :(

[anna0852]

10 hours ago, Bobbin said:

It really bugs me when the parent's reaction to a young adult making a life decision that they disagree with is that they're "throwing their life away." Stay tuned to see how this plays out for the Cooper clan.

Georgie is 17 and a high school diploma is about the most basic of life qualifications. It will never hurt him to have his diploma. He only has a year left. He needs to suck it up and go to school. Or at the very least get a GED. There is no downside to having a diploma and a LOT of pitfalls to missing it.

[shapeshifter]

31 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

Georgie is 17 and a high school diploma is about the most basic of life qualifications.

We now know that the decision-making part of the human brain is not fully mature until about age 25 or 26. 
Unfortunately, this was not known by 1980s parents. 
☹️

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

To be fair, he came home knowing that Georgie had quit high school.  He was blind to everything else going on around him!  Men are like that.  They usually focus on one thing at a time, and his focus was on Georgie!   

I'm a woman, and TBH, I also would have been laser focused on Georgie.  This was huge.

[freeser]

Georgie quitting school was the main story line this week for sure. 

However overall,  the episode made me realize how much I like the Ed Begley character of Dr. Linkletter.  I like Dr. Sturgis - although I can get a little tired of him.  But the Dr. Linkletter part is so well written, so funny, so clever and so well played by Begley.  I love his responses to Sheldon, Sturgis, his obvious liking of Meemaw and all other characteristics.  

Dr. Sturgis is a B, while I think Dr. Linkletter is an A+!

[DoYouLikeMutton]

This is the first time I actually liked Georgie's girlfriend.   As HurricaneVal said, she's the only one who gave him some pause.  Quitting high school is clearly a foolish thing to do, and he owes it to himself and his family to stay in school while living under his parents roof.  

I am not liking the direction the show is going with Dr. Sturgis.  I liked the premise better when he was awkwardly confronted with dating and romance and sex.  I loved him with Connie, although they did seem ill-suited.  Dale is too miserable for anyone to want to be around.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Tato Skins need to make a full comeback. I've seen then in random vending machines but not at the grocery store. Those things were awesome.

I occasionally find them at the local Food Lion.  They're the reason I make trips to the vending machine at work.  Yum.

2 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

This is the first time I actually liked Georgie's girlfriend.   As HurricaneVal said, she's the only one who gave him some pause.  Quitting high school is clearly a foolish thing to do, and he owes it to himself and his family to stay in school while living under his parents roof. 

I appreciated that she found an angle which connected with him at least a little.

[Sarah 103]

7 hours ago, greekmom said:

I do like George Sr. I think he's a good dad and there's been some sweet moments with him and the kids.  I do hope the whole cheating thing is a misunderstanding.  

Until you posted this, I hadn't thought about seperating what kind father George is from what kind of husband he is, but they can be two seperate role. I'm not sure if George is a great husband, but he's a great father. He is always there for his kids and tries to help them in any way he can. Although he doesn't understand Sheldon, he is aware there are basic social skills he will need to survive and helps him develop them. He helped Missy learn to play baseball, and taught Georgie that hitting and abusing women is not okay. 

[possibilities]

The thing about high school is that a lot of it really isn't going to do Georgie one bit of good later on. BUT many places use the diploma as a screening for applicants, and won't even consider you if you don't have one. So in that sense, it's necessary for him to suck it up and finish. No one made that argument, it was just not something he could understand without life experience. So his choices are being made in a rational way based on the info he has, but the people objecting aren't wrong, they just haven't given him the explanation he can understand.

Edited October 22, 2021 by possibilities

[tennisgurl]

Georgie dropping out is just going to make things even harder on the family. Come on Georgie, your so close to the finish line! A lot of what he learned might not be extremely practical in his future career, but not having one is a huge barrier to many employers, his application might be tossed out right away without a second look with no high school diploma. Someone really needed to just explain that to him, Georgie understands real practical things. not more vague concepts of the importance of education. Or something that involves girls or fun, hence his (now ex) girlfriend getting closer then anyone to getting him to stay in school. Having a diploma will only be a bit more work and will make a huge difference in the long run, even if its not obvious to Georgie now at seventeen. 

George going back to get the teen pregnancy pamphlet "just in case" cracked me up. As did Dr. Linkletter's glee at Dr. Sturgis working at a supermarket, followed by Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis getting drunk in the park. This was the best episode of the season so far, I laughed quite a few times. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Come on Georgie, your so close to the finish line!

Isn't he only a junior? His girlfriend talked about wanting to be seniors together. I think he has more than a year and half of HS left.

[SnapHappy]

Georgie says he's done, but we don't know that he won't go back to classes next week, based on the girlfriend factor.   Lots of these "life-changing decisions" are taken back after a little thought, and then life goes back to it's previous path. 

People say they quit school & go right back.  People leave spouses and go right back.  People leave jobs and go right back.  Just because it happened on this episode doesn't mean it's a done deal. 

I'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite.  She's becoming a huge bitch, and her asshole boyfriend Dale is a complete dick.  Now I can see where the nasty "Memaw" came from that trashed Amy on BBT down the road.  

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

The thing about high school is that a lot of it really isn't going to do Georgie one bit of good later on.

The only thing that really didn't help me later on was Algebra.  I look back fondly on most of my other classes though.  I came away with something from most of them.  I especially remember the really good teachers.  One teacher made us write the definition of "tact" on every single test paper.  I've carried that little gem of a life lesson with me since the 70's!!

25 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

I'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite. 

Me too.  She's really getting quite snarky, and I think she needs to dial it back a notch. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, SnapHappy said:

'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite.  She's becoming a huge bitch, and her asshole boyfriend Dale is a complete dick.  Now I can see where the nasty "Memaw" came from that trashed Amy on BBT down the road. 

39 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Me too.  She's really getting quite snarky, and I think she needs to dial it back a notch. 

I still like Connie.
Now get off my lawn!

🤣

[anna0852]

1 hour ago, SnapHappy said:

I'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite.  She's becoming a huge bitch, and her asshole boyfriend Dale is a complete dick.  Now I can see where the nasty "Memaw" came from that trashed Amy on BBT down the road.  

I can see how Sheldon turned out the way he did, with Meemaw as his role model. Pair her snarky bluntness with Sheldon's literal outlook on life and Adult Sheldon is the result. Mary's coddling isn't helping either.

That comment Sheldon made about the only child guaranteed to achieve something should have had him scolded and sent from the table immediately. 

[chocolatine]

I was surprised to see Connie and Dale are still together, I thought they broke up last season when she said she didn't want to marry him. Or am I completely misremembering?

I understand George and Mary's initial reaction to Georgie quitting school, but I wish one of them had then calmed down and explained to him in a factual manner, with several examples, how not having a high school diploma may hurt him later in life. And if it were my kid, I wouldn't be above throwing in some kind of incentive (a.k.a. bribery) for finishing school.

I'm laughing at the comments here about high school math classes never being useful to anyone. I was OK at math in high school but it was never my passion - languages and humanities were. Fast forward two decades, I'm working in a field that requires a strong math background, and barely a day goes by that I don't wish I'd paid more attention in linear algebra, calculus, and statistics classes. 

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, chocolatine said:

And if it were my kid, I wouldn't be above throwing in some kind of incentive (a.k.a. bribery) for finishing school.

And don’t forget the guilt trip tactic:   
After all we sacrificed for you…!

[treeofdreams]

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I understand George and Mary's initial reaction to Georgie quitting school, but I wish one of them had then calmed down and explained to him in a factual manner, with several examples, how not having a high school diploma may hurt him later in life. And if it were my kid, I wouldn't be above throwing in some kind of incentive (a.k.a. bribery) for finishing school.

They could appeal to what is important to him - money and girls.  "You could get a better paying job and make a lot more money"..."You could get a better class of girlfriend"...

[Katy M]

13 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I was surprised to see Connie and Dale are still together, I thought they broke up last season when she said she didn't want to marry him. Or am I completely misremembering?

They broke up, he fired Georgie, Connie and Georgie egged his store, Dale hired Georgie back and he and Connie ended up getting back together.

[LisaM]

I don't recall George mentioning to Mary how nice she looked in her date night dress? At least one of the kids said something.

Do not like Dale - too sarcastic and bitter. 

Contrasting Dropout Georgie with PhD Linkletter being rousted from a park bench was quite good. 

Nice to see the Principal again. I would love to see some of the snarky teachers but at least one has gone on to other principal cast roles elsewhere (on Ghosts, for example). 

[Chit Chat]

On 10/23/2021 at 12:26 AM, chocolatine said:

I understand George and Mary's initial reaction to Georgie quitting school, but I wish one of them had then calmed down and explained to him in a factual manner, with several examples, how not having a high school diploma may hurt him later in life. And if it were my kid, I wouldn't be above throwing in some kind of incentive (a.k.a. bribery) for finishing school.

My parents would've handled it the exact same way!  No kid gloves.  Do as you're told.  We didn't get the luxury of bribes back in the day!!  ;)

[aqusdealer]

11 hours ago, LisaM said:

I would love to see some of the snarky teachers but at least one has gone on to other principal cast roles elsewhere (on Ghosts, for example). 

I'd really like to see a cameo from the librarian again. She was always one of my favorites. 

[Johannah]

On 10/23/2021 at 1:31 PM, treeofdreams said:

They could appeal to what is important to him - money and girls.  "You could get a better paying job and make a lot more money"..."You could get a better class of girlfriend"...

I think they should tell him, yeah, you're a great salesman.  Want to work for someone else the rest of your life or own your own store?  Take some accounting and business courses.

Assuming they are available in high school.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Johann said:

I think they should tell him, yeah, you're a great salesman.  Want to work for someone else the rest of your life or own your own store?  Take some accounting and business courses.

Assuming they are available in high school.

Maybe they do tell Georgie this☝️and so he gets his GED and then takes some accounting and business courses at the local community college.

The girlfriend breaking up with Georgie seemed like the best motivation to finish high school.

But maybe that was a Chekhovian pregnancy pamphlet Georgie got from the principal. IDK. Would the show really want a whole teen pregnancy arc?

[zoey1996]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:55 AM, LisaM said:

I would love to see some of the snarky teachers but at least one has gone on to other principal cast roles elsewhere (on Ghosts, for example). 

Which one is on Ghosts? I'm terrible at tracking actors from one show to another!

[LisaM]

8 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Which one is on Ghosts? I'm terrible at tracking actors from one show to another!

Danielle Pinnock... She is excellent in both shows. 

[zoey1996]

2 hours ago, LisaM said:

Danielle Pinnock... She is excellent in both shows. 

Yes, she is!

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, LisaM said:

Danielle Pinnock... She is excellent in both shows. 

Danielle Pinnock has already had the opportunity to sing a little on Ghosts. Has she on YS?

[Factlooker546786]

Conspare the Simpsons treehouse of horror, s19, 2007, "heck house",  with young Sheldon Halloween episode, where they also do a heck house... 

 

[Sarah 103]

On 10/25/2021 at 3:49 AM, shapeshifter said:

But maybe that was a Chekhovian pregnancy pamphlet Georgie got from the principal. IDK. Would the show really want a whole teen pregnancy arc?

I think the pregnancy pamphlet was just there for a laugh. Georgie is the one who keeps the family together and helps supports his family financially after George dies and Sheldon leaves home for school. I don't think Georgie could be that present for his family and provide money if he was already married with a family of his own to support, because Mary seems like the type who would force Georgie to marry the girl if he got a girlfriend pregnant. 

[shapeshifter]

52 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I think the pregnancy pamphlet was just there for a laugh. Georgie is the one who keeps the family together and helps supports his family financially after George dies and Sheldon leaves home for school. I don't think Georgie could be that present for his family and provide money if he was already married with a family of his own to support, because Mary seems like the type who would force Georgie to marry the girl if he got a girlfriend pregnant. 

All true, but there’s still a lot of ways a teen pregnancy could go other than the way Mary (or Georgie) want it to go. And, although the teen pregnancy pamphlet joke might not go beyond that one punchline, pregnancy is a pretty hot topic among high schoolers.

[HyeChaps]

They already did a possible pregnancy storyline with Georgie.

[SusanM]

10 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I think the pregnancy pamphlet was just there for a laugh. Georgie is the one who keeps the family together and helps supports his family financially after George dies and Sheldon leaves home for school. I don't think Georgie could be that present for his family and provide money if he was already married with a family of his own to support, because Mary seems like the type who would force Georgie to marry the girl if he got a girlfriend pregnant. 

Also - I am spoilering this but possibly it doesn't need to be:

Spoiler

We know from BBT that Georgie does not have any children - at least up to the point where he is featured as a guest at Sheldon and Amy's wedding.

 

[joanne3482]

I work for a city, which is basically perceived as the best job possible in smaller, working-class towns (when I was hired on, so many people at my last job were envious of it, which was weird to me because I hadn't really thought about it) and we won't hire even a maintenance person without a diploma/GED. 

I did like that in his own way I think Dale was kind of trying to be supportive of Connie, Mary and George Sr. I believe that when Georgie said basically, I can work full time for you now, Dale said he didn't need him full time. 

[SmithW6079]

On 10/22/2021 at 8:31 AM, ChitChat said:

Well, at age 17, most aren't mature enough to really understand the ramifications of dropping out of high school.  I'm sure there are cases where it works out just fine, but I'd think for most people, without that diploma or GED (which I've seen many go back and get), their choices would be limited.  There are a few courses in high school that really didn't help me in the long run, but you do what you've got to do in order to graduate.   Georgie shouldn't quit.  The finish line is so close!!

To be fair, he came home knowing that Georgie had quit high school.  He was blind to everything else going on around him!  Men are like that.  They usually focus on one thing at a time, and his focus was on Georgie!   

Well, that's a sexist generalization. 

On 10/22/2021 at 7:04 PM, SnapHappy said:

I'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite.  She's becoming a huge bitch, and her asshole boyfriend Dale is a complete dick.  Now I can see where the nasty "Memaw" came from that trashed Amy on BBT down the road.  

Connie was always a bitch, it was just sugar-coated because of her southern accent.

[chediavolo]

On 10/22/2021 at 7:04 PM, SnapHappy said:

'm really disliking Connie, who used to be a favorite.  She's becoming a huge bitch, and her asshole boyfriend Dale is a complete dick.  Now I can see where the nasty "Memaw" came from that trashed Amy on BBT down the road.  

Agree. Meemaw sucks. What grandmother agrees with her grandson’s decision to drop out of school? I know a few drop outs & depending on when they left school, let’s just say you can tell. 
Meemaw is nasty & her boyfriend is a f***ing asshole.  

On 10/24/2021 at 11:32 PM, Johann said:

I think they should tell him, yeah, you're a great salesman.  Want to work for someone else the rest of your life or own your own store?  Take some accounting and business courses.

Assuming they are available in high school.

Or finish high school & go to business college or trade school.