S01.E02: Rockets, Communists, and the Dewey Decimal System

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

To appease his worried mother, Sheldon employs the techniques of a self-help book to try and make a friend.

[Spartan Girl]

Someone mixed up episodes...

But hey, nice of Sheldon to make a friend. And LOL at his attempt to socialize with bathroom stoners.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Spartan Girl

[mojoween]

They must have switched the episodes around?  Because meemaw is next week.

”You missed 11 numbers.”  “I don’t need math, I have nice hair.”

I laughed when the rocket went through the house.  

[Tenarife60]

I wonder why this show looks like it is set in the 1960's instead of the '80s?  Maybe partly in the '70s too because when I was in high school back in 1977/78 there was a Vietnamese student who had a very similar story about escaping Vietnam.  He got on a raft and was shot at and ended up in a camp like Tam mentioned.  Somehow he eventually got to American and to Louisiana. 

[SparklesBitch]

Loved Sheldon trying to make friends! Also, I’m not sure what it says about me that I solved problems the same way as a kid....had a question? I headed straight to the library too. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly as smart as Sheldon....lol! I got a kick out of that being his sanctuary of sorts, because I felt the same way as a kid. Still do, actually. 

Also, I loved the whole “I don’t need math, I have beautiful hair” exchange. So perfect! Missy is great! 

[AnnaRose]

Sheldon and his family are perfectly cast.  The young actress playing Missy is fantastic!  I loved that - brilliant idea - you can't count - I don't need math, I have beautiful hair - scene.  

Sheldon making his way through a hallway full of towering high school students (carrying his briefcase) was fun... and that was topped by Sheldon trying to make friends with them later.  The bathroom scene was especially hilarious.

Another thing that made me laugh was Sheldon trying to make friends with the neighbor kid (Billy Sparks, I think) and the kid's repeated reaction was just "Thank you," accompanied by a vacant look.  And then grownup Sheldon noting that he would have been better off trying to make friends with the chickens.

I also like the young actor playing Sheldon's brother.  I think the character's name is Georgie.  He comes across as very natural in that role, and I laughed at his line about the hot sauce.

Two episodes in and this show is waaay better than I expected when I first read about it.

I can't wait to meet MeeMaw next week.

Edited November 3, 2017 by AnnaRose

[TheInnerClown]

1 hour ago, Tenarife60 said:

I wonder why this show looks like it is set in the 1960's instead of the '80s?  Maybe partly in the '70s too because when I was in high school back in 1977/78 there was a Vietnamese student who had a very similar story about escaping Vietnam.  He got on a raft and was shot at and ended up in a camp like Tam mentioned.  Somehow he eventually got to American and to Louisiana. 

Yeah time period seems really off as we know Sheldon's age.  The show is supposed to be set in 1989.  

[AnnaRose]

Maybe it's one of those things where small towns are sometimes way behind the times, especially in fads and fashions etc.  That's all I've got.

[Bobbin]

40 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

Maybe it's one of those things where small towns are sometimes way behind the times, especially in fads and fashions etc.  That's all I've got.

Indeed. The whole state of Arizona is a good 20 years behind the connected world.

I have the impression that the pacing is intended to allow for the home audience to laugh riotously or else to change direction if need be and insert a laugh track.

[Zoe]

3 hours ago, Tenarife60 said:

I wonder why this show looks like it is set in the 1960's instead of the '80s?  Maybe partly in the '70s too because when I was in high school back in 1977/78 there was a Vietnamese student who had a very similar story about escaping Vietnam.  He got on a raft and was shot at and ended up in a camp like Tam mentioned.  Somehow he eventually got to American and to Louisiana. 

I know a few Vietnamese in the 35-40 range with similar life stories.

[rmontro]

I really wasn't expecting much out of this show, but this was a pretty good episode.

[SosaLola]

Great episode! I enjoyed Sheldon making a new friend and the rocket flying inside the house had me laughing. I also loved how it's implied that Missy's hostility towards Sheldon is rooted into jealousy over the attention he gets from his mother for being smart and different. 

[TWP]

23 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Maybe it's one of those things where small towns are sometimes way behind the times, especially in fads and fashions etc.  That's all I've got.

Definitely. I also think that most of the kids and many adults on the show have 80's looks.   The furniture looks old because the Coopers can't afford newer.  Sheldon is the one who looks more 60's, with his plaid shirts and unique hair.

 

For me, this show is utter brilliance in so many ways.  I thought, how could they make things interesting for grownups?  And they answered for me last night!  Love the whole self-help book concept.  

Edited November 4, 2017 by TWP

[TheLastKidPicked]

3 hours ago, TWP said:

For me, this show is utter brilliance in so many ways.

And here's one way:

They were able to show that Sheldon is book smart but Missy is street smart.  When she suggests that he look at the list of people who checked out the book,  SHELDON IS LITERALLY HOLDING THE BOOK IN HIS HANDS.  Book smart vs street smart.  

[keetmommy]

Wasn't sure about show with the first epidode but last night was funny

Edited November 3, 2017 by keetmommy

[Katy M]

Why does Mary make Sheldon sit in the back seat?  That wasn't a thing in 1989.  So, Sheldon read How to Make Friends... when he was a kid, yet when he was an adult he had to go find kids' books to make friends?    He should have just remembered the part about not criticizing and taking an interest in others and he would have been golden.

[Bort]

31 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

They were able to show that Sheldon is book smart but Missy is street smart.  When she suggests that he look at the list of people who checked out the book,  SHELDON IS LITERALLY HOLDING THE BOOK IN HIS HANDS.  Book smart vs street smart.  

Missy reminds me of Penny. 

[Chit Chat]

I loved the story about him trying to buy uranium.  Mary told that story in TBBT and how the FBI agents came to the house.  It's nice to be able to connect the dots with this show.  The line with his Dad saying he was in Vietnam and asking Tam what his Mom's name is gives us a little insight into the man we know he turns out to be. 

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Why does Mary make Sheldon sit in the back seat? 

I've wondered that too.   Maybe that particular spot (much like his sofa in TBBT) is just the right spot, for whatever reasons (cross breeze, view, won't be in between in his siblings, etc!)  He might be used to riding in the backseat anyway. I imagine that either of his siblings would call shotgun first, or they're used to riding in the backseat whenever both parents are in the car.   

[displayname]

Missy is this show's Penny!

 

Brilliant! And it explains the kind of relationship Sheldon and Penny have in TBBT!

 

I wonder why Sheldon never mentions Tam? (Apart from the fact that the writers probably didn't think of his existence before that episode.)

 

Maybe we'll get to see him in a future TBBT episode. Maybe during his wedding with Amy!

Edited November 3, 2017 by fan94

[Katy M]

58 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I've wondered that too.   Maybe that particular spot (much like his sofa in TBBT) is just the right spot, for whatever reasons (cross breeze, view, won't be in between in his siblings, etc!)  He might be used to riding in the backseat anyway. I imagine that either of his siblings would call shotgun first, or they're used to riding in the backseat whenever both parents are in the car.

OK, I'll go with that.  Even though, I'm sure the real reason is that they're just not accounting for the fact that kids didn't have to ride in the back seat back then.

[Indy]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

Why does Mary make Sheldon sit in the back seat?  That wasn't a thing in 1989.  

I'm roughly Sheldon's age and mom made me sit in the back seat until practically middle school. I'm not sure why, I guess she thought it was safer, but it definitely was unusual...her friends used to comment on how she looked like my chauffeur. 

[Bort]

With three kids, if Mary makes them all sit in the backseat all the time, there’s no fighting over shotgun. 

[madpsych78]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

Why does Mary make Sheldon sit in the back seat?  That wasn't a thing in 1989.  So, Sheldon read How to Make Friends... when he was a kid, yet when he was an adult he had to go find kids' books to make friends?    He should have just remembered the part about not criticizing and taking an interest in others and he would have been golden.

He even created a Friendship Algorithm!

[TWP]

7 hours ago, Katy M said:

Why does Mary make Sheldon sit in the back seat?  That wasn't a thing in 1989.  So, Sheldon read How to Make Friends... when he was a kid, yet when he was an adult he had to go find kids' books to make friends?    He should have just remembered the part about not criticizing and taking an interest in others and he would have been golden.

Maybe because they'd get letters, lots and lots of letters, from people who don't realize that they're merely being authentic.  

[2727]

I loved Sheldon's interactions with all the adults who had previously checked out the Dale Carnegie book, especially him hearing both sides of the breakup story.

My guess is that we won't see Tam again. He and Sheldon didn't really hit it off and it wouldn't be consistent with Sheldon preferring to be alone. He only tried to do the friend thing for Mary's sake.

Edited November 4, 2017 by 2727

[Helena Dax]

It's been a while since I went to high school, but if we had had a nine year old kid among us, most people would have been very friendly and kind to him. These students' reactions were baffling to me: it seems I just can't get used to the unnecesary harshness of American high-schools.

I've always found interesting that despite his lack of social skills and his tendency to insult everyone, Sheldon always knows when his mother is making racist comments and he seems a bit embarrassed about it.  He's had some less than stellar moments himself -especially with the woman from HR-, but I'd say they were more inappropiate than racist. In this episode, he never made Tam feel uncomfortable, which the rest of the family did.

[mojoween]

In thinking about it, I thought when Mary told the uranium story, that Sheldon was trying to buy it so he could build a death ray to take out the neighbor kids.

One thing I think they’re not going to be able to do here is show Sheldon being bullied like he says he was, because who wants to watch that?

[iMonrey]

I have basically the same reaction I did after the pilot - I'm just not sure what to make of this show. I don't think it quite works as a prequel because we all know how insufferable adult Sheldon is and they're trying to make Young Sheldon more endearing. They also seem to be watering down his backstory quite a bit to make it more palatable - over the years, I've gotten the distinct impression his father was a dysfunctional alcoholic but we've yet to see him drunk. Mary isn't quite the funny caricature she is in TBBT either. It's sort of a kinder, gentler story that the one we'd been given to understand in the parent show.

It might have worked better if Young Sheldon was just some other kid who was equally brilliant. It's not a bad show, I guess, but there's a jarring disconnect from the story they're telling here and the one going on in the parent show.

[Lovecat]

I think structuring the episode titles in lists of threes (X, X, and X) is a stroke of genius. [knock-knock-knock-Penny...]

[hoodooznoodooz]

I liked Mary's reaction to learning it was Missy's idea, and Sheldon agreeing, I'm as surprised as you.

The two versions of the break-up were very funny. 

[MaryMitch]

7 hours ago, Helena Dax said:

It's been a while since I went to high school, but if we had had a nine year old kid among us, most people would have been very friendly and kind to him. These students' reactions were baffling to me: it seems I just can't get used to the unnecesary harshness of American high-schools.

I think I would have been nice to a 9 year old, but I wouldn't have wanted to be friends with him.

[laprin]

On 11/3/2017 at 0:41 AM, Bobbin said:

Indeed. The whole state of Arizona is a good 20 years behind the connected world.

I have the impression that the pacing is intended to allow for the home audience to laugh riotously or else to change direction if need be and insert a laugh track.

Having lived in relatively advanced cities that include Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix and Baltimore, I adamantly disagree. Sure there are cities in every state that are behind the times, but Phoenix is on par with Atlanta, and only slightly behind Dallas,  as far as technological advancement. Tucson and Flagstaff are also advanced and, like Phoenix, this is attributed to the presence of good universities - among them Arizona State, Univ of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. I would love  to know what part of Arizona you lived in to make such a claim. 

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They also seem to be watering down his backstory quite a bit to make it more palatable - over the years, I've gotten the distinct impression his father was a dysfunctional alcoholic but we've yet to see him drunk. Mary isn't quite the funny caricature she is in TBBT either. It's sort of a kinder, gentler story that the one we'd been given to understand in the parent show.

It might have worked better if Young Sheldon was just some other kid who was equally brilliant. It's not a bad show, I guess, but there's a jarring disconnect from the story they're telling here and the one going on in the parent show.

I respectfully disagree.  We're only 2 episodes in, so we have a long way to go (hopefully) before we see Sheldon's Dad as a drunk.  Maybe something is going to happen that causes him to turn to alcohol.  I love the character of Mary on this show.  IMO, it's very similar to how she is with Sheldon in TBBT.  She's always been protective of him, but stern with her actions if he disrespects her.  Her prayer at the dinner table was exactly how she handled a group prayer with Raj.  She mentioned how Tam might be tired of his food sliding around on his plate.  She has made equally offensive comments to Raj about his religion and food, IIRC.   I love seeing Mary's  relationship with young Sheldon.  It's connecting the dots for me in regards to grown up Sheldon.  YMMV.    I can now see why Sheldon's siblings aren't too fond of him.  Looks like he got a lot of his Mom's attention and they resented it.   

 

11 hours ago, Helena Dax said:

It's been a while since I went to high school, but if we had had a nine year old kid among us, most people would have been very friendly and kind to him. These students' reactions were baffling to me: it seems I just can't get used to the unnecesary harshness of American high-schools.

Most teenagers in high school don't want to hang out with a nine year old kid.  Many of them probably have younger siblings, and in most cases, they don't want to hang out with them either!  I would like to think that back in the day when I was in high school if the same situation presented itself, I imagine most kids would've been nice to him, but wouldn't go the extra mile to be friends.  Everybody was too involved in their own little world (sports/band/choir/clubs, etc.) to do much more than smile and say hello.  We had almost 2000 in our high school.  Most of us just passed each other in the hallway without looking up.  We were too worried about making it to class on time!  It was a big school.  

[Bort]

I don’t think Sheldon was bullied in high school, no 15-17 year old is going to beat up a little kid (that’s not their sibling). I bet any bullying took place while he was in school with kids his own age. 

[LoneHaranguer]

On 11/3/2017 at 5:20 PM, ChitChat said:

I loved the story about him trying to buy uranium.  Mary told that story in TBBT and how the FBI agents came to the house.  It's nice to be able to connect the dots with this show. 

It does show a persistence in Sheldon. In Mary's story, he was 13 and trying to get it from Chad. So, different age and country.

On 11/3/2017 at 3:47 PM, TheLastKidPicked said:

They were able to show that Sheldon is book smart but Missy is street smart.  When she suggests that he look at the list of people who checked out the book,  SHELDON IS LITERALLY HOLDING THE BOOK IN HIS HANDS.  Book smart vs street smart. 

Except that there shouldn't have been such a list in the book. That list would never leave the library because that's how they kept track of who had the book. It's not even likely it would have been in the book at the library. Due to a big to-do about privacy, practices were changed long before so that if a library still used names on the list, the list would have been kept in a file, rather than in the book, when the book wasn't checked out. 

[displayname]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Except that there shouldn't have been such a list in the book. That list would never leave the library because that's how they kept track of who had the book. It's not even likely it would have been in the book at the library. Due to a big to-do about privacy, practices were changed long before so that if a library still used names on the list, the list would have been kept in a file, rather than in the book, when the book wasn't checked out. 

There is a list inside the back-cover of the list to remind people of when the book is due. No reason the name of the person who borrowed the book couldn't be attached with the due date.  I remember reading through such lists when I used the library in my middle school.

Edited November 5, 2017 by fan94

[Bort]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Except that there shouldn't have been such a list in the book. That list would never leave the library because that's how they kept track of who had the book. It's not even likely it would have been in the book at the library. Due to a big to-do about privacy, practices were changed long before so that if a library still used names on the list, the list would have been kept in a file, rather than in the book, when the book wasn't checked out. 

If I remember correctly, there were two cards. One the library kept in a little card file box to track who had the book and one that stayed with the book. Both cards had names and the return due date stamped on it. 

And in 1989, my high school library still utilized this practice. Privacy wasn’t a thing yet.

[Sarah 103]

On November 3, 2017 at 4:22 AM, SosaLola said:

 I also loved how it's implied that Missy's hostility towards Sheldon is rooted into jealousy over the attention he gets from his mother for being smart and different. 

Me too. Mary spends her time worrying about Sheldon, and Georgie the athlete has more in common and probably spends more time with their dad, so Missy feels jealous of Sheldon, especially because as a girl, Missy feels like she should have dibs on time with their mom. 

On November 3, 2017 at 3:47 PM, TheLastKidPicked said:

They were able to show that Sheldon is book smart but Missy is street smart.  When she suggests that he look at the list of people who checked out the book,  SHELDON IS LITERALLY HOLDING THE BOOK IN HIS HANDS.  Book smart vs street smart.  

Missy is wonderful. I really like what they are doing with her character. I think the fact that they are sharing a room opens up all sorts of potential for great scenes. 

5 hours ago, laprin said:

Having lived in relatively advanced cities that include Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix and Baltimore, I adamantly disagree.

But that's cities, not a small town/suburb. A more isolated suburb/small town or rural area might very well be behind the times in terms of fashion and trends. 

3 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I respectfully disagree.  We're only 2 episodes in, so we have a long way to go (hopefully) before we see Sheldon's Dad as a drunk.  Maybe something is going to happen that causes him to turn to alcohol... I can now see why Sheldon's siblings aren't too fond of him.  Looks like he got a lot of his Mom's attention and they resented it.

I think many of the stories we heard about on TBBT will happen later. People change overtime. I think Missy resents the attention Sheldon gets more so than Georgie. I don't think most teenage boys are really eager to spend more time with their mother/have their mother more involved in their life. 

2 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I don’t think Sheldon was bullied in high school, no 15-17 year old is going to beat up a little kid (that’s not their sibling). I bet any bullying took place while he was in school with kids his own age. 

I agree. Also, he's still in the neighborhood so there's the still the potential for bullying outside of school. I imagine Sheldon might get dragged to church events or his brother's football games where he would interact with people his own age and create situations where he could be bullied. 

[laprin]

9 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

 

But that's cities, not a small town/suburb. A more isolated suburb/small town or rural area might very well be behind the times in terms of fashion and trends. 

 

Sarah 103, perhaps go back and read my comment and the quote to which I responded.I acknowledged that some cities were behind.  The part of the quote I took issue with is that Bobbin said the ENTIRE STATE OF ARIZONA is 20 years behind the connected world. This is simply not true.  Phoenix has been cited as one of the Top 10 tech-savvy cities in the US http://www.businessinsider.com/most-high-tech-cities-in-the-us-2017-8/#11-miami-florida-1. 

Edited November 5, 2017 by laprin
Proof

[Bobbin]

I lived in Detroit for 40 years, San Diego for 10 years and Phoenix for 20 years, and worked in a variety of industries, including hi-tech. Progress has been made, but I stand by my overall characterization of Arizona and Texas small towns being behind in sophistication ( and, critically, expectations) due to their geographical isolation from the centers of trade.

Moving on....

Jim Parsons had commented that Lain Armitage was so ingratiating by nature that coming across as abrasive and annoying might be a challenge. But I'm getting the feeling that 9 year old Sheldon might not have been nearly as insensitive as Mary remembers on TBBT, owing much to the same inability to express frustration and hurt feelings that adult Sheldon copes with. Mary only seems to have remembered the failures, like the "death ray" and the attempt to buy yellow cake uranium, and not the successes, like the rocket. And Tam.

[Katy M]

14 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Except that there shouldn't have been such a list in the book. That list would never leave the library because that's how they kept track of who had the book. It's not even likely it would have been in the book at the library. Due to a big to-do about privacy, practices were changed long before so that if a library still used names on the list, the list would have been kept in a file, rather than in the book, when the book wasn't checked out. 

When I was a kid in the late '70s, early '80s, there was a list in the book with the names of people who had taken it out.  I don't remember if the school library did it that way, but the town library definitely did.  When you took a book out, you wrote your name on the card and gave it to the libararian, so they would know who had it.  When you brought it back, they would put the card back in the book. 1989 does seem a mite late for that still to be happening, because computers, but if the school didn't have the budget to computerize the library system, I can definitely see them doing that.

[SparklesBitch]

15 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I love the character of Mary on this show.  IMO, it's very similar to how she is with Sheldon in TBBT.  She's always been protective of him, but stern with her actions if he disrespects her.  Her prayer at the dinner table was exactly how she handled a group prayer with Raj.  She mentioned how Tam might be tired of his food sliding around on his plate.  She has made equally offensive comments to Raj about his religion and food, IIRC.   I love seeing Mary's  relationship with young Sheldon.  It's connecting the dots for me in regards to grown up Sheldon.  YMMV.  

Oh, Mary. I adore her too and she’s exactly as I hoped she’d be in this show for all the reasons you mentioned. It was always a treat when she would show up on TBBT and I always liked how everyone seemed to like her despite the inappropriate things that came out of her mouth sometimes. 

Like you said, her relationship with little Sheldon is much the same as with adult Sheldon and I’m so happy they managed to get that right.  

13 hours ago, kariyaki said:

If I remember correctly, there were two cards. One the library kept in a little card file box to track who had the book and one that stayed with the book. Both cards had names and the return due date stamped on it. 

And in 1989, my high school library still utilized this practice. Privacy wasn’t a thing yet.

Yep, from what I remember, this is how both my school library and town library did it in the mid 80s up until at least the mid 90s.

[SnarkyTart]

It's a light comedy series.  I should hope they don't show much, if any, of the dad being an abusive, philandering alcoholic, or Sheldon getting bullied.  I don't care if there "should be" a list of names in the library book (there were in my school), etc etc.

I'm enjoying the show, so far, and looking forward to how they develop the main cast.  Tam's storyline was terrific, and Missy makes me laugh. 

[Utpe]

I still think it's freakin' adorable.  This show is definitely a breath of fresh air over The Big Bang Theory.  I'm just sorry that it's receiving the same treatment by having the episodes under 20 minutes.  This last one was a little over eighteen.

I remember the library cards myself.  I always got a kick out of seeing the previous list of people that checked out a book, especially if it's something as embarrassing as the one Sheldon was reading.

Young Sheldon is definitely starting off on the right foot.  I'm actually looking forward to new episodes.  Can't really say the same with TBBT.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 11/5/2017 at 9:43 AM, Katy M said:

When you took a book out, you wrote your name on the card and gave it to the libararian, so they would know who had it.  When you brought it back, they would put the card back in the book. 1989 does seem a mite late for that still to be happening, because computers, but if the school didn't have the budget to computerize the library system, I can definitely see them doing that.

That was the old system I remember around here, When you wrote your name, they stamped the due date next to it, and put a card in the book stamped with the same date so you'd remember when to return it (no names on that one). When privacy became an issue in the 70's, they stopped putting the list back into the book when it was returned, instead putting it into a file behind the counter where it'd be handy for next time. Very unpopular books got to keep their lists for years, since it wasn't considered worth going through the shelves and pulling them in advance, but the book Sheldon had was not like that.

[Katy M]

20 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

That was the old system I remember around here, When you wrote your name, they stamped the due date next to it, and put a card in the book stamped with the same date so you'd remember when to return it (no names on that one). When privacy became an issue in the 70's, they stopped putting the list back into the book when it was returned, instead putting it into a file behind the counter where it'd be handy for next time. Very unpopular books got to keep their lists for years, since it wasn't considered worth going through the shelves and pulling them in advance, but the book Sheldon had was not like that.

I don't think I would really remember the system that well if it had stopped being used in the '70s. I'm pretty sure it was used well in the '80s where I lived.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 11/5/2017 at 7:41 AM, Bobbin said:

im Parsons had commented that Lain Armitage was so ingratiating by nature that coming across as abrasive and annoying might be a challenge. But I'm getting the feeling that 9 year old Sheldon might not have been nearly as insensitive as Mary remembers on TBBT, owing much to the same inability to express frustration and hurt feelings that adult Sheldon copes with.

To add to Bobbin's observation-- things that are abrasive and annoying at age 29 are more cute and easily brushed off at age 9.

And has anybody noticed the first line of Lain Armatage's bio page?

"Iain Armitage (born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor and web-based theater critic"

Web-based theater critic!  How perfect for a kid playing young Sheldon.

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

To add to Bobbin's observation-- things that are abrasive and annoying at age 29 are more cute and easily brushed off at age 9.

I would put things in that category such as innocently insulting a cheerleader's makeup, pointing out everybody's petty rule-breaking (although maybe not because nobody likes a tattletale at any age, just maybe more socially acceptable) and some of his OCD behavior.

However, I actually found it a little odd that he was going to make friends purely to make his mother feel better and that he said he liked to do nice things for her because she's a nice lady.  This is the same man, however many years later, who insisted that is visiting mother fix him his favorite meal and got mad when his friends had the audacity to take her sightseeing and do things she might actually like to do.  What happened to doing nice things for a nice lady? 

[Kareny]

2 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

To add to Bobbin's observation-- things that are abrasive and annoying at age 29 are more cute and easily brushed off at age 9.

And has anybody noticed the first line of Lain Armatage's bio page?

"Iain Armitage (born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor and web-based theater critic"

Web-based theater critic!  How perfect for a kid playing young Sheldon.

Oh, gosh, yes. Iain has had a profile in New York theater circles for a few years now though I think he actually lives in Virginia. His father (Euan Morton) is a fairly successful actor himself, but the kid's been obsessed with theater from a ridiculously early age and seems to relish in shows and performances that you'd think would be way above his head. Where Sheldon is a prodigy when it comes to science and school, Iain is probably a bit of a prodigy when it comes to understanding theater and acting performances. His reviews are really a hoot (check his channel out on YouTube if you have some time), and anyone who goes to theater events has probably seen him clicking around the city with his tap shoes. That being said, it seems like he's very comfortable interacting more with adults than with other kids - which has to resonate some with Sheldon's character. 

That's why I think it's so interesting that they actually chose him for this role, out of all the kids they must have considered. I suspect he's got a lot more natural ability as an actor than most kids his age due to how attuned he is to stage performances, and it looks like he genuinely enjoys and is motivated by what he's doing, as opposed to your average run-of-the-mill over-polished child actor. 

[TheLastKidPicked]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I would put things in that category such as innocently insulting a cheerleader's makeup, pointing out everybody's petty rule-breaking

You used the word "innocently" there, and that is exactly what makes young Sheldon likeable.  He really and truly thinks he is helping by pointing these things out.

15 minutes ago, Kareny said:

Oh, gosh, yes. Iain has had a profile in New York theater circles for a few years now . . . 

Thank you so much for that behind the scenes information.  I appreciate that you posted it.