S05.E17: A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly, and the Truth

[Noneofyourbusiness]

6 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Got 'cha!  I thought that they hadn't slept together before then. 

The first time they slept together was two episodes ago, in "A Lobster, an Armadillo and a Way Bigger Number", when Georgie's shoulder angels disappeared as soon as Mandy disrobed.

On 3/31/2022 at 9:17 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

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Was it ever mentioned in The Big Bang Theory if Georgie has kids?

 

Spoiler

It wasn't mentioned whether he did or not.

 

On 3/31/2022 at 8:33 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I KNEW Georgie was going to get her pregnant! It’s the 100th episode, something big was going to happen. Ugh, what a messed-up situation, but I hope Mandy wasn’t going to get in legal trouble. It wasn’t her fault Georgie lied about his age.

17 is the age of consent in Texas, as long as the older person isn't in a position of authority over the 17-year-old, which Mandy isn't.

[Yeah No]

Can anyone tell me what year the show should be set in right now?  I am usually good at spotting the year based on fashions and hairstyles but nothing much changes on this show.  One thing I caught on this episode was Mary referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken as "KFC" and that changeover didn't happen until 1991.  I'm assuming it's got to be 1993 or 1994 by now, right?  I've lost track.

Also earlier in the thread I saw the name "Nemoy" when I know it spelled as "Nimoy".  Was that intentional or a mistake?

[EVS]

48 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Can anyone tell me what year the show should be set in right now?  I am usually good at spotting the year based on fashions and hairstyles but nothing much changes on this show.  One thing I caught on this episode was Mary referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken as "KFC" and that changeover didn't happen until 1991.  I'm assuming it's got to be 1993 or 1994 by now, right?  I've lost track.

Also earlier in the thread I saw the name "Nemoy" when I know it spelled as "Nimoy".  Was that intentional or a mistake?

That was me that misspelled it. It was definitely a mistake 

[Katy M]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

One thing I caught on this episode was Mary referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken as "KFC" and that changeover didn't happen until 1991.  I'm assuming it's got to be 1993 or 1994 by now, right?  I've lost track.

It's probably '91 or '92. Hard to keep track since they're not moving time along.  And I know that you mean that the official name didn't change to KFC, but it was unofficially referred to as KFC before the name change. I mean, who's going to say all that?  

[Yeah No]

23 minutes ago, Katy M said:

It's probably '91 or '92. Hard to keep track since they're not moving time along.  And I know that you mean that the official name didn't change to KFC, but it was unofficially referred to as KFC before the name change. I mean, who's going to say all that?  

Us old farts up in NYC did, that's who, LOL.  😉

[Beden]

18 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I don't know how accurate pregnancy tests were, but my guess is that it's a false positive and just a scare. 

My own son was born in 1988 (yes, he's in his 30's now) and the homes tests I took were always 100% accurate back then. Sure, you could get a false reading now and then but they were pretty damn good +, if worried, you'd obviously take a second or third a couple of days later. Yeah, pretty reliable. And she didn't say where she got the info; she may well have gone to an OB/GYN or Planned Parenthood or some such.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Us old farts up in NYC did, that's who, LOL.  

Us old farts in the South too!!  

10 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

The first time they slept together was two episodes ago, in "A Lobster, an Armadillo and a Way Bigger Number", when Georgie's shoulder angels disappeared as soon as Mandy disrobed.

Thanks!  I don't know how I forgot that!

[Yeah No]

26 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Us old farts in the South too!!  

Actually "KFC" was pretty much unknown in NYC when I was a kid and teenager.  The only reason I knew about it was from the movie "Goldfinger", and traveling down South to visit my grandfather who retired to North Carolina.  I can't even remember when it finally made its way into NYC.  It might not have been until sometime in the mid 1970s or later.

[Chit Chat]

I always thought that KFC was shortened so that people wouldn't focus on the word "fried."  I figured it was their way of trying to appear to be healthy!!  

[Katy M]

12 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I always thought that KFC was shortened so that people wouldn't focus on the word "fried."  I figured it was their way of trying to appear to be healthy!!  

I think that is correct.  But, I still think I remember calling it that before KFC went the "official" name change route.  But, I'm not really sure. There wasn't one in my town, so it didn't come up that often.

[Chit Chat]

7 minutes ago, Katy M said:

But, I still think I remember calling it that before KFC went the "official" name change route.  But, I'm not really sure. There wasn't one in my town, so it didn't come up that often.

We had a Maryland Fried Chicken in our town (60's-70's).  I don't recall a KFC at that time.  I was used to calling that franchise by it's name, so it carried over to me not abbreviating KFC at that time.  Fast forward several years and I got used to saying KFC! 

[Yeah No]

47 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I always thought that KFC was shortened so that people wouldn't focus on the word "fried."  I figured it was their way of trying to appear to be healthy!!  

Probably but a few food chains have pushed going by their initials and shortened nicknames, like DQ and others.  KFC introduced grilled chicken in 1993 so perhaps it had a dual function!  They've since discontinued it, BTW.  Too bad, I liked it.

[SusanM]

If anything was said I missed it but is George working full-time for Dale now and not working at the school anymore?  Or is this a part-time thing and the school issue is still up in the air?

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, SusanM said:

If anything was said I missed it but is George working full-time for Dale now and not working at the school anymore?  Or is this a part-time thing and the school issue is still up in the air?

IIRC, it was a trial-basis until George knew how things were going to shake out at school. Oddly enough, I like Dale and George Sr. together much better than Dale and Georgie. 

[Sarah 103]

21 hours ago, Bobbin said:

It seems to me that when Paige was first introduced, she did have some time unwinding with Missy.

Missy and Paige bonded over a shared passion for Hello Kitty. I liked that Paige could talk about cutting edge science with Sheldon, but also regular kid stuff with Missy.

19 hours ago, Tattooeddancer said:

That's why it surprised me that Paige never reached out to Missy. Paige had brains, but she also knew how to cut loose like a "normal" kid. I can see her being able to separate her friendship with girls her age with her academic accomplishments, because she was able to in the past.

That was something that surprised me as well. Paige enjoyed spending time with people her own and doing more typical kid/girl things. I don't understand why she no longer has time with girls her age. I have no idea why that type of social interaction is no longer a part of her life. 

[SusanM]

24 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

IIRC, it was a trial-basis until George knew how things were going to shake out at school. Oddly enough, I like Dale and George Sr. together much better than Dale and Georgie. 

Makes sense really that they'd phase out the school since neither Sheldon or Georgie are going there anymore.  I guess this does mean Dale is going to be around whether he and MeeMaw are a thing or not.   I like Dale and George together more than Dale and MeeMaw 😃.

Edited April 2, 2022 by SusanM

[rmontro]

19 hours ago, Yeah No said:

One thing I caught on this episode was Mary referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken as "KFC" and that changeover didn't happen until 1991. 

My recollection is that many people called it KFC long before that, as a nickname.  Sort of like calling McDonalds "Mickey D's".  It's not the official name, but people still call it that.  In fact, when they officially changed the name I didn't even notice it for awhile, because referring to it as KFC was so common.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

48 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

That was something that surprised me as well. Paige enjoyed spending time with people her own and doing more typical kid/girl things. I don't understand why she no longer has time with girls her age. I have no idea why that type of social interaction is no longer a part of her life. 

Because her job as the professor's assistant takes her from place to place, she said, with her only constant being an adult minder.

[Chit Chat]

Watching the episode again, there was a really sweet moment towards the end when older Sheldon was narrating.  Missy, Sheldon and their mom were driving to the college to see about Paige, and Sheldon was thinking about how he promised Paige that he wouldn't tell anybody about her having problems, but Missy didn't make that promise and she told their mom. 

Prior to that, Sheldon asked Missy for items for a care package and Missy gave him a magazine, then she mentioned how the magazine told her what her personality was based on her choice of lip gloss.  Sheldon referenced back to that in his thoughts:   "I don't know which lip gloss flavor says mature, but that would be my sister."  He even smiled when he was thinking about it.  It was a nice moment.  

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

That was something that surprised me as well. Paige enjoyed spending time with people her own and doing more typical kid/girl things. I don't understand why she no longer has time with girls her age. I have no idea why that type of social interaction is no longer a part of her life. 

Because she's in college and no one there is her own age?

 

[Sarah 103]

9 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Because she's in college and no one there is her own age?

She is not attending classes and doing research 24-7. I am sure her family and the school could find some time during the day/week for her to spend time with girls her own age. Sheldon is in college, part of a research team, and he still has free time. He spends at home or with his friends from the dorm, but the free time is still there. 

[SusanM]

3 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

She is not attending classes and doing research 24-7. I am sure her family and the school could find some time during the day/week for her to spend time with girls her own age. Sheldon is in college, part of a research team, and he still has free time. He spends at home or with his friends from the dorm, but the free time is still there. 

I missed the first half of this episode (roughly) and maybe this was explained at some point but the impression I had was that Paige was kept very isolated - was she even living at home?  I heard something about a "30 yr old chaperone" but I don't know if this was someone who lived with her in the dorm and had been hired by the college or her parents or what.  It did seem that Paige expected to find that Sheldon was having a very similar college experience.  Were they making the point that as a girl she was being more sheltered?  If so they didn't come out and actually say that, at least not in the part I saw.  But her lack of friends her own age seemed to contradict her behavior in earlier episodes where she was shown to be much more aware of fads and interests for girls her own age.  

[Chit Chat]

38 minutes ago, SusanM said:

Were they making the point that as a girl she was being more sheltered? 

That's how I saw it.  I'm sure her mom just wanted to protect her, given her young age.

39 minutes ago, SusanM said:

But her lack of friends her own age seemed to contradict her behavior in earlier episodes where she was shown to be much more aware of fads and interests for girls her own age.  

She went through that phase of rebellion, so she might've settled down since then.  I think it's a little easier for Sheldon because he happens to be right next door to guys who are mostly interested in video games and can accept him into their group because he's just another gamer to them.  They're not exactly social butterflies themselves!  I think it would be more difficult for Paige because some of the older girls might see her as a potentially annoying little sister.  They might be more uncomfortable talking about guys and that sort of thing around her.  Of course, with her having a chaperone, socializing outside of the classroom is probably difficult for her.  Nobody wants to hang around somebody who has a chaperone in tow.   

[Sarah 103]

@SusanM and @ChitChat

I agree with you. What bothers me and doesn’t make sense to me is that Paige’s parents have never ignored her social development needs before, so it seems strange that they have suddenly forgotten that their teenage daughter might want/need to spend time with girls her own age. I am sure they could find some kind of activity that fits in with her college schedule and research responsibilities.

[StaceyNotStacie]

39 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

That's how I saw it.  I'm sure her mom just wanted to protect her, given her young age.

She went through that phase of rebellion, so she might've settled down since then.  I think it's a little easier for Sheldon because he happens to be right next door to guys who are mostly interested in video games and can accept him into their group because he's just another gamer to them.  They're not exactly social butterflies themselves!  I think it would be more difficult for Paige because some of the older girls might see her as a potentially annoying little sister.  They might be more uncomfortable talking about guys and that sort of thing around her.  Of course, with her having a chaperone, socializing outside of the classroom is probably difficult for her.  Nobody wants to hang around somebody who has a chaperone in tow.   

I agree. I think it had to do with people who were gamers next door. My teen is a gamer and a Pokémon fanatic. He’s very introverted and rarely talks at home, but will have a full conversation with the workers at GameStop or a 7yo Pokémon fan. If he had been next door to a bunch of jocks, it would have been a different thing. 
 

9 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

@SusanM and @ChitChat

I agree with you. What bothers me and doesn’t make sense to me is that Paige’s parents have never ignored her social development needs before, so it seems strange that they have suddenly forgotten that their teenage daughter might want/need to spend time with girls her own age. I am sure they could find some kind of activity that fits in with her college schedule and research responsibilities.

I wonder if that has to do with them being divorced. They might be too obsessed with their own lives and had an out of sight out of mind mindset in regards to Paige. If she didn’t say anything, they weren’t aware that she was unhappy. 

[Chit Chat]

10 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

What bothers me and doesn’t make sense to me is that Paige’s parents have never ignored her social development needs before, so it seems strange that they have suddenly forgotten that their teenage daughter might want/need to spend time with girls her own age.

There does seem to be some inconsistency with her storyline.  Maybe her parent's divorce really took a toll on all of them.  Maybe her mom is working full-time and can't dote on her like she did before.  Sometimes it's hard to make sense of these things when there's so much to her story that we don't know.  We're left filling in the blanks!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

11 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

She is not attending classes and doing research 24-7. I am sure her family and the school could find some time during the day/week for her to spend time with girls her own age. Sheldon is in college, part of a research team, and he still has free time. He spends at home or with his friends from the dorm, but the free time is still there. 

It sounds like Paige is living full-time on campus, unlike Sheldon (who is not mature enough to do so, even if the University had offered him a chaperone.)  Her parents aren't bringing her home every day after her classes are over. She's got no one facilitating interaction off-campus with people her own age. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[kwnyc]

16 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

It sounds like Paige is living full-time on campus, unlike Sheldon (who is not mature enough to do so, even if the University had offered him a chaperone.)  Her parents aren't bringing her home every day after her classes are over. She's got no one facilitating interaction off-campus with people her own age. 

They are treating her like an interesting specimen, not an adolescent girl. She & Sheldon compared notes on having to talk to donors, and while Sheldon is able to push back with Linklater and Sturgess (and not always successfully), Paige makes it clear that no one wants to hear what she has to say. It's a rotten situation for an intelligent, sensitive young woman, and you can see why she is unhappy.

[HurricaneVal]

Yeah, that's the big difference between Paige and Sheldon.  Sheldon has no idea or doesn't care that no one wants to hear what he has to say, he just says what he wants to whomever because he's totally unaware of social nuances.  In his case, ignorance is bliss. 

It sounds like Paige's college is really not doing well by her, and she's being treated like a sideshow act to attract donors to the college.  In a way, Dr. Linkletter keeps trying to sideline Sheldon into being a sideshow act, but Sheldon being Sheldon doesn't allow himself to be sidelined.

Neither is healthy for a child.  At least Sheldon's parents are engaged in his journey.  It doesn't sound like Paige's divorcing parents are.

 

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, kwnyc said:

She & Sheldon compared notes on having to talk to donors, and while Sheldon is able to push back with Linklater and Sturgess (and not always successfully), Paige makes it clear that no one wants to hear what she has to say. It's a rotten situation for an intelligent, sensitive young woman, and you can see why she is unhappy.

Sheldon is so annoying that others usually give into his demands.  Paige isn't that way, so she probably gets run over by others, and that's sad for her.  I hope that her story will eventually have a happier ending!

[OlderThanDirt]

Paige is a a much larger, more prestigious, more impersonal university. East Texas Tech is small enough that the staff is very aware of Sheldon. And he has three adults transporting and almost communicating with him. Plus he has Missy. Paige is falling through the cracks. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by OlderThanDirt

[SusanM]

17 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Sheldon is so annoying that others usually give into his demands.  Paige isn't that way, so she probably gets run over by others, and that's sad for her.  I hope that her story will eventually have a happier ending!

In at least one earlier episode it felt like she had transformed into the typical Lorre female bully.  While I am sorry they are conveying her as having troubles I'm glad they backed off on that.  I think the thing is they know they have a really great actress here and want to use her but they don't quite know what they want to do with her yet.  Like you I hope whatever they do it leads to happiness for her.

[proserpina65]

On 4/2/2022 at 6:22 AM, Katy M said:

It's probably '91 or '92. Hard to keep track since they're not moving time along.  And I know that you mean that the official name didn't change to KFC, but it was unofficially referred to as KFC before the name change. I mean, who's going to say all that?  

Yep, we were saying KFC almost from the day the first one opened near where I lived.

On 4/2/2022 at 10:36 AM, ChitChat said:

We had a Maryland Fried Chicken in our town (60's-70's).  I don't recall a KFC at that time.  I was used to calling that franchise by it's name, so it carried over to me not abbreviating KFC at that time.  Fast forward several years and I got used to saying KFC! 

We had a KFC across the river in Havre de Grace, Maryland (I grew up in Perryville, Maryland) by the late 80s, and we always called it KFC.

 

[HurricaneVal]

I'm just astounded that Mary actually is Ok with KFC as a go-to dinner option.  In many ways, she's extremely sanctimonious about her role as the woman and spiritual leader of the house, but she's also fast to prioritize and drop obligations when someone really needs her.  Like going to the bar with MeeMaw when she was hurting from the breakup, or dropping dinner prep to rush to the rescue, even though that means KFC for dinner.  That is nice to see, sometimes Mary is too much of a strident harridan, and too rigid in her ways.  Then she surprises you and you see a glimpse of that good-time girl she used to be.

[StaceyNotStacie]

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I'm just astounded that Mary actually is Ok with KFC as a go-to dinner option.  In many ways, she's extremely sanctimonious about her role as the woman and spiritual leader of the house, but she's also fast to prioritize and drop obligations when someone really needs her.  Like going to the bar with MeeMaw when she was hurting from the breakup, or dropping dinner prep to rush to the rescue, even though that means KFC for dinner.  That is nice to see, sometimes Mary is too much of a strident harridan, and too rigid in her ways.  Then she surprises you and you see a glimpse of that good-time girl she used to be.

I was more impressed that she took the food out of the bucket and the other boxes it came in.  The chicken was displayed on a platter and I think I saw a few biscuits set out.  I usually put all of the packages on the table and let everyone serve themselves. 

[ProudMary]

On 4/1/2022 at 2:12 PM, Sarah 103 said:

I don't know how accurate pregnancy tests were, but my guess is that it's a false positive and just a scare.  

There's no such thing as a false positive with a pregnancy test. If hCG is detected in the urine, you're pregnant. There can be false negatives, if it's too early to detect hCG but pregnancy tests have improved over the years so even that's a rare occurrence. 

TL;DR: Not a scare, Mandy's pregnant. 

[Tom Holmberg]

I had really hoped they would have Missy and Paige get together and Missy would help her with her problems.