S06.E20: German for Beginners and a Crazy Old Man with a Bat

[Bort]

The gambling room gets broken into and Sheldon wants to study abroad. Also, Missy makes a new friend.

Airdate: May 11, 2023

[ams1001]

Is this the first time the show has commented on Montana/Georgie's resemblance to a young Patrick Swayze? (I know Mary likes Road House but I don't remember if it was acknowledged in the show or if we just discussed it here.)

So the entire faculty at the college and the church all pitched in to raise enough for Sheldon to spend the summer in Germany? I can believe that. 

[Katy M]

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

It would be nice if Missy could find a friend that didn't like to get in trouble.

I thought Missy was going to say twin thing to explain how she knew that Sheldon needed help with a tag sale.

2 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

s this the first time the show has commented on Montana/Georgie's resemblance to a young Patrick Swayze? (I know Mary likes Road House but I don't remember if it was acknowledged in the show or if we just discussed it here.)

George mentioned it in that epi and it icked Mary out and she didn't want to watch the movie.

[kay1864]

21 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. 

Same! It’s not like the congregation finds Sheldon as annoying as the faculty do. Plus, why would they reward an avowed atheist with donations?

Plus, I can’t see any parent allowing their 13-year-old to go to Europe unchaperoned. He’s hyper intelligent, but he’s not exactly mature. And he’s definitely under-savvy. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by kay1864

[mammaM]

17 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

Everyone knows the family. And wouldn't you donate to get rid of Sheldon for a semester or two😂😂😂

[kay1864]

Who leaves the cashbox in a locked filing cabinet overnight? Petty cash maybe, but not a day’s or week’s worth of revenue.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

32 minutes ago, kay1864 said:

Same! It’s not like the congregation finds Sheldon as annoying as the faculty do. Plus, why would they reward an avowed atheist with donations?

Plus, I can’t see any parent allowing their 13-year-old to go to Europe unchaperoned. He’s hyper intelligent, but he’s not exactly mature. And he’s definitely under-savvy. 

Agree with the first part.

I don't think Sheldon is going alone.  Professor Linkletter's plus the faculty contribution must have been enough for Sheldon alone (Linkletter would have known how much needed to be raised), which is why the show had to have the congregation donate extra, even though I agree it doesn't really make sense.  That extra will likely be enough for Mary to manage going with Sheldon, even though the family will lose her income for a few months (wonder if Brenda will be able to hire a temporary bookkeeper, so that Mary's job will still be available when she returns.) And I hope Brenda is true to her word about not pursuing George (and vice-versa) while Mary is gone.

Edited May 12, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Spartan Girl]

30 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

Yeah, that kind of came out of nowhere. They should have just left it with Dr. Linkletter and the college faculty “donating” the money.

I think Tanya was the one that stole money from the laundromat casino.

[nelroy78]

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

Missy probably told Tanya who told Pastor Jeff

[Bethany]

I liked this one.  No angst and a few good lines.  Especially the Sheldon voiceover about realizing at that moment how much his sister loved him.  Ah Shelly, never change.

[kay1864]

17 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

And I hope Brenda is true to her word about not pursuing George (and vice-versa) while Mary is gone.

Ruh-roh. 

16 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

think Tanya was the one that stole money from the laundromat casino.

Well, she certainly seems to have the temperament… but she just got into town. It has to be someone who knows about the laundromat casino..

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

During the years Mary & family attended church, Sheldon was always interrupting Pastor Jeff and asking questions in order to prove his own theory of religion.  He annoyed those people for a long time!  Even though they're not going to church now, I can see where they'd all be glad to send him away for a while just so they don't have to deal with him if they ran into him in a store or somewhere else.  

[ColJackOneill]

Man, that was arduous. All that just to get Sheldon to Germany?

[aqusdealer]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I think Tanya was the one that stole money from the laundromat casino.

I think it was Mandy in a desperate post partum fueled attempt to get outta' Dodge.

[Skooma]

I think the crooked sheriff that takes kickbacks stole the loot.  He made a point of suggesting they pay him more money as a "security guard" so this wouldn't happen again.  He didn't mean an actual "security guard."  He meant a "security" payoff.  It was a shakedown to me.  Nothing they can do because he is the "law" in the town too.

[appositival]

I wonder if we will get an episode without Sheldon where we see what everyone does without him, or if the season open will be him getting off the plane. I don't dislike Sheldon, but I think I'd prefer the first option. I also wonder if the Germans will love him because he doesn't act like a typical American.

I loved Dale and Georgie's indecision over the light switch and Dale saying that the girls ran away like a couple of girls. The interaction between Dale and Meemaw over the theft (especially Meemaw's sideways glances at Dale's inclusion of women as the potential thief) were adorable. They have such great actors as the tertiary characters in this show.

[greekmom]

It would have been easier for the writers to have a) the university pay for the trip to Germany or b) Meemaw and Georgie give up some of the profits from the illegal casino.   The Sheldon storyline was boring.

I liked the Missy and her new friend even though she is trouble but they are setting up "MIssy's trouble years".

I just wish they would get to the part when Sheldon catches George so that we can clear up the mystery.

[Rebky]

Isn't Pastor Jeff a neighbor of Sheldon? He probably loves the idea of a summer w/o Shelton.

[Katy M]

 

9 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

During the years Mary & family attended church, Sheldon was always interrupting Pastor Jeff and asking questions in order to prove his own theory of religion.  He annoyed those people for a long time!  Even though they're not going to church now, I can see where they'd all be glad to send him away for a while just so they don't have to deal with him if they ran into him in a store or somewhere else.  

Seems a bit far fetched.  Pastor Jeff, sure.  Brenda, if she still goes there, absolutely. I don't see anyone else coming into contact enough with him to give more money than they ever gave before.

[Bethany]

5 hours ago, Skooma said:

I think the crooked sheriff that takes kickbacks stole the loot.  He made a point of suggesting they pay him more money as a "security guard" so this wouldn't happen again.  He didn't mean an actual "security guard."  He meant a "security" payoff.  It was a shakedown to me.  Nothing they can do because he is the "law" in the town too.

I agree it did seem to me that he knew more than he was saying.  He did make a valid point though - they are doing something illegal, you can't expect the police to get involved if what you are doing in the first place should be getting the police involved!  I wish they'd drop this whole shady storyline. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

or b) Meemaw and Georgie give up some of the profits from the illegal casino. 

I think that they would think that money is better spent on supporting Mandy and the baby.  Neither of them is desperate to get rid of Sheldon, nor overly interested in his graduate school application success. Plus, they had just been robbed.

[shura]

2 hours ago, appositival said:

I also wonder if the Germans will love him because he doesn't act like a typical American.

Well, he acts like an entitled and inconsiderate jerk.  I doubt very much the Germans are going to love him. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, shura said:

Well, he acts like an entitled and inconsiderate jerk.  I doubt very much the Germans are going to love him. 

At least he's trying to learn German.  They might be impressed that a kid cared to do that.

 

[Bethany]

14 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

At least he's trying to learn German.  They might be impressed that a kid cared to do that.

 

Agreed.  And at some point they will have to start showing why Sheldon is so highly thought of in his field.  Like this episode and especially the last episode made clear, he can't get by on being a child prodigy anymore.  They may not always be sticking to what fans consider canon from BBT but they can't ignore the career trajectory that leads to that Nobel prize.

[ahpny]

9 hours ago, Skooma said:

I think the crooked sheriff that takes kickbacks stole the loot. 

Meemaw suspects this too and pretty much said so.

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Is this the first time the show has commented on Montana/Georgie's resemblance to a young Patrick Swayze?

No, in prior episode they actually showed an image of Patrick Swayze fading into that of Georgie, and there's also been commentary about this before too, I think a few times.

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

So the entire faculty at the college and the church all pitched in to raise enough for Sheldon to spend the summer in Germany? I can believe that. 

This was a running gag that ran a bit too long. We get it, and did before they hammered this point to death. He's so annoying that lots of people - including his own twin sister - will literally pay to send him away even if just for a few months. But points for consistency with BBT with Sheldon not merely being annoying, but too self-absorbed and emotionally illiterate to see that's how others perceive him.

[greekmom]

6 minutes ago, ahpny said:

Meemaw suspects this too and pretty much said so.

No, in prior episode they actually showed an image of Patrick Swayze fading into that of Georgie, and there's also been commentary about this before too, I think a few times.

This was a running gag that ran a bit too long. We get it, and did before they hammered this point to death. He's so annoying that lots of people - including his own twin sister - will literally pay to send him away even if just for a few months. But points for consistency with BBT with Sheldon not merely being annoying, but too self-absorbed and emotionally illiterate to see that's how others perceive him.

I can see the university faculty and the university itself collecting money but not the church.   I thought Mary and family didn't attend that church anymore.

[proserpina65]

14 minutes ago, greekmom said:

I can see the university faculty and the university itself collecting money but not the church.   I thought Mary and family didn't attend that church anymore.

They don't but Pastor Jeff lives next door to Sheldon so he'd be motivated to take up the collection and everyone who knows Sheldon would surely chip in. 

 

[MollyMelrose]

Gotta love Dale the Enforcer (with an inflatable donut).

Beer is not a snack. 

Young Sheldon's study of the German language explains why adult Sheldon became fluent in Klingon. Romance languages, both.

[Kaycee]

Liked this episode. When Sheldon was told the family could not afford to send him to Germany, I thought what if he gets the money will they let him go. Many times parents will put up obstacles they figure the child can not overcome and use that as an excuse to why the child can not go.

Sheldon tried to raise money with some family help but had problems parting with his stuff, but in the end got to keep his trains.  There still is a child inside Sheldon whether he wants to admit it or not.

Missy and the video case swap and such a good explanation in front of the pastor and her family. Later sneaking out for drinks and a smoke and Sheldon with all the questions with why is she already dressed priceless. 

Linkletter strategy pay to get rid of Sheldon for the summer and in the future hopefully earlier than expected he will go to another school. Pastor Jeff and the congregation taking up a collection for Sheldon, we know they are not very fond of him but also had the following thought. Since it had been stated Sheldon would be going alone since Dr Sturgis was not going to Germany. Somebody would have to go with him, this is where Mary goes to Germany and Pastor Jeff and the congregation are not only rid of Sheldon but also Mary for the Summer. 

[appositival]

10 minutes ago, Kaycee said:

Sheldon tried to raise money with some family help but had problems parting with his stuff, but in the end got to keep his trains.

I was thinking that keeping his collectables is probably a better long term strategy because their value tends to increase over time, but he does need the money now and not 50 years in the future. He probably won't ever sell them because he's Sheldon.

[Bethany]

18 minutes ago, Kaycee said:

Somebody would have to go with him, this is where Mary goes to Germany and Pastor Jeff and the congregation are not only rid of Sheldon but also Mary for the Summer. 

Whatever the motivation for the church to get involved I don't see how it would have had anything to do with Mary.  Unless I missed it she is no longer attending that church and the friends she thought she had there all seem to have turned their backs on her.

[Bobbin]

George would be the best one to go with Sheldon to Heidelberg, besides that he deserves it, but leaving him home with Brenda drives the plot.

Maybe Pastor Jeff encouraged the congregation to come up with the money just to get rid of Sheldon, but as has been said, the Coopers haven't been going to church, so no existential questions from Sheldon lately. And Pastor Jeff seems like too kind hearted to have real animosity toward Sheldon and his "challenging" questions.  I like to think that he really believes this would be a good thing for everyone (if also a relief!).

I wonder how life would be for young Sheldon if he wasn't actually a genius besides also having an eidetic memory like Liam Aiken's "Bright Boy" on L&O:CI. How far would schools and universities push/use him without realizing he was just parroting knowledge, not actually understanding it? Sheldon at least has far better parents than "Robbie" did. Or James Egbert, a real 15 year old MSU prodigy tragically pushed too far. Sheldon is lucky to have George and Mary (et al) at his back, no matter what the future holds.

 

[Sarah 103]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:10 PM, Katy M said:

I thought Missy was going to say twin thing to explain how she knew that Sheldon needed help with a tag sale.

I love this, but I would also need to see the conversation that follows about whether or not Sheldon believes in the twin thing. 

[possibilities]

Does George have the summer off of work, or does his coaching job continue to be active in the summer. I'd think George would be the better parent to send with Sheldon (he also took him to visit a college in a previous season), but I also think he wouldn't want to go to Germany. He doesn't speak the language, he'd have nothing to do there. Mary doesn't seem to mind being in helicopter mode, but George would be bored out of his mind.

 

[aqusdealer]

23 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I'd think George would be the better parent to send with Sheldon (he also took him to visit a college in a previous season), but I also think he wouldn't want to go to Germany.

George would be in for the beer alone. 

[Me from ME]

Quote

I also wonder if the Germans will love him because he doesn't act like a typical American.

 

Quote

Well, he acts like an entitled and inconsiderate jerk.  I doubt very much the Germans are going to love him. 

Acknowledging that stereotypes are not always accurate and aren't usually a good idea, however there is a player from the Netherlands on Ted Lasso who frequently speaks his mind in a way that may be seen as insulting. Very similar to many of Sheldon's comments to friends and family. The other's accept it and explain it as a characteristic of the Dutch. I think initial contacts with Sheldon will be seen in the same way - until his real selfishness becomes apparent.

[shapeshifter]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:10 PM, Katy M said:

I dont see the church garnering that big of a donation to send Sheldon away. they don't even go to church any more.  How are they coming into contact with him

I got this. 😉. 
Pastor Jeff would love to get a vacation from Sheldon for the summer since he’s right next door, right? 
So Pastor Jeff gives a sermon about the sin of gossip and “let she who is without sin cast the first stone” and gets the congregation feeling guilty for the way they treated Mary.  
Pastor Jeff then sheds a tear for his own complicity.
Then Pastor Jeff mentions poor, misunderstood Sheldon not being able to go to Germany to learn things that might save the world [from whatever current fears were high in the minds of Texans] and suggests the already-feeling-guilty-of-gossip congregation might want to contribute to a fund for Sheldon’s and the World’s future. 
Bingo. And just like that: Full collection plate.

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

Does George have the summer off of work, or does his coaching job continue to be active in the summer. I'd think George would be the better parent to send with Sheldon (he also took him to visit a college in a previous season), but I also think he wouldn't want to go to Germany. He doesn't speak the language, he'd have nothing to do there. Mary doesn't seem to mind being in helicopter mode, but George would be bored out of his mind.

6 hours ago, aqusdealer said:

George would be in for the beer alone. 

Hrmm.

Spoiler

Thinking about TBBT canon of young Sheldon catching George in bed with a blonde...

George alone in Germany with beer and blondes. He might not remember it, but Sheldon would.
Or...
maybe it was a German guy George was drinking with who came back to George and Sheldon’s German abode, along with drinking buddy's blonde neighbor. The drinking buddy could look like George from the back with his pants down.  
Meanwhile George would have gone for a walk to give them privacy.
It would happen off screen and be described in a voiceover by adult Sheldon, describing an old photo he found recently of George and a guy the same build and coloring as George in the middle, and a blonde woman on the other side of that guy, and they're all holding German beer steins.

Edited May 13, 2023 by shapeshifter

[appositival]

9 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I love this, but I would also need to see the conversation that follows about whether or not Sheldon believes in the twin thing. 

I had twin sisters and when they were discussing their youth, one would say, "You remember when ..." and the other would say, "Oh, yeah", and they both would laugh with no actual mention of the event. This really freaked their children. They had different personalities, but each one understood how the other one thought and felt.

Missy might know how Sheldon would react (in some cases), but I don't think Sheldon could predict Missy's reactions (except by chance) because he doesn't view the world through the same filters. You can really see this in the 90210 episode.

Nevertheless, if current research indicates a deeper connection between twins, Sheldon will believe that it exists because science. He should know that his own experience is an outlying data point (because he knows he's not normal), but the show would probably gloss over that because it's 'too complicated' for the 'average viewer'.

[shura]

2 hours ago, Me from ME said:

Acknowledging that stereotypes are not always accurate and aren't usually a good idea, however there is a player from the Netherlands on Ted Lasso who frequently speaks his mind in a way that may be seen as insulting. Very similar to many of Sheldon's comments to friends and family. The other's accept it and explain it as a characteristic of the Dutch. I think initial contacts with Sheldon will be seen in the same way - until his real selfishness becomes apparent.

This is very true.  I have met quite a few Germans (enough to start thinking about stereotyping) who were not shy at all about speaking up about things they don’t like, in situations where a typical American would consider it impolite to bring it up or at least would phrase it in a much softer way.  So yes, I agree that he would fit right in in that regard.  But the other part of Sheldon’s personality, his disregard for what others want and his insistence that what he wants is more important, is not going to fly there. Nobody likes that.

[appositival]

21 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Well, he acts like an entitled and inconsiderate jerk.

Actually, if you add loud and ignorant of local culture, I believe that is the stereotype of the "ugly American".

[Tom Holmberg]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:35 PM, kay1864 said:

Who leaves the cashbox in a locked filing cabinet overnight? Petty cash maybe, but not a day’s or week’s worth of revenue.

There are a lot stories in the papers of stores being broken into overnight and the thieves taking money left in the cash registers or elsewhere.  Maybe, because of the nature of the business (are they paying taxes on the gambling money?), they can't use the bank's night deposit.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Tom Holmberg said:

There are a lot stories in the papers of stores being broken into overnight and the thieves taking money left in the cash registers or elsewhere.  Maybe, because of the nature of the business (are they paying taxes on the gambling money?), they can't use the bank's night deposit.

Do they not at least have a real safe? I've worked retail where they do deposits in the morning, but the money is in a locked safe in a locked office (which itself is inside another locked room) overnight.

[Bethany]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Do they not at least have a real safe? I've worked retail where they do deposits in the morning, but the money is in a locked safe in a locked office (which itself is inside another locked room) overnight.

I think up to now they've been running their illegal operation pretty amateurishly.  This had led me to hope they would soon drop the whole storyline and I am still crossing my fingers about that!  If they're making significant money they really do need to start being a little more serious about security than an elderly man with a baseball bat!

[Tom Holmberg]

37 minutes ago, Bethany said:

I think up to now they've been running their illegal operation pretty amateurishly.  This had led me to hope they would soon drop the whole storyline and I am still crossing my fingers about that!  If they're making significant money they really do need to start being a little more serious about security than an elderly man with a baseball bat!

I predicted the storyline wouldn't go anywhere and I still think so.

[kwnyc]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Does George have the summer off of work, or does his coaching job continue to be active in the summer.

I also think George would be the better parent to escort Sheldon (he did fine in California), but in Texas, I bet 2-a-days (football practice) start in midsummer. And George needs to keep his job.

It also occurred to me that maybe Pastor Jeff feels bad about the way Mary was shunned and since they don't seem to have a bookkeeper anymore, dipped into church funds as a way to deal with his guilt. It's a big handwave, but I could see it.

I also agree with those who think it was the cop who broke into Meemaw's gambling parlor in a bid for "protection" money.

[januaryman]

It's either mean or sad (or both) that Sheldon's own sister would be happy to have him out of the country for 3 months or longer.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:27 PM, aqusdealer said:

I think it was Mandy in a desperate post partum fueled attempt to get outta' Dodge.

If only . . . .

[Browncoat]

Perhaps if Sheldon's not there demanding all the attention, Missy will actually get some attention.  Or maybe she hopes that would be the case.

[Bethany]

25 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Perhaps if Sheldon's not there demanding all the attention, Missy will actually get some attention.  Or maybe she hopes that would be the case.

She may regret it if she starts getting too much attention!  It will put a crimp in the smoking and drinking and sneaking around with her new friend - and somehow you just know given this kid is related to Pastor Jeff that it's Missy who'll get the blame for anything they get up to!