S01.E04: A Therapist, a Comic Book and a Breakfast Sausage

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

After choking on a breakfast sausage, Sheldon wrestles with his fear of solid foods and discovers comic books for the first time.

 

[Browncoat]

Ha!  Pork shake.

[Spartan Girl]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but this series makes it easier to relate to Sheldon. It certainly goes a long way to explain all his quirks and phobias.

But I find it hard to believe that he didn't get into comics until that point. Of course it seems like he wasn't into a lot of traditionally "fun" things at that point.

[mxc90]

Meemaw's makeup is distracting.The color of her face and neck are not the same.

It's funny to see other siblings have their scene without Sheldon and spend the most of it discussing being overshadowed by Sheldon.

[SmithW6079]

I'm still not a fan of the show, although I've watched it two weeks in a row now (mostly because I'm too lazy to change the channel). I still think it's incredibly sad, and Jim Parsons's narration takes me out of the show. It would be better without it, I believe.

[displayname]

I know a Young Sheldon.

 

How do I know this?

 

This person has paraphrased "you challenge me" in practically the same situation as Tam with Sheldon. 

[rmontro]

Thought this was a pretty good episode, but I'm a comics fan so it was nice to see how Sheldon got interested in them.

I agree that the Jim Parsons narration isn't really necessary.

I also liked the "you challenge me" line, but it struck me that the older Sheldon probably wouldn't have said it, but would just resent being questioned.  Maybe older Sheldon is more stubborn though.

[displayname]

Oh, for sure I think there's some revisionist history going on. Where's Tam? Where's Sheldon's older brother? But the show's fun!

[Bobbin]

Tam is a wonderful, patient friend for young Sheldon. In his way, like Doogie Howser's BFF Vinnie. I wonder what happens that he stops being in Sheldon's life, challenging him in positive ways, expanding Sheldon's mind.

Jim Parson's narration comes across as too much Jim Parsons and not enough Sheldon Cooper.

Choked on a sausage this big.... No, adult Sheldon still wouldn't understand the laughter. Even I missed it for a beat until I remembered they were high school students.

I would have liked to see an encounter between young Shrldon and the discount shrink. I wonder what the qualifications were of the future therapists who had him "tested."

Brother and sister need a little more to do, more kick in their characters.

[TWP]

Next time I'm late for something, I'll be sure to wear a Sheldon shirt and say it has to do with mutants and red licorice.  I'm sure people will understand.  That brings up a question, which is when did Sheldon become relatively cool and convert from the plaid button-downs to the interesting t-shirts?  Hopefully the subject will be covered on Young Sheldon.

I knew someone who would drink very thick liver milkshakes so I had traumatic flashbacks with the pork shakes.  I'm sure this episode will lead to many years of therapy for me.  I only hope I can find a coupon.

[paulvdb]

Quote

Tam is a wonderful, patient friend for young Sheldon. In his way, like Doogie Howser's BFF Vinnie. I wonder what happens that he stops being in Sheldon's life, challenging him in positive ways, expanding Sheldon's mind.

Right now their friendship is easy to maintain because they both go to the same school. But Sheldon doesn't seem like someone who would put in the effort to keep in touch when they no longer live close to each other.

[displayname]

19 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

Right now their friendship is easy to maintain because they both go to the same school. But Sheldon doesn't seem like someone who would put in the effort to keep in touch when they no longer live close to each other.

It's just weird because didn't Sheldon or his mother say how he had no friends growing up? Clearly not true.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I didn't understand why Sheldon wouldn't eat the mashed potatoes at the pork chop meal.  No chewing required.  It would have made more sense if they were having tater tots again, or corn on the cob.

Also, if Tam had continued to eat lunch with Sheldon, he would know that Sheldon wasn't eating solid foods.

Edited November 17, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Gulftastic]

I was distracted during the comic store scenes because I was too busy trying to work out how many of the comics on the racks I own. The late 80s were my salad days as a comic fan, after I'd got my first job. Oh, and the answer is 'nearly all of them'.

[TWP]

5 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I didn't understand why Sheldon wouldn't eat the mashed potatoes at the pork chop meal.  No chewing required.  It would have made more sense if they tater tots again, or corn on the cob.

Also, if Tam had continued to eat lunch with Sheldon, he would know that Sheldon wasn't eating solid foods.

The beauty of these silly comedies is you can check rational thought at the door, because even rational thought sometimes needs a day off ;-)..

[Chit Chat]

I would say Tam is more of an acquaintance than a close friend at this point.  Even within his grown-up circle of friends, he once said that 3 of them were friends, and one was an acquaintance (Howard.)    Also, at some point Sheldon will advance a few more grades (I can't remember at what age he goes to college), so I don't think it's out of the ordinary that they wouldn't keep in touch.

I think the narration is necessary for the people who haven't seen TBBT.   I like it.  YMMV.

I  love Annie Potts as Meemaw.   Her interaction with all 3 kids is terrific.  She knows the right thing to say to each of them.  

[buffynut]

10 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I'm still not a fan of the show, although I've watched it two weeks in a row now (mostly because I'm too lazy to change the channel). I still think it's incredibly sad, and Jim Parsons's narration takes me out of the show. It would be better without it, I believe.

I've watched it a few weeks too, mostly due to not wanting to disturb my cat sleeping on my lap.  I can't decide if I like the show or not. The actors are good. And I'm always surprised that Young Sheldon's mom sounds like Older Sheldon's mom. That was good / lucky casting.  But there's something about it that's not clicking. Possibly Jim Parson's narration interruptions.  Or maybe just the sadness around Young Sheldon's life.  As long as it airs after TBBT, I'll probably keep watching. If it moves to another day, I doubt I'd follow it.

[MaryMitch]

8 hours ago, Bobbin said:

I would have liked to see an encounter between young Shrldon and the discount shrink. I wonder what the qualifications were of the future therapists who had him "tested."

I hope we see this as well. That guy was a real character: funny yet a bit creepy and sad.

3 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

I was distracted during the comic store scenes because I was too busy trying to work out how many of the comics on the racks I own. The late 80s were my salad days as a comic fan, after I'd got my first job. Oh, and the answer is 'nearly all of them'.

Wow, that's amazing - both that you have the comics and that the set designers went to the trouble to find the comics.

[retired watcher]

27 minutes ago, buffynut said:

I've watched it a few weeks too, mostly due to not wanting to disturb my cat sleeping on my lap.  I can't decide if I like the show or not. The actors are good. And I'm always surprised that Young Sheldon's mom sounds like Older Sheldon's mom. That was good / lucky casting.  But there's something about it that's not clicking. Possibly Jim Parson's narration interruptions.  Or maybe just the sadness around Young Sheldon's life.  As long as it airs after TBBT, I'll probably keep watching. If it moves to another day, I doubt I'd follow it.

The mom is played by Lourie Metcalf's daughter so that is why they sound alike.

[TheLastKidPicked]

1 hour ago, buffynut said:

Or maybe just the sadness around Young Sheldon's life. 

A few others have picked up on this as well-- They wouldn't want to show it, but we know Sheldon was bullied in high school and just knowing this puts a bit of a damper on things.

[LoneHaranguer]

14 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But I find it hard to believe that he didn't get into comics until that point.

Clearly his only exposure to comics prior to this was to ones targeted to kids and he assumed they were all like that.

[buffynut]

1 hour ago, retired watcher said:

The mom is played by Lourie Metcalf's daughter so that is why they sound alike.

I knew that.  It's still cool that her daughter is an actress, sounds so much like her and is the right age to play Young Sheldon's mom.

 

41 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

A few others have picked up on this as well-- They wouldn't want to show it, but we know Sheldon was bullied in high school and just knowing this puts a bit of a damper on things.

That plus, spoiler if you don't watch TBBT ...

Spoiler

Sheldon' dad, who is likable and not as bad as "older" Sheldon has made him out to be, is going to eventually die. Usually you don't know these things, seasons in advance.

[TheLastKidPicked]

31 minutes ago, buffynut said:

It's still cool that her daughter is an actress, sounds so much like her and is the right age to play Young Sheldon's mom.

I like Sheldon's mom, and I also like Sheldon's dad and think he is an underrated character.  Think about it like this:  Here he is, a high school football coach and his kids aren't into football.  His oldest son seems to be kind of a rebel, and not into team sports.  And Sheldon is Sheldon.

And coupon or not, he did go along to support Sheldon in getting him counseling.  

As an added bonus, the actor is willing to go around with that 80's haircut!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

I like Sheldon's mom, and I also like Sheldon's dad and think he is an underrated character.  Think about it like this:  Here he is, a high school football coach and his kids aren't into football.  His oldest son seems to be kind of a rebel, and not into team sports.  And Sheldon is Sheldon.

I'm pretty sure that Georgie is on the football team.  His excuse for not going to church in the first episode had something to do with football practice.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I knew that.  It's still cool that her daughter is an actress, sounds so much like her and is the right age to play Young Sheldon's mom.

It continues to amaze me how much Zoe Perry looks and sounds like her mother. Talk about a lucky break for the casting people. I doubt they ever had "Young Sheldon" in mind when Laurie Metcalf first started playing Sheldon's mother on TBBT.

Older Mary is more of a bible thumper than young Mary, though - but I'm willing to believe maybe she got more religious after her husband died.

So is Annie Potts going to be a series regular now? Is she living with them?
I really hope we get to see grown up George some day on TBBT.

[TheLastKidPicked]

58 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I'm pretty sure that Georgie is on the football team.  His excuse for not going to church in the first episode had something to do with football practice.

Thank you for that, Itcouldbeworse.  This may give us a chance to watch him interact with George Sr. once in a while.

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

Here he is, a high school football coach and his kids aren't into football.  His oldest son seems to be kind of a rebel, and not into team sports.  And Sheldon is Sheldon.

According to Sheldon on TBBT, his father started pushing football on him when he was five and he hated that. But that means by nine he should have been able to get somewhere with the jocks if he had bothered to show off his knowledge. And football strategy would carry over into other games Sheldon would play later. Sheldon never appreciated what his father was doing, and that's gotta suck for George.

[buffynut]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

It continues to amaze me how much Zoe Perry looks and sounds like her mother. Talk about a lucky break for the casting people. I doubt they ever had "Young Sheldon" in mind when Laurie Metcalf first started playing Sheldon's mother on TBBT.

Wonder if they'll ever have a "flash forward"  or a "dream" and have Laurie Metcalf and Jim Parsons guest star.

[sigmaforce86]

Zoe Perry sounds so much like Laurie Metcalf that at times I feel like she's being dubbed and have to remind my self it's NOT Laurie's voice.

I wasn't sure after the first episode but think I'm liking this show more.  The writers shouldn't feel the need to quickly explain every single one of Sheldon's quirks though, I feel like they're rushing that a bit.  That said I am looking forward to the "three knocks"quirk (if they even cover that).

It would be funny to have Tam randomly pop up on BBT, either exchange a "do I know you glance" or have Tam initiate "Didn't you used to be Sheldon Cooper".  I can picture Amy, Leonard and Penny going nuts with questions over someone who knew Sheldon and was sort of friends with him as a kid.

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

A few others have picked up on this as well-- They wouldn't want to show it, but we know Sheldon was bullied in high school and just knowing this puts a bit of a damper on things.

This aspect wouldn't really bother me if they show it.  As someone who felt like a "square peg" in school, but never bullied  (except as a band member, some guys would yell out "band fags" at us as we marched into pep rallies), bullies and those with bad behavior was just part of school life.  There were a select few that were assholes.  It wasn't acceptable, but in Sheldon's case, this was his reality, so by showing it, it will probably give more empathy into his character and why he acts the way he does in certain situations.  

[partofme]

I really love this show.   I don't watch TBBT so I'm not aware of or bothered by inconsistencies.   I like the whole family including Meemaw.

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, partofme said:

I really love this show.   I don't watch TBBT so I'm not aware of or bothered by inconsistencies.   I like the whole family including Meemaw

I'm glad you posted this, partofme!   I've been wondering if non-TBBT fans liked this show, or if it felt like they were late to the party, or not in on the joke.  It's good to see that this show can (hopefully) stand on it's own.   I like Meemaw too.  I've always loved Annie Potts, so I'm very happy they cast her for this role.  She's a hoot!  I'll never eat another pork chop and not think of pork shakes!

I kept thinking of Matthew McConaughey when the psychologist kept saying "right on, right on."  I kept hearing Matthew say "alright, alright, alright."   I loved how he thought that reading at a 7th grade level in the 4th grade put him up there with Sheldon's brilliance!  Yep, two peas in a pod!

[jewel21]

6 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I kept thinking of Matthew McConaughey when the psychologist kept saying "right on, right on."  I kept hearing Matthew say "alright, alright, alright."  

Same, lol. I'm guessing it might have been intentional. In any case, it amused me.

[SnarkyTart]

10 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I'm glad you posted this, partofme!   I've been wondering if non-TBBT fans liked this show, or if it felt like they were late to the party, or not in on the joke.  It's good to see that this show can (hopefully) stand on it's own.

My sister has only ever watched a single episode of TBBT and she didn't like it.  Her husband has never seen TBBT.  They've now watched every episode of "Young Sheldon" and both say it's one of their favorite shows.  I hope that's reflective of non-TBBT fans because I really like this show too.

[Chit Chat]

7 hours ago, jewel21 said:

Same, lol. I'm guessing it might have been intentional. In any case, it amused me.

I wondered if they were paying some kind of homage or just giving a shout-out to Matthew McConaughey  Maybe we'll find out some day!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 11/17/2017 at 1:37 PM, iMonrey said:

So is Annie Potts going to be a series regular now? Is she living with them?

She doesn't live with them.

[Utpe]

17 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I'm glad you posted this, partofme!   I've been wondering if non-TBBT fans liked this show, or if it felt like they were late to the party, or not in on the joke.  It's good to see that this show can (hopefully) stand on it's own.

Same here!  My mother absolutely loathes TBBT, but can't get enough of Young Sheldon.  She loves the fact that it takes place in 1989 (albeit, probably not for too long), and also has a bit of semblance to when I was growing up as a child.

Glad to see there are new fans outside of the original.

[SparklesBitch]

I liked this one a lot! 

Leave it to Meemaw to think of blending Sheldon’s food. Just perfect! Annie Potts is so great with all of the kids. 

I like that George seems to be just as supportive of Sheldon and his quirks as Mary is. Loved that the coupon was so important to him and the expression on Mary’s face when he suggested that whoever took Sheldon would almost certainly bring him right back. 

Also, Missy and her “I came this close to having my own room” after Sheldon choked cracked me up. 

Like someone else said upthread, I too was a little slow on the uptake for the “choking on the big sausage” joke until I realized oh right, young teenagers. 

Two more little things that I loved: 

- Tam peacing out at the end of the episode when they saw the police cars at the Cooper residence. “Good luck!” 

- Mary tasting the blended up sandwich concoction and declaring that it needed more Cheetos. 

[SmithW6079]

On 11/17/2017 at 11:57 AM, TheLastKidPicked said:

A few others have picked up on this [sadness] as well-- They wouldn't want to show it, but we know Sheldon was bullied in high school and just knowing this puts a bit of a damper on things.

It's not even knowing Sheldon was bullied. In the previous episode, when he's playing cards with Meemaw, he says,  "Hey! I'm smiling," with surprise, as though he has never smiled before. That's what I find so sad: that this little boy has never known joy or fun.

[Chit Chat]

53 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

That's what I find so sad: that this little boy has never known joy or fun.

I think that Sheldon has experienced joy and fun, as defined by him, i.e. playing with his train set, building rockets and all other assorted devices, being by himself to ponder the universe, etc.  Maybe he hasn't had an LOL moment, but I think he finds inner joy with those things.  He just doesn't let it bubble up to a smile or laugh very often!  

[msrachelj]

On 11/16/2017 at 10:41 PM, mxc90 said:

Meemaw's makeup is distracting.The color of her face and neck are not the same.

It's funny to see other siblings have their scene without Sheldon and spend the most of it discussing being overshadowed by Sheldon.

meemaw looks are very distracting! 

 i feel for the siblings of "special" children. they seem to be neglected a lot. 

On 11/16/2017 at 11:28 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I'm still not a fan of the show, although I've watched it two weeks in a row now (mostly because I'm too lazy to change the channel). I still think it's incredibly sad, and Jim Parsons's narration takes me out of the show. It would be better without it, I believe.

i wish they didn't have him narrating also. it just makes me think, jeez, he doesn't have enough money, now he gets paid for this too. the show can stand on it's own, telling the story without having to hear him pipe up.

[Katy M]

I loved that George Jr was just calmly eating toast while Sheldon was choking.  Kind of like "I'm OK with the outcome of this no matter what it is."  He might be a sociopath.

And I liked that MeeMaw took the other kids out for their own private time.  

I like the narration. It's Wonder Yearsian.  I'm not really all that worried if I get "taken out of the scene" because it's not like I think it's real anyway.  And, since the episodes are like Sheldon is telling us his life story, it makes sense that he pops in with his narrating every now and again.

On ‎11‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 1:10 AM, fan94 said:

Oh, for sure I think there's some revisionist history going on. Where's Tam? Where's Sheldon's older brother? But the show's fun!

Sheldon has mentioned his brother on TBBT.  It's obvious that they never got along from how he spoke about him, so not sure why you would expect to see him. As for Tam, where are your high school friends?  I haven't seen anyone I know from high school (barring my sister) since college.  

[chitowngirl]

On November 22, 2017 at 5:49 AM, msrachelj said:

meemaw looks are very distracting! 

 i feel for the siblings of "special" children. they seem to be neglected a lot. 

i wish they didn't have him narrating also. it just makes me think, jeez, he doesn't have enough money, now he gets paid for this too. the show can stand on it's own, telling the story without having to hear him pipe up.

Jim Parsons is a producer on this show. It's probably a creative choice they made.