S07.E12: A New Home And A Traditional Texas Torture

[3 is enough]

I don’t think Mary ever moved to Houston- I think Sheldon and Howard flew to Houston and then drove to Medford in that episode. 
 

Even though we knew this was coming from day one it hit hard. Kudos to the writers and actors- so well done and IMHO Emmy- worthy.

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Vanity Card from the episode:

I don't usually read the vanity cards, but I made a point of pausing that one.  Yeah, there was dust or something flying around in my living room from the moment the principal and Wayne showed up at the door.

I know they've basically ret-conned everything we supposedly knew about George from TBBT, but I don't care.  I am glad they did because the character on YS was so much better than the drunken, cheating father Sheldon had described.  The end of this episode was a gut-punch for me, despite knowing it had to be coming, because the writers and Lance Barber did a fantastic job of making George feel like a real person rather than the caricature we heard about on TBBT.

2 hours ago, highway61 said:

was the last time we saw Brenda and Pastor Rob at the hospital when CeCe was born?

We saw Brenda after that.  I believe her last scene was in the episode where Missy and Billy threw a party earlier this season.

Edited May 10 by proserpina65

[Chit Chat]

29 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

I don’t think Mary ever moved to Houston- I think Sheldon and Howard flew to Houston and then drove to Medford in that episode. 

Thanks for clearing that up!  That makes sense.  

 

[tennisgurl]

I was so sure that they would just do a voice over at the end explaining that George had passed, but in a way that would have been cheap. We've gotten to know George and these characters for so long, I think he deserves a real goodbye. As soon as the episode started and they started talking about the family picture I started to suspect something, then George got the job at Rice, the family was planning to move, there was a heaviness throughout the episode, then when George was leaving the house, I just knew. Then the door knocked and my heart sunk. Huge kudos to the writers and actors, that was so heartbreaking. Missy especially killed it, you could see her face just crumbling while Sheldon was trying so hard to comprehend the information he just got. Knowing it was coming just made it worse. 

We know that older Sheldon has regrets about not connecting more with his father, and now knowing that he ignored him the last time he saw him makes it even worse. I cant imagine how Missy will feel, not getting a ride from him on his last day alive. 

Before the heartbreak, this was a really good episode. Sheldon was being obnoxious, but I could tell it was anxiety about his move, it was great seeing Mary lay down the law with him, and there were a lot of really funny bits, like Sheldon in his hazmat suit and Missy in her perfect church girl out, and Sheldon's disgust at the Texas tradition of family pictures. "It wasn't the economic devastation, it was the picture." 

I'm really going to need a minute... 

[Chit Chat]

13 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

We've gotten to know George and these characters for so long, I think he deserves a real goodbye.

I understand what you're saying, but for me, having the next few episodes be of a happy nature and then learning through a voiceover of his death was my preferred way to handle it.  Based on TBBT, we knew that he would die, but to see it played out was hard to watch.  I will watch the last few episodes, but I hate to see the show end on such a depressing note.  YMMV.  

Lorre is right in that they made a mistake with TBBT by making George sound like a horrible person.  At least they wrote him differently for YS.  I appreciated that they changed that aspect of him.  

[JayDub1987]

15 minutes ago, Chit Chat said:

I will watch the last few episodes, but I hate to see the show end on such a depressing note.  YMMV.  

Next week (May 16) is the end of the series. Only got one left. 

I woke up this morning and felt like an idiot because legitimately, this was the first thing on my mind. Undoubtedly, it ties into something else that I'm dealing with in my life right now, none of which would matter to anyone here, but a fictional character's death that I knew was coming was immediately on my mind this morning. That is the mark of a well-done TV show, even if it hurt like hell. 

[MadyGirl1987]

That was hard to watch, but I'm glad they are doing it now so the finale can hopefully leave them in a better place, rather then seeing them get the sucker-punch of his death and then roll credits. I also like they will show the family coming to grips with his death, as opposed to there simply being a voice-over saying he died, which would feel a trite ending for someone we've come to appreciate over 7 seasons.

I'm kind of hoping they have adult Sheldon reflecting on everyone's reactions. We saw how he and Georgie viewed that time differently when we saw him on TBBT, and I would like to see more of that reflection. It rings true to my personal experience of losing my mom to cancer. I've always felt lucky, for lack of a better term, it wasn't a sudden death, but now, a decade after, I have come to realize it was to my younger sister and dad, that they didn't really let themselves acknowledge losing her was a possibility. I don't know why, maybe because I can have a more cynical, logical outlook and tend to worry about the worst possibilities(thanks OCD), maybe it came from my mom's outlook(she was kind of "positive vibes only" about the situation and I don't think she really accepted it was a possibility until the very end), but it hit home people who are in the same situation can view it differently. I think seeing adult Sheldon reflecting on the event knowing what he knows now and with greater emotional intelligence, could be a touching and a poignant way to frame the series ending in a "looking back at my childhood with what I know now" kind of way.

I will end by saying I loved seeing Mary in her "no-nonsense/able to handle Sheldon" mode we saw on TBBT when she told him to get back to the dinner table. I also laughed at the comment Sheldon will change the world or destroy us all. 

Edited May 10 by MadyGirl1987

[MsNewsradio]

15 hours ago, Zanzibar said:

I expected this to happen next week, but as the episode unfolded, I thought we might get the ending we saw tonight.  My own father died suddenly of a heart attack, and this episode brought up memories of that day.  The shock, the disbelief.  All of it.

Bravo to the actors, they were all amazing in that last scene.

My father also died suddenly of a heart attack, and I made the mistake of watching this episode before bed last night. Oof. The actors absolutely nailed it.

[ch1]

1 hour ago, JayDub1987 said:

Next week (May 16) is the end of the series. Only got one left. 

I woke up this morning and felt like an idiot because legitimately, this was the first thing on my mind. Undoubtedly, it ties into something else that I'm dealing with in my life right now, none of which would matter to anyone here, but a fictional character's death that I knew was coming was immediately on my mind this morning. That is the mark of a well-done TV show, even if it hurt like hell. 

I agree.  The last character death that stuck with me like this was Bobby Simone on NYPD Blue.  I think the character plus the realness of it is what is so effecting.  It was just well done all around.

The writers choosing to make George a rootable person was the best decision they made.  The person presented in the BBT would not have effected the audience in this way.  The shitty father in BB has now become one of the most heartbreaking deaths in TV.

[Skooma]

6 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

Didn't Mary end up in Houston at some point?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Sheldon & Howard go to visit her there and that's when Sheldon saw her in her home with another man?

No, she was living in their old home. 

5 hours ago, Kmr said:

I wonder if Sheldon considers not going to Caltech to be there for the family and his mom so the affair story comes from this. It goes along with Georgie’s resentment in the future 

No, Sheldon goes to Cal Tech.  In the TBBT Georgie lectures Sheldon about how he, Georgie, had to become man of the house and help their mother through all this while Sheldon was off to college.

They already dealt with "the affair" and explained it away.  Why would they bring that back up in the last two episodes?  

1 hour ago, JayDub1987 said:

Next week (May 16) is the end of the series. Only got one left.

I believe it is two episodes again like this week.  Ghosts last episode was last week so Young Sheldon has that slot these last two weeks of it's run.

[EtheltoTillie]

Lorre is doing much better by this show than Bob Hearts Abishola.  The BHA finale earlier this week went out like a whimper. 

[JayDub1987]

24 minutes ago, Skooma said:

I believe it is two episodes again like this week.  Ghosts last episode was last week so Young Sheldon has that slot these last two weeks of it's run.

I hope that’s the case. During last weeks episode, the commercial said “with 3 episodes left….” And we had 2 this week. I’d like another full hour to tie everything up. 

[TheLastKidPicked]

The kids who grew up watching That 70's Show are popping up now saying, 

"Now that I'm an adult, I understand that Red was a good father."

Our local station is rerunning Young Sheldon each evening.

Watching those early episodes, George is portrayed a bit negatively, but you can already see them leaving the breadcrumbs for,

"You know what?  George was actually right in that scene."

 

Edited May 10 by TheLastKidPicked

[AriAu]

While there was lots of retconning from TBBT, he had to pass away, but I wish they had done it in a voiceover (Wonder Years style) since  this is, after all, a comedy.

Was this the first time we saw Young Sheldon doing the 3 knocks....and I can't wait to see how they retcon that one-while it is possible that Mary finds out that George cheated, there is no way that Sheldon walked in on them.

That was a pretty hard cut to black at the end-had to watch again to make sure it wasnt a dvr malfunction

[ams1001]

30 minutes ago, JayDub1987 said:

I hope that’s the case. During last weeks episode, the commercial said “with 3 episodes left….” And we had 2 this week. I’d like another full hour to tie everything up. 

TV listings have two episodes. Maybe they are thinking of the last two as finale parts 1 and 2 or something like that, though they're not listed as such (but they also just have the same generic description, not anything specific to the episodes).

Don't know if this is considered spoilery so I edited:

Spoiler

The last two are titled "Funeral" and "Memoir." I found it interesting that they are one-word titles instead of the usual format.

Last night's episode of After Midnight referenced two CBS shows that wrapped up this week, Bob Hearts Abishola and Young Sheldon, and I was like, no YS isn't done yet!

15 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Was this the first time we saw Young Sheldon doing the 3 knocks....

I wanted to say no, he's done it before, but then I googled and found a page referencing the evolution of the knock, and in previous episodes he does the knock-knock-knock-name thing, then later extends it to two rounds, but they don't mention him doing three at least up to season 4, so now I don't know.

Edited May 10 by ams1001

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Was this the first time we saw Young Sheldon doing the 3 knocks....and I can't wait to see how they retcon that one-while it is possible that Mary finds out that George cheated, there is no way that Sheldon walked in on them.

Already done. Rather nicely, I thought.
From 7.4:

Quote

…Sheldon returns home and thinks he spots George with another woman but it is just Mary roleplaying as Helga, a German woman. Older Sheldon states after this he started adding extra knocks on doors (referencing adult Sheldon's norm in The Big Bang Theory).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Young_Sheldon_episodes#Season_7_(2024)

 

[ams1001]

never mind

Edited May 10 by ams1001

[gentlespirit512]

I somehow had it n my mind that George died after Sheldon left, and that wss why Georgie was so mad at him. So I’m heartbroken and confused.

[mojoween]

Pastor Jeff baptized CeCe in Mary’s sink, for whoever asked if we saw him again.

I’m still thinking about this (and also how Lance Barber as the bully who Sheldon and Leonard confront was more like the TBBT version of George than YS) and as has been mentioned, every actor except Montana and Emily (and what was up with sending them out of the room, show?) just wrenched every bit of emotion out of that last scene.  Missy’s “but he’s going to be ok right?” and the principal having to be the one to tell her no … oof.

[TheLastKidPicked]

4 minutes ago, gentlespirit512 said:

I somehow had it n my mind that George died after Sheldon left, and that wss why Georgie was so mad at him. So I’m heartbroken and confused.

This still works.  George passes away and Sheldon leaves for college while Georgie is still helping Mary pick up the pieces. 

 

[katycat74]

Last we saw of Pastotr Jeff was a quick cameo at the church when MeeMaw started her community service.

[highway61]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

We saw Brenda after that.  I believe her last scene was in the episode where Missy and Billy threw a party earlier this season.

Yep, you're right - thanks!

[kay1864]

15 hours ago, BMGepinniw said:

What followed was an interview with Lance and Zoe, complete with the scene when Mary answers the door and gets the news.

Can you please share the link?

And dammit show, if you can ignore that George was a mean old drunk as established in TBBT, why couldn’t you just ignore this too?

Edited May 10 by kay1864

[Shelbie]

The interview is in the media thread.

[shura]

That vanity card, while beautiful and profound, is a little disingenuous.  We made this choice 18 years ago, so, unfortunately, our hands are tied now and we have no choice but do this to our characters and viewers.  No, you could have done absolutely anything, all the way up to not addressing George’s death at all.  It wouldn’t have negated anything from TBBT, there is no law saying that everything has to happen onscreen or be reconfirmed or even mentioned in a prequel.  So yes, it was a choice. A magnificent gut punch of a choice.  And all the actors more than did it justice.  The man playing the principal - give him whatever Emmy there is for the most minor supporting role.  I could not take my eyes off him.

And yes, what’s up with not having Georgie there?  They can’t have doubts in Montana’s acting range, can they, and give him his own show?  I guess we are in for a pretty heavy finale and we’ll see him react to the news there.  Honestly, this episode would have worked for me as the finale. It would have been up there with the best, most different of them.  I don’t know if having another hour of grieving will improve on it. 

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I can't imagine Mary would find out about the vasectomy.  Autopsies aren't usually done when the cause of death is so obvious. 

There are other ways she could find out.  Maybe a bill coming to the house, a health insurance claim, the doctor's office calling to follow up.  It's been years since I watched BBT regularly, so I don't remember if Mary had bitter memories of George or not.  But I hope they don't use the vasectomy to make Mary angry at him, and second guess their entire relationship.  That would be doubly tragic.

[januaryman]

I sensed there would be a tragic cliffhanger based on next week's title - and I wish they had held off on releasing the titles until after this week. I also wish they hadn't spoiled the mood of the last scene with a chipper promo for the first two episodes. I'm glad there wasn't a morbid on-camera death scene - it worked out beautifully as is. I liked seeing the old recurring characters again as a nod to the earlier funnier seasons. I wish Ms. Ingram had shown up but that probably couldn't be worked out. I hope they put some laughs into the final show and Jim and Mayim don't dominate it.

[Skooma]

11 hours ago, AriAu said:

While there was lots of retconning from TBBT, he had to pass away, but I wish they had done it in a voiceover (Wonder Years style) since  this is, after all, a comedy.

I think it was great they did it in this show.  I thought it would be a voiceover in the end but I'm really glad they did it this way.  Allows the final 2 shows coming up to see how the family mourns first then goes on in life into the future.

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

every actor except Montana and Emily (and what was up with sending them out of the room, show?) just wrenched every bit of emotion out of that last scene.  Missy’s “but he’s going to be ok right?” and the principal having to be the one to tell her no … oof.

I assume we will get their reaction first thing next episode.  There were 4 people in the room as it was.  That was enough.  Six in the room would have diminished the scene by splitting the attention of the viewer all over the place.

They had a perfectly placed shot of the three at the door reacting and then Sheldon's reaction.  That was enough to take in in the moment.

Also given the stupid spinoff, I'm guessing they will want to highlight Georgie's reaction and how he steps up to comfort everybody right off and takes charge.

9 hours ago, rmontro said:

There are other ways she could find out.  Maybe a bill coming to the house, a health insurance claim, the doctor's office calling to follow up.  It's been years since I watched BBT regularly, so I don't remember if Mary had bitter memories of George or not.  But I hope they don't use the vasectomy to make Mary angry at him, and second guess their entire relationship.  That would be doubly tragic.

I don't think they are going there.  It would add nothing to the show at all.  It would take away precious minutes to throw in some crazy subplot of a subplot of a subplot from the mere 42 minutes remaining of the show.  And no, Mary wasn't angry at him in TBBT.

Edited May 11 by Skooma

[Magnumfangirl]

50 minutes ago, shura said:

The man playing the principal

That's Rex Linn.  In real life, he's Reba McEntire's boyfriend (they met on the show).  I knew of him from JAG where he played a most interesting character.

 

Back to the show:  How are they possibly going to make the next two episodes funny?

Edited May 10 by Magnumfangirl

[bad things are bad]

4 hours ago, MsNewsradio said:

My father also died suddenly of a heart attack, and I made the mistake of watching this episode before bed last night

My husband was 15 when his dad died at work of a massive heart attack.  He cried like a baby. 

This and the episode of 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter's character died just gutted him

[SoMuchTV]

15 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

This and the episode of 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter's character died just gutted him

At least here, we know that it’s just a story, not a storyline necessitated by real world events 😢

[shipmate]

I’m just gonna say it. Although I really enjoyed the Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon is just a far far better show. Like so many others, I knew that George’s death was coming, but it was still a shock. I also commiserate with those of us who lost our fathers suddenly like that as well (the sounds around him getting distorted for Sheldon in the shock rang very true for me). Kudos to the actors in that scene because each and every one nailed it.

I hate the idea of the Georgie spinoff show going back to a laugh track production.

[BooksRule]

I read the comments here before I watched the episode (I was recording shows on another channel, so something had to be skipped), but watched it at lunch on my computer at work (so I had to keep my stoic face on in case someone knocked or walked into my office). Good episode, but definitely sad.  I also figured they would have his death announced by older Sheldon as a voiceover at the end.

Sad as it was, I did laugh at this exchange at the dinner table:

 

George: 'I got a job offer from Rice.'

Georgie: 'A-Roni?'

George: 'University.'

Georgie: 'You can understand the mistake.'

[Dimity]

6 hours ago, Skooma said:

In the TBBT Georgie lectures Sheldon about how he, Georgie, had to become man of the house and help their mother through all this while Sheldon was off to college.

Which, based on the upcoming spin off, does not happen.

[shura]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

At least here, we know that it’s just a story, not a storyline necessitated by real world events 😢

See, that’s the curious thing for me.  With John Ritter or Carol Ann Susi, a whole episode about mourning their character was also a tribute to the actor.  You almost couldn’t not do it and it worked on several levels.  Plus their shows were continuing and the episode also set up things that were going to be different later.  Here on Young Sheldon, there is no later, nothing needs to be set up (unless we are talking about the spinoff, and I would hate to see George’s death used for that) and the reason for this upcoming sad episode is just… because they can?  It is a sitcom, you don’t want to go out leaving the viewers depressed for no good reason. We’ll see what they do with it.

5 hours ago, Skooma said:

Also given the stupid spinoff, I'm guessing they will want to highlight Georgie's reaction and how he steps up to comfort everybody right off and takes charge.

Fantastic.  This thing is going to have bland Mandy, her toxic mother and Georgie taking care of his devastated family?  And did someone say laugh track?  Lorre doesn’t want it to be successful, it’s his version of Springtime for Hitler, right?

[Artsda]

I wasn't expecting it until the ladder. Georgie mentioning if he should be up there and his saying Georgie to learn.  I thought he'd fall or something at that point. 

I'm glad we didn't have to see it and poor George was finally getting his dream job. 

[kay1864]

6 hours ago, shura said:

No, you could have done absolutely anything, all the way up to not addressing George’s death at all.  It wouldn’t have negated anything from TBBT, there is no law saying that everything has to happen onscreen or be reconfirmed or even mentioned in a prequel.

So much love for these words.

 

[kay1864]

Anyone else think the whole “Mary would love to have a baby” (at age 45!) and “George gets a vasectomy” plotline came out of nowhere? What did it add? Why was it written? Is it maybe connected to his heart attack?

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, kay1864 said:

Anyone else think the whole “Mary would love to have a baby” (at age 45!) and “George gets a vasectomy” plotline came out of nowhere? What did it add? Why was it written? Is it maybe connected to his heart attack?

If Mary got married right after high school when she was pregnant with Georgie, and if Georgie is 18, Mary is now 37.

I keep wondering if the vasectomy will come up in the next episodes, perhaps to convey that George didn’t hope to have another child.

[BMGepinniw]

10 hours ago, Shelbie said:

The interview is in the media thread.

Thank you for advising of that, Shelbie.   

[kay1864]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If Mary got married right after high school when she was pregnant with Georgie, and if Georgie is 18, Mary is now 37.

I thought that too, but several sites said she was a wild child first, and then 25 when Georgie was born, so she was born in 1950.

https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/Mary_Cooper

Edited May 11 by kay1864

[appositival]

8 hours ago, kay1864 said:

Anyone else think the whole “Mary would love to have a baby” (at age 45!) and “George gets a vasectomy” plotline came out of nowhere? What did it add? Why was it written? Is it maybe connected to his heart attack?

I think it was just to give Lance more screen time. I did think it was funny that the pain vanished (from the story) as soon as Mary said that they were too tired to manage a baby. I did feel sorry for George, going through all that for nothing. I doubt it will be mentioned again.

[mammaM]

On 5/10/2024 at 7:42 AM, mammaM said:

And.......we still have two episodes. I don't think I can deal with a funeral.

Though I have a feeling we're in for a reallllly long voice over, like Nobel Prize winning long (maybe reconciling all those differences we've been bitching about all these years😂)

I take that back, not a voice over, a reallllllly long monologue. I just saw a commercial and I did NOT know Jim and Mayim were going to be in the last episode 

[SnapHappy]

11 hours ago, shura said:

 Here on Young Sheldon, there is no later, nothing needs to be set up (unless we are talking about the spinoff, and I would hate to see George’s death used for that) and the reason for this upcoming sad episode is just… because they can?  It is a sitcom, you don’t want to go out leaving the viewers depressed for no good reason. We’ll see what they do with it.

I wrote this back in March, episode 3: 

March 2

I'm hoping that when they end this show, it's not even a voiceover moment.   "And that was the last time I talked to my father...." or something like that. 

They can just leave the family back together post Germany, at the end of the summer.  I don't need or want a summation.  We've had a few voiceovers from adult Sheldon, Amy and Raj I think? Or was it Leonard? 

Those suffice for me to tie this show to BBT.  I say let it be. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Nothing “spoiled” George’s passing away for me, so it very much surprised and saddened me. 
 

Sheldon pushed half of his no-crust sandwich at Tam on a library table instead of handing it to him? Nothing between the sandwich and the table surface? Not a napkin?

Edited May 11 by hoodooznoodooz

[JamieLynn832002]

40 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

We've had a few voiceovers from adult Sheldon, Amy and Raj I think? Or was it Leonard? 

Howard did part of the episode where Sheldon studies engineering. I can't remember for sure if Raj or Leonard  ever did one

[Dimity]

I fully expected George to die, it was always, as far as I know, the end game for Young Sheldon.  I was surprised they did it in this episode.  Thinking about it though I am glad they did it this way.  Next week we can say good bye to the family and while there will be sadness presumably they will also focus on fresh starts and new adventures.

That said I wonder if anyone else noticed that the last few episodes featured Sheldon much more than they had been doing.  I am guessing this was deliberate to have him making his final farewells to his childhood and so we then see the distancing of Sheldon from his family and from Texas as he moves on to Caltech and his new life.

5 minutes ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

Howard did part of the episode where Sheldon studies engineering. I can't remember for sure if Raj or Leonard  ever did one

Penny was the voice of the swimming pool in an earlier episode but other than that I think you are right the only cast from BBT to appear as themselves in voiceover were Amy and Howard - his wife and one treasured acquaintance 😊.

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

That said I wonder if anyone else noticed that the last few episodes featured Sheldon much more than they had been doing.  I am guessing this was deliberate to have him making his final farewells to his childhood and so we then see the distancing of Sheldon from his family and from Texas as he moves on to Caltech and his new life.

I noticed that, too. I said a few weeks ago that I wasn't necessarily going to miss the show but I was wrong. But I also think it's a good time to end, with Sheldon moving to California for school.

[wonderwoman]

On 5/9/2024 at 9:27 PM, Spartan Girl said:

On 5/9/2024 at 9:25 PM, DoYouLikeMutton said:

Poignant scene, but this show has been a drag for a long time.  Like when they killed off Brian Griffin.

A lot of us wouldn’t have cared if Brian stayed dead, given how intolerable he is now.

George, on the other hand, will be missed.

who’s brian griffin?

[Dimity]

26 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I noticed that, too. I said a few weeks ago that I wasn't necessarily going to miss the show but I was wrong.

This season reminded me of why I liked Young Sheldon!  I heartily disliked the pregnancy and gambling den storylines and the will he or won't he adultery (potential I should say).  This year the focus seemed to be back on the family as it used to be.