S05.E19: A God-Fearin' Baptist and a Hot Trophy Husband

[HurricaneVal]

I suspect George has been expecting this situation ever since Georgie hit puberty, so he's had some time to mentally prepare.  However...I don't think he quite had this situation in mind.  He certainly "went there" in his head when Georgie came home with the sex pit of a van.

[eel21788]

16 hours ago, Zoe said:

On another note, the credits finally made me realize that Mandy is Haley Joel Osment's sister. 

She's also the teenager who died from a crystal meth overdose on Mom.

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, Poohbear617 said:

Anybody know where  Billy's little.sister.went?  The one who beat up sheldon.  Is she off playing with Judy Winslow, chuck cunningham, cousin oliver and both Christy plunketts kids?

Unfortunately, Cousin Oliver never vanished into thin air. He was around throughout the entire last (horrible) season.

[eel21788]

7 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

 People forced to get married because the woman was pregnant very often don't have marriages that work

I had a friend (born in 1960) whose parents got married and had her when the parents were 16. It never really occurred to us that there was anything wrong with that. The mother had 3 more children at the ages of 18, 20 and 21. I always assumed that the father went for a vasectomy after that. 60+ years later, they are still married.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

20 hours ago, Bobbin said:

How is it that adult Mandy is pregnant and it's all Georgie's fault?

Agreed. I am having a hard time understanding why Mandy continues to be so furious.  Yes, Georgie lied about his age, and yes, had she known his age she wouldn't have had a sexual relationship with him.  But, he's not the only male in the world capable of impregnating her, and obviously they weren't practicing safe sex and using protection.  She's got bigger fish to fry than to make sure everyone knows she's super P.O.'d at Georgie.  At least he is trying to do the responsible thing by her, and his family is trying to be helpful.  She can't even tell her parents, so what's going on there.  It doesn't seem like this is the time to turn her back on those willing to stick by her and help.  She's old enough to realize this, imo.  I hope this storyline ends.

[Browncoat]

1 minute ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

obviously they weren't practicing safe sex and using protection

We don't know that they weren't.  As I said in a previous episode thread, birth control is not 100%.  Condoms break, diaphragms slip, there can also be viable sperm in pre-ejaculate, which may be released before the condom is put on.  

Also, as Tina Turner said, "What's love got to do with it?"  Just because they had sex doesn't mean love was involved.  I see no reason for them to get married.  

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, SnapHappy said:

Usually it's the girl, but Georgie is a pretty good kid, so I'm not surprised they're writing him as being wiling to "step up to the plate".

Spoiler

And we know that he steps up to the plate to help his mom after his dad died.  

Georgie can be clueless (as are a lot of guys his age), but I've always thought that he has a good heart.  

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, eel21788 said:

If they grew up in the same town, wouldn't Mandy have known how old Georgie was?

I don't think that town is small enough for every single citizen to know every other citizen.  Nobody in that family knew Dale until Missy tried out for Little League or whatever.

[DougJones]

It pains me to know at some point they will kill George Sr’s character off. He’s probably my favorite character on this show!  He’s actually pretty level-headed all series. 

[ams1001]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I had a friend (born in 1960) whose parents got married and had her when the parents were 16. It never really occurred to us that there was anything wrong with that. The mother had 3 more children at the ages of 18, 20 and 21. I always assumed that the father went for a vasectomy after that. 60+ years later, they are still married.

My uncle (born 1943) got married at 16 for the same reason. Also had three more before the rather acrimonious divorce (though I don't know the timeline on that). As a result of which I have never met two of those cousins, because they didn't speak to him for a long time, and the other two I met at my grandmother's funeral when I was 25 (his sons were local; his daughters weren't). He married his second wife in 1970 (the same week my parents got married); she came with four sons of her own, and they had a daughter together (who is 4 years older than me). (They were married 51 years until he passed away last year.)

Georgie is not even a legal adult (at least not until March); no way should anyone be expecting him to get married, especially not to someone twelve years older. Nor should anyone expect her to get married; she's an adult and gets to make her own decisions.

Edited April 23, 2022 by ams1001

[SusanM]

31 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Georgie is not even a legal adult (at least not until March); no way should anyone be expecting him to get married, especially not to someone twelve years older. Nor should anyone expect her to get married; she's an adult and gets to make her own decisions.

I totally get that Mary in her fundie way is reacting in the way she thinks is for the best BUT sheesh even Mary can't think that kind of age difference makes any sense.  I liked that Mary did try to convey to Mandy that they would be there for her but she needs to back off - the decisions being made going forward are not hers to make.  They aren't even Georgie's really.  I actually hope the plan is that Mandy moves away, pregnant or having lost the baby,  and they let Georgie be a teenage boy a little longer.

[BitterApple]

37 minutes ago, SusanM said:

I totally get that Mary in her fundie way is reacting in the way she thinks is for the best BUT sheesh even Mary can't think that kind of age difference makes any sense.  

I agree. I felt bad for George Sr. when Mary flipped out on him at dinner. I understand she's upset, and why Mandy's pregnancy would be triggering for her, but George Sr. was 100% right. A 17 year-old marrying a 29 year-old for the sole purpose of Mary saving face at church is absurd. It would end disastrously and cause way more hurt than simply working out a co-parenting arrangement. I feel weird wishing a fake miscarriage on a fictional character, but I hope that's how it ends. There's already quite a bit of misery with George and Mary's crumbling marriage, we don't need baby mama drama thrown into the mix. I prefer the show when it's light hearted comedy. 

[UsernameFatigue]

While it is a serious subject, I thought this was one of the funniest episodes ever of this series. I think it will be interesting to see where the writers take the storyline. Am I misremembering, or did Georgie first tell Mandy that he was 24? It is very unlikely that a 29 year old would not be using some form of birth control. And also very unlikely that Mandy wanted anything other than a fun casual relationship with what she thought was a 24 year old guy. And birth control certainly can fail. I have a married friend who got pregnant twice using birth control, once with an IUD and the second time on the pill. 

It definitely makes no sense for a 29 and 17 year old to get married, and doesn't make sense also when only one of them (thinks he) is in love. So not sure where it should go, but the writing is funny as hell so I am just along for the ride. 

[pennben]

15 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

 

I also did not feel like slapping the taste out of Memaw's mouth this episode.  Literally, for the first time this season

 

Good for Meemaw that you didn’t feel like physically abusing her?!  Go on with your good self meemaw!!!  Ignore those that would abuse or lessen you. What nonsense.  

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by pennben

[Sarah 103]

On 4/21/2022 at 8:29 PM, greekmom said:

I wish they would just do away with the Mandy pregnant storyline. She could just go up north for a "vacation" and come back that she had a "miscarriage" to save face with religious Mary. 

I don't think this will happen because Mandy has decided she wants to have and keep the baby, which is a choice she can make. 

On 4/21/2022 at 9:48 PM, ChitChat said:

Things may have been different in the 90's, but back in the 70's you were judged harshly if you got pregnant outside of marriage (especially as a teenager).   

This is true, but I know there was a turning point sometime in the 1980s or 1990s when, after finding out the young woman was pregnant, the couple getting married for the sake of propriety or any number of other reasons changed. Sometime in the 1980s or 1990s it became less common to force teenagers to marry because the young woman was pregnant. This may be a city vs. rural community type of thing. In cities, women were not getting married but in rural places it was still happening. 

15 hours ago, Poohbear617 said:

Anybody know where  Billy's little.sister.went?  The one who beat up sheldon.  Is she off playing with Judy Winslow, chuck cunningham, cousin oliver and both Christy plunketts kids?

What happened to Christy Plunkett's children was actually explained in the show. Violet moved away from home and established her own life. She was able to support herself and had a popular podcast. Roscoe went to live with his father and his father's second wife (Roscoe's stepmother). 

11 hours ago, StaceyNotStacie said:

I was honestly surprised that Georgie’s initial reaction was that he had to get married. 

Georgie is a stand-up guy with a strong sense of responsibility. Based on where he lives an how he was raised, it makes perfect sense to me. George is right in that it is a horrible idea, but I can see why Georgie thinks it's the right thing to do. 

[Browncoat]

6 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

And also very unlikely that Mandy wanted anything other than a fun casual relationship with what she thought was a 24 year old guy.

I disagree.

[Cotypubby]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I disagree.

You think she was looking to marry him? What do you disagree with?

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

You think she was looking to marry him? What do you disagree with?

No, sorry.  I really should not try to read and respond at 6am.  I actually agree.  She was just looking for a good roll in the hay.  D'oh!

[SusanM]

One thing I really did like about Mary's reaction was the way she apologized to her mother.  So true to life!  It's often only when we experience something as an adult ourselves that we can see what our own parents went through with us.  Nice touch.  I also liked how they tried to keep this from the younger kids.  Of course they'll need to know eventually but there was no reason to include them in family discussions at that point.

[momlyd]

2 minutes ago, SusanM said:

One thing I really did like about Mary's reaction was the way she apologized to her mother.  So true to life!  It's often only when we experience something as an adult ourselves that we can see what our own parents went through with us.  Nice touch. 

When my children were young, I finally understood why my mother's jaw was clenched so much when I was a kid. I would sometime call her up and apologize, as well!

[treeofdreams]

38 minutes ago, SusanM said:

I also liked how they tried to keep this from the younger kids.  Of course they'll need to know eventually but there was no reason to include them in family discussions at that point.

I was wondering about this...they are speculating that either their parents are getting a divorce or their father is dying.  Both those things could be really scary.  Might it not be better to let them know neither of those are happening, but really what is?

[shapeshifter]

17 minutes ago, treeofdreams said:

I was wondering about this...they are speculating that either their parents are getting a divorce or their father is dying.  Both those things could be really scary.  Might it not be better to let them know neither of those are happening, but really what is?

Good point that totally escaped me in spite of it being a major plot point.  
Sometimes it just isn’t possible to be a great parent to all of the kids at the same time?  
IDK.🤷‍♀️

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, SusanM said:

I also liked how they tried to keep this from the younger kids.  Of course they'll need to know eventually but there was no reason to include them in family discussions at that point.

Especially since Sheldon can't keep a secret, and I'm sure Missy would be telling her friends about the situation too.  They'll find out soon enough!

[Quark]

This is the most I've liked Connie all season, she was great. 

[HyeChaps]

Actually, all the twins' guesses were pretty good and well thought out.

[MaryMitch]

On 4/22/2022 at 2:45 PM, ChitChat said:

It was actually mature of him to step up to the responsibility.  I was surprised too!

Georgie has always impressed me - he's a polite young man, even if he is a horndog.

On 4/22/2022 at 7:20 PM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

Agreed. I am having a hard time understanding why Mandy continues to be so furious.  Yes, Georgie lied about his age, and yes, had she known his age she wouldn't have had a sexual relationship with him.  But, he's not the only male in the world capable of impregnating her, and obviously they weren't practicing safe sex and using protection.  She's got bigger fish to fry than to make sure everyone knows she's super P.O.'d at Georgie.  At least he is trying to do the responsible thing by her, and his family is trying to be helpful.  She can't even tell her parents, so what's going on there.  It doesn't seem like this is the time to turn her back on those willing to stick by her and help.  She's old enough to realize this, imo.  I hope this storyline ends.

I understand why Mandy is furious. She's pregnant, doesn't have a lot of choices, and the father of her baby is too young to be much help (as much as Georgie thinks he can).  She's still processing everything.  EVERYONE is still processing everything, including Mary.

[nora1992]

2 hours ago, Quark said:

This is the most I've liked Connie all season, she was great. 

Bet she regrets not busting Georgie at the restaurant…..

[UsernameFatigue]

On 4/22/2022 at 6:56 PM, DougJones said:

It pains me to know at some point they will kill George Sr’s character off. He’s probably my favorite character on this show!  He’s actually pretty level-headed all series. 

I almost didn't start watching this show when it first aired based on that (and that I didn't think he would be a likeable character). George and Missy are tied for my fav character with Georgie a close second. Sheldon is dead last. 

[MollyMelrose]

Kudos to the writers and actors. Serious topic so very well done. Almost felt like I should apologize to Georgie/Mandy for finding so much humor in the discussion of their predicament.

Missy's comment about never talking in this house: George, especially, did talk, and what he said can't be unsaid. 

Meanwhile at the Sparks house ... Billy was hysterical, and Brenda - take heed. You really are not cut out to be the other woman. The guilt will ooze out of every pore.

[theredhead77]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:40 PM, SusanM said:

I liked that Mary did try to convey to Mandy that they would be there for her but she needs to back off - the decisions being made going forward are not hers to make.  They aren't even Georgie's really. 

This!
Mandy is a grown woman who gets to choose what is best for her and her life. She does not have to marry Georgie. She wouldn't "have to" marry Georgie if he was 24, or any other age besides 17. Georgie is a people pleaser and wants people to like him, even though he tries to act like he doesn't care. We saw that he would step up in his distorted age-appropriate way last season when he envisioned raising twins in his childhood bedroom.

I'm glad Connie is forming a connection with Mandy, and is sincere with her support, whatever Mandy chooses to do.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

We saw that he would step up in his distorted age-appropriate way last season when he envisioned raising twins in his childhood bedroom.

This is what bothers me most about this stupid storyline.  Surely the show hasn't been on long enough that they have to start reusing old stories.  I mean obviously this time it's a different twist but still, been there, done that.  Can't we move on?

[Sarah 103]

On 4/23/2022 at 6:48 PM, HyeChaps said:

Actually, all the twins' guesses were pretty good and well thought out.

I agree. The twins guesses were wrong, but you could see why they would think that and both of them made sense. I'm looking forward to next week, because they have to have the scene that's one dialogue/two conversations. Missy and Sheldon think they are talking about Mary's pregnancy, while Mary thinks they somehow already know about Georgie getting Mandy pregnant. 

[madpsych78]

On 4/22/2022 at 5:47 PM, eel21788 said:

She's also the teenager who died from a crystal meth overdose on Mom.

The kicker is that Emily Osment is Haley Joel's younger sister. I still imagine him as that kid in Forrest Gump, Sixth Sense, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

ETA: Evidently she was on the Halloween episode of Friends in 2001.

Edited April 25, 2022 by madpsych78

[bad things are bad]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:29 PM, Browncoat said:

 As I said in a previous episode thread, birth control is not 100%.  

I used to work with a woman who would say "Today's sponge is tomorrow's child". She spoke from experience 

[SusanM]

10 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

The kicker is that Emily Osment is Haley Joel's younger sister.

I feel old because I knew her from her role on Miley Cyrus's Disney show Hannah Montana where she played a young teen.  I wondered if YS was doing a shout out to that show when they had "Achy Breaky Heart" playing early in the episode.

[proserpina65]

On 4/22/2022 at 4:59 PM, ChitChat said:

I always chuckle when I watch the episodes where Sheldon got so excited about "cut up hot dogs" in his spaghetti.  It's that child-like glee that brings a smile to my face!   I like hot dogs, and I like spaghetti, but I've never tried them together.  I make a face like Brenda did when thinking about it.  Maybe I should try it one time.  ;)  

When I was a kid, I used to eat SpaghettiOs that came with little franks in them.  I remember enjoying them, but I'd like to think my palate has matured since then.

On 4/22/2022 at 6:36 PM, eel21788 said:

If they grew up in the same town, wouldn't Mandy have known how old Georgie was?

I'm wondering if her parents moved to Medford somewhat recently and maybe don't know the Coopers?  Or Mandy didn't say anything about who she was dating?

 

[proserpina65]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:03 PM, eel21788 said:

I had a friend (born in 1960) whose parents got married and had her when the parents were 16. It never really occurred to us that there was anything wrong with that. The mother had 3 more children at the ages of 18, 20 and 21. I always assumed that the father went for a vasectomy after that. 60+ years later, they are still married.

I didn't say it never worked.  But those kind of marriages do end up in divorces a lot of the time.

On 4/22/2022 at 7:20 PM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

his family is trying to be helpful

Some of his family is trying to be helpful.  Some only care about holding their heads up in church.

[Sarah 103]

6 hours ago, SusanM said:

I feel old because I knew her from her role on Miley Cyrus's Disney show Hannah Montana where she played a young teen.  I wondered if YS was doing a shout out to that show when they had "Achy Breaky Heart" playing early in the episode.

Maybe. My guess is that the song was an easy way to remind viewers what year/decade the episode is set in. 

 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 4/22/2022 at 8:17 AM, HyeChaps said:

Maybe Mandy will move in with Meemaw

They had some good chemistry!

[Tom Holmberg]

I really don't care for this whole storyline.  And what happened to the casino storyline?  I suspected there would never be a payoff to that.

[peacheslatour]

23 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

I used to work with a woman who would say "Today's sponge is tomorrow's child". She spoke from experience 

A sponge worthy Luke Danes on Seinfeld.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I really don't care for this whole storyline. 

Same.  It's not interesting to me and it's certainly not funny.  It seems to be about to  be used as a vehicle to drive yet another wedge between over-the-top-fundie Mary and woe is my life-nobody-loves-me George.  Which sucks.

[proserpina65]

42 minutes ago, SusanM said:

It's not interesting to me and it's certainly not funny.

It has provided some funny lines.