S05.E18: Babies, Lies and a Resplendent Cannoli

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon copes with the death of a hero. Also, Missy wants to babysit, and Georgie struggles with his big secret.

Airdate 14 April 2022

[SusanM]

I have approximately zero interest in the Georgie baby storyline but I will have to watch tonight because I'm really curious to find out who is Sheldon's hero that would have died in 1992 time frame! 

Edited April 14, 2022 by SusanM

[grommit2]

4 hours ago, SusanM said:

I have approximately zero interest in the Georgie baby storyline but I will have to watch tonight because I'm really curious to find out who is Sheldon's hero that would have died in 1992 time frame! 

Hi SusanM...let's see...this Internet thingie is really helpful for questions like this:

Isaac Asimov is my main guess.
Chuck Connors...hmm, the Rifleman...maybe not...
Marlene Dietrich, Lawrence Welk...not on Sheldon's list
Grace Hopper...I believe she was the original COBOL programmer...probably not
Benny Hill,  Dick York, Robert Reed...geez...not on Sheldon's list
Barbara McClintock...geneticist...maybe
David Bohm...physicist...a real maybe
Peter Mitchell, biochemist, 1978 Nobel Prize...eh?
William Gaines...ooh...Mad Magazine...very possible
John Kemeny...invented BASIC programming language...maybe, eh?




 

[Driad]

Gene Roddenberry died October 24, 1991. 

[SusanM]

I am going to guess then either Gene Roddenberry and the timeline is earlier than we thought or else Isaac Asimov.  Although to this point I don't really recall Sheldon reading science fiction (other than comics) or any mention of Asimov.  But hey, it's a sitcom, so why not?

Edited April 14, 2022 by SusanM

[Spartan Girl]

And the winner is…Asimov!

Loved hearing more about Sheldon’s Pop-Pop and his love of science and Asimov. It was awesome having him, Linkletter and Sturgis all gone to form an Asimov book club, but of course all bets were off when they found out Connie was single again.

Georgie is in deep shit. I’m glad he told George at the end though.

[ams1001]

Well, I guess now we know for sure when the show is in time (Asimov died April 6, 1992).

"Well, if it helps, I turn 18 in March."

Sheldon is sitting in the front seat! He really is growing up! (Though I guess Meemaw's little sports car doesn't have a back seat, does it?)

Sheldon's face when Dr. Sturgis said "That naked one sounds good." 😄

"It was PG, so God's cool with it." 🐶

"I remember, I just don't do it."

I hope Missy at least got paid for babysitting.

Edited April 15, 2022 by ams1001

[anna0852]

29 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Well, I guess now we know for sure when the show is in time (Asimov died April 6, 1992).

"Well, if it helps, I turn 18 in March."

So Georgie is just barely 17? Ooh, this is a rough situation. 

George and Mary are going to have their hands full. Might be one of those times when a kid has screwed up past the point of getting mad at them. Hollering at him will make everything worse.

 

Glad Georgie did have Dale to talk to. An adult that isn't going to start yelling is what he needs now.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

So Georgie is just barely 17? Ooh, this is a rough situation. 

Ooh, I didn't even do the math there. 

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

Glad Georgie did have Dale to talk to. An adult that isn't going to start yelling is what he needs now.

Yes, and I would have been mad if Dale had told George just because he wanted to know what they talked about. Give Georgie some time to figure out how to tell his parents, jeez.

[Chit Chat]

21 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

So Georgie is just barely 17? Ooh, this is a rough situation. 

Now I'm singing 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks!  

Interesting that Missy swore off babies after one babysitting experience, but life will turn out differently for her. 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Interesting that Missy swore off babies after one babysitting experience, but life will turn out differently for her. 

Spoiler

At least she waited until she was in her 30s and married before she started having children.

How long have Georgie and Mandy been sleeping together - was he still 16 when they started? And if it's going to be eleven more months before he turns 18, the baby will be born before Georgie is of legal age. 😬

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

How long have Georgie and Mandy been sleeping together - was he still 16 when they started? And if it's going to be eleven more months before he turns 18, the baby will be born before Georgie is of legal age. 😬

He said he was 17 when he met her. I wonder if they meant for it to be that close or they just didn't do the math and didn't realize Asimov died at most a month and six days after Georgie would have turned 17, as written (don't know when in March he's supposed to have been born).

[chocolatine]

5 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

He said he was 17 when he met her. I wonder if they meant for it to be that close or they just didn't do the math and didn't realize Asimov died at most a month and six days after Georgie would have turned 17, as written (don't know when in March he's supposed to have been born).

I know it wouldn't make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, but I would find it much more palatable if Georgie was only a month or two from turning 18. He would be on more equal footing with Mandy if they're both legal adults.

Edited April 15, 2022 by chocolatine

[Beden]

8 hours ago, ams1001 said:

He said he was 17 when he met her.

Unless he was lying to sound older.

 

[MollyMelrose]

A reference only those eligible for the geezer bus might apppreciate:

When Dr. Linkletter began his dramatic reading of Asimov, could hear Dr. Daniel Craig from points elsewhere yelling, "ERLICH!!!!"

It was interesting to learn that Sheldon's Pop-Pop instilled a sci-fi interest in him. (Too bad adult Sheldon did not know this until quite recently. 😉)

Felt Connie's discomfort with her wannabe suitors, in what they deemed strutting peacock mode, attempt to impress her. Then there's the whole Dale fiasco. She needs to talk things over with Charlie ... and maybe run into Cemetery Guy again. He seemed like a decent fellow , one who might be worthy of MeeMaw's affection.

[highway61]

I'm older than Sheldon but I was a big Asimov fan in my youth - glad he got remembered here!

[kwnyc]

I loved Georgie imagining George's reaction to the news by turning Incredible Hulk. And Dale was...really adept in the way he handled the situation. Craig T. Nelson has really grown on me in this role, because even when he's distinctly unlikeable, it's a real, strong characterization.

And good for Missy for calling out her mom's lie to the pastor...though babysitting doesn't seem to be her forte. And I hope they paid her, too, not just put it down as a good deed!

I read Asimov's greatest hits, but was not a huge fan. It was touching, though, to see the science guys bonding over him. They are building into this show that Sheldon manages to acquire small networks of colleagues and actual friends, which runs through his adulthood.

 

[kay1864]

43 minutes ago, highway61 said:

I'm older than Sheldon but I was a big Asimov fan in my youth - glad he got remembered here!

I as well. I met him three times, and he was as intelligent and witty in person as he was in his writing.
I remember watching the news that evening, and Tom Brokaw did a short bit on him and his death. Then he concluded with “Mr. Asimov was 72”. I yelled at him “Dr. Asimov, dummy!”  (Although really it’s the producer’s fault, he just reads the lines)

5 minutes ago, kay1864 said:

Edited April 15, 2022 by kay1864

[FrankOFoley]

1 hour ago, MollyMelrose said:

 

It was interesting to learn that recently. 😉Felt Connie's discomfort with her wannabe suitors, in what they deemed strutting peacock mode, attempt to impress her. Then there's the whole Dale fiasco. She needs to talk things over with Charlie ... and maybe run into Cemetery Guy again. He seemed like a decent fellow , one who might be worthy of MeeMaw's affection.

Cemetery Guy was played by Jim Beaver who recently was on B Positive and previously on Supernatural as Bobby. I would love to see him on Young Sheldon as a love interest for Meemaw.

[Driad]

17 hours ago, SusanM said:

Although to this point I don't really recall Sheldon reading science fiction (other than comics) or any mention of Asimov.  But hey, it's a sitcom, so why not?

IMO, it would have been more effective if Sheldon had mentioned Asimov, or at least some SF books, in previous episodes.

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

Felt Connie's discomfort with her wannabe suitors, in what they deemed strutting peacock mode, attempt to impress her. Then there's the whole Dale fiasco. 

MeeMaw is a very attractive and vibrant woman.  She could do so much better than these three.  

[Starchild]

3 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

A reference only those eligible for the geezer bus might apppreciate:

When Dr. Linkletter began his dramatic reading of Asimov, could hear Dr. Daniel Craig from points elsewhere yelling, "ERLICH!!!!"

Now there is a show for which I would buy the complete series on DVD. What a classic.

 

3 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

MeeMaw is a very attractive and vibrant woman.  She could do so much better than these three.  

Well, it is small-town Texas after all.

[zoey1996]

4 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

 

A reference only those eligible for the geezer bus might apppreciate:

When Dr. Linkletter began his dramatic reading of Asimov, could hear Dr. Daniel Craig from points elsewhere yelling, "ERLICH!!!!"

 

You meant St. Elsewhere, right?

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, Beden said:

Unless he was lying to sound older.

He did lie to her, but I think we hear his "thoughts" saying 17 before he tells her 21. (Maybe Meemaw points it out, too?)

[SnapHappy]

I'm still finding Connie incredibly bitchy and irksome, and it makes me sad that they've done this to the beloved Mary Jo Shivley.  I can't stand the smugness and bitterness they've made such huge a part of her character.  

Mary did really well in replying to Missy with a calm and restrained "it's not about me being right" in response to Missy's Misadventures in Babysitting.  She only had a tiny smirk on her face, and didn't rub it in.  Good mom.   

I like George, I really hope he doesn't shred Georgie to bits. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by SnapHappy

[BitterApple]

5 hours ago, kwnyc said:

 And Dale was...really adept in the way he handled the situation. Craig T. Nelson has really grown on me in this role, because even when he's distinctly unlikeable, it's a real, strong characterization.

When Dale first appeared I was like ugh, get him off my tv screen, but now I appreciate what his character brings to the table. He's a voice of reason for Georgie and guy's guy for George Sr. I assumed they'd write Dale off when he and MeeMaw broke up, but I'm glad they're keeping him around via George Sr. working at the store. 

[HurricaneVal]

I kind of like how Missy's (mis)adventures in babysitting plot wove into Georgie's teen dad plot.  I think up to that point the baby was an abstraction, a problem to panic over, and not a real thing.  I think he was in a little bit of denial.  But then the horrified look on his face when he saw Missy all covered in baby effluvia--"And you don't even want to know what this is..."--made it all come real to him.  I think that's the moment he decided he had to tell his dad.

Sheldon just never specifically mentioned Asimov, but he did try to join the science fiction club at college, but was disgusted because it was contaminated with fantasy fans.

[shapeshifter]

I LOL'd at the end with George's face showing his real reaction to Georgie's News. I appreciate a well-written comedic set-up, like this one, with Georgie's imagination of how his father will react, followed later by the actual look on George's face.

Missy's B plot was a perfect match for Georgie's A plot (or B and C plots?) --better stated by @HurricaneVal 👆and 👇as I was typing:

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I kind of like how Missy's (mis)adventures in babysitting plot wove into Georgie's teen dad plot.  I think up to that point the baby was an abstraction, a problem to panic over, and not a real thing.  I think he was in a little bit of denial.  But then the horrified look on his face when he saw Missy all covered in baby effluvia--"And you don't even want to know what this is..."--made it all come real to him.  I think that's the moment he decided he had to tell his dad.

 

 

11 hours ago, kay1864 said:

I as well. I met him three times, and he was as intelligent and witty in person as he was in his writing.

When I was about 12 in the 1960s, I wrote a letter to Asimov with my theory for curing cancer. He sent me one of his hand-typed, signed postcards of encouragement. I still have it. Your experience totally eclipses mine, @kay1864, but thanks for sharing it; it verifies that my positive impression of Asimov was accurate. It's nice when those we respect remain worthy of that sentiment.

 

 

23 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Well, I guess now we know for sure when the show is in time (Asimov died April 6, 1992). 
"Well, if it helps, I turn 18 in March."

When I first read this 👆, I thought you were being sarcastic about the writers' goof, because I too remember this:

7 hours ago, ams1001 said:

He did lie to her, but I think we hear his "thoughts" saying 17 before he tells her 21. (Maybe Meemaw points it out, too?)

Georgie only dropped out of his senior year. He could not have been less than 17 at the start of his senior year if his birthday is in March. 
Since Montana Jordan's birthday is March 3, I'm guessing the line was "May" not "March," and he just said it wrong out of habit. May would be shortly after the death of Isaac Asimov in April, and would fit with the air date of the episode.
It should have been dubbed over, given the importance to the plot, IMO.

 

7 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I like George, I really hope he doesn't shred Georgie to bits. 

George has always been good at giving kids encouragement and advice. I will be very disappointed if he's not now.

Edited April 16, 2022 by shapeshifter

[anna0852]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

  George has always been good at giving kids encouragement and advice. I will be very disappointed if he's not now.

I think George will recognize there are times when your kid is in so much trouble that you have to skip past being upset and just deal with the issue. All the yelling in the world won't make the baby go away. All that will happen is Georgie getting belligerent about the help and guidance he needs. 

Mary on the other hand....

[ams1001]

50 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

19 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Well, I guess now we know for sure when the show is in time (Asimov died April 6, 1992). 
"Well, if it helps, I turn 18 in March."

When I first read this 👆, I thought you were being sarcastic about the writers' goof, because I too remember this:

I typed my comments as I watched, and I actually didn't connect the two dates when I posted (I looked up Asimov during a commercial and added it in after I had typed the Georgie quote, which I included because it amused me).

50 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Since Montana Jordan's birthday is March 3, I'm guessing the line was "May" not "March," and he just said it wrong out of habit. May would be shortly after the death of Isaac Asimov in April, and would fit with the air date of the episode.

That would make more sense. Maybe he misspoke and they didn't catch it... (Though, the BBT wiki lists Georgie's birthday as "March 13, 1975 (age 47)" [with a picture of Jerry O'Connell as adult Georgie]....which would have him turning 17 in 1992. [Don't know if that was actually established in any dialogue on either show, though.] I'm leaning toward no one did the math when putting this episode together.)

50 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Georgie only dropped out of his senior year. He could not have been less than 17 at the start of his senior year if his birthday is in March. 

Yeah, and I think it's safe to assume he didn't skip a grade. According to wiki, he was born the same year as me, and I was at college for over a month when I turned 18 (I just made the cutoff (October 1) so my senior year was '92-3).

Edited April 15, 2022 by ams1001

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

Well, it is small-town Texas after all.

That's true!  What bugs me about the movie and TV world is that they've always paired younger women with older men (more noticeable way back in the day), so I looked up the ages of some of these people.  Craig T. Nelson is 78; Wallace Shawn is 78;  Ed Begley Jr. is 72; and Annie Potts is 69.   It's not a huge difference between her and Craig & Wallace, but I think that Connie needs a man a little closer to her age.   She's not interested in Dr. Linkletter, so we can exclude him from the equation! I've never been thrilled with any of them as suitors for Connie.  

[rmontro]

When George smashed the cash register and was tearing his shirt off in the dream sequence of Georgie telling him about the pregnancy, for a minute there I thought he was going to have his heart attack and die.   I guess that wouldn't fit the timeline though.  I'm glad he worked up the courage to tell him nonetheless.

MeeMaw dated Dr. Sturgis and Dale, I'm not sure why she won't give Dr. Linkletter a chance.  She hasn't been out with him at all that I remember, and he seems no worse than the other two.

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, rmontro said:

MeeMaw dated Dr. Sturgis and Dale, I'm not sure why she won't give Dr. Linkletter a chance. 

I think that he made some sarcastic remarks about Dr. Sturgis when he had his breakdown.  Connie wasn't too pleased with him after that. 

[MollyMelrose]

George and Mary's reaction to Georgie getting a girl pregnant will be one thing - been there, done that and all; them discovering the "girl" is actually a 29 year old woman could be something entirely different.

[StaceyNotStacie]

27 minutes ago, rmontro said:

 

MeeMaw dated Dr. Sturgis and Dale, I'm not sure why she won't give Dr. Linkletter a chance.  She hasn't been out with him at all that I remember, and he seems no worse than the other two.

Dr Sturgis, while smart like Sheldon, seems a bit naive compared to the others. He does seem like a pleasant friendly and respectful older man who Connie enjoys his company. 
 

Dale seems like a curmudgeon and maybe she probably doesn’t have to try too hard with him based on his personality.  It probably helped that he was intertwined with her family with his business and baseball.

Dr Linkletter just came off as smarmy and MeeMaw saw through him  

 

[treeofdreams]

39 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

That's true!  What bugs me about the movie and TV world is that they've always paired younger women with older men (more noticeable way back in the day), so I looked up the ages of some of these people.  Craig T. Nelson is 78; Wallace Shawn is 78;  Ed Begley Jr. is 72; and Annie Potts is 69.   It's not a huge difference between her and Craig & Wallace, but I think that Connie needs a man a little closer to her age.   She's not interested in Dr. Linkletter, so we can exclude him from the equation! I've never been thrilled with any of them as suitors for Connie.  

Connie needs someone with an adventurous spirit, not a science guy or a curmudgeon, but someone she can relate to.

[rmontro]

5 minutes ago, treeofdreams said:

Connie needs someone with an adventurous spirit, not a science guy or a curmudgeon, but someone she can relate to.

I was a little surprised to hear her former husband was a science guy, or at least a science fiction fan.  Do we know what he did for a living?

Maybe Connie has a type, maybe she's drawn to science guys?  And curmudgeons?

[treeofdreams]

I could see her needing to spread her wings more now.

Side note: My sister is 74, and being courted by a 74 year old gentleman.  He travels a lot, hikes, skies, fishes, has a large social circle, and a large family circle.  This is very different from her first marriage; it would be a new phase in her life.  Maybe Connie could use that kind of change.  (Of course, we don't know what her marriage was like, as far as I remember.)  I do seem to remember her saying she would like to travel.

Edited April 15, 2022 by treeofdreams

[januaryman]

I thought Dr. Sturgis might be the one to die until I saw the clip of the book club and looked up Asimov.

Iain's voice gets lower by the week. Good for him for getting through it without cracking onscreen.

"At this rate, you're lucky I remember Pop Pop."

[HyeChaps]

I also met Dr. Asimov.  This was again at a Star Trek Convention in the '70's.  He signed my copy of I, Robot.

[AD35]

22 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Interesting that Missy swore off babies after one babysitting experience, but life will turn out differently for her. 

As soon as Missy said she was through with babies I was expecting adult Sheldon to say something like "And we all know how well that turned out".

Edited April 15, 2022 by AD35

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

I was a little surprised to hear her former husband was a science guy, or at least a science fiction fan.  Do we know what he did for a living?

Maybe Connie has a type, maybe she's drawn to science guys?  And curmudgeons?

Well, Egon Spengler was a science guy. 😉

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

I was a little surprised to hear her former husband was a science guy, or at least a science fiction fan.

That was a helpful piece of info!  I see Dr. Sturgis as a grown-up Sheldon, so Connie's attraction to him weirded me out, but now that I know that her husband was a science guy, I'm not so icked out! Maybe Connie's husband just enjoyed reading Sci-fi and the like, because Sheldon doesn't really talk about him that much, and if he had been more of an influence in that regard, I would expect Sheldon to babble on about him.  

[HurricaneVal]

3 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

George and Mary's reaction to Georgie getting a girl pregnant will be one thing - been there, done that and all; them discovering the "girl" is actually a 29 year old woman could be something entirely different.

I am going to be very interested in how George and Mary deal with this.  Other than the age difference--which I think you're right, they're going to freak out--this should be very familiar to them.  Their reactions both separately with Georgie, together with Georgie, and together without Georgie will be very interesting.  Everybody changes as they go through life.  Mary, in particular, is no longer that same good-time girl she was when she got pregnant with Georgie back when she was a teen.  She was a teen, right?  Or is the scandal that she and George had premarital sex, got pregnant, and had to get married?

Anyways, Mary's conversion to fundamentalism and religious fervor will make her reaction very interesting.  She isn't the same as she was when she found herself in that position.  And her devotion to her church doesn't lend itself to being terribly understanding about it all.  Things are going to become very fraught in that household.  On the other hand, Mary is also very practical.  I can see her throwing her hands up and saying "it is what it is" and going on from there.

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

She was a teen, right?  Or is the scandal that she and George had premarital sex, got pregnant, and had to get married?

The latter; she was pregnant when they got married. (Again going by the BBT wiki, Mary was born in 1950.)

Though her religious conversion didn't happen until the twins were born and she was afraid they might lose one of them.

[Chit Chat]

46 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

On the other hand, Mary is also very practical.  I can see her throwing her hands up and saying "it is what it is" and going on from there.

One thing to remember is that she already had the conversation with Georgie where he learned that she was pregnant with him and that's why she & George got married.   I think she will be very disappointed in him for not heeding her words of wisdom, but maybe since this mirrors her situation, she'll be understanding.  I fully expect them to be very upset, especially given the age difference.  I'm sure Mary will be upset with her mom too for not letting her know about her age.  It will be even more stress on Mary & George knowing that they will probably have to help financially & emotionally.  It's a tough situation, for sure.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

She isn't the same as she was when she found herself in that position.  And her devotion to her church doesn't lend itself to being terribly understanding about it all.  Things are going to become very fraught in that household.  On the other hand, Mary is also very practical.  I can see her throwing her hands up and saying "it is what it is" and going on from there.

The previews showed the Coopers having Mandy over for dinner to get to know her.  I take that as a positive step, though who knows how it will turn out?

[hoodooznoodooz]

Do we think Georgie and Mandy were using condoms? A diaphragm?

[Mediocre Gatsby]

12 hours ago, Starchild said:

Now there is a show for which I would buy the complete series on DVD. What a classic.

I just saw the other day that Hulu has the whole series. 

I related to Sheldon wishing he could have bonded with his grandfather about Asimov. When I was leaving for college, my twin brother gave me "Dune" and although I really only liked that first book in the series, I *did* like it, and we had some good conversations about science fiction. That's the kind of thing I can smile about now, since he's gone. 

I hoped we might hear a bit about Paige. 

[Katy M]

14 hours ago, ams1001 said:

The latter; she was pregnant when they got married. (Again going by the BBT wiki, Mary was born in 1950.)

Though her religious conversion didn't happen until the twins were born and she was afraid they might lose one of them.

Maybe YS Mary was born later.  If Georgie's 17 he would have been born in '74 or '75.    I always got the feeling that Mary was younger than 23 or 24 when she got pregnant.