S06.E14: A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being

[Bort]

The Coopers can’t be found as Mandy goes into labor. Also, Sheldon is excited about the launch of his database.

Airdate: March 2, 2023

[Spartan Girl]

I love that they named the baby after Connie.

Welp, all the marital crap is finally out in the open. Honestly, I can’t really sympathize with Mary for jumping to conclusions: George and Brenda technically haven’t done anything. Yet. Neither have she and Pastor Jeff, but Brenda’s right about glass houses and stones.

Poor Missy and Billy, abandoned in the chaos.

[Tattooeddancer]

14 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Welp, all the marital crap is finally out in the open. Honestly, I can’t really sympathize with Mary for jumping to conclusions: George and Brenda technically haven’t done anything. Yet. Neither have she and Pastor Jeff, but Brenda’s right about glass houses and stones.

I'm curious how the reveal will effect everything.Infidelity usually breeds in the dark, but who knows...with Mary out of the house Brenda and George might finally go for it. 

And while you're right that technically Brenda and George haven't done anything, I think they've gotten closer than Mary and Rob. They were actually talking about leaving together when George had his heart attack. Mary and Rob haven't even acknowledged their attraction to each other (I don't think Mary is even admitting it to herself).

[kay1864]

Where WAS George Sr? Seems like either he or Mary should’ve been on standby. Although with Georgie buying the car seat, maybe they thought it would be a few more days?

[Bethany]

Just now, Tattooeddancer said:

Mary and Rob haven't even acknowledged their attraction to each other (I don't think Mary is even admitting it to herself).

I've said this a lot since I started watching YS but here goes another one "if they make the Mary and Rob thing even remotely equivalent to Brenda and George I am outa here".  

[nora1992]

The best plot was Georgie and the car seat.  The second best was Connie’s moment in the hallway. The rest: they’ll find some way to draw out the marital tension for an even longer stretch.

[kay1864]

21 minutes ago, nora1992 said:

they’ll find some way to draw out the marital tension for an even longer stretch.

And if it’s like previous seasons, we have 6 or 7 more episodes to go in this one. 

[shura]

19 minutes ago, Tattooeddancer said:

And while you're right that technically Brenda and George haven't done anything, I think they've gotten closer than Mary and Rob. They were actually talking about leaving together when George had his heart attack. Mary and Rob haven't even acknowledged their attraction to each other (I don't think Mary is even admitting it to herself).

I don’t know if Mary is not admitting it to herself, but she knows she is attracted to Rob.  Otherwise she wouldn’t be flustered in front of Brenda when Rob called or upset when she saw him with his girlfriend.  Didn’t she fantasize about him at some point, too?  And Rob has all but said it out loud to her that he is into her very much.  I cannot remember how George and Brenda were talking about leaving together, but Rob and Mary must have matched their closeness with pretty much expressing everything they feel for each other at their lunch date today.

Curiously, out of the four, Rob is the only one who is not acting like he is feeling at all uncomfortable about what’s going on.  And he is a pastor, he should probably be the first person to stop and think that there is a marriage involved here.  Or maybe he is just clueless.  I laughed at how he showed up at the hospital all bubbly and happy with outstretched arms and “I hear we are having a baby!”

 

[highway61]

30 minutes ago, nora1992 said:

The best plot was Georgie and the car seat.  The second best was Connie’s moment in the hallway. The rest: they’ll find some way to draw out the marital tension for an even longer stretch.

My favorite was Billy and Missy outside school. Funniest Billy ever!

[MollyMelrose]

Mandy's mom was so looking for a glimmer of hope that maybe ... possibly .... conceivably ... the baby's middle name might be inspired by the maternal side of the family - the grandmother, perhaps.

Don't hold your breath, Audrey. Hateful Shrew does not go with Constance at all.

(Though BBT fans know it does go with Wrinkled Old Bastard.)

[EtheltoTillie]

OMG, Sheldon was even worse than ever!  I was thinking he was so unnecessary to the episode's plot he should have not even been there.  Why even call it Young Sheldon anymore.  Just call it The Coopers.

 

IMO Pastor Rob looks like a Hobbit.  Certainly not crush material. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Artsda]

Surprised Mandy's mom was allowed anywhere near that hospital room. 

[appositival]

Pastor Rob's questions about going or staying seemed creepy to me. Stop hinting around and tell Mary what you want from that relationship!

[EtheltoTillie]

Oh, I take back what I said about Sheldon.  He had to install the car seat. 

[Katy M]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Poor Missy and Billy, abandoned in the chaos.

I guess Missy stopped taking the bus home at some point.  I don't know if this school is closer than her other one, but to even be able to take the bus in my town, you had to live further away than 2 miles, which isn't too bad, but they could live 5 or 6 miles away which would be a bit of a walk.  Not really sure what happened to Brenda, since I think she left when Mary got there, which was just after lunch, right?

Georgie: I'm in sales.  I know what your'e doing.  But, I'm going to fall for it anyway.

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Georgie: I'm in sales.  I know what your'e doing.  But, I'm going to fall for it anyway.

Great line. Well delivered.

[bluegirl147]

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

OMG, Sheldon was even worse than ever!  I was thinking he was so unnecessary to the episode's plot he should have not even been there.  Why even call it Young Sheldon anymore.  Just call it The Coopers.

 

I know we are seeing the Sheldon who becomes the Sheldon in BBT but god is he just absolutely awful.  I don't know if it's the way Ian is portraying him or if he is written to be almost robotic but he has become the weakest character in a show filled with great characters. 

[EtheltoTillie]

15 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I know we are seeing the Sheldon who becomes the Sheldon in BBT but god is he just absolutely awful.  I don't know if it's the way Ian is portraying him or if he is written to be almost robotic but he has become the weakest character in a show filled with great characters. 

it's partly the writing.  Who cares about that stupid database plot, first of all.  And then he's written in the most extreme kind of self-centered autistic spectrum person who has no understanding about what others are feeling.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

I thought I noticed some awkwardness between Brenda and Mandy's father at the hospital.  Maybe HE is the married man in Brenda's life, not George.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I thought I noticed some awkwardness between Brenda and Mandy's father at the hospital.  Maybe HE is the married man in Brenda's life, not George.

Well, that's playing the long game, show, if you're right.  I didn't notice this. 

[shapeshifter]

33 minutes ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I thought I noticed some awkwardness between Brenda and Mandy's father at the hospital.  Maybe HE is the married man in Brenda's life, not George.

I saw glances between Brenda and Mandy's father too.
So maybe it was supposed to be seen?

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by shapeshifter

[curbcrusher]

32 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

And then he's written in the most extreme kind of self-centered autistic spectrum person who has no understanding about what others are feeling.

Doesn't this pretty much describe adult Sheldon for most of the BBT.

[EtheltoTillie]

10 minutes ago, curbcrusher said:

Doesn't this pretty much describe adult Sheldon for most of the BBT.

Yes, that's what I was going for.  I mean that he's being written worse than he used to be on this show, as someone else said, so building to BBT Sheldon.  But here he doesn't have his nerd friends to buffer him.  He sticks out like more of a sore thumb now.  Mary used to coddle him on this show, but less so now that he's older, and now she's also busy with her new grandbaby and her "crush."

Last night's ridiculous line from Sheldon was that he felt empathy  because he was feeling the same kind of sadness because no one had responded to his database. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Chit Chat]

14 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

But here he doesn't have his nerd friends to buffer him. 

That's an excellent point.  He could've used them to help him navigate going from high school to college at such a young age.  I'm glad that Sheldon has a few friends at college (the ones who play D&D with him), but they don't know him well enough to be able to call him out on his crap like TBBT friends do.

56 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

And then he's written in the most extreme kind of self-centered autistic spectrum person who has no understanding about what others are feeling.

I have a close relative who was diagnosed at a much later age as being on the spectrum, and from what I've experienced being around him, he fits your description to a T!  I don't think Sheldon is very far off of the mark from what being on the spectrum can do to an individual.  Just add in rude and mean and you've described my relative.  ;) 

ETA:  The sweetest moment was when Georgie walked into the waiting room and told his family "she's here!"  The smile on his face was so sweet. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by ChitChat

[Bethany]

To he honest, while I agree with the way you all are saying Sheldon is being portrayed, I think the bigger problem is teen Iain isn't the actor child Iain was.  Perhaps he will get this back but for right now I am finding him outclassed by those around him in the acting dept.

[Katy M]

14 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Last night's ridiculous line from Sheldon was that he felt empathy  because he was feeling the same kind of sadness because no one had responded to his database. 

Sheldon was ridiculous, especially suggesting that Georgie drive him to his launch.  

But, he did get Mandy to the hospital by asking Brenda for a ride.  Mandy was going to try to drive herself.  And he did install the car seat.  He was even accidentally the reason why Georgie went back for the birth.  I don't think most 12 year olds would want to hang out in hospital waiting rooms and hallways for hours on end waiting for a niece to be born, tbh.

[Bethany]

Just now, Katy M said:

I don't think most 12 year olds would want to hang out in hospital waiting rooms and hallways for hours on end waiting for a niece to be born, tbh.

Agreed.  Or most adults other than new grandma (and maybe grandpa) either for that matter.  It's a classic TV thing though that everyone and his uncle hangs around a hospital when in real life most would be comfortably at home waiting for a phone call.

[bluegirl147]

50 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

The sweetest moment was when Georgie walked into the waiting room and told his family "she's here!"  The smile on his face was so sweet. 

And the look between Georgie and his dad gave me all the feels.

48 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I think the bigger problem is teen Iain isn't the actor child Iain was.  Perhaps he will get this back but for right now I am finding him outclassed by those around him in the acting dept.

I agree.  He was so good on Big Little Lies and the early season of YS.  As much as  I was very highly annoyed by adult Sheldon his portrayer Jim Parsons did such a good job of making you care about him. But this version of Sheldon just makes me want to tell the little snot to just go away.

Edited March 3, 2023 by bluegirl147

[Tom Holmberg]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Oh, I take back what I said about Sheldon.  He had to install the car seat. 

That seemed more like a job for an engineer.

[EtheltoTillie]

57 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

ETA:  The sweetest moment was when Georgie walked into the waiting room and told his family "she's here!"  The smile on his face was so sweet. 

That was an amazing piece of acting.

[Bethany]

6 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

That seemed more like a job for an engineer.

The Oompah Loompahs of science!

14 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

As much as  I was very highly annoyed by adult Sheldon his portrayer Jim Parsons did such a good job of making you care about him. But this version of Sheldon just makes me want to tell the little snot to just go away.

That's it right here!  BBT Sheldon had a few episodes where I felt he was unredeemable but for the most part there was a vulnerability to the way he was written and portrayed that made me care about him and root for him (well to some extent) but with YS Sheldon, yes sometimes there is vulnerability and sometimes Sheldon steps up and does something for someone else but mostly young Sheldon is just annoying as hell!

[ams1001]

11 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

IMO Pastor Rob looks like a Hobbit.  Certainly not crush material. 

He reminds me of my cousin, so...

 

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I saw glances between Brenda and Mandy's father too.
So maybe it was supposed to be seen?

 

I had to go back and rewind.  It was very subtle.  I didn't interpret it that way on first viewing.  Can go either way.   Cheers to the eagle eyed folks who spotted it. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Spartan Girl]

5 hours ago, appositival said:

Pastor Rob's questions about going or staying seemed creepy to me. Stop hinting around and tell Mary what you want from that relationship!

It’s not really that big a surprise that he turned out to be just as much of a hypocrite as Pastor Jeff, albeit in a different way.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, DoYouLikeMutton said:

I thought I noticed some awkwardness between Brenda and Mandy's father at the hospital.  Maybe HE is the married man in Brenda's life, not George.

I didn't notice it, but I'll go back and watch for it!  It would make sense because her ex-husband was in the automotive business, so it stands to reason that they might've known Mandy's dad, who is also in the automotive business.  I feel dumb because it took a while for that light bulb to go off in my head!!  :)  

[greekmom]

3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I know we are seeing the Sheldon who becomes the Sheldon in BBT but god is he just absolutely awful.  I don't know if it's the way Ian is portraying him or if he is written to be almost robotic but he has become the weakest character in a show filled with great characters. 

The problem is that this show is suppose to be all about Sheldon with his family as back players. In BBT - Sheldon was part of an ensemble and alot of epsiodes focused on other BBT characters with Sheldon as second player in the background or not even in the episode at all.

They could be doing so much with Young Sheldon that was mentioned in BBT.  Like the time he went to the Dixie Trek convention and Wheaton didn't show. Or the dance lessons for the cotillion?  Or his relationship with Tam who now is non existent. 

I don't think it's Ian per say.  An actor needs a decent script and this year they are really floundering in storylines.

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, greekmom said:

They could be doing so much with Young Sheldon that was mentioned in BBT.  Like the time he went to the Dixie Trek convention and Wheaton didn't show. Or the dance lessons for the cotillion?  Or his relationship with Tam who now is non existent. 

I'm doing a rewatch of BBT and I'm about ready to start season four.  And there are so many things Sheldon mentions from his childhood that would have been great to see on YS. The two shows shared a lot of the same behind the scenes people so I'm not sure why they didn't mine BBT scripts for YS plots.  

With Mary and George both now knowing about the other's "friendship" with Brenda and Pastor Rob respectively is next season going to set up the reason Sheldon needs to knock three times before opening a door?  I'm usually a stickler for canon but in this case I would make an exception and say let's just forget the whole thing. 

[Hab]

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Georgie is not really the baby’s father? 

[EtheltoTillie]

8 minutes ago, Hab said:

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Georgie is not really the baby’s father? 

Wow, not me. 

[Bethany]

10 minutes ago, Hab said:

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Georgie is not really the baby’s father? 

Given how upset Mandy was when she found out she was pregnant and that the father was a teenager I don't think so.  

[Silver-hyren]

25 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Or his relationship with Tam who now is non existent. 

I don't think it's Ian per say.  An actor needs a decent script and this year they are really floundering in storylines.

Aw man, I forgot all about Tam!

I agree, Ian is still an excellent actor when he’s given something to do.  Was it last season they had the scene where Sheldon was dreaming and Ian played all the other characters?  Or heck, just compare Real!Ian to Sheldon - he is completely different. The other characters have just become more developed and have their own storylines so instead of them reacting to his wackiness he has to be inserted into/react to what’s going in with them.

[Bethany]

19 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

The two shows shared a lot of the same behind the scenes people so I'm not sure why they didn't mine BBT scripts for YS plots. 

This is what confuses me about YS, I totally get that they weren't going to do this show and include every anecdote Sheldon shared on BBT but what I don't understand is why they have  included stuff like potential adultery and George's fondness for beer but not really in anyway the way it was talked about on BBT where you are told George was chronically unfaithful and an alcoholic.  I mean, why bother?   

[MsNewsradio]

3 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

This is what confuses me about YS, I totally get that they weren't going to do this show and include every anecdote Sheldon shared on BBT but what I don't understand is why they have  included stuff like potential adultery and George's fondness for beer but not really in anyway the way it was talked about on BBT where you are told George was chronically unfaithful and an alcoholic.  I mean, why bother?   

I’m deeply frustrated with the writers dancing around this. It’s canon that George was chronically unfaithful. It’s not a misunderstanding based on the hazy memories of youth. I don’t know if it’s because they like the actor and are hesitant to go this route because of it, or what, but I really hate how they’ve handled this storyline. The fact that they are doing the whole thing with Pastor Rob and Mary also irks me, because it comes across like the show is trying give George an excuse for eventually cheating. People are three dimensional, and I’m fine with exploring that, but the show writers seem like they’re really trying to avoid one of the key historical facts of this family, which is very aggravating. “They keep meeting secretly in the chicken coop, but nothing has actually happened between them!” Come on, show. 

[sharifa70]

14 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

IMO Pastor Rob looks like a Hobbit.  Certainly not crush material.

YMMV for sure. If I have a “type,” my crushes almost always either fall under the stereotypical Tall, Dark, and Handsome, or else I’m crushing really hard on guys who remind me more of Howdy Doody than George Clooney.  I could see where people might be drawn to Rob.

I thought Sheldon was exactly as Sheldon as can be expected, and that’s not a bad thing. Sheldon only relates to people and circumstances as they affect him, and his reactions were totally in keeping with a character trait that has been consistent in both iterations of the character. That he thought he was actually going to have to deliver the baby and was prepared to do so shows that he cares in his own way. It’s important to remember he is still a child and his disappointment over the failed launch is perfectly valid.

[Sarah 103]

45 minutes ago, greekmom said:

The problem is that this show is suppose to be all about Sheldon with his family as back players. In BBT - Sheldon was part of an ensemble and alot of epsiodes focused on other BBT characters with Sheldon as second player in the background or not even in the episode at all.

They could be doing so much with Young Sheldon that was mentioned in BBT.  Like the time he went to the Dixie Trek convention and Wheaton didn't show. Or the dance lessons for the cotillion? 

There are shows that start off focused on a central character and then become ensemble shows, which is what I think happened with Young Sheldon.

Having Mary be so religious that she won't let her children dance is stupid. There are so many fun plotlines they could have done with dance lessons/the cotillion.  

[shura]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't think most 12 year olds would want to hang out in hospital waiting rooms and hallways for hours on end waiting for a niece to be born, tbh.

Oh, you are giving Sheldon too much credit.  He was waiting for a ride to his launch party, not for the birth of his niblingo.  It’s just that everybody who could give him the ride was waiting for the birth.

[Bethany]

9 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Having Mary be so religious that she won't let her children dance is stupid. There are so many fun plotlines they could have done with dance lessons/the cotillion.  

 I think making YS Mary so religious this would not be considered goes hand in hand with them softening George and making him a decent person and a decent father - which was not a message you ever got on BBT!   It's too bad that the powers that be decided redeeming George meant throwing Mary under the Lorre bus.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[Bethany]

19 minutes ago, MsNewsradio said:

I don’t know if it’s because they like the actor and are hesitant to go this route because of it, or what, but I really hate how they’ve handled this storyline.

The only reason I can think of it that they want to make sure we all realize that if George cheats it's all Mary's fault.

[Katy M]

24 minutes ago, shura said:

Oh, you are giving Sheldon too much credit.  He was waiting for a ride to his launch party, not for the birth of his niblingo.  It’s just that everybody who could give him the ride was waiting for the birth.

I understand that he didn't want to be there.  I was just saying that no 12 year old would.

[curbcrusher]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

The problem is that this show is suppose to be all about Sheldon with his family as back players. In BBT - Sheldon was part of an ensemble and alot of epsiodes focused on other BBT characters with Sheldon as second player in the background or not even in the episode at all.

How much narrating did Adult Sheldon do in this last episode? I'm not going to re-watch, but I can't remember a single time the I heard from Adult Sheldon. In the beginning I don't think we had shows that didn't include a lot of Adult Sheldon talking about what happened.

39 minutes ago, MsNewsradio said:

I’m deeply frustrated with the writers dancing around this. It’s canon that George was chronically unfaithful. It’s not a misunderstanding based on the hazy memories of youth. I don’t know if it’s because they like the actor and are hesitant to go this route because of it, or what, but I really hate how they’ve handled this storyline.

I really don't understand why people can't get over the bolded. I know based on my life experience, this is a very reasonable explanation. I grew up with one side of my family heavily influenced by anti-drinking religions, and drinking any amount == alcoholic.  They often labeled members of the other side of my family as alcoholics and womanizers. If you had asked me to characterize some of these relatives in my late 20's, early 30's I would have used some of these labels to sum them up, because that's what I'd heard.  In most cases it would be wrong.

If you tell me Sheldon had a religious mother, and she and the dad broke up, and the dad drank, I have no problem believing that she would regularly describe him as an alcoholic. It might even work as part of her coping mechanism as she makes a life without George in the future. I can easily see Sheldon adopting that explanation and excuse, especially if he feels the results of these future events impact him negatively in some way. It's an easy way to label something that was a problem, blame someone and move on.

Even further, since in this show we are seeing what Sheldon didn't see (things like MeeMaw running the "arcade" and Georgie having conversations with Mandy, Misty and Billy talking in front of the school, etc) we are experiencing The Coopers, not Sheldon's biography.  And that's what I'm enjoying seeing, not a lot of scripts that just show me Kid Sheldon doing things that Adult Sheldon said on BBT.