S01.E03: Secrets, Lies, and a Chunk of Change

[chitowngirl]

Georgie digs into Mandy's past when he discovers she's been hiding thousands of dollars of debt; Mandy tries to right her wrongs by going back to work.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Some of the comedy is just too broad in this show, like when Mandy starts to cry when she is supposed to be serving the family with the baby.  We've all seen this trope before.  I was more interested in the outcome of the bank robbery.

With regard to the brother, I guess Georgie will take a hug from whoever is willing to give one.

I really hope that Georgie and Mandy's bed doesn't share a wall with her parents' bed.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

The brother offering a hug was a minimally nice touch.  Seeing Georgie and Mandy fighting through the whole episode wasn't interesting.  Hopefully this isn't going to be every episode.  Still the only character i can like is Jim (and to a lesser degree Rueben).  Having Audrey in every episode is like having Leonard's mother in every episode, something I wouldn't like.

[MollyMelrose]

Oh my.

So this is what the show will be like without the Young Sheldon Support Cast Crutch. 

Happy for the people enjoying it.

Not one of them.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

Apparently this was the first episode in the TBBT and YS universe where Sheldon wasn't even mentioned.  That was on the plus side. 😁

[Browncoat]

I was mostly bored by this episode.  I think the only thing I liked was the mention of MeeMaw's gambling den.

[iarwain]

I suppose this is a minor complaint, but might as well log it anyway:

I don't mind the tango opening, but I don't like the tango music being used as incidental music throughout the episode.  It just sounds odd.

The series hasn't seemed to have found itself yet, but it's only three episodes in.  I'm willing to have some patience.

[ams1001]

12 minutes ago, iarwain said:

The series hasn't seemed to have found itself yet, but it's only three episodes in.  I'm willing to have some patience.

Yeah, I've gotten a few laughs but overall I'm fairly neutral on it right now. I also don't have anything else I care to watch in the time slot and it's leading into Ghosts which I do care to watch, so I'll watch anyway. But as of now, I won't be surprised, or particularly sad, if it doesn't get renewed.

I did like Georgie's tow-truck scheme (and Audrey's suggestion of spilling some nails in the road to drum up business was funny); seems to be the beginnings of the tire doctor we know he will become.

[shura]

1 hour ago, MollyMelrose said:

Oh my.

So this is what the show will be like without the Young Sheldon Support Cast Crutch. 

Yeah…  And it just got a full season order.  Of that.

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Apparently this was the first episode in the TBBT and YS universe where Sheldon wasn't even mentioned.  That was on the plus side. 😁

Oh, please.  That’s just a technicality.  Tell me that you didn’t think of Sheldon when you heard “Jay Leno is a man of the people.  I’m people.”

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

 

I did like Georgie's tow-truck scheme (and Audrey's suggestion of spilling some nails in the road to drum up business was funny); seems to be the beginnings of the tire doctor we know he will become.

I am enjoying this show so far, and really like this episode where they showed Georgie coming up with ways to make more money at the store, and also confronting Mandy's ex. I also loved Jim mumbling to himself that he is glad he didn't shoot Georgie, and Georgie saying that Mandy may be the lucky one in the relationship.

I always liked Georgie's personality on YS, and do not miss Sheldon or Mary at all. I do hope to see Missy and MeeMaw a few more times this season though. But my only complaint is Mandy's brother who is still a waste of air time to me.

[Tom Holmberg]

5 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

confronting Mandy's ex.

I was surprised that Georgie didn't end up being pantsed by Mandy's ex.

[iarwain]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I did like Georgie's tow-truck scheme (and Audrey's suggestion of spilling some nails in the road to drum up business was funny); seems to be the beginnings of the tire doctor we know he will become.

The encouraging thing about that whole bit was it showed there was a possibility that Audrey is warming up to Georgie.  This show would be a lot better if they ditched the antagonism she has toward Georgie.  

I also think the show would benefit if Georgie and Mandy moved out of her parents' house, and maybe introduced a few new characters (maybe some friends).  I'd like it if they struck a balance between featuring Mandy's parents and his family, but unfortunately it sounds like the Mary and Missy actresses are only going to be occasional guest stars.  So they probably need to fill the void another way.  It just feels like there are a few key supporting characters missing.

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, iarwain said:

I also think the show would benefit if Georgie and Mandy moved out of her parents' house, and maybe introduced a few new characters (maybe some friends).

Yeah, it's a little too insulated, I think. I can see the friend thing being tricky with the age difference. People his age are going to be in a very different place in life and people her age are likely to see him as a kid. (Even in YS, neither of them seem to have friends outside the main cast.)

[UsernameFatigue]

11 minutes ago, iarwain said:

The encouraging thing about that whole bit was it showed there was a possibility that Audrey is warming up to Georgie.  This show would be a lot better if they ditched the antagonism she has toward Georgie.  

I also think the show would benefit if Georgie and Mandy moved out of her parents' house, and maybe introduced a few new characters (maybe some friends).  I'd like it if they struck a balance between featuring Mandy's parents and his family, but unfortunately it sounds like the Mary and Missy actresses are only going to be occasional guest stars.  So they probably need to fill the void another way.  It just feels like there are a few key supporting characters missing.

Since it is only three episodes in and an entire season has been now ordered, I hope as well that at some point Georgie and Mandy move out, and more characters are introduced. I do think that Audrey may be warming up to Georgie, and it makes sense at the moment for the couple to be living at home where Audrey can have more interactions with Georgie and maybe see that he is actually a pretty smart and caring young man. 

[Dimity]

I had no problem with Audrey not liking the idea of Georgie (would many mothers be thrilled that their 30 yr old daughter has a relationship with a teenager and gets pregnant?) but the reality of Georgie is very different.  If she can't learn to like, even love, Georgie than I don't know what their end game for these characters is going to be.  Thinly veiled (and sometimes not so thinly) antagonism as it was with MeeMaw and George?  I hope not. 

Edited Friday at 08:58 PM by Dimity

[iarwain]

22 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

 I do think that Audrey may be warming up to Georgie, and it makes sense at the moment for the couple to be living at home where Audrey can have more interactions with Georgie and maybe see that he is actually a pretty smart and caring young man. 

Just thinking out loud here:  If you've ever watched The Honeymooners, Ralph hated his mother in law, and vice versa.  In one episode, Ralph finds a big bag of money, and becomes temporarily wealthy.  That changes his mother in law's attitude toward him.  I wonder if something similar could happen here: 

Georgie becomes successful, and comes into some money, and Audrey starts to suck up to him.  This way Audrey treats Georgie better.  She isn't entirely sincere about liking him, but this way it at least removes most of the unpleasantness.

[MSterling]

3 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I was surprised that Georgie didn't end up being pantsed by Mandy's ex.

I'm glad it didn't end up like that, since that would be too much like the pilot of TBBT.

I'm also glad Audrey wasn't completely awful in this episode. It was nice to see her mean streak being used to help her family.

[Dimity]

49 minutes ago, MSterling said:

I'm glad it didn't end up like that, since that would be too much like the pilot of TBBT.

Just watching this episode now and that's where my mind went when Mandy said what the medical debt was for. I was liking the episode up to this point.  Now I'm not so sure.

Edit: ok finished watching and it wasn't bad.  I liked the scene with Mandy at the diner and the ending with Audrey and the answering machine was pretty good.  Definitely not sure if I am going to become officially a fan of this show but I think I will keep watching for awhile.

I echo others here though when I say that Mandy's brother is not adding anything to the show.  At all.

Edited Saturday at 12:22 AM by Dimity

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, iarwain said:

This show would be a lot better if they ditched the antagonism she has toward Georgie.  

I agree.  Although I understand her concern and frustration with the situation, she should hide the animosity for the sake of the family and give Mandy & Georgie a chance to make their marriage work.  At least Mandy's dad is being civil and acknowledged that Georgie is a good person.  

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, MSterling said:

7 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I was surprised that Georgie didn't end up being pantsed by Mandy's ex.

I'm glad it didn't end up like that, since that would be too much like the pilot of TBBT.

I was reminded of that BBT moment and I actually think it would have been funnier if that had happened here!

I just feel like everything on this show feels forced. None of the actors or the situations flow. Their interactions are awkward. I'm not loving it. Can it get better? Perhaps, but I'm not holding my breath. Georgie isn't even the Georgie we knew on YS. He had more spunk and attitude. Here he's just milquetoast like they're making him try too hard to be a sitcom dad. And I'm not buying his and Mandy's relationship at all. I cringe seeing them in bed. It's ambiguous. Are they just playing house? 

After the success of BBT and YS this show pales by comparison. I don't know if this show can overcome its shortcomings. There's a glimmer of hope with the tow-truck scheme but we'll just have to see how they handle it.

[iarwain]

8 hours ago, MSterling said:

I'm glad it didn't end up like that, since that would be too much like the pilot of TBBT.

Now that you mention it, this bit does seem to be a recurring theme.  Makes you wonder if Chuck Lorre's wife or girlfriend had an ex that owed her money.

[Dimity]

5 hours ago, iarwain said:

Now that you mention it, this bit does seem to be a recurring theme.  Makes you wonder if Chuck Lorre's wife or girlfriend had an ex that owed her money.

5 hours ago, iarwain said:

Makes you wonder if Chuck Lorre's wife or girlfriend had an ex that owed her money.

Lorre also reused the idea that a woman could have thousands in credit card debt mainly because she buys too many shoes and purses.  In Mandy's case this came right out of left field and I am guessing serves as a way to make Mandy seem younger and by contrast Georgie older as he took a more responsible approach to credit cards and debt.

[iarwain]

10 hours ago, Dimity said:

Lorre also reused the idea that a woman could have thousands in credit card debt mainly because she buys too many shoes and purses.  In Mandy's case this came right out of left field and I am guessing serves as a way to make Mandy seem younger and by contrast Georgie older as he took a more responsible approach to credit cards and debt.

Well, some have said Lorre has some misogynistic tendencies.  Anyway, we don't know how long Mandy has been holding that debt.  Sounds like she's only been paying the minimum payment every month, which is not the way to pay it down.  Seems odd she's only starting to worry about it now that she's married to Georgie.

[BitterApple]

On 11/1/2024 at 10:56 AM, iarwain said:

I don't mind the tango opening, but I don't like the tango music being used as incidental music 

The tango music is so jarring. The scenes already feel disjointed as it is, the music certainly doesn't help matters.

 

On 11/1/2024 at 11:12 AM, ams1001 said:

I also don't have anything else I care to watch in the time slot and it's leading into Ghosts which I do care to watch, so I'll watch anyway. 

I'm of the same mind. It's something to watch while I'm waiting for Ghosts and Matlock, but isn't must-see. If it gets canceled after a year, I won't miss it. Audrey's suggestion with the nails was the one genuinely funny moment of this episode. It reminded of something MeeMaw would come up with. 

 

21 hours ago, Yeah No said:

And I'm not buying his and Mandy's relationship at all. I cringe seeing them in bed. It's ambiguous. Are they just playing house? 

For me it's the lingering ick factor of a 30 year-old woman sleeping with a (then) underage guy. Imagine if the sexes were reversed. No showrunners would dare go there, but with Mandy and Georgie it's supposed to be funny. It wasn't quite so gross in small doses on YS, but now that there's an entire sitcom dedicated to it, it isn't quite sitting right. 

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Dimity said:

Lorre also reused the idea that a woman could have thousands in credit card debt mainly because she buys too many shoes and purses.  In Mandy's case this came right out of left field and I am guessing serves as a way to make Mandy seem younger and by contrast Georgie older as he took a more responsible approach to credit cards and debt.

I just think it's lazy writing. I never watched "Two and a Half Men" until I recently saw some episodes and Lorre actually used some similar stuff he first did on that show on BBT, although it didn't matter, at least it was funny on both shows and didn't feel force-fit into a boring scenario like it does here.

13 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

For me it's the lingering ick factor of a 30 year-old woman sleeping with a (then) underage guy. Imagine if the sexes were reversed. No showrunners would dare go there, but with Mandy and Georgie it's supposed to be funny. It wasn't quite so gross in small doses on YS, but now that there's an entire sitcom dedicated to it, it isn't quite sitting right. 

Yup, it's that too for me. I probably didn't even realize it until you mentioned it but I think that was part of why watching them in bed makes me cringe.

[mojoween]

The first time Leonard and Sheldon tried to get something back for Penny (the TV), they ended up pantsed, but the second time Leonard got a written validation of the debt (for the traffic ticket).  Georgie getting a check, but no money, ended up somewhere in the middle, and made me wonder if the writers for this show didn’t watch TBBT, or don’t care if we did.

If the medical debt was that old, and had to be at least two+ years since it was an old boyfriend, it wouldn’t still show up itemized on the bill.  It is a small nit, but it did pick at me thinking about it.

Connor is creepy and no one would care if he ended up in the attic with Chuck Cunningham and Judy Winslow.

[Dimity]

19 minutes ago, mojoween said:

If the medical debt was that old, and had to be at least two+ years since it was an old boyfriend, it wouldn’t still show up itemized on the bill.  It is a small nit, but it did pick at me thinking about it.

I didn't pick up on that but it did annoy me that Mandy's parents were aware of how large a debt she is carrying but they appear to have done nothing to help.

Even if they weren't in a financial position to pay off the debt, or pay it down, the very least they could have done was help her get a loan consolidation or something of that nature.  They own a successful business, it's just so unlikely that they would know she's paying the bare minimum on multiple credit cards and had been doing it for years and they just shrugged.  

They'd have been better off making this a secret Mandy had been keeping from everyone.

[MarthaEllisanne]

A few notes after watching 3 episodes: Shades of Mike & Molly with a house stuffed full of characters and the shopaholic wife - Lorre is an Executive Producer on both. (I hope that Joel Murray eventually appears in a hospital scene with his thumb in a cooler – another Lorre tradition.)

 I realized that the costumes are a bit off in both Young Sheldon and this show. In late 80’s early 90’s, girls and women in Texas wore big hair with their bangs puffed up and prom-bomb type fashion.  Big shoulders, collars, sleeves, etc.  Yes, I lived in Texas during that time (still do).

 Young Sheldon was perfect for me from the beginning. Georgie & Mandy is finding its footing and I will continue to watch. It has a great cast, as did YS and BBT.

As some of you have pointed out, the age difference viewed through today’s eyes has a certain “ick” factor.  I’ve seen a few news articles where producers defended the age difference in response to criticism. Part of the problem is the age bracket 18/30. Move that bracket up five or ten years and it wouldn’t be an issue. Another thing is that Georgie looks so young. Even though the actor Montana is a new father himself, he still looks and sounds like a kid so the scenes in bed make me cringe a little. He will age into the character.

[astrohip]

2 hours ago, MarthaEllisanne said:

(I hope that Joel Murray eventually appears in a hospital scene with his thumb in a cooler – another Lorre tradition.)

We could also have Vernee Johnson guest star as a nurse. That would give her seven Chuck Lorre TV shows.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, astrohip said:

We could also have Vernee Johnson guest star as a nurse. That would give her seven Chuck Lorre TV shows.

When Georgie went to the hospital we were positive Vernee Johnson would show up!!