S05.E05: Stuffed Animals and a Sweet Southern Syzygy

[Bort]

Sheldon and Dr. Linkletter struggle to solve an equation. Georgie has a solution for Meemaw’s business woes. George Sr. gives advice on Missy’s love life.

Airdate: 4 Nov 2021

[greekmom]

I have to say Georgie's idea was brilliant.

I wonder if Memaw invested in his tire business in the future.

George Sr. is a better dad to Billy Sparks than to Sheldon and Missy.

[ams1001]

Had to look up the vanity card..

Today I learned...

 

[Chit Chat]

22 minutes ago, greekmom said:

George Sr. is a better dad to Billy Sparks than to Sheldon and Missy.

I don't think so.  Billy came to him for help.  Sheldon and Missy rarely ask for his advice.  Missy was being a little shit about the whole thing, and we know that Sheldon rarely gives anybody credit for anything they do when they help him.   We've heard Sheldon say several times how he wished he had told his father thanks and other kind words.  Sheldon is a little shit too. 

I found this episode depressing, except for MeeMaw and Georgie.  Great idea, Georgie!!

[aqusdealer]

38 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I found this episode depressing, except for MeeMaw and Georgie. 

They are all having a heavy depressing note lately. In a way, even MeeMaw and Georgie. It would be nicer if their collaboration weren't something illegal. The show used to be...well...er...happier. It's listed as a comedy. Lately, IMHO, not so much.

[Spartan Girl]

I thought Georgie’s idea was brilliant too. But no fallout with Dale selling out Connie? Or does she not know he ratted her out?

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, Spartan Girl said:

I thought Georgie’s idea was brilliant too. But no fallout with Dale selling out Connie? Or does she not know he ratted her out?

I don't think he meant for it to happen that way.  I think he just wanted the info from the officer so that he could talk Connie out of taking the risk.  I may be wrong on that, but that's what I was thinking!! 

[Zoe]

Georgie's idea is what they do in Japan with pachinko parlors. I don't know if the scheme was ever tested in Texas though...

[chocolatine]

If Georgie's idea works out, Connie had better give him a large cut of her profits. Her teenage, high school dropout grandson has a better head for business than she does.

The look between Brenda and George when he was consoling Billy, yikes! Quite heavy stuff for a sitcom.

I want Sturgis, Linkletter, and Sheldon to make a scientific breakthrough and for Sturgis to come back to work at the university. I need something sweet and heartwarming to balance out the heavy stuff.

 

[BitterApple]

I felt so badly for George Sr. this episode. It feels like the writers are trying to underscore his unhappy home life (troubled marriage, ungrateful kids) to soften the blow of the upcoming affair. Missy was a brat about the Billy thing, but George probably should've given her a heads up in case Billy didn't heed his advice. It's not like the boy is the sharpest tool in the shed. 

I was surprised at how nasty MeeMaw was to Georgie when he gave her a solution to her problem.

It was fun to see Dr. Sturgis back in the classroom, but overall this episode felt weird. When I saw the previews last week, I thought it was going to be hilarious and when I watched it tonight it was kind of depressing. 

[aqusdealer]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

I want Sturgis, Linkletter, and Sheldon to make a scientific breakthrough and for Sturgis to come back to work at the university. I need something sweet and heartwarming to balance out the heavy stuff.

Yes!!

From your lips to Chuck Lorre’s ears. Also, dump Dale and have Meemaw rekindle some sparks with Sturgis.

[hoodooznoodooz]

I felt so bad for George. He was really trying to help. I am not too angry at Missy because middle school girls and hormones are very difficult.

Sheldon really should have told his dad that his advice was solid. 
 

Billy was sweet.

Poor George had to stay on the bus twice after girls declined.

[LisaM]

I thought that Billy was a bit less "slow" this episode. Really liked his interactions with George. That look between Brenda and George was significant. This was the least we have seen of Mary in many episodes. She usually has a bigger part -- although her Jesus song with Pastor Jeff was hilarious. 

Can't stand Dale - he makes Meemaw less likeable. Richard Kind's character and Dr. Sturgis both soften her up a lot. 

[highway61]

2 hours ago, LisaM said:

I thought that Billy was a bit less "slow" this episode.

And thank goodness for that. The episode where he couldn't grasp that his real name was William was too much! On the other hand, his "I'm beautiful" when he saw Sheldon's picture of him was great.

 

Quote

I have to say Georgie's idea was brilliant.

I can't help but think that really isn't going to work. But this whole Meemaw turns into "Breaking Bad" isn't doing anything for me.

 

[Bookish Jen]

12 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Had to look up the vanity card..

Today I learned...

 

Note to self: Next time you play Scrabble with your mom, remember the word syzygy.

[Tom Holmberg]

9 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I want Sturgis, Linkletter, and Sheldon to make a scientific breakthrough and for Sturgis to come back to work at the university. I need something sweet and heartwarming to balance out the heavy stuff.

 

I'd like less Meemaw.  We get half of every episode with her and Missy gets maybe two lines,

[ams1001]

56 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Note to self: Next time you play Scrabble with your mom, remember the word syzygy.

I've heard the word before, and only in the context of high-scoring Scrabble words. Didn't know what it meant. And you need a blank tile to do it. I did not realize there were versions of the game with extra tiles, though; that's pretty cool. I actually have the "Platinum Edition" which is all silvery and fancy but it is the standard tile set.

[Bookish Jen]

Just now, ams1001 said:

I've heard the word before, and only in the context of high-scoring Scrabble words. Didn't know what it meant. And you need a blank tile to do it. I did not realize there were versions of the game with extra tiles, though; that's pretty cool. I actually have the "Platinum Edition" which is all silvery and fancy but it is the standard tile set.

Cool! I bought a really deluxe edition of Scrabble at Goodwill for only seven bucks.

On-topic: Georgie's idea for the gambling room was quite clever. Shame, MeeMaw didn't see it that way.

[shapeshifter]

Possible Party of One here: The Dale and Meemaw relationship amuses me, and Annie Potts has not worn out her welcome on my screen as of yet.

The George-focused plot arcs are excellently written and acted, but, sheesh, I wish they didn't feel so invested in sending his character to the depressing fate adult Sheldon said he had. It does look like they're at least setting up some character rehabilitation with lines like:

• Adult Sheldon: My father didn't always get the credit he deserved. The advice he gave me actually worked out pretty well. Of course, I never told him.

I liked the way they show George being "smart" in this episode -- even if it was negated because he was dealing with petulant teens and professors.

 

 

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But no fallout with Dale selling out Connie? Or does she not know he ratted her out?

There was a brief throwaway line you may have missed:

• Dale: I got a realtor friend, might be able to help.
• Meemaw: You mean like your cop friend who shut me down?
• Dale: Yeah, that wasn't great.
• Meemaw: Mm.

 

 

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

Note to self: Next time you play Scrabble with your mom, remember the word syzygy.

15 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

And you need a blank tile to do it.

Do you have Super Scrabble with 4 "Y" tiles? If not, it might be worth buying your mom the Super Scrabble just so you can use "syzygy" without a blank tile, depending upon, of course, who wins as arbiter of acceptable Scrabble words in your family. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by shapeshifter

[mojoween]

I loved the comedic touches of the music grinding to a halt when Sheldon and Dr. Linkletter were pondering the board, and then the camera panning behind and the water cooler’s slow bubble to the surface.

Also pink Sasquatch was funny.

[hoodooznoodooz]

12 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I loved the comedic touches of the music grinding to a halt when Sheldon and Dr. Linkletter were pondering the board, and then the camera panning behind and the water cooler’s slow bubble to the surface.

Also pink Sasquatch was funny.

The water cooler was MVP twice and made me chuckle!

[ams1001]

34 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Cool! I bought a really deluxe edition of Scrabble at Goodwill for only seven bucks.

A former coworker who used to work in planning/buying for the toys/games department at my company got me a copy for free. :)

Side character note: I love George's coworker. 

Thank you.

............

Just say it.

You're welcome.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

The water cooler was MVP twice and made me chuckle!

Note to self and others: Nominate the Water Cooler in Dr. Linkletter's office for Most Valuable Inanimate Object (or whatever is the exact title of the category) for the next PrimeTimer Awards.

[Ms Lark]

13 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Note to self and others: Nominate the Water Cooler in Dr. Linkletter's office for Most Valuable Inanimate Object (or whatever is the exact title of the category) for the next PrimeTimer Awards.

I added reminding you to my Primetimer 2022 list. I've already got "Nadja Doll" from What We Do In The Shadows for my own nom, so I won't steal it from you, no worries! 😁

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, aqusdealer said:

They are all having a heavy depressing note lately. In a way, even MeeMaw and Georgie. It would be nicer if their collaboration weren't something illegal. The show used to be...well...er...happier. It's listed as a comedy. Lately, IMHO, not so much.

Actually I laughed out loud several times during this episode, factoring out any of the negative stuff of course.  Georgie's idea is actually not illegal.  It skates around legality, yes, but in and of itself it's technically not illegal.  I'm still not sure though that it will work out, but it shows that Georgie is capable of some pretty ingenious moneymaking ideas.  I have a feeling that even if this one doesn't, one of them might eventually work out for Meemaw.  Several people on the board saw this coming, me included.

Also, I have been watching reruns of the show and I'm actually surprised that a lot of the earlier episodes were just as bad in terms of negativity such as snark between the kids and adults.  I've watched the show since the beginning and didn't remember the earlier seasons that way, but seeing them again has changed my view on that.  I actually think the show has improved and gotten funnier in a lot of ways.

[Yeah No]

47 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But no fallout with Dale selling out Connie? Or does she not know he ratted her out?

There was a brief throwaway line you may have missed:

• Dale: I got a realtor friend, might be able to help.
• Meemaw: You mean like your cop friend who shut me down?
• Dale: Yeah, that wasn't great.
• Meemaw: Mm.

Yup, I took that to mean that Dale did not intend to sabotage Meemaw's business.  He trusted his cop friend not to rat her out, which does help improve my opinion of him.  Although I think the show should have made that more clear.  If it didn't have so many $#@%! commercials maybe it could have.

[snarkylady]

2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I'd like less Meemaw.  We get half of every episode with her and Missy gets maybe two lines,

A little Meemaw goes a long way but she is needed to offset Mary.  My solution is a little less Meemaw and a lot less Mary.  And no Dale.  The extra lines should go to Missy. 

[Tom Holmberg]

1 minute ago, snarkylady said:

A little Meemaw goes a long way but she is needed to offset Mary.  My solution is a little less Meemaw and a lot less Mary.  And no Dale.  The extra lines should go to Missy. 

I liked when they tried to humanize Mary (like watching "Road House"), but they don't do as much of that as they could. It would have been nice if she and the Reverend had been singing about something besides Jesus. 

[kwnyc]

Just remember, when Billy gets his growth, he's going to be a big football stud in high school. (Remember at the poker night, the principal offered to manufacture a birth certificate for him, so he could play for the high school team?)

I love the interaction between Wally Shawn and Ed Begley, Jr. (The two professors).

I also sometimes wonder if, based on how the younger actors handle their work, whether there's always a back-up plan to go to the veterans (MeeMaw, Dale, also George) for tricky stuff and exposition. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, kwnyc said:

I also sometimes wonder if, based on how the younger actors handle their work, whether there's always a back-up plan to go to the veterans (MeeMaw, Dale, also George) for tricky stuff and exposition

Perhaps. Or writers just always figure that younger actors are likely to have “off” days and count on the other actor in the dialogue (whether child or adult) to do the heavy lifting.
Except Iain Armitage. He always seems totally present. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by shapeshifter

[hoodooznoodooz]

Did anyone watch “The Comeback” with Lisa Kudrow? Lance Barber was a completely different type of guy in that. He is so talented.

[tennisgurl]

I felt really bad for Georgie when MeeMaw told him his idea was stupid, it felt like she was just dismissing the idea because Georgie, who isn't "the smart one" came up with it. It was actually a really good idea! Hopefully if it works out he gets a cut of the profits, he deserves more than just an apology for basically fixing her business. 

There were some solid laughs this episode, especially Sturgis, Linkletter's petty fighting, which I hope leads to Sturgis coming back to the university soon, but I thought the episode was pretty sad. They seemed to be really heavily foreshadowing George's death, showing how hard he is trying to help not only his kids but also Billy, even if he bumbles it sometimes, while older Sheldon ended the episode sounding rather remorseful that he never told his dad that his advice actually helped him and that he and Missy weren't always easy kids. Its just getting closer and closer. 

Did NOT like that look passing between George and Brenda. 

[rmontro]

14 hours ago, chocolatine said:

If Georgie's idea works out, Connie had better give him a large cut of her profits. Her teenage, high school dropout grandson has a better head for business than she does.

She'd better keep some back to pay for her lawyer, because I can't believe this idea makes everything legal.

Too bad Sheldon never told his father that his advice worked out, he could have really used the win.  Adult Sheldon's comment at the end was sad:  "He wasn't the greatest father ever, but we weren't the greatest kids either".  Or whatever it was.  Rare bit of self insight from Sheldon.

From the way Brenda was looking lovingly at George while he was talking to Billy, we're obviously not past this plotline.  It strikes me that if they get divorced and want to keep George on the show, he could always end up living next door with Brenda.  As icky as that may seem.

[hoodooznoodooz]

It was so nice of George to actually walk over to Billy’s house to inquire about how he was recovering.

The line about how they were not easy kids to raise made me very sad.

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I actually have the "Platinum Edition" which is all silvery and fancy but it is the standard tile set.

I love Scrabble.  I've got an old CD-Rom game which lets me play against the computer.  You can choose which level you want the computer to play at.   If I keep it on medium, I stand a better chance of winning!  Darn thing always throws in a 7 letter word!  My parents played scrabble when I was a kid.  I was so proud when I used my Christmas savings club money to buy them a new Scrabble set in my early teens.  A nice memory!

29 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I felt really bad for Georgie when MeeMaw told him his idea was stupid, it felt like she was just dismissing the idea because Georgie, who isn't "the smart one" came up with it.

Sadly she tends to say mean things to Georgie. She had that "duh" moment when Dale explained to her that although the teddy bear is worth only a dollar, it's actually worth whatever she says it's worth.  That was her lightbulb moment. 

22 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Adult Sheldon's comment at the end was sad:  "He wasn't the greatest father ever, but we weren't the greatest kids either".  Or whatever it was.  Rare bit of self insight from Sheldon.

Over the years, grown-up Sheldon had moments like that from time to time.  At least he finally realized what a turd he was.  As for Missy, maybe once she has kids she'll understand that her parents were doing the best they could with the information they had available at that time, and will reflect and realize that her Dad was really trying to help her out many times.  He was in a bad spot because he didn't want to hurt Billy's feelings either.  I don't know why he didn't warn Missy, but he thought that he handled it and nothing else would come of it.  That's more typical of the way a man thinks.  I've gotten tired of the other coach constantly telling George what a terrible husband he is too.  He's just getting beaten down from all directions.  It's not an excuse to cheat, but he's becoming more of a sympathetic character to me.  

[SusanM]

27 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

He's just getting beaten down from all directions.  It's not an excuse to cheat, but he's becoming more of a sympathetic character to me.  

I don't see that myself.  He's got a good job a wife who keeps a nice home and brings in a little extra money, decent kids who may challenge him now and then but aren't into drugs or knocking over a corner store.  If he's feeling beaten down it's because he's not happy with a life that most people would envy.  I am profoundly not sympathetic.

[aqusdealer]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The George-focused plot arcs are excellently written and acted, but, sheesh, I wish they didn't feel so invested in sending his character to the depressing fate adult Sheldon said he had.

I couldn’t agree with you more.

When the series started they kept saying that we shouldn’t assume everything in TBBT will happen in YS, yet many feel that George Sr. death is inevitable.
 

I say if you can have Billy’s sister just disappear from the series, George Sr. can live on.

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

She'd better keep some back to pay for her lawyer, because I can't believe this idea makes everything legal.

 

Yeah... it sounds like blatant money laundering, to me. With "redeemable tickets" that are worth roughly market value as their prizes, maybe it would be kosher. But the idea that you could "buy back" all the prizes for way over market value? That sounds like an easy way to get caught.

[tennisgurl]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Over the years, grown-up Sheldon had moments like that from time to time.

Narrator Sheldon often comes off as a lot more mature and self aware then Big Bang Theory Sheldon, a lot more aware of his own faults and seems to have a much deeper understanding of his family dynamics. He always described George as being this stupid oafish jerk who was a terrible husband and father during most of Big Bang, but the older version of him who narrates the show, possibly after becoming a husband and father himself, can look back and see his dad as a more complicated person, someone who made mistakes but tried his best to be a good father, and that his parents failed marriage was a lot more complicated then he previously thought of it. Some of his biggest traits on BBT were an inability to ever see himself as wrong and his lack of empathy towards most people, but narrator Sheldon has expressed regret for his past behavior and greater understanding of other people. It seems like he has grown a lot between now and the end of BBT. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by tennisgurl

[rmontro]

12 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

the older version of him who narrates the show, possibly after becoming a husband a father himself, can look back and see his dad as a more complicated person, someone who made mistakes but tried his best to be a good father

That's an interesting point.  I hadn't really thought about the narrator being a post-Big Bang Theory Sheldon, but I guess he is.  Young Sheldon had started before BBT went off the air, so it wasn't really that way at first, but I guess it would be now.  I like the idea of a Sheldon who had a certain mindset about his father, but now is looking back with a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective.  Still comes out as a sad story though.

[ams1001]

42 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

possibly after becoming a husband a father himself, 

 

26 minutes ago, rmontro said:

That's an interesting point.  I hadn't really thought about the narrator being a post-Big Bang Theory Sheldon, but I guess he is.  

Narrator-Sheldon is definitely post-BBT, by at least several years, because he mentions his own kids (plural) in a voiceover (in the first season finale). It's after he draws up his first relationship contract (after getting yelled at for meddling with Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis), and then the narration says "I would go on to draw up such contracts throughout my life, with roommates, with my wife, even with my own children." Which suggests his children are at least school-age by then, if they are old enough to make a contract with their dad.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, SusannahM said:

He's got a good job a wife who keeps a nice home and brings in a little extra money, decent kids who may challenge him now and then but aren't into drugs or knocking over a corner store. 

I was re-watching the episode where Sheldon asked George about being fired from his previous coaching job.  He was fired because he was trying to do the right thing and point out (whistle blower) that rules were being broken within the football program by higher-ups.  His reward was getting fired.  The hurt and disappointment over that incident were very evident in George's voice and body language.  

He may have a good job and all of that, but it's understandable that he misses what he lost.  I think that most of us can relate to than in one way or another.  I'm not saying that he is perfect, but there are times when Mary isn't the easiest person to deal with.  She's hyper-focused on Sheldon (evident by what Missy says),  and she doesn't see how that affects everybody else.  Georgie is going through a rebellious phase, and that adds stress to the family; then Missy piles on about Billy, so I can see where George's frustration comes from.  Maybe he feels like an outsider in his own home.  I'm not blaming Mary for all of his issues.  They both need to work on their marriage, but I can have some empathy for his character.  

[MollyMelrose]

The water cooler has been mentioned several times. Wondering if it's the great-grand-cooler of this one that scared the bejeebers out of Rob Petrie in the Dick Van Dyke Show episode Uhny Uftz: (Starts around 13:19)

 

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

I can have some empathy for his character.  

I do have empathy for him in the sense that he is obviously depressed and he should be getting some help but likely he won't.  Where I have no sympathy for him is the way he undervalues his family and is overly focused on himself.  Which, come to think of it, sounds a lot like Sheldon.  Wonder if the writers are doing that on purpose.

[HouseofBeck]

4 hours ago, SusannahM said:

I don't see that myself.  He's got a good job a wife who keeps a nice home and brings in a little extra money, decent kids who may challenge him now and then but aren't into drugs or knocking over a corner store.  If he's feeling beaten down it's because he's not happy with a life that most people would envy.  I am profoundly not sympathetic.

I was sad for George’s sadness, but then had to remember that—hasn’t he been mostly an absentee dad of sorts, content to let Mary do all the heavy lifting, including emotionally? Trying to be a full dad all of a sudden and having it blow up in his face, well, if he’s just going to give up, that continues to say more about him and why his kids aren’t instantly ready to let him in.

[kay1864]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

If it didn't have so many $#@%! commercials maybe it could have.

I thought 22 minutes was the standard for a half hour sitcom episode, but this show is often 18 or 19 minutes including the “previously on”. 

Money talks, of course.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, HouseofBeck said:

I was sad for George’s sadness, but then had to remember that—hasn’t he been mostly an absentee dad of sorts, content to let Mary do all the heavy lifting, including emotionally?

He's very typical of most men that I know in that he doesn't show his emotions easily.  I think most women do the heavy lifting, emotionally speaking.  Thing is, when the show started, he and Georgie had high school football; then he was there for Missy when she wanted to play baseball; and he was there for Sheldon by driving him all the way to Florida to see a launch that eventually got scrubbed; and he drove Sheldon to Texas to confront TPTB in NASA to tell them how to land a rocket back on earth.  I'm sure there were other examples that I'm forgetting.

Then Georgie became a teenager and he hasn't been the easiest person to live with, so he's part of the tension in the house.  Missy is at that age where she thinks little problems are huge ones, and unfortunately took out her frustration on her Dad.  Sheldon, well, he's Sheldon.  He causes a lot of the friction in the house.  You wonder how things would be if it was just Missy & Georgie with no Sheldon there getting all of the attention.  Georgie and Missy are always making snide (but true) comments about his irksome ways. 

I know I sound old saying this, but when I was growing up, our parents simply didn't put up with any of this crap.  All you needed was "the look," and you knew you'd better straighten up!!  We didn't disrespect them by talking back to them either.  It wasn't tolerated.  You didn't negotiate your way into what you wanted.  It was more like, here's the rules, follow them or pay the consequences.   I wish this show would get back to being funny again.  

[aemom]

19 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Narrator Sheldon often comes off as a lot more mature and self aware then Big Bang Theory Sheldon, a lot more aware of his own faults and seems to have a much deeper understanding of his family dynamics. He always described George as being this stupid oafish jerk who was a terrible husband and father during most of Big Bang, but the older version of him who narrates the show, possibly after becoming a husband and father himself, can look back and see his dad as a more complicated person, someone who made mistakes but tried his best to be a good father, and that his parents failed marriage was a lot more complicated then he previously thought of it. Some of his biggest traits on BBT were an inability to ever see himself as wrong and his lack of empathy towards most people, but narrator Sheldon has expressed regret for his past behavior and greater understanding of other people. It seems like he has grown a lot between now and the end of BBT. 

I just wanted to give you props for how insightful and true I think this is.

[Spartan Girl]

On 11/5/2021 at 2:33 PM, rmontro said:

From the way Brenda was looking lovingly at George while he was talking to Billy, we're obviously not past this plotline.  It strikes me that if they get divorced and want to keep George on the show, he could always end up living next door with Brenda.  As icky as that may seem

According to BBT, they didn’t get divorced. I highly doubt they would anyway since Mary’s such a committed Catholic. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[jewel21]

Mary is a devoted Christian but she isn't Catholic. Catholics have priests, not pastors. I think they're Baptist. 

I did feel bad for George. I get what it's like to try and never really succeed. It's sad his kids never let him know how much they appreciated him, and by the time they realized, it was too late.