TBBT vs Young Sheldon: Nitpicks, Anomalies, and Historical Facts In An Evolving Universe, presented by Sheldon L. Cooper

[Gummo]

I wonder if it's going to turn out that Georgie actually married* Veronica?

* Marries? Who knows what verb tense to use in these discussions!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Gummo
Verbs!

[HazelEyes4325]

2 minutes ago, Gummo said:

I wonder if it's going to turn out that Georgie actually married Veronica?

If he did, the marriage didn't last.  He was single when we saw him in TBBT (and didn't they say that he had gone to jail at some point, or was that Penny's family...or was it both?)

Honestly, I'd like to see Georgie and Veronica just...be friends.  We haven't seen Georgie have any friends.  Although we don't see them, we know that Missy has quite a few friends and even Sheldon has Tam.  But Georgie seems to be a complete loner, which is kind of strange when you think that Sheldon is the one who is sort of portrayed to be the loner.

[2727]

I could see Georgie and original Veronica drunkenly getting married right out of high school, but not newly religious Veronica.

To Georgie's credit, his crush persisted despite her change from wild child to teenage church lady.

Edited February 27, 2019 by 2727

[Gummo]

20 hours ago, 2727 said:

To Georgie's credit, his crush persisted despite her change from wild child to teenage church lady.

Exactly. I was wondering if they were focusing on Georgie's first real female "friend" because they want to tie it into his BBT appearance as an adult with a family and successful business.

[Guest]

22 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

If he did, the marriage didn't last.  He was single when we saw him in TBBT (and didn't they say that he had gone to jail at some point, or was that Penny's family...or was it both?)

Both, I think? Penny’s brother as definitely been in jail but I am almost certain Sheldon as mentioned Georgie being arrested for something. 

At the end of last season TBBT released a phone call from MeeMaw that was cut out of the wedding episode. In it she mentions that Georgie has been married multiple times. 

[AnnaRose]

4 hours ago, Dani said:

Both, I think? Penny’s brother as definitely been in jail but I am almost certain Sheldon as mentioned Georgie being arrested for something.

It seems to me it was a throw-away line from Sheldon about his brother having been arrested for public urination when he was younger, or something silly like that.  I could be remembering that wrong though. 

[rmontro]

Just saw the episode where George Sr. beat up Veronica's mother's abusive boyfriend on the front porch. 

George Sr. is so damn likable on this show, I don't know how he squares with Sheldon's descriptions of him on Big Bang.  Of all the terrible things Sheldon has done on TBBBT, at this point I have to think that his depiction of his father is the worst.

[mammaM]

6 hours ago, rmontro said:

Just saw the episode where George Sr. beat up Veronica's mother's abusive boyfriend on the front porch. 

George Sr. is so damn likable on this show, I don't know how he squares with Sheldon's descriptions of him on Big Bang.  Of all the terrible things Sheldon has done on TBBBT, at this point I have to think that his depiction of his father is the worst.

I wonder if that could be the answer, Sheldon's depiction (and memory) is at fault. In TBBT Sheldon has admitted he doesn't pick on social clues very well and adult Georgie told Sheldon that the family protected him after the dad died. What if George and Mary separated (maybe one to many fights about Sheldon, and no one wanted to tell Sheldon that), George goes overboard with "drinking and whoring", Mary dives deeper into the church, Sheldon goes away to grad school, without Sheldon around George and Mary make up but then George dies. Sorry about making George die but we know that happened so we can't change that. 

[Bort]

The story that Sheldon has told that hurts George's character the most is the origin of his three knocks, because he walked into his parents' bedroom with minimal knocking and found George with another woman. That's the one that's hard to reconcile. Pretty much any of the other stories about George that Sheldon has told can be written off as an unreliable narrator, but that one about George cheating is pretty cut and dried.

[anna0852]

 I was actually thinking they've done a decent job of starting to sow the seeds of the trouble that develops between Mary and George. She picks at him a little bit more and he is a bit more dismissive. I can see how the marriage would dissolve in the next few years.

[Shelbie]

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

The story that Sheldon has told that hurts George's character the most is the origin of his three knocks, because he walked into his parents' bedroom with minimal knocking and found George with another woman. That's the one that's hard to reconcile. Pretty much any of the other stories about George that Sheldon has told can be written off as an unreliable narrator, but that one about George cheating is pretty cut and dried.

I’ve always thought it is going to turn out to be Mary in a wig and  dressed in something provocative in an effort to spice up their sex life . Sheldon doesn’t see her face and  misinterprets the situation .

[Bali]

6 hours ago, mammaM said:

I wonder if that could be the answer, Sheldon's depiction (and memory) is at fault. In TBBT Sheldon has admitted he doesn't pick on social clues very well and adult Georgie told Sheldon that the family protected him after the dad died. What if George and Mary separated (maybe one to many fights about Sheldon, and no one wanted to tell Sheldon that), George goes overboard with "drinking and whoring", Mary dives deeper into the church, Sheldon goes away to grad school, without Sheldon around George and Mary make up but then George dies. Sorry about making George die but we know that happened so we can't change that. 

I know. And I agree. But I also wouldn't argue if they did a full on retcon and didn't have George die. I'd maybe blink for a split second and then be all, OKAY. Science Fiction does split universes all the time. TBBT talks about sci-fi often. I'm fine with this being an alternate universe where George doesn't die. I mean- Sheldon never once mentioned that the guy that bullied Leonard looks just like his Dad. It could be an alternate universe.

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, Shelbie said:

I’ve always thought it is going to turn out to be Mary in a wig and  dressed in something provocative in an effort to spice up their sex life . Sheldon doesn’t see her face and  misinterprets the situation .

That's perfect!  I much prefer that to destroying an awesome character!

26 minutes ago, Bali said:

I know. And I agree. But I also wouldn't argue if they did a full on retcon and didn't have George die. I'd maybe blink for a split second and then be all, OKAY. Science Fiction does split universes all the time. TBBT talks about sci-fi often. I'm fine with this being an alternate universe where George doesn't die. I mean- Sheldon never once mentioned that the guy that bullied Leonard looks just like his Dad. It could be an alternate universe.

I'm totally fine with it being an alternate universe.  I think it would be dumb to ruin this sweet show by trying to stick to TBBT cannon exactly.

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, kariyaki said:

The story that Sheldon has told that hurts George's character the most is the origin of his three knocks, because he walked into his parents' bedroom with minimal knocking and found George with another woman.

Besides which, we've already seen Sheldon developing into his knocking habit.  I think last night on the show, he knocked something like four times, "Veronica", two times, "Veronica".  Or something like that.  He doesn't have the pattern down yet, but he's working on it.

One thing I thought to explain some of Sheldon's comments was that his father's death upset him so much, he coped with it by blocking out a lot of the good memories and wildly exaggerating some of the bad.

[Homily]

On 5/3/2019 at 5:05 PM, AnnaRose said:

I'm totally fine with it being an alternate universe.  I think it would be dumb to ruin this sweet show by trying to stick to TBBT cannon exactly.

I feel differently about this.  I wish they'd never set up George and Mary to have a bad marriage and for George to be an alcoholic and a cheater and to die young but they have and I just don't see them changing that on YS.  Especially since in the last couple of seasons of BBT they did have the opportunity to walk back George's fate and they didn't do that.  If after BBT ends they decide it's an alternate universe I'm out.

[Bort]

24 minutes ago, Homily said:

I feel differently about this.  I wish they'd never set up George and Mary to have a bad marriage and for George to be an alcoholic and a cheater and to die young but they have and I just don't see them changing that on YS.  Especially since in the last couple of seasons of BBT they did have the opportunity to walk back George's fate and they didn't do that.  If after BBT ends they decide it's an alternate universe I'm out.

I'm betting the writers wish they hadn't written Sheldon's backstory that way either. But it was The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom, they had no way of knowing some throwaway backstory of a character that was already dead would end up being a problem for a future spinoff.

I don't want an alternate universe scenario either. That's a lazy copout retcon, no thanks. If they write it so that it turns out Sheldon didn't see what he thought he saw, then that's different. His social skills are terrible, he misunderstands stuff all the time, and I imagine he had the same reaction as any kid seeing a naked parent having sex: averting eyes, running away, possibly shrieking. The alcoholism, the allegedly bad marriage are all things Sheldon could've overblown in his head as well. He's an unreliable narrator, so if they tapdance out of it that way, fine.

[Isle Of Why]

I wouldn't mind if the show ended before George and Mary fall apart. It has that built-in "children grow up" problem anyway where the writers need to age up the characters but still have them retain the traits that endeared them to audiences. It's a tricky line to walk and I'd rather have 3-4 good seasons than drag things out into Missy and Sheldon's teen years. 

[Homily]

4 hours ago, Isle Of Why said:

It's a tricky line to walk and I'd rather have 3-4 good seasons than drag things out into Missy and Sheldon's teen years. 

I agree with you but it is the rare US sitcom that ends after 3 or 4 seasons if the rating stay good.  They're far more likely to spin it out for as long as they can.

[LoneHaranguer]

18 hours ago, Homily said:

They're far more likely to spin it out for as long as they can.

If they do, they'll have to change the format of the show quite a bit. Sheldon told us when he went off to college in The Cornhusker Vortex. Speaking of which, shouldn't we be seeing George pushing football at Sheldon more? Sheldon may have been exaggerating, but we're getting nothing to support what was supposed to be "week in and week out".

[Homily]

On 5/3/2019 at 2:38 AM, rmontro said:

George Sr. is so damn likable on this show, I don't know how he squares with Sheldon's descriptions of him on Big Bang.  Of all the terrible things Sheldon has done on TBBBT, at this point I have to think that his depiction of his father is the worst.

I just saw an older episode where Sheldon very casually mentions the way his father's girlfriend tried to buy his love with action figures.  I just do not see (short of retconning of course) how they can make that Sheldon making things up about his father.  I don't know how YS will handle this - if they do - but BBT did not have Sheldon lying about his father IMO.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

If they do, they'll have to change the format of the show quite a bit. Sheldon told us when he went off to college in The Cornhusker Vortex. 

They can probably stick with the current format by having Sheldon go to a Texas university in the next year or so. TBBT has never said where he did his undergrad just that he graduates and moves to California at 14. George also dies when Sheldon is 14. If the show continues to progress in real time they have until the 5th or possibly 6th season before they have to address or completely retcon Sheldon’s TBBT background. 

[Bort]

57 minutes ago, Homily said:

I just saw an older episode where Sheldon very casually mentions the way his father's girlfriend tried to buy his love with action figures.  I just do not see (short of retconning of course) how they can make that Sheldon making things up about his father.  I don't know how YS will handle this - if they do - but BBT did not have Sheldon lying about his father IMO.

Maybe not the marriage breaking up. I think that's fairly definitive. But what Sheldon saw, or thought he saw, could be construed as him misunderstanding.

[LoneHaranguer]

3 hours ago, Dani said:

They can probably stick with the current format by having Sheldon go to a Texas university in the next year or so. TBBT has never said where he did his undergrad just that he graduates and moves to California at 14.

But, Sheldon will be away from his father's pushing of football two years before that (ending what he called the worst years of his life), suggesting that he won't be home much, probably living in a dorm. Just attending college next year is likely to affect things.

[Homily]

I don't know how they're going to handle Sheldon going to university but I wonder why people think he goes to California alone at 14?  I can't see that happening and I'd be surprised if this was ever stated either on BBT or in voice overs on YS.

[Bort]

1 minute ago, Homily said:

I wonder why people think he goes to California alone at 14?

They've never said what Sheldon's undergrad college was, but I'm pretty sure that he's been at CalTech since his post-grad, which was after he graduated at age 14.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

But, Sheldon will be away from his father's pushing of football two years before that (ending what he called the worst years of his life), suggesting that he won't be home much, probably living in a dorm. Just attending college next year is likely to affect things.

The first few seasons were so inconsistent that anything they do will contradict something. I am only expecting them to stick with what has been said in the last few years. 

7 minutes ago, Homily said:

I don't know how they're going to handle Sheldon going to university but I wonder why people think he goes to California alone at 14?  I can't see that happening and I'd be surprised if this was ever stated either on BBT or in voice overs on YS.

Sheldon moving alone to California is my interpretation of what was said in the BBT episode with Tam. 

[Homily]

1 minute ago, Dani said:

Sheldon moving alone to California is my interpretation of what was said in the BBT episode with Tam. 

I thought in that episode that Tam was going to California to do graduate work which would have made Sheldon about 18 so probably going to do his second phd.  It's pretty confusing though and obviously we viewers think about this stuff way more than the writers ever did!

[LoneHaranguer]

51 minutes ago, Homily said:

I don't know how they're going to handle Sheldon going to university but I wonder why people think he goes to California alone at 14? 

It's within his character to want to be considered an adult, and go so far as to take the legal steps to get his independence if he has to.

[Driad]

We have wondered how Connie transitioned from the sweet Meemaw of YS to the rather bitter nasty character who appeared on BBT (fortunately only once).  Maybe her gambling has something to do with it.

[Homily]

On 5/6/2019 at 6:26 PM, LoneHaranguer said:

It's within his character to want to be considered an adult, and go so far as to take the legal steps to get his independence if he has to.

I don't see that with Sheldon at all.  He's been looked after by others all his life - in BBT first it was Leonard, then Penny and then Amy.  And this was when he was mid-20s and onwards.  I cannot believe that he would have been living alone in California (or with a sequence of room-mates) from the age of 14 until Leonard came along.  Further there is no way anyone is going to convince me that his parents (or parent if George is gone by this point) would have permitted such a thing.  Did. Not. Happen.  

[Zoe]

2 hours ago, Driad said:

We have wondered how Connie transitioned from the sweet Meemaw of YS to the rather bitter nasty character who appeared on BBT (fortunately only once).  Maybe her gambling has something to do with it.

I have a feeling Dr Sturgis won't be around much longer 😞

[SmithW6079]

On 5/10/2019 at 10:18 AM, Driad said:

We have wondered how Connie transitioned from the sweet Meemaw of YS to the rather bitter nasty character who appeared on BBT (fortunately only once).  Maybe her gambling has something to do with it.

I don't think Meemaw is all that sweet. She's feisty and independent, but not really sweet. And as we saw in this most recent episode, she can be a bitch. I could totally see that Meemaw being nasty to Amy.

[Driad]

36 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

I don't think Meemaw is all that sweet.

She is sometimes sweet to young Sheldon.  Maybe her sweet moments are what adult Sheldon remembers.

[Homily]

It's a grandmother thing.  I know my grandmother had her faults - and my mother and her siblings don't always have fond memories of her - but to me it doesn't change anything,  she's my Nanny.  Case closed 😊. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by Homily

[shapeshifter]

Watching "S02.E22: A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" and John (Dr. Sturgis) explaining to MeMaw that he will never win a Nobel, "but Sheldon will." 

*sniff*

And:

• Yesterday was my 5-10 minute retirement party
• "Someday, we'll be together" https://youtu.be/ixEOMB6jyEE

Edited May 17, 2019 by shapeshifter

[Guest]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Watching "S02.E22: A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" and John (Dr. Sturgis) explaining to MeMaw that he will never win a Nobel, "but Sheldon will." 

I loved that. I also loved Sheldon telling George that he might thank him in his Nobel acceptance just after we saw him do it. 

After the last episode I think the show might not be moving in real time. The first episode was set in the fall of 1989 but the Nobel prize announcement was from October 1990. I wonder if it was just a continuity error or if this is how they plan on avoiding addressing George’s affair and death. 

[Zoe]

2 minutes ago, Dani said:

After the last episode I think the show might not be moving in real time. The first episode was set in the fall of 1989 but the Nobel prize announcement was from October 1990. I wonder if it was just a continuity error or if this is how they plan on avoiding addressing George’s affair and death. 

Yeah, it was said they'll be going slower than real time so they can maximize the time before Sheldon moves away and George dies.

[mojoween]

With how great both shows handled the BBT finale, I'm surprised Sheldon didn’t thank Dr. Sturgis in his Nobel speech.

[Zoe]

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

With how great both shows handled the BBT finale, I'm surprised Sheldon didn’t thank Dr. Sturgis in his Nobel speech.

I don't think they could have done anything without spoiling YS.  He's clearly not in Sheldon's life during the BBT era, so I have a feeling he will leave sooner rather than later 😞

[Snow Apple]

26 minutes ago, Zoe said:

I don't think they could have done anything without spoiling YS.  He's clearly not in Sheldon's life during the BBT era, so I have a feeling he will leave sooner rather than later 😞

Yeah, who knows what happens in the future (or the past depending how you look at it). 

They probably don't want to lock themselves in like they did for George. Older Sheldon won't thank Dr Sturgis if the writers decide to end it badly/sadly for his MeeMaw. 

[SpiritSong]

On 5/3/2019 at 7:39 AM, kariyaki said:

The story that Sheldon has told that hurts George's character the most is the origin of his three knocks, because he walked into his parents' bedroom with minimal knocking and found George with another woman. That's the one that's hard to reconcile. Pretty much any of the other stories about George that Sheldon has told can be written off as an unreliable narrator, but that one about George cheating is pretty cut and dried.

And pretty much totally out of character for the George we've been shown. He certainly has his flaws. but I can't imagine him bringing a woman into his marital bed to have sex with. He's never done anything deliberately hurtful.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, SpiritSong said:

And pretty much totally out of character for the George we've been shown. He certainly has his flaws. but I can't imagine him bringing a woman into his marital bed to have sex with. He's never done anything deliberately hurtful.

I almost hope they end this show before they have to delve into the dark stuff. There's no way the writers can retcon George's cheating. 

[MaryMitch]

15 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I almost hope they end this show before they have to delve into the dark stuff. There's no way the writers can retcon George's cheating. 

I believe someone earlier posited that maybe Sheldon saw his mother, who was wearing a wig and costume in an attempt to spice up their love life. 

I can see George flirting with a woman, and maybe even actually crossing the line, but I can't see him bringing a woman into their home and into their bedroom.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I almost hope they end this show before they have to delve into the dark stuff. There's no way the writers can retcon George's cheating. 

This is the way I feel. I don’t want to watch George and Mary’s marriage fall apart but I also don’t want them to undermine Sheldon’s character on TBBT. Sheldon’s story of walking in on George with another woman was character defining and I would hate to see it explained away as a joke. 

If they retcon too much it stops being the same Sheldon and I’ll probably be done. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

I can see George flirting with a woman, and maybe even actually crossing the line, but I can't see him bringing a woman into their home and into their bedroom.

So, maybe, a woman George . . .

1. crossed the line with outside the bedroom comes to the Cooper house to see some bedroom furniture that they are selling, and one thing leads to another.
2. never before crossed the line with comes to the Cooper house to see some bedroom furniture that they are selling, and one thing leads to another.
3. never crossed the line with comes to the Cooper house to see some bedroom furniture that they are selling, and George trips on the dust ruffle, and they tumble together onto the bed, and Sheldon misconstrues what he is seeing.
4. never crossed the line with comes to the Cooper house to see some bedroom furniture that they are selling, and George has a heart attack; the erstwhile bedroom furniture buyer administers mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and Sheldon misconstrues what he is seeing.

[Snow Apple]

I just googled George since I don't remember much of the things Sheldon said about him. 

It appears he said a lot of things that we are not witnessing on Young Sheldon. Like how he's basically a dumb redneck who don't respect women. So I'm hoping they will respectfully and/or cleverly deal with the woman in George's bed issue.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I just googled George since I don't remember much of the things Sheldon said about him. 

It appears he said a lot of things that we are not witnessing on Young Sheldon. Like how he's basically a dumb redneck who don't respect women. So I'm hoping they will respectfully and/or cleverly deal with the woman in George's bed issue.

The sticking point for me is that Sheldon walking in on George with another woman is one of the most specific stories he has ever told. It is also from season 10 at a point when they already planned YS.  It is one of the few moments that there is no way around for me.

Quote

Sheldon: I was 13 years old, and on spring break from college.

Penny: Not relating. Go on.

Sheldon: I came home early because they ran out of math to teach me.

Penny: Oh, now I’m with ya. Okay.

Sheldon: My mother was at bible study. I walked in the house expecting to find it empty, and I heard a sound coming from my parents’ bedroom. When I opened the door, I saw my father having relations with another woman.

Penny: Oh, that’s awful.

Sheldon: I know. It’s also why I never open a door without knocking three times. I mean, the first one’s traditional, but two and three are for people to get their pants on.

Penny: Well, what happened with your dad?

Sheldon: We locked eyes, I ran to my room, and we never, ever spoke of it.

[Homily]

14 minutes ago, Dani said:

It is also from season 10 at a point when they already planned YS.  It is one of the few moments that there is no way around for me.

This is exactly what I find odd about the way they've decided to portray George on YS.  I mean I totally get that they had to soften him and make him likable but they had a chance on BBT to walk back a bit of what Sheldon had always said about his father and about his parent's marriage and instead of doing that they doubled down on making George pretty horrible.  I mean sure  marriages can break down and there's fault on both sides and the kids don't really see the whole picture and yada yada yada and they could have gone that route  on BBT but they really didn't.  Not sure if that's because they have an end game in mind for George and Mary that will respect what they've said on BBT or not but it's weird!

Edited May 18, 2019 by Homily

[Snow Apple]

I stand corrected. I don't remember the details of that conversation. If Sheldon witnessed the actual deed and George saw Sheldon and didn't have a "it's not what it looks like" speech, I don't think they can spin it any other way. I just can't imagine the current George cheating or even thinking of it though.

Edited May 18, 2019 by Snow Apple

[anna0852]

Actually I'm starting to see signs of the marital breakdown just a bit. George is drinking more and ever since Mary refused to discuss the college coaching job they gotten pretty prickly.