S05.E06: Money Laundering and a Cascade of Hormones

[Bort]

Missy asks some uncomfortable questions at church. Meemaw and Georgie go into business together.

Airdate: 11 Nov 2021

[ams1001]

This episode had some good lines...

"I wouldn't count on the bible for facts, but that was fun." Surprised Sheldon didn't know the wives vs. concubines bit. Even I knew that one.

"I turned it off before the young man could clarify."

Loved Meemaw and Georgie's negotiations. "In my defense you used to be dumber."

"It's either you or Peg"..."I wanna scare 'em but not that much."

Church sign: Over one billion saved!

There's no such thing as a good tizzy.

Sheldon discovers "coitus"!

You may now take the bride to Six Flags. High five! 

[Katy M]

When the youth pastor said that he wanted to have a talk about the facts of life and Pastor Jeff asked if he was talking about s-e-x, I thought he was going to ask if he was talking about Blair and Tootie.

The origin of coitus.

Missy's being awfully bratty this season.

Meemaw is treating Georgie like crap.  I don't like dirty cops, but I don't mind the results.  She deserves it.

If they's specifically doing the teddy bear thing so that they're not breaking laws, they don't have to launder the money.  Plus, since she's got the front of a cash business laundromat, her money is pretty much already laundered.  Probably why the original casino was set up behind a laundromat in the first place.

[Spartan Girl]

Poor Dr. Sturgis losing his job. But maybe he can team up with Sheldon and Dr. Linkletter.

Once again I love Pastor Rob. Only I wasn’t expecting Mary to start fantasizing about him. So both the Cooper parents are being tempted? Uh oh.

Missy’s dream made me laugh. So cute.

[Kiddvideo]

More all around unpleasantness. I’ll watch it if I have nothing else to do, but I’m done seeking it out. They ran off the cliff at full speed, eh. You can almost see the Wile E. Coyote dust outline as he plummets.

[catlover79]

The Dr. Sturgis story was uncomfortable and awkward, even for him. 😳😳😳😳😳

Yes, Missy is awfully mouthy this season. I can relate to her teenage crush on the youth pastor. The wedding fantasy was funny.

Dauber the cop is back,, though his plot did not surprise me. Why are the pastor and Billy in the opening credits and not Dr. Sturgis and Coach Dale, who are on a lot more? 

[Browncoat]

17 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Missy's being awfully bratty this season.

 

5 minutes ago, catlover79 said:

Yes, Missy is awfully mouthy this season.

Cascade of hormones.

[ams1001]

24 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Poor Dr. Sturgis losing his job. But maybe he can team up with Sheldon and Dr. Linkletter.

I wonder if this is the beginning of his path back to the university.

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

"It's either you or Peg"..."I wanna scare 'em but not that much."

I wonder how Peg would have conducted the church sex-ed session. It might have made the kids giggle at her and deflected some of their awkward self-awareness.

 

45 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If they's specifically doing the teddy bear thing so that they're not breaking laws, they don't have to launder the money.  Plus, since she's got the front of a cash business laundromat, her money is pretty much already laundered.  Probably why the original casino was set up behind a laundromat in the first place.

Hee. Using a laundromat to launder money. Fun pun. 
I hope the wannabe Sherriff gets caught with his hand in some other till and goes to prison, leaving Meemaw free and clear and deciding that was a close enough call, and to close down the gambling den and sell the laundromat. 

[vibeology]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Hee. Using a laundromat to launder money. Fun pun. 

My understanding is that it's not a pun. Laundromats are cash businesses with barely any records. Gangsters bought them to make their dirty money clean.

[Chit Chat]

27 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I wonder how Peg would have conducted the church sex-ed session. It might have made the kids giggle at her and deflected some of their awkward self-awareness.

It would've been highly entertaining!  They probably view Peg as a dinosaur (no offense to her age), so watching them realize that Peg probably knows just about everything about S.E.X. would've been hilarious on its own.   

We have a 25 year old young woman in our office, and most of us are at least twice her age.  She thinks we're dinosaurs and starts with the pearl clutching if we make a joke about S.E.X. in front of her.  She thinks of us as her parents and that icks her out, so that's why having Peg talk to the kids would've been comedy gold!

1 hour ago, catlover79 said:

Yes, Missy is awfully mouthy this season.

I'm going to refer to her as Pissy Missy.  I remember going through those times, but I don't think I was ever disrespectful to my parents like that.  I hope she's not going to be sour the rest of the season.  

[possibilities]

I felt bad for Missy this episode. She was being targeted by both adults and peers for, basically, not being totally ashamed of and negative about sexuality, and asking questions. I thought her crying alone in her room was anything but bratty.

I also would have liked to see what Peg's sex talk would have been like.

 

I hated how Meemaw was treating Georgie.

Edited November 12, 2021 by possibilities

[anna0852]

39 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I hated how Meemaw was treating Georgie.

Meemaw is a bitch most of the time and I absolutely see how she influenced Adult Sheldon's mean streak. I enjoyed seeing her getting shaken down by the corrupt cop.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

More all around unpleasantness. I’ll watch it if I have nothing else to do, but I’m done seeking it out. They ran off the cliff at full speed, eh. You can almost see the Wile E. Coyote dust outline as he plummets.

I love this show but after watching a lot of reruns lately I'm realizing just how much negativity it's had even back to season 1.  Other than Sheldon, Georgie and Missy have been pretty difficult and disrespectful of their parents. 30 years ago and especially in Texas I don't know if that would have been so tolerated.  Meemaw has also been a prime source of negativity as well.

 

 

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I wonder how Peg would have conducted the church sex-ed session. It might have made the kids giggle at her and deflected some of their awkward self-awareness.

I always see Peg as a real life version of Maxine from Hallmark cards, LOL.

3 hours ago, vibeology said:

My understanding is that it's not a pun. Laundromats are cash businesses with barely any records. Gangsters bought them to make their dirty money clean.

True but it was still a pun.  That's the thing about puns, they carry two meanings, one literal and one figurative.

[Bobbin]

4 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Missy’s dream made me laugh. So cute.

I've often wondered what tween girls' fantasies about their male idols really consist of.

It appears that Sheldon is now taller than Missy, hardening back to a thread from a season or so ago.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Bobbin
ETA thought

[Chit Chat]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

She was being targeted by both adults and peers for, basically, not being totally ashamed of and negative about sexuality, and asking questions.

I didn't see her being targeted by the adults.  The Youth Pastor has to be very careful in how he answers those types of questions, so it was only right of him to seek counsel on how to handle it.  Mary was just trying to have "the talk" with her (which she should've done without Sheldon in the room).  She was just trying to help her too.  Missy made it very clear that she doesn't want to discuss that with Mary, so I don't know what else they can do.   It kind of all snowballed out of control for Missy, but I don't think they meant any harm.  

[Magnumfangirl]

The laundromat casino story line has me thinking "Is this what Georgie gets arrested for?"  I don't like the "Meemaw becomes a criminal" plot.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Magnumfangirl

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, Magnumfangirl said:

The laundromat casino story line has me thinking "Is this what Georgie gets arrested for?"  I don't like the "Meemaw becomes a criminal" plot.

Eh...it's a gray area... 😉

[Bort]

13 minutes ago, Magnumfangirl said:

The laundromat casino story line has me thinking "Is this what Georgie gets arrested for?" 

Narrator Sheldon has previously already said what Georgie was arrested for: urinating on… something, I forget.

[nora1992]

Pastor Rob: fun character, but would not be at all surprised if it turns out women aren’t his type.  I know it’s a fine line he was treading in his discussion with Mary, but I sensed an undercurrent.

Poor Dr Sturgis.  And Missy needs another Red Lobster dinner with George.

[Yeah No]

15 minutes ago, nora1992 said:

Pastor Rob: fun character, but would not be at all surprised if it turns out women aren’t his type.  I know it’s a fine line he was treading in his discussion with Mary, but I sensed an undercurrent.

I did too so it wasn't just you.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, nora1992 said:

Pastor Rob: fun character, but would not be at all surprised if it turns out women aren’t his type.  I know it’s a fine line he was treading in his discussion with Mary, but I sensed an undercurrent.

That would be interesting...though in reality I can't see this church community being too receptive to finding out their youth pastor is gay so I don't really want them to go there. I can't see it making for a funny story.

Edited November 12, 2021 by ams1001

[SusanM]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

I don't really want them to go there. I can't see it making for a funny story.

Agreed. There are already enough issues going on in what should be a light hearted comedy. 

[Tom Holmberg]

I wonder if at some point Shelton figures out how to beat the house and bankrupts Meemaw's "casino."

[BitterApple]

15 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

More all around unpleasantness. I’ll watch it if I have nothing else to do, but I’m done seeking it out. They ran off the cliff at full speed, eh. You can almost see the Wile E. Coyote dust outline as he plummets.

Yeah, I don't know what's going on, but all the funny bits are being cancelled out by the nastiness. 

I know Dr. Sturgis is socially clueless, but come on. Asking a minor if he'd feel comfortable discussing sex? I can't imagine anyone being that dumb.

MeeMaw not thinking Georgie should get any sort of wage or commission is making me stabby. She's being mean to the poor kid for no reason and I don't like it. 

Missy's bad attitude is on point for a girl her age, but it's still not pleasant to watch. 

Pastor Rob had good intentions, but I'm not surprised feathers got ruffled. Doing a sex ed talk at a conservative Baptist church? Yikes. 

 

[jewel21]

8 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

MeeMaw not thinking Georgie should get any sort of wage or commission is making me stabby. She's being mean to the poor kid for no reason and I don't like it. 

What really annoys me is I think Georgie stopped working his paying job at the sports store and he's not in school. And now he's also technically unemployed? He's putting in hours and time for a non-paying job? I'm sorry but that is not right and Meemaw should be ashamed of herself. If she doesn't want to pay him, that's fine, but then he should go back to is other job and leave Meemaw to run the laundromat/casino by herself. Fair is fair. 

[Sarah 103]

 

15 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Once again I love Pastor Rob. Only I wasn’t expecting Mary to start fantasizing about him. So both the Cooper parents are being tempted? Uh oh.

I wouldn't say Mary's tempted. Mary's having a harmless fantasy that she will never in a million act on or even think about acting on. George is thinking about having an affair and already came very close to having on. 

55 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I wonder if at some point Shelton figures out how to beat the house and bankrupts Meemaw's "casino."

I'm not sure. They're slot machines, aren't they? The machines are not connected to a network, so there's nothing to hack into. They appear to be mechanical rather than digital (which makes sense because it's the 1990s) so there's no way to change the software. 

Mary was an idiot in this episode. Of all of the people in her life Missy could have gone to sex questions, she want to youth pastor Rob instead of Georgie, Mee-Maw, or older girls at school. Mary should have been thrilled Missy went to someone at the church. I love the way Pastor Rob has figured out how to deal with Sheldon.  

[Tom Holmberg]

28 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I'm not sure. They're slot machines, aren't they? The machines are not connected to a network, so there's nothing to hack into. They appear to be mechanical rather than digital (which makes sense because it's the 1990s) so there's no way to change the software. 

 

They are early electronic machines not mechanical.  Probably not connected to a system, but each machine standalone, with, I'd guess, some kind of random number generator, that Sheldon could figure out how to get around. (but I'm not a professional gambler, I just play one on TV). 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

Mary should have been thrilled Missy went to someone at the church.

Except that he's a man, and they barely know him.  Mary should be the one having this discussion with her.  Honestly though, I figured she would've gone to MeeMaw first.  She's discussed boys with her in the past.

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

Doing a sex ed talk at a conservative Baptist church? Yikes. 

During the late 60's and 70's when I was a youngster and in Sunday school, that subject was never discussed!  That was something you learned outside of church.   

[SusanM]

6 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Except that he's a man, and they barely know him.  Mary should be the one having this discussion with her.  Honestly though, I figured she would've gone to MeeMaw first.  She's discussed boys with her in the past.

Haven't seen this episode yet but this stood out for me in the discussion here.  Maybe they give a good reason why Missy goes to a man for this kind of conversation but it better be a really good reason because speaking as a former 12 year old girl there is NO WAY I would have asked a man, even my own father, about this kind of thing if I had women I could go to first, second or even third.  That just strikes a really false note with me.

Edited November 12, 2021 by SusannahM

[Chit Chat]

3 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

Haven't seen this episode yet but this stood out for me in the discussion here.  Maybe they give a good reason why Missy goes to a man for this kind of conversation but it better be a really good reason because speaking as a former 12 year old girl there is NO WAY I would have asked a man, even my own father, about this kind of thing if I had women I could go to first, second or even third.  That just strikes a really false note with me.

She was in a group setting with other kids her age, but it didn't seem quite right that she'd start asking the youth pastor if it's okay to kiss boys.  He shut that conversation down and went to Pastor Jeff, Mary & Peg for advice.   It didn't seem right that they would plan to basically teach a sex-ed class without consulting the other parents first.  Again, they missed a golden opportunity to have Peg stand there with her cigarette hanging out of her mouth discussing the birds and the bees with those kids!!  Just kidding, but I can picture that.  It would've been funnier than how this episode turned out.  ;)  

[Browncoat]

Missy was fishing to see if Pastor Rob had a girlfriend because she wants to be his girlfriend.  She wasn't really fishing for a sex-ed talk.  Given her reaction to when Mary tried to talk to her and Sheldon, the twins both know the facts of life.  And I would hope so, since Missy has started having periods.

[Chit Chat]

11 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Given her reaction to when Mary tried to talk to her and Sheldon, the twins both know the facts of life.  And I would hope so, since Missy has started having periods.

I'm surprised that Mary hasn't had the talk with her.  That seemed odd.  Some of these episodes don't make any sense.  The best thing to come out of it was learning why Sheldon refrains from saying "sex," and says "coitus" instead.  I thought his reasoning was good!! 

[tennisgurl]

I felt bad for Missy, she was just asking understandable questions, its not her fault that things snowballed so quickly because so many parents overreacted. 

Oh Mary, having fantasies about the cool youth pastor! Mary is the last person Missy should go to learn about the birds and the bees, she should go to MeeMaw, I feel like she would give her the facts free of any bullshit. Of course the real point of the episode is the origin story of Sheldon's favorite word...coitus. Honestly, his thought process made sense. Its not a "giggle" word that people get awkward about and it feels morally neutral. 

Poor Georgie, I hate that MeeMaw is treating him so badly even after he saved her business. I wish Georgie would go back to school or get an actual job, he's really a smart kid and no one in his family seems to realize it. Also, do they even need to launder money if what they are doing is in a legal grey area? 

Hopefully this means that Dr. Sturgis heads back to the university soon, he can join Sheldon on his project. 

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Doing a sex ed talk at a conservative Baptist church? Yikes.

I can only guess that the clueless writers mistook public school sex talks for non-existent church sex talks??? 🤷‍♀️ 
Unless maybe it was supposed to be a school sex talk and they re-wrote it for the cast available (pastors and Peg) due to the pandemic. 🤷‍♀️

[nodorothyparker]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Missy was fishing to see if Pastor Rob had a girlfriend because she wants to be his girlfriend.  She wasn't really fishing for a sex-ed talk.  

That's how I read it too. She's crushing on Pastor Rob and was trying to feel him out. He thinks himself more progressive than the rest of the church crew and as the cooler than cool guy the kids like, so he took the next logical leap and wanted to have The Talk with the kids. Having been in church youth group about this same time period when abstinence-only education and the True Love Waits guilt tripping really caught on, I was surprised they even seriously considered letting him do it and not at all when they finally shut him down.

 

[AD35]

3 hours ago, ChitChat said:

  Again, they missed a golden opportunity to have Peg stand there with her cigarette hanging out of her mouth discussing the birds and the bees with those kids!!  Just kidding, but I can picture that.  It would've been funnier than how this episode turned out

That would have been one talk at church that no one would have slept through.

 

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

I'm surprised that Mary hasn't had the talk with her.  That seemed odd.

I'm not surprised. First, just the mere idea in general seemed to make her pretty uncomfortable, probably in part from her own past and wants to keep Missy from a similar path.  Secondly it's another reminder that the kids are growing older and are going to want more independence in their lives.

[Bobbin]

6 hours ago, jewel21 said:

What really annoys me is I think Georgie stopped working his paying job at the sports store and he's not in school. And now he's also technically unemployed? He's putting in hours and time for a non-paying job? I'm sorry but that is not right and Meemaw should be ashamed of herself. If she doesn't want to pay him, that's fine, but then he should go back to is other job and leave Meemaw to run the laundromat/casino by herself. Fair is fair. 

Since the house always wins, a cut of the action is usually the better bet. A lot of actors wish they had asked for a percentage of the movie's proceeds instead of union scale. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

6 hours ago, jewel21 said:

What really annoys me is I think Georgie stopped working his paying job at the sports store and he's not in school. And now he's also technically unemployed? He's putting in hours and time for a non-paying job? I'm sorry but that is not right and Meemaw should be ashamed of herself. If she doesn't want to pay him, that's fine, but then he should go back to is other job and leave Meemaw to run the laundromat/casino by herself. Fair is fair. 

100%

[CriticalMass]

Dr. Sturgis refers to sex as coitus as well. In one episode, I think the one where he explains how much time he has saved by always having vanilla ice cream for dessert, he asks Meemaw if she plans to have coitus that night, he hurt his groin on his bike ride there but insists he wants to try.

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I know Dr. Sturgis is socially clueless, but come on. Asking a minor if he'd feel comfortable discussing sex? I can't imagine anyone being that dumb.

That was rather surprising.  I guess he thought since he could talk to Sheldon that way, he could have that conversation with other kids.  It was dumb though.  

[DoYouLikeMutton]

9 hours ago, jewel21 said:

What really annoys me is I think Georgie stopped working his paying job at the sports store and he's not in school. And now he's also technically unemployed? He's putting in hours and time for a non-paying job? I'm sorry but that is not right and Meemaw should be ashamed of herself. If she doesn't want to pay him, that's fine, but then he should go back to is other job and leave Meemaw to run the laundromat/casino by herself. Fair is fair. 

Agreed!  

Not liking the illegal casino behind the laundromat premise.  I liked Meemaw's character better when she's dating quirky men, rather than cheating her grandson.   If Georgie quit school to make some money, why should she undermine that by assuming he would or should work for her for half of minimum wage or less.   

Cute that both mom and daughter are having thoughts of the youth pastor.  The fruit didn't fall far from the tree! 😆

 

[shapeshifter]

17 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

…If Georgie quit school to make some money, why should [Meemaw] undermine that by assuming he would or should work for her for half of minimum wage or less

OMG, thanks to this👆 post, I just realized what Meemaw is doing! She’s trying to make Georgie realize that it’s a hard knock world so he’ll want to go school!

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I know Dr. Sturgis is socially clueless, but come on. Asking a minor if he'd feel comfortable discussing sex? I can't imagine anyone being that dumb.

I'm putting my answer to this in a spoiler box because it refers to Big Bang Theory:

Spoiler

It's no dumber than Sheldon googling on how to get young girls excited on BBT when they were trying to find ways to get young women interested in studying science.  Or inviting a young girl in a bookstore to go somewhere with him in an attempt to "make a friend".  Both times Leonard intervened before Sheldon got himself in any trouble.

 

[DoYouLikeMutton]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

OMG, thanks to this👆 post, I just realized what Meemaw is doing! She’s trying to make Georgie realize that it’s a hard knock world so he’ll want to go school!

Very good point!  I hope it's true.  I've liked Meemaw's character throughout this series and didn't want her to turn into a jerk.  👋

[ehall1052]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

22 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Doing a sex ed talk at a conservative Baptist church? Yikes.

I can only guess that the clueless writers mistook public school sex talks for non-existent church sex talks??? 🤷‍♀️ 
Unless maybe it was supposed to be a school sex talk and they re-wrote it for the cast available (pastors and Peg) due to the pandemic. 🤷‍♀️

In the late 90s our church (Baptist) had a program called “True Love Waits”. I don’t remember the nitty-gritty, but I had to give permission for my 2 sons to participate. At the end of the study, there was a ceremony where parents gave their teens a “True Love Waits” ring. I’m pretty sure the “mechanics “ of s-e-x weren’t discussed (hopefully parents already covered it), but the Biblical belief of waiting until marriage was discussed.

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Having been in church youth group about this same time period when abstinence-only education and the True Love Waits guilt tripping really caught on, I was surprised they even seriously considered letting him do it and not at all when they finally shut him down.

31 minutes ago, ehall1052 said:

In the late 90s our church (Baptist) had a program called “True Love Waits”. I don’t remember the nitty-gritty, but I had to give permission for my 2 sons to participate. At the end of the study, there was a ceremony where parents gave their teens a “True Love Waits” ring. I’m pretty sure the “mechanics “ of s-e-x weren’t discussed (hopefully parents already covered it), but the Biblical belief of waiting until marriage was discussed.

Oh! Right! 
So maybe this episode is an imaginary peek at some of the awkward shenanigans among Sunday School Teachers, Pastors, and Parents ("Oh, my!") that birthed the "True Love Waits" ring nonsense. I say "nonsense" because the goals they were trying to reach never seemed to be served by that program, and this episode gives a glimpse of why it was doomed to failure. 

And now I see that the this episode gets a "A" for dealing with a still controversial topic without being controversial--albeit a bit too vague.
And I guess we had to see Missy being emotionally traumatized by the lack of frank discussion about Permission and Setting Boundaries with people, otherwise it would have been a bit irresponsible.

I wish we could see Peg's version of "True Love Waits," heh. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

And I guess we had to see Missy being emotionally traumatized by the lack of frank discussion about Permission and Setting Boundaries with people, otherwise it would have been a bit irresponsible.

Missy started asking questions from the youth pastor and he simply stopped the conversation before it got awkward.  I think he did the right thing by discussing it with Pastor Jeff, Mary & Peg.  I'm sure he didn't want to step on any toes since he is new to their church.  Missy is too immature to understand that there's a time and a place to ask such questions.  

[shapeshifter]

10 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Missy started asking questions from the youth pastor and he simply stopped the conversation before it got awkward.

Yes. And the Assistant Pastor is inexperienced too. 
I do wish the show had him tell Missy he was uncomfortable answering her questions about his personal relationships and would not be answering them AND that he hoped she and all the kids in the class would feel like they to could tell others when they felt uncomfortable with a subject. 
But this show and his role aren’t like that.