S05.E09: The Yips and an Oddly Hypnotic Bohemian

[Bort]

Sheldon gets the science yips and has to learn how to not think. George plays handyman at Brenda Sparks’ house.

Airdate: 9 Dec 2021

[ams1001]

Of course, Sheldon has a favorite test.

"I didn't know Richard Simmons could paint." 😄

 

[Spartan Girl]

Not a fan of Dale, but the way he helped Missy at the end was cute.

LOL at Sheldon getting into Bob Ross. He was very relaxing…

[Jeffy]

I love young Sheldon TV show. All the characters are very interesting. I remember Ed Begly Jr. years ago and he is funnier now than ever. Hope to see more of Ed in future episodes.

[shapeshifter]

Loved Dale's little dance at the end.

[rmontro]

I was a little disappointed that Bob Ross didn't cure Missy's yips too.  Oh well, you can't have everything. 

I wonder if George is going to fix his friend up with Brenda?  Might be fun.

 

18 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Loved Dale's little dance at the end.

I thought it was cringey, and I'll tell you why.  During the break, there was a commercial for another sitcom, and some actress was doing a goofy little dance.  Kind of like "Look at me, I'm being silly".  And I was thinking "Is this what our sitcoms have come to?"  Seemed like lowbrow entertainment.  And minutes later, there's Dale doing a goofy dance.  So I had a negative reaction to it.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

I actually felt proud of George when, in response to Brenda's "suggestive" behavior, he asked her what she was trying to do.  

[shapeshifter]

53 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I actually felt proud of George when, in response to Brenda's "suggestive" behavior, he asked her what she was trying to do.  

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

I wonder if George is going to fix his friend up with Brenda?  Might be fun.

Oh, yes, please, Please, PLEASE make it so!
Dear YS writers:
I know you can write a good retcon. 
Now hop to it!

 

[rmontro]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Oh, yes, please, Please, PLEASE make it so!
Dear YS writers:
I know you can write a good retcon. 
Now hop to it!

I wouldn't get too excited.  It would probably end up like "Oh George, what's his name is okay, but he just doesn't give me the tingles the way you do".

[SusanM]

14 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Dear YS writers:
I know you can write a good retcon. 
Now hop to it!

The thing is though on BBT there was never any mention of George having an affair with one of the neighbours.  This would be a retcon of the retcon - sort of?

[Ms Lark]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

During the break, there was a commercial for another sitcom, and some actress was doing a goofy little dance.  Kind of like "Look at me, I'm being silly".  And I was thinking "Is this what our sitcoms have come to?"  Seemed like lowbrow entertainment.

Except Annaleigh Ashford is a Tony award winning Broadway actress, singer, and dancer whose role on B Positive is waaay beneath her actual talents. I think it was just a season finale bit to showcase that. Not a great bit, but finally something in her wheelhouse?

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I actually felt proud of George when, in response to Brenda's "suggestive" behavior, he asked her what she was trying to do.  

I did too but at the same time, it certainly seemed like George was headed in that direction on his own. Maybe her overly flirty behavior was too much for him and woke him up

Enjoyable and funny episode

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Ms Lark said:

Except Annaleigh Ashford is a Tony award winning Broadway actress, singer, and dancer whose role on B Positive is waaay beneath her actual talents. I think it was just a season finale bit to showcase that. Not a great bit, but finally something in her wheelhouse?

I guess you saw that bit then?  I'm not familiar with the actress or the show.  I don't doubt she is very talented.  I could just picture the script saying "dance around and look silly".  It just seemed like a cheap way to get a laugh.  But they used to do that on The Honeymooners, and I wouldn't call Jackie Gleason or Art Carney cheap.  I'm probably being too harsh about it, since I saw it out of context, but that was my honest reaction.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

I wonder if George is going to fix his friend up with Brenda?  Might be fun.

That's the HS principal/George's boss.  Since Billy's a long way from HS, I guess that would be ok.

 

[aqusdealer]

5 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I actually felt proud of George when, in response to Brenda's "suggestive" behavior, he asked her what she was trying to do.  

Hmmmmmm, first Brenda flirts, then George Sr. gets shut down sexually from Mary. I'm sensing a kiss and a possible season finale cliffhanger in the making.

[chocolatine]

I love Linkletter's dry banter with Sheldon. Obviously he's often annoyed by Sheldon, but also likes him enough to let him retake the test multiple times.

I'm glad that Missy got over her yips, but I hate that it was because of Dale calling her emotional/hysterical. I can't stand Dale and want him to go away.

[Katy M]

10 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I actually felt proud of George when, in response to Brenda's "suggestive" behavior, he asked her what she was trying to do.  

I would have been if he would have left instead of continuing to fix whatever she broke to get him to keep coming over in the first place.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I love Linkletter's dry banter with Sheldon. Obviously he's often annoyed by Sheldon, but also likes him enough to let him retake the test multiple times

Ooh! I was distracted and missed that it was one test multiple times.  
 

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I'm glad that Missy got over her yips, but I hate that it was because of Dale calling her emotional/hysterical.

That is a good point. Even though Dale’s first tactic was to be supportive and encouraging, and he only resorted to insults to make her mad at him because she was so miserable and desperate to get over the Yips, I too am not sure the ends justify those means. It’s tricky. By making her mad and encouraging a vigorous response to the insults, Dale could have also triggered a strong feminist attitude in Missy, which is a good thing. But is it ever okay to hurl such insults? Calling boys “sissy” and saying they throw or run “like a girl” was a common means of “toughening up” boys (and indoctrinating them with misogyny) which is not a justifiable means, IMO. 
But I’m not entirely sure Dale’s use of similar insults as a kind of so-called “reverse psychology” are 100% bad.

[hoodooznoodooz]

5 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I'm glad that Missy got over her yips, but I hate that it was because of Dale calling her emotional/hysterical. I can't stand Dale and want him to go away.

Dale (Lorre) is a misogynist. Sometimes he disguises it better. He needs to go. 

[DoYouLikeMutton]

Couldn't help but notice Dale's got quite a paunchy belly going on these days. 

[Tom Holmberg]

27 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Dale (Lorre) is a misogynist. Sometimes he disguises it better. He needs to go. 

Yep. Also cliched writing on the part of the writers.  I'm glad they finally actually gave Missy some time on the show rather than her usual two lines.

[Bumblebee84047]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I love Linkletter's dry banter with Sheldon.

I love anything with Ed Begley Jr. 

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Oh, yes, please, Please, PLEASE make it so!
Dear YS writers:
I know you can write a good retcon. 
Now hop to it!

 

I don't want the writers to retcon George's eventually cheating, but I'd be just as glad if it wasn't with Brenda.  He could totally fix her up with the principal and still end up with the bottle-blonde bartender himself.

[kwnyc]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Loved Dale's little dance at the end.

"I am the king of the little people." Dale's kind of an ass with a few good points (he comes across as a cranky old white guy, which is about the best MeeMaw is going to get around there, since she's not with John anymore and her Jewish friend doesn't seem to be in the picture), but Craig T. Nelson is having a blast with the part, and he's fun to watch.

Also, the principal is very much aware of Billy Sparks...Billy came to visit when the men were having their card game last season, and the principal offered to fake a birth certificate to get Billy on the football team. One of the things George seemed to like about fixing up things at the Sparks' house is that Billy was interested in learning, and George could teach him, not something he has at home.

 

 

[ams1001]

16 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

and her Jewish friend doesn't seem to be in the picture

I guess Richard Kind is busy (if they even wanted to bring his character back). His IMDB page lists him on The Goldbergs through 2022, something called The Out-Law that's currently filming for 2022, and at least three other things at various stages of production.

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I love Linkletter's dry banter with Sheldon. Obviously he's often annoyed by Sheldon, but also likes him enough to let him retake the test multiple times.

Is it because he likes him, or did that tyrannical arch-Chancellor make him?

I had actually meant to comment on Sheldon's retakes.  I'm surprised Sheldon was willing to cheat like that.  First he tried to get extra time at the end of class. I loved when Linkletter said "let me see that" and just took it.  LOL.  Then, while we didn't see it, I'm sure he very imperialistically demanded retakes.  On a test where he only missed one question.  

[Starchild]

I was just going to say the same thing. How can Linkletter justify allowing a student to take a test 3 times, with ample time between attempts for extra study, just so the kid could claim a perfect mark? How is that remotely fair to the other students in the class? With the potential for lawsuits should they learn about this blatant favouritism, I can't see the president directing such a thing just to keep Sheldon happy.

Sheldon's own sense of morality and justice should have precluded it. This seems out of character for both him and Linkletter, honestly.

As a victim of injustice due to favouritism, I perhaps overreact to these types of scenarios. :(

[Chit Chat]

14 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I was just going to say the same thing. How can Linkletter justify allowing a student to take a test 3 times, with ample time between attempts for extra study, just so the kid could claim a perfect mark?

It's Sheldon.  Most of them cave to his demands.  Thing is though, Sheldon could've looked up the formula that he was blanking on, but he kept pushing himself to remember it because he knew it was in his brain somewhere!  I'm not saying it was fair to let him keep retaking the test, but again, it's Sheldon and he tends to get what he wants.  

I didn't mind Dale yelling at Missy so much.  He knew which buttons to push in order for her to get over the yips, but I don't want to see him continue to be insulting like that to her or to the guys on the team.  If she ever gets the yips again, hopefully she'll be able to deal with it herself.  She should picture Sheldon's face on the pitcher's glove.  She's got enough pent-up aggravation with him and that should get her through an entire game!! 

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I didn't mind Dale yelling at Missy so much.  He knew which buttons to push in order for her to get over the yips, but I don't want to see him continue to be insulting like that to her or to the guys on the team.  If she ever gets the yips again, hopefully she'll be able to deal with it herself.  She should picture Sheldon's face on the pitcher's glove.  She's got enough pent-up aggravation with him and that should get her through an entire game!! 

Yes. And Dale was willing to make himself the focus of her anger, which tells me that he was being a jerk on purpose, and knew he was being a jerk, which is more noble, IMO, than if he had asked Missy who she hates and told her to picture that person’s face on the catcher’s mitt.

[SusanM]

11 hours ago, aqusdealer said:

Hmmmmmm, first Brenda flirts, then George Sr. gets shut down sexually from Mary. I'm sensing a kiss and a possible season finale cliffhanger in the making.

I'm already at a point where if I had't set this show up to automatically record I'd never even remember to watch.  This episode has pushed me a little closer to not watching at all anymore.  Typical Lorre.  George isn't going to cheat through any fault of his own he's going to cheat because women throw themselves at him and because his mean wife Mary pushes him to cheat.  I thought this was where they might go but hoped against hope that they wouldn't do it.  I'm still holding in because I like everything else about this show but it's getting harder and harder.

[Starchild]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

It's Sheldon.  Most of them cave to his demands.  Thing is though, Sheldon could've looked up the formula that he was blanking on, but he kept pushing himself to remember it because he knew it was in his brain somewhere!  I'm not saying it was fair to let him keep retaking the test, but again, it's Sheldon and he tends to get what he wants.   

No offense, but so what? It's one thing to cave when it's just your own arbitrary ruleset, like if he wanted something from Linkletter that he doesn't typically like to give to students, but as someone noted above this was actual cheating, as per institutional guidelines. He never should have allowed it, no matter how "funny" the situation was supposed to be. The show's own internal rules, never mind society's, should have also disallowed him from taking the test 3 times for no good reason.

I know, I know it's just a TV sitcom, but come on, if we didn't care about these kind of things, then whey are we even on these forums?

[Chit Chat]

35 minutes ago, Starchild said:

No offense, but so what? It's one thing to cave when it's just your own arbitrary ruleset, like if he wanted something from Linkletter that he doesn't typically like to give to students, but as someone noted above this was actual cheating, as per institutional guidelines.

Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying, but I didn't say "so what" in regards to Sheldon getting to retake the test.  My point was that unfortunately for Sheldon, people around him tend to cave into his demands, and that does him no favors. 

I thought it was interesting that Sheldon was hell-bent on remembering his "lost" information rather than look it up in the book, which would've been easier!  

50 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

George isn't going to cheat through any fault of his own he's going to cheat because women throw themselves at him and because his mean wife Mary pushes him to cheat. 

What I'm observing is a breakdown of a marriage in which both people have blame for certain things going wrong.  They both have things they could work on.  No matter what though, that's no excuse for either one of them to seek solace outside of their marriage.  

[rmontro]

52 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

Typical Lorre.  George isn't going to cheat through any fault of his own he's going to cheat because women throw themselves at him and because his mean wife Mary pushes him to cheat. 

Still his fault.  Or maybe still his responsibility would be a better way to put it.  Mary's not helping the situation though.

[Starchild]

35 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying, but I didn't say "so what" in regards to Sheldon getting to retake the test.  My point was that unfortunately for Sheldon, people around him tend to cave into his demands, and that does him no favors.

Yeah that's true, and I'm probably sounding overly aggressive about it. Sheldon may or may not be Sheldon here, but the fault is definitely squarely with Linkletter on this one.

[tennisgurl]

I don't think the show is actually going to retcon George having an affair, but I really hope that this means the affair wont be with Brenda. Hopefully he sets her up with his friend and that's the end of that, although I assume his and Mary's marriage is still doomed. 

Bob Ross to the rescue! I really liked George's advice to Sheldon, I have really come to appreciate a lot of their scenes, he gives Sheldon really straightforward helpful advice without getting frustrated with him like a lot of people or bending over backwards to indulge him like Mary and his school. 

I love Dr. Linkletter's snark. Sheldon is very lucky the school lets him get away with so much, not any student can retake a test three times. 

[shapeshifter]

This is an episode for which I needed a @tennisgurl synopsis of the more heated opinions:

7 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I don't think the show is actually going to retcon George having an affair, but I really hope that this means the affair wont be with Brenda. Hopefully he sets her up with his friend and that's the end of that, although I assume his and Mary's marriage is still doomed. 

Bob Ross to the rescue! I really liked George's advice to Sheldon, I have really come to appreciate a lot of their scenes, he gives Sheldon really straightforward helpful advice without getting frustrated with him like a lot of people or bending over backwards to indulge him like Mary and his school. 

I love Dr. Linkletter's snark. Sheldon is very lucky the school lets him get away with so much, not any student can retake a test three times. 

And now I'm hoping maybe we will never have to actually see George have an affair on screen, that the Brenda soap opera has given us an idea of how it might have happened, and the next time we hear about it, it will be in the rear view mirror via an adult Sheldon voiceover--if at all. 

Why, yes, of course I have no concrete knowledge of my ex having hooked up with other women before the pregnant one he divorced me in order to marry. 
And denial is a river in Egypt.
La la la la, I can't hear you.
😁

[Chit Chat]

28 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

And now I'm hoping maybe we will never have to actually see George have an affair on screen, that the Brenda soap opera has given us an idea of how it might have happened, and the next time we hear about it, it will be in the rear view mirror via an adult Sheldon voiceover--if at all. 

I still think this storyline is bogging down the show.  I hate when shows devolve into the "will he/she, or won't he/she....." scenario.  Ugh. 

[HyeChaps]

Perhaps Linkletter didn't intend to have the test retake count.  He could have been just having his own joke like the dean.

[mammaM]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Perhaps Linkletter didn't intend to have the test retake count.  He could have been just having his own joke like the dean.

That's what I thought. Sheldon's working himself into a frenzy, so let him take the test, it'll shut him up.

[Starchild]

Ha, I thought the same thing until I remembered that he would obviously see less than 100% on his test grade. Linkletter would only be postponing the argument.

[highway61]

Has George forgotten that the last time he flirted with Brenda, it nearly killed him? 
if it was me, I’d remember that.

[Sarah 103]

18 hours ago, Katy M said:

I would have been if he would have left instead of continuing to fix whatever she broke to get him to keep coming over in the first place.

I feel like I missed something. Was there any indication that Brenda was actively breaking things as an excuse to get George to come to her house? 

14 hours ago, kwnyc said:

One of the things George seemed to like about fixing up things at the Sparks' house is that Billy was interested in learning, and George could teach him, not something he has at home.

My guess is that George is going to teach Billy basic home repairs, and then Billy will be able to take care of most of the simple stuff. My understanding is that George was not doing super complicated stuff that only a professional should be handling. Also, I think it's good for Billy to learn how to do things safely and that while he probably doesn't get good grades at school, there are other things he can do. I don't think Brenda should try to turn him into an adult and give him responsibilities beyond what he's capable of. I do think he is old enough to have some basic chores/responsibilities around the house. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

19 hours ago, Katy M said:

I would have been if he would have left instead of continuing to fix whatever she broke to get him to keep coming over in the first place.

I feel like I missed something. Was there any indication that Brenda was actively breaking things as an excuse to get George to come to her house? 

No, Brenda didn’t even mention the dripping faucet; George did. 
And I wish George or my son-in-law would fix the dripping faucet in my own bathtub, but it’s starting to look more like Niagara Falls, so I’m going to have to call a plumber. 😩

 

[MarthaEllisanne]

Dr. Linkletter let Sheldon retake the test because he knew that if he didn't, he would hear about it from the college president. The president has made it clear in prior shows that that the college's reputation has a huge investment in Sheldon. Unfortunately, Sheldon also knows this. Dr. Linkletter is probably tenured so he can't be fired, but there are other ways the president can make Dr. Linkletter's life hell if he does not keep Sheldon happy.

[hoodooznoodooz]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

No, Brenda didn’t even mention the dripping faucet; George did. 
And I wish George or my son-in-law would fix the dripping faucet in my own bathtub, but it’s starting to look more like Niagara Falls, so I’m going to have to call a plumber. 😩

 

Have you tried youtube? Sometimes it turns out to be simpler than you might think.  But you have my sympathies. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by hoodooznoodooz

[ButterQueen]

I love this show.  I’m very interested in how the George storyline goes.

I love Annie Potts….so I need more MeeMaw.

[Yeah No]

23 hours ago, MarthaEllisanne said:

Dr. Linkletter let Sheldon retake the test because he knew that if he didn't, he would hear about it from the college president. The president has made it clear in prior shows that that the college's reputation has a huge investment in Sheldon. Unfortunately, Sheldon also knows this. Dr. Linkletter is probably tenured so he can't be fired, but there are other ways the president can make Dr. Linkletter's life hell if he does not keep Sheldon happy.

And yet earlier in the season the president was actually fully supporting the hard time professor Bouchet gave Sheldon over an assignment because he had tenure.  So why couldn't the tenure thing shield Linkletter here too?  Unless he doesn't have it.  To me this episode was just further proof that college professors can be unfairly good AND bad to students depending on their whim.

[Yeah No]

On 12/10/2021 at 4:30 PM, ChitChat said:

I still think this storyline is bogging down the show.  I hate when shows devolve into the "will he/she, or won't he/she....." scenario.  Ugh. 

I agree, but perhaps another motive behind showing George's behavior with Brenda is to prime the audience for his eventual infidelity, you know, to show he was thinking about it beforehand even if she doesn't turn out to be the one he does it with.  So that maybe it won't come as such a shock to us that this is the road he was going down and would follow through on eventually.  And maybe Brenda's come-ons are making him realize he's not happy and therefore more open to straying in general.  I just think that to those of us that know what's coming in the future the way it's being handled looks a little clunky.

[Cotypubby]

When had it been said that George had had an affair? Was that mentioned on TBBT or in a Sheldon voiceover on this show? 

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

When had it been said that George had had an affair? Was that mentioned on TBBT or in a Sheldon voiceover on this show? 

It is mentioned several times on TBBT.  Not to go off topic here (I know the mods frown on that) but if you wander over to  this thread I'm pretty sure the affairs of George are discussed.