S06.E11: Ruthless, Toothless, and a Week of Bed Rest

[Bort]

Sheldon learns the university is building a database without him. Also, Mary takes care of a bedridden Mandy and Meemaw.

Airdate: February 2, 2023

[Spartan Girl]

The second Sheldon plugged in the mainframe, I knew all the power would go out.

Okay, Mary calling out Mandy’s mom and telling her to get over herself and be there for her daughter was kind of awesome.

So Mandy knows about George and Brenda, though it’s still supposedly all platonic. But she knows about Mary and Pastor Rob too? Ugh, this storyline…

[Chit Chat]

8 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

So Mandy knows about George and Brenda, though it’s still supposedly all platonic. But she knows about Mary and Pastor Rob too?

Besides Billy telling her about his mom and George, Missy is pretty perceptive to things of this nature going on.  I'm glad they cooled things down with Mary and Pastor Rob.  I really don't enjoy shows that feature infidelity - not that anybody went that far, but those storylines just aren't my cup of tea.  I'm here for the comedy!!  

[greekmom]

The database race is boring.

Missy is the most perceptive Cooper.

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

51 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

The second Sheldon plugged in the mainframe, I knew all the power would go out.

Yup.

51 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

So Mandy knows about George and Brenda, though it’s still supposedly all platonic. But she knows about Mary and Pastor Rob too? Ugh, this storyline…

41 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Besides Billy telling her about his mom and George, Missy is pretty perceptive to things of this nature going on. 

21 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Missy is the most perceptive Cooper.

Hopefully, this will lead to George cutting out his private conversations with Brenda.

 

[Chit Chat]

I'm happy to see that Mary has accepted Mandy's pregnancy.  At least Mandy is feeling more comfortable around the Coopers! 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Just now, ChitChat said:

I'm happy to see that Mary has accepted Mandy's pregnancy.  At least Mandy is feeling more comfortable around the Coopers! 

Before Connie hurt herself, I was thinking that Mary should really be over there building a relationship with the mother of her future grandchild.  She just doesn't seem very interested in the progress of Mandy's pregnancy, or in her health.  I know there was no room for her to stay at Mary and George's, but we've barely seen them interact.

 

[MollyMelrose]

Now that was more like the Mary we met in Big Bang Theory. Nice to see.

 

 

[shura]

2 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Hopefully, this will lead to George cutting out his private conversations with Brenda.

I am actually thinking that this is how the show might do the whole George’s infidelity thing.  Missy thinks she knows about George and Brenda.  Of course, what she “knows” never happened, but if she starts playing this card like she did today, then people will think there is something there.  And what people think happened is more important than what actually happened.  George never did anything wrong, but that’s not what people will “know”.

How old was the guy Missy was trying to hit on at the video store?  He looked at least Mandy’s age.  And speaking of recommending The Princess Bride to people, anybody think Sturgis has seen it?

[Bethany]

9 minutes ago, shura said:

George never did anything wrong, but that’s not what people will “know”.

I was thinking they were kind of backing away from Sheldon's very specific memory of his father cheating.  And while this bugged me because it really messes with the BBT universe it made me happy because it would really suck if he did this on YS.  But then the other day I saw the episode of BBT where he specifically talks about his father having a girlfriend (this gets mentioned in at least a few other episodes) by saying he "dives into a bottle-blonde bartender who tries to buy my love with action figures" and realized that this actually does describe Brenda.  I just do not see how they can even bother with this whole storyline if they aren't heading for cheaterville with George.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[shura]

35 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

But then the other day I saw the episode of BBT where he specifically talks about his father having a girlfriend (this gets mentioned in at least a few other episodes) by saying he "dives into a bottle-blonde bartender who tries to buy my love with action figures" and realized that this actually does describe Brenda. 

Tries to buy my love with action figures?  No way that’s Brenda.  Must be a false memory.  Although Sheldon’s memory is supposed to be photographic, and this does sound like it has to be a firsthand observation.  Hmm..

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I was thinking they were kind of backing away from Sheldon's very specific memory of his father cheating.  And while this bugged me because it really messes with the BBT universe it made me happy because it would really suck if he did this on YS.  But then the other day I saw the episode of BBT where he specifically talks about his father having a girlfriend (this gets mentioned in at least a few other episodes) by saying he "dives into a bottle-blonde bartender who tries to buy my love with action figures" and realized that this actually does describe Brenda.  I just do not see how they can even bother with this whole storyline if they aren't heading for cheaterville with George.

I thought Brenda worked at the bowling alley, she isn't to my recollection a bartender.

I personally think the whole Brenda plotline is a tease and the person George ends up cheating with is another "bottle blond" who does happen to be a bartender. 

I think the Brenda thing is supposed to set the audience up for seeing George as capable of "cheating in his heart" as a precursor to actual cheating.  That's why they're bothering with this storyline.  Maybe he gets more word on what went down between Mary and the youth pastor, gets obsessed with it, blows it out of proportion, gets drunk one night and exacts "revenge" by cheating with this bartender.  

[highway61]

Jarring to hear George say Missy was in 7th grade. And she was working at the comic store last year?

Sheldon's a completely believable traditionally-aged college freshman at this point.

 

[shapeshifter]

Early in the episode when they were discussing the database issues, Ian Armitage gave a facial expression that was a perfect mimic of Jim Parsons’.

Missy’s (Raegan Revord) wide eyed intensity when confronting George about the chicken coop meetings was kind of wasted.

 

6 minutes ago, highway61 said:

Jarring to hear George say Missy was in 7th grade. And she was working at the comic store last year?

I was 12 years old in 7th grade. How old do the writers think Missy is?

[LakeGal]

George is going to get the reputation as the panty sniffer.  It did make me laugh.  

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I was 12 years old in 7th grade. How old do the writers think Missy is?

When Mandy was first pregnant, Missy was 12.  Mandy's still pregnant, so the most she could be is 13.

kind of icky to think of 25 year old George with a high school girl.  Also, weird, because don't we know that Mary was 25 when Georgie was born?  That's a long time to just be "fooling around" with someone.

[bad things are bad]

I think this show takes a lot of liberties with continuity and the timeline.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

9 hours ago, greekmom said:

Missy is the most perceptive Cooper.

And Georgie is just a scootch behind “Melissa” with regard to perceptive.

[greekmom]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

When Mandy was first pregnant, Missy was 12.  Mandy's still pregnant, so the most she could be is 13.

kind of icky to think of 25 year old George with a high school girl.  Also, weird, because don't we know that Mary was 25 when Georgie was born?  That's a long time to just be "fooling around" with someone.

That part didn't make sense because George said "We were high school sweethearts."  So either George and Mary were dating from the time she was a freshman and he was a senior to all the way if he went away to a local college to play ball.  I honestly thought that they were maybe a year or so apart and she was a cheerleader and he was a high school football star who got the cheerleader pregnant. You know - that old nugget. 

 

[Tom Holmberg]

A really poor episode. The database plot really bores me and I suspect will go nowhere. 

[Bethany]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I thought Brenda worked at the bowling alley, she isn't to my recollection a bartender.

I knew she worked in a bowling alley but for some reason I thought it served drinks and she worked behind the bar in at least one episode - I could have sworn she served drinks to Meemaw and maybe Mary?  I could have this confused though.

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

A really poor episode. The database plot really bores me and I suspect will go nowhere. 

I really felt like this was the writer's feeble acknowledgement that  "hey this show is called Young Sheldon better find something for Sheldon to actually do".

[Browncoat]

"Depends." 

That line had me laughing as much as Mandy and Meemaw, and was the best line of the night.  Otherwise, I was mostly bored, especially by the database storyline.

13 hours ago, shura said:

 And speaking of recommending The Princess Bride to people, anybody think Sturgis has seen it?

Inconceivable! 

[tennisgurl]

14 hours ago, shura said:

How old was the guy Missy was trying to hit on at the video store?  He looked at least Mandy’s age.  And speaking of recommending The Princess Bride to people, anybody think Sturgis has seen it?

That's inconceivable! 

Missy is very perceptive, of course she's the Cooper who would catch on to what is/was going on with George and Brenda. She knows what is going on with her family, more than they realize. 

Mary calling out Mandy's mom was awesome, Mary in general had a really good episode. Being supportive, telling Mandy's mom to get her shit together and be a mom, great stuff. 

We all knew that the lights were going to go out. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by tennisgurl

[freeser]

2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

A really poor episode. The database plot really bores me and I suspect will go nowhere. 

I am also pretty bored by the current story lines. 

I recently saw the repeat of the episode where Sheldon invited everyone to his house to hear the Nobel prize announcements and no one came.  Then they played the Diana Ross song 'Someday We'll be Together Again" and showed all of the Big Bang characters as children.  I loved that!  

It was those sweet episodes that hooked me on this show.  Things have changed so much with pregnancy stories, possible infidelity, loss of jobs, gambling rooms  and the kids growing up and becoming 'less cute'.  I still watch but it is not the 'comedy' show I got hooked on  years ago. 

[Yeah No]

13 minutes ago, freeser said:

I am also pretty bored by the current story lines. 

I recently saw the repeat of the episode where Sheldon invited everyone to his house to hear the Nobel prize announcements and no one came.  Then they played the Diana Ross song 'Someday We'll be Together Again" and showed all of the Big Bang characters as children.  I loved that!  

It was those sweet episodes that hooked me on this show.  Things have changed so much with pregnancy stories, possible infidelity, loss of jobs, gambling rooms  and the kids growing up and becoming 'less cute'.  I still watch but it is not the 'comedy' show I got hooked on  years ago. 

I watch the repeats too and saw that at episode at the same time you did, LOL.  I generally agree with you but think the show had to stay somewhat true to BBT canon with hints at marital infidelity, and kids growing up and not being as cute is basically just a fact of life.  However they didn't have to go down the road of gambling rooms and pregnancy stories.  And the relationships between Georgie and Missy and George in particular have deteriorated, plus Mary just gets more and more insufferable, and Meemaw more abusive and caustic.

Somewhat spoilery so I put under a spoiler box:

Spoiler

Also, I don't remember anything on BBT about Georgie marrying his "first wife" at 19 because she was pregnant.  It was only that he was 19 when he got married as far as I recall.  So if I remember right they didn't have to introduce a pregnancy to justify him marrying at that age.  He could have just fallen in love and eloped.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

49 minutes ago, freeser said:

It was those sweet episodes that hooked me on this show.  Things have changed so much with pregnancy stories, possible infidelity, loss of jobs, gambling rooms  and the kids growing up and becoming 'less cute'.  I still watch but it is not the 'comedy' show I got hooked on  years ago. 

They could have gone somewhere with Missy working at the comic book store, but that went no where and now she's at the video store.

They could easily have a story line about Sheldon realizing his college is just using him (esp. after every plot involves the college Pres. lying to him) and looking for another school such as Heidelberg. Of course Mary would oppose that.

[Snow Apple]

32 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I watch the repeats too and saw that at episode at the same time you did, LOL.  I generally agree with you but think the show had to stay somewhat true to BBT canon with hints at marital infidelity, and kids growing up and not being as cute is basically just a fact of life.  However they didn't have to go down the road of gambling rooms and pregnancy stories.  And the relationships between Georgie and Missy and George in particular have deteriorated, plus Mary just gets more and more insufferable, and Meemaw more abusive and caustic.

I agree. Staying true to BBT doesn't mean they have to be boring. The stories can still be about family, school, and Georgie finding himself after high school. Mary and/or George bonding with the kids. Where's Tam? I thought he and Sheldon stayed friends until Sheldon left for California?

I am not interested in gambling and databases. I changed the channel during the database parts of the episode.

The best part of this episode is Mary's confrontation with Mandy's mom. That's the Mary I love.

[Sarah 103]

14 hours ago, shura said:

I am actually thinking that this is how the show might do the whole George’s infidelity thing.  Missy thinks she knows about George and Brenda.  Of course, what she “knows” never happened, but if she starts playing this card like she did today, then people will think there is something there.  And what people think happened is more important than what actually happened.  George never did anything wrong, but that’s not what people will “know”.

YES! Missy knows what Billy told her-that George and Brenda were in the chicken coop, but only the adults know what actually happened (nothing except talking.) It's a similar thing with Missy and Mary. Missy has seen pretty much what George has seen-the two of them (Mary and Pastor Rob) being/acting like close friends but nothing romantic has happened. Both Missy and George think/suspect that the relationship is more intimate or physical than it actually is. 

7 hours ago, highway61 said:

Jarring to hear George say Missy was in 7th grade. And she was working at the comic store last year?

The comic book store was an illegal/under the table type arrangement, and it was also this season (I wasn't sure if you meant calendar year or season year).

I thought it was interesting that Missy introduced herself as Melissa. She said at the start of middle school she wanted to be Melissa, but either she's still Missy at home or there were enough kids from elementary school who knew her as Missy that she's still Missy at school too.

Just now, Tom Holmberg said:

They could easily have a story line about Sheldon realizing his college is just using him (esp. after every plot involves the college Pres. lying to him) and looking for another school such as Heidelberg. Of course Mary would oppose that.

I love the idea, with one change. It's a shame we don't see Sheldon interacting with his siblings as much as he used to. Wouldn't it be awesome if one of his siblings (who are far more preceptive about people than he is) is the one to point it out to him and explain it? 

It's touching how seriously Georgie is taking what he views as impending fatherhood. He's reading books and wants to be there for the delivery. 

I enjoyed watching all of the plot lines except Sheldon's. The show is fantastic and I will keep watching, but as far as I am concerned Sheldon is the least interesting character on the show right now.  

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Inconceivable! 

I don't think that means what you think it does.

[shapeshifter]

16 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I changed the channel during the database parts of the episode.

I guess I'm the odd one who finally liked the database bit in this episode.
The technobabble illustrations actually seemed realistic for the first time, and they didn't spend too much time on it.

 

16 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

The best part of this episode is Mary's confrontation with Mandy's mom. That's the Mary I love.

But, yes, Mary confronting Mandy's mom was the one worthwhile moment of the episode.

[Bethany]

While I'm not crazy about the database storyline I'll take it in a heartbeat over the adultery-maybe storyline and especially over the pregnancy storyline.  It's turning into a soap opera.  If I want that there are other places I can go.  

ANway what I really do not understand is why they seem to be cruising close to some some of the Cooper family background that was set up for years on BBT but not quite going there.  I mean why bother?  The idea that George cheated on Mary and that they had a toxic marriage was openly discussed throughout most of BBT and I actually didn't mind if they walked that back for YS.  But nooooooo that's not what they did.  Instead they just muddy the waters and make is very confusing.  And this viewer is just tired of it.  The pregnancy one is just as bad.  Was there any real reason to do this?  I mean seriously any reason?

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I guess I'm the odd one who finally liked the database bit in this episode.

The mainframes brought back memories for me!  Many moons ago I was a clerk working for a company with a lot of computer programmers.  There was a room approx. 1000 sq. ft. with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling mainframes.  It was fun to go in there and see it all back in the early 80's when having a computer at home was a rarity for us regular folks.  I wonder what that room would look like now with today's technology.  

[highway61]

By and large agree with all the storyline complaints. However, I did think Dave Foley was very funny last night as the crazy rich guy!

[Chit Chat]

Just now, highway61 said:

I did think Dave Foley was very funny last night as the crazy rich guy!

He looked like he's lot a bit of weight.  I noticed they filmed him sitting down and from the waist up.  Hope everything's okay with him.  He looked healthy though. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

5 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I really felt like this was the writer's feeble acknowledgement that  "hey this show is called Young Sheldon better find something for Sheldon to actually do".

I would be fine with them focusing on all of the other characters. Why does Sheldon have to be obnoxious to the guy delivering the computer equipment? Such an unpleasant tone of voice.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

The mainframes brought back memories for me!  Many moons ago I was a clerk working for a company with a lot of computer programmers.  There was a room approx. 1000 sq. ft. with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling mainframes.  It was fun to go in there and see it all back in the early 80's when having a computer at home was a rarity for us regular folks.  I wonder what that room would look like now with today's technology.  

Lol. Like your phone, probably. 

[januaryman]

I'm glad someone remembers Billy Sparks still exists - halfway through the season and he's only made one appearance.

Meemaw's story went nowhere - just an excuse to get Mary into the house.

I like all those actors but the database plot is so blah - there are more amusing adolescent stories they could do with Sheldon. 

Now I know why I don't see the show promoted anymore - there are no big gags or jokes to promote. I wish they'd go back to writing some.

[Driad]

I wish the main female characters' names did not all start with the same letter: Mary, Meemaw*, Missy, and now Mandy.  Occasionally someone here types the wrong name, which might happen less often if the names were more different.

*I know her name is Connie, but we and most of the characters usually call her Meemaw.

[Kaycee]

At the video store George outing Missy being in 7th grade with the customer could have been handled better. I get Missy being embarrassed. Could have stated she was still in school and not allowed to date adults to get the point across. Missy in the vehicle asking her father about the chicken coop with Brenda was priceless. Missy did not stop there she left the door open with her mother and pastor Rob. Something for George to think about and not in a good way

[Bethany]

Finally saw this and it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting.  That's called damning with faint praise.  I actually did prefer the Sheldon story and my engineering husband got pretty excited when he saw the mainframe that got delivered.  It was the kind he worked with in his first summer job.  One thing I agree with that others noted is the age difference thing between George and Mary.  If he was 25 and dating a high school girl I hope that Mary was, at the least, a senior and 18 but they don't really specify that.  I do think though if he was that age and dating Mary then there is no way in hell that Meemaw wouldn't have been casting that up to him back when there was a lot of tension between the two of them and she constantly was saying she disliked him and why.  And that didn't come up?  

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, ChitChat said:

The mainframes brought back memories for me!  Many moons ago I was a clerk working for a company with a lot of computer programmers.  There was a room approx. 1000 sq. ft. with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling mainframes.  It was fun to go in there and see it all back in the early 80's when having a computer at home was a rarity for us regular folks.  I wonder what that room would look like now with today's technology.  

Yes, for me too.  I worked at a big university at that time and we had a big room like that with wall-to-wall mainframes in it.  It was in the building I worked in and I was able to sneak a peek at it every once in a while.  And of course the mainframe admins. were always in and out of my office for one reason or another.  We all had terminals at our desks where we accessed files.  I left that job in 1991 before the transition to PCs and I often wonder how that happened.  So add me to the list of people that liked seeing Sheldon's mainframe.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, ChitChat said:

He looked like he's lot a bit of weight.  I noticed they filmed him sitting down and from the waist up.  Hope everything's okay with him.  He looked healthy though. 

I saw Dave Foley in a reboot of Kids in the Hall filmed last year on Amazon Prime and he's trimmed down and doing fine.

Here's a photo of him from this past September:

Edited February 4, 2023 by Yeah No

[bad things are bad]

11 hours ago, januaryman said:

someone remembers Billy Sparks still exists

Did I miss an explanation of what happened to his sister? She got Chuck Cunningham'ed

[Chit Chat]

17 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Lol. Like your phone, probably. 

Most definitely!!  It's amazing to think of what was accomplished in space exploration with the kind of computers they had at the time!

5 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

Did I miss an explanation of what happened to his sister?

I don't recall one.  They haven't shown the pastor's wife in a long time.  I think she disappeared too! 

[Katy M]

19 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I don't recall one.  They haven't shown the pastor's wife in a long time.  I think she disappeared too! 

they did at least mention her when the pastor was trying to get the video store shut down.

[Chit Chat]

22 minutes ago, Katy M said:

they did at least mention her when the pastor was trying to get the video store shut down.

I've already forgotten about that!  

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

Did I miss an explanation of what happened to his sister? She got Chuck Cunningham'ed

Is she old enough to reappear as a single mom?
Of course, on this show, a 7th grader is trying to pick up a 25-year-old man.
IDK. Maybe the writers thought it was a cautionary tale.

[Bethany]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Is she old enough to reappear as a single mom?

The one time I remember seeing her in an episode I think she was supposed to be a first grader so roughly 3 or 4 years younger than Sheldon and Missy.  If they veer into single mom territory with her then we'll know we've really hit soap opera territory!!!

[shapeshifter]

21 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

The one time I remember seeing her in an episode I think she was supposed to be a first grader so roughly 3 or 4 years younger than Sheldon and Missy.  If they veer into single mom territory with her then we'll know we've really hit soap opera territory!!!

With Rapidly Aging Star Child syndrome (caused by UFO travelers).

[possibilities]

The mainframe talk is making me notice that two other shows that are currently airing have "computer rooms" with mainframes-- The Good Doctor, and the reboot of Quantum Leap. 

I remember when I was in college in 1981, there was a computer room where students could sign up to use the computer-- it was a single terminal and all the math-science geeks would hunker down in there, like it was exciting tech. The rest of us were using typewriters in our dorms. But within a year or two after I left, the entire place was wired for individual PCs.