S05.E08: The Grand Chancellor and a Den of Sin

[DanaK]

Quote

Sheldon battles President Hagemeyer's (Wendie Malick) mysterious boss over the university's science requirements. Also, Mary discovers that Georgie is working at Meemaw's illegal gambling room, on YOUNG SHELDON, Thursday, Dec. 2 (8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+

 

[DanaK]

I was surprised Hagemeyer outright lied to Sheldon about having a boss, but her subterfuge was pretty entertaining

[ams1001]

So Sheldon thinks he should be able to go to faculty meetings now?

I laughed at George watching Jeopardy because his remote batteries died. I love Jeopardy.

[chocolatine]

Loved President Hagemayer lying to Sheldon and making him do useless tasks, Mary lying to Sheldon and then covertly apologizing to god, and Missy convincing Sheldon that WWE is real. Great to have a lighthearted episode without the infidelity and depression themes that have been dominating this and last season.

[Bobbin]

Everything has always been black & white to Sheldon; he's never had to choose between conflicting options. The world is probably a better place because Sheldon comes down on the side of always telling the unvarnished, brutal truth. I have to sympathize with pure-hearted Mary and the choices she has to make in the real world around her. She would do well to learn the Serenity Prayer. And to listen to her Pastor.

[highway61]

If Georgie is doing something that could actually get him incarcerated... that might be a reasonable point of parental intervention. I can't see the gambling story going anywhere good. 

And, need I say it, college president's really do have bosses. There really are Chancellors and Boards of Trustees and State Governors and accrediting agencies. Heck, someone hired her - that's her boss. And why is her door just open for Sheldon to walk in?

I do still look forward to the show each week but I think we've kind of bogged down here. Where's Dr. Sturgis when we need him?

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by highway61

[anna0852]

1 hour ago, Bobbin said:

The world is probably a better place because Sheldon comes down on the side of always telling the unvarnished, brutal truth. 

Dear god! A Sheldon that's good at lying, sneaking and plotting? He'd be our overlord in no time!

[DavidWeis1]

There are good points to the show, but almost none of them have to do with Sheldon. He is even more insufferable here than on BBT. He is so catered to and spoiled. Why would the President just let him traipse into her office? Where are his manners? Do manners not count if you’re super smart? At least on BBT there was a little growth, mostly thanks to Amy. But it will be YEARS before we get there.

[tennisgurl]

Normally I think Mary needs to stop sticking her nose into peoples business, but she is probably right to be concerned about Georgie dropping out of high school to work in an illegal gambling hall out of a laundry place. They already got busted by the cops once, he could get in actual trouble. Georgie is a smart kid, not academically like Sheldon but he has great business sense, he could be doing something better then this. 

 President Hagemayer presumably does have people she has to answer to, like governors and chancellors, but her trying to trick Sheldon into believing that the person behind the school cutting science funding is the "Grand Chancellor" was hilarious. Then Sheldon only realizing what an obvious lie it was after the newspaper editor spelled it out for him. "Well when you say it like that..."

Edited December 3, 2021 by tennisgurl

[SusanM]

10 minutes ago, DavidWeis1 said:

. He is even more insufferable here than on BBT.

To me this is one of the strengths of YS.  I like when they do show that when all is said and done Sheldon is still a little boy but I also like that we are seeing where Sheldon Cooper Nobel Prize Winner came from.  The Sheldon we meet on BBT came from somewhere and it's easy to see where!  Partly it's because George and Mary were totally out of their depth dealing with their wonder child, partly it's because he genuinely is the genius he thinks he is and the universities he goes to use that to their advantage while not caring one bit how it affects him and I think down the road it's going to be because

Spoiler

the loss of his father completely throws off any chance that he will have any kind of a normal adolesence.

 

[BitterApple]

37 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Normally I think Mary needs to stop sticking her nose into peoples business, but she is probably right to be concerned about George dropping out of high school to work in an illegal gambling hall out of a laundry place. They already got busted by the cops once, he could get in actual trouble. George is a smart kid, not academically like Sheldon but he has great business sense, he could be doing something better then this. 

 President Hagemayer presumably does have people she has to answer to, like governors and chancellors, but her trying to trick Sheldon into believing that the person behind the school cutting science funding is the "Grand Chancellor" was hilarious. Then Sheldon only realizing what an obvious lie it was after the newspaper editor spelled it out for him. "Well when you say it like that..."

I agree. I snark on Mary and her puritanical ways, but nothing good can come from Georgie working in an illegal gambling room. Even if he gets away with it now, it may encourage him to dabble in other shady activities, which could have consequences down the line. Same for him quitting school. Being a high school dropout carries a stigma. It's not a flattering label and it hamstrings your choices in life. Obviously we know adult Georgie does well for himself, but that outcome is rare for people with limited education. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by BitterApple

[AD35]

39 minutes ago, DavidWeis1 said:

He is even more insufferable here than on BBT. He is so catered to and spoiled. Why would the President just let him traipse into her office? Where are his manners? Do manners not count if you’re super smart?

If he can bring in some free (good) publicity for the university, along with some financially well-endowed donors willing to donate a good amount of money, then I can imagine Hagermeyer and others wiling to tolerate Sheldon's quirks and cater to them to a degree in spite of his sub par social skills. 

 

Spoiler

The Sheldon in TBBT 4th season ep "The Benefactor Factor" had to come from somewhere.

 

[SusanM]

8 minutes ago, AD35 said:

If he can bring in some free (good) publicity for the university, along with some financially well-endowed donors willing to donate a good amount of money, then I can imagine Hagermeyer and others wiling to tolerate Sheldon's quirks and cater to them to a degree in spite of his sub par social skills. 

Exactly.  Sheldon isn't really all that unique here, universities are notorious for tolerating people with, well to be kind, "quirks" because they are, when all is said and done, a business.  Hagermeyer isn't a teacher who is there to bring out the best in Sheldon (the way hopefully elementary and high school teachers/admins would be) she's there to make sure her institution gets donations and has the prestige of a little genius attached to it.  Sheldon on YS is like that kid on the BBT episode who had tunnelled out of North Korea and was being courted by Caltech.

[Magnumfangirl]

I hate the laundromat/gambling hall story!  What happened to Georgie being the tire whisperer?  We know that's what his future holds!  Why aren't we getting that?

Edited December 4, 2021 by Magnumfangirl

[NoReally]

Regarding Georgie getting in trouble with the law: As I recall, Connie and Sheriff Dauber came to an "arrangement" at the end of the episode in which he learned the gambling room was back in operation. So, presumably, the police are being taken care of.

Not an ironclad guarantee against possible legal problems, of course, but it seems they have that somewhat covered.

[Browncoat]

"It's a grey area."

[Frost]

I wish the writers would come up with clever ways for the university adults to deal with Sheldon's bad manners and social ineptitude, rather than having them lie or screw him over homework he hasn't even been taught to do yet.  To me, adults being cruel and snarky to a 12 year old boy is not funny.  I admit I'm not clever enough to come up with these alternatives myself. 😄   I can see why Sheldon's behaviors wouldn't improve, when the adults in his life chose to try and humiliate him when he behaves badly. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I really liked the scene with Mary and Sheldon after she prays, and they are my least favorite characters. They were both sweet and endearing.

Well, you’re outside… where birds live….

[Chit Chat]

On 12/4/2021 at 11:05 AM, Magnumfangirl said:

What happened to Georgie being the tire whisperer?  We know that's what his future holds!  Why aren't we getting that?

I guess since Brenda's husband flew the coop, I'm assuming the tire store closed and Georgie took the job with Dale out of convenience.  Maybe they'll get him back to the tire business in the near future.   I don't see Connie keeping the laundromat/den of sin for very long.  I didn't think she wanted that much responsibility on her. 

[Frost]

50 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

 I don't see Connie keeping the laundromat/den of sin for very long.

Maybe Ray Liotta will come back and ask for a cut to settle Connie's debts.  Just what Medford needs, its own little crime ring.

[SusanM]

15 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Maybe they'll get him back to the tire business in the near future. 

I wonder if they are trying to decide whether to recast that role or not.  But honestly they could have Georgie work there but not have (blanking out on Brenda's husband's name) show up on screen.  It would really make sense to get Georgie back into the tire business.

[Bort]

I honestly don’t think that matters because grown Georgie doesn’t fix tires, he sells new ones. 

[NoReally]

25 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I honestly don’t think that matters because grown Georgie doesn’t fix tires, he sells new ones. 

Never patch! Always buy new.

[SusanM]

50 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I honestly don’t think that matters because grown Georgie doesn’t fix tires, he sells new ones. 

True, but in that case why did they bother with the tire store (garage?) storyline in the first place?  I suspect they'd have kept Georgie working there if the actor involved hadn't gone off to greener pastures.  Then maybe we'd have been spared the whole laundromat sideshow - not a fan.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by SusannahM

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/4/2021 at 11:05 AM, Magnumfangirl said:

I hate the laundromat/gambling hall story! 

I just hope there's a payoff, otherwise it's more of the shift towards the "Old Meemaw" show.

[Magnumfangirl]

7 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I honestly don’t think that matters because grown Georgie doesn’t fix tires, he sells new ones. 

Tire stores fix tires, too especially if the tires are purchased from them.  

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Magnumfangirl said:

Tire stores fix tires, too especially if the tires are purchased from them.  

But as the owner of the entire chain of stores, Georgie does not fix tires himself. 

[curbcrusher]

On 12/6/2021 at 9:28 AM, SusannahM said:

I wonder if they are trying to decide whether to recast that role or not.  But honestly they could have Georgie work there but not have (blanking out on Brenda's husband's name) show up on screen.  It would really make sense to get Georgie back into the tire business.

Actually the current arc makes a heck of a lot more sense for Future Georgie than having had Georgie working at the tire store fixing tires this whole time. To run a chain of tire stores Georgie needs to know how to sell and and how to manage a  business. Each of Georgie's jobs has been growth:

• He was a technician and developed a skill fixing tires.
• He then got some great hands on selling experience and some management responsibility (closing the store, etc) working for Coach.
• Now he's basically running the Den of Sin for his Grandma. She doesn't seem to want to spend a lot time there, and we've seen Georgie involved in product development (prizes for the winnings on machines that they buy back), handling the money transactions and keeping the cover business  out front running. 

Eventually he's going to bring all this together to be the big brother to Sheldon that we saw in BBT.

[peacheslatour]

On 12/6/2021 at 3:15 PM, kariyaki said:

But as the owner of the entire chain of stores, Georgie does not fix tires himself. 

They're just trying to show he was always a car guy.

[JayDub1987]

It's also worth noting that Adult Georgie seems to convince people to get new tires instead of patching old ones. When Leonard and Sheldon went to invite him to Sheldon's wedding, he said something along the lines of, "never patch your tires." 

[proserpina65]

On 12/16/2021 at 8:04 PM, JayDub1987 said:

It's also worth noting that Adult Georgie seems to convince people to get new tires instead of patching old ones. When Leonard and Sheldon went to invite him to Sheldon's wedding, he said something along the lines of, "never patch your tires." 

Well of course the owner of a tire shop would say that.  He wants people to buy tires because that makes him a lot more money.

[Bobbin]

On 12/6/2021 at 4:15 PM, kariyaki said:

But as the owner of the entire chain of stores, Georgie does not fix tires himself. 

The best, most successful business people are hands-on.

[Tom Holmberg]

13 hours ago, Bobbin said:

The best, most successful business people are hands-on.

He doesn't fix tires, he tells customers they need new tires.

[John Potts]

I did wonder why the President didn't say she had a Board of Trustees (or something similar) that she reports to, since she undoubtedly does answer to somebody. Hell, she could say the Governor of Texas, Secretary of Education or the US President who she presumably has to answer to in some capacity.

On 12/6/2021 at 2:34 PM, kariyaki said:

Georgie doesn’t fix tires, he sells new ones.

He doesn't sell tyres, he sells dreams!

I'm surprised that Georgie didn't argue that the Gambling Den was legal. I wouldn't expect his mother to be any happier with it, but it's not an unreasonable argument.