S01.E17: Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-hoo

[formerlyfreedom]

Sheldon is bullied by an unlikely character, and Mary and George disagree on how to handle the situation.

 

[Browncoat]

Has Sheldon always ridden the bus, and I've just missed it all this time?

[Spartan Girl]

Meemaw's name is Connie Tucker? Has that been mentioned before?

That little girl was evil. But with a bitchy mother like that, she never stood a chance. 

George and Hershel are so whipped. Hiding from their wives in a chicken coop -- it doesn't get more poetic than that.

[Frost]

Missy sold Sheldon down the river!  So much for twin solidarity.  Poor Sheldon.

I loved Connie commenting she knows that Bobbie gets away with murder because she's cute because that's her experience!

[aemom]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Meemaw's name is Connie Tucker? Has that been mentioned before?

We've definitely heard "Connie" before, but I'm not sure about "Tucker."

When Bobbie went after Sheldon, she was like one of those evil, possessed kids in a horror movie. 

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Has Sheldon always ridden the bus, and I've just missed it all this time?

I thought we'd seen many scenes of the kids being driven to school. I don't know if we've ever seen them picked up and driven home, though. Or maybe I misunderstood, and the car scenes weren't about school?

We did see that when Mary took the job at the church, Sheldon and Missy were getting home alone, with no one there to greet them. That would imply that they took a bus, I guess, though it doesn't really add up that it would be the same one since they don't go to the same school.

Does YooHoo still exist?

Edited April 6, 2018 by possibilities

[Yeah No]

27 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Does YooHoo still exist?

Yes it does!  Every now and then I see it and buy it for nostalgia's sake.  It's owned by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple group.

[MaryMitch]

1 minute ago, Yeah No said:

Yes it does!  Every now and then I see it and buy it for nostalgia's sake.  It's owned by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple group.

"The name literally beckons."

[Browncoat]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Yoo-Hoo in a can, though — only those little bottles.

[aemom]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yes it does!  Every now and then I see it and buy it for nostalgia's sake.  It's owned by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple group.

I should have known better,  but I didn't realize that Yoo-Hoo was a real drink.  I've never seen or heard of it in my life, so I guess it's a US-only drink.

[Ina123]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

... That would imply that they took a bus, I guess, though it doesn't really add up that it would be the same one since they don't go to the same school.

Does YooHoo still exist?

In my area (and back in the old days) all the elementary schools were located within walking distance so the little kids all walked to school.

I caught the same bus for junior high that my brother caught for high school. Junior High kids were dropped off first and then it went to the High School. In the afternoon, Junior High was picked up first and then High School. We were never picked up or dropped off near our homes. There was a central pick up/drop off site and we walked the rest of the way. Of course, some students lived nearer the location than others.  There was a real sense of community then, unlike everyone driving or being driven to school today. (This was when I lived in a city. It was different when I was a senior, since we moved to a farm the summer before my senior year.)

I love YooHoo but it really is chocolate "water". I still like it ice cold on a sweltering day.

[TV Diva Queen]

11 hours ago, Frost said:

Missy sold Sheldon down the river!  So much for twin solidarity.  Poor Sheldon.

I loved Connie commenting she knows that Bobbie gets away with murder because she's cute because that's her experience!

Are you referring to the tea party scene?  What did Missy do?  That scene (and when Missy said something like "I got this" to Shelly), was lost on me.  

[Ina123]

She was supposed to stand up to the bully. Instead she had an afternoon tea party with her. No mention of a problem with Sheldon.

[DkNNy79]

9 minutes ago, Ina123 said:

She was supposed to stand up to the bully. Instead she had an afternoon tea party with her. No mention of a problem with Sheldon.

Yeah I was really disappointed in Missy for that.

That girl's mother was B*.  Mary showed a lot of restraint.

[Gulftastic]

Was that period-correct Scooby Doo that Missy was watching? Seemed a bit new millenium for the era.

Sheldon hiding behind the mail cart made me laugh. I was a bit uneasy with them all laughing at Sheldon. What was he supposed to do? Hit a 6 year old girl?

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, Ina123 said:

She was supposed to stand up to the bully. Instead she had an afternoon tea party with her. No mention of a problem with Sheldon.

Of course, it could also be that she ingratiated herself (and by extension, Sheldon) to the bully...which could then end the bullying.  It was, despite what she and the bully did to the brother, a far more mature way of handling things.  And, IIRC, there were no more bullying scenes after that!

I'll admit it...Missy can do no wrong in my eyes.

[Gummo]

Loved George and Herschel bonding over being henpecked by their wives.

I also liked them showing Mary slowly getting more & more insufferable with her approach to religiosity. It makes her less likable but ties in nicely with Big Bang.

Loved Missy taking Sheldon's life savings and then having a grand old time with Little Girl Sparks, then saying "I handled it" - exactly what her Dad did with Herschel!

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, OtterMommy said:

And, IIRC, there were no more bullying scenes after that!

In the end tag, the little girl chased Sheldon into his house, so Missy did not help the situation at all.

[LoneHaranguer]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

We did see that when Mary took the job at the church, Sheldon and Missy were getting home alone, with no one there to greet them. That would imply that they took a bus, I guess, though it doesn't really add up that it would be the same one since they don't go to the same school.

It's not unusual for a town to have one of its elementary schools very near, or adjacent to its high school. George and Mary may have chosen to send Missy (and originally Sheldon) where all of their kids would be riding on the same bus, with the idea that Georgie could watch over the twins. That doesn't happen when Georgie has football practice.

[OtterMommy]

22 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

In the end tag, the little girl chased Sheldon into his house, so Missy did not help the situation at all.

Ah, missed that.  Sorry!

In any case, Missy actually did what should have been done--since the girl's parents were unwilling to step in (and George only grudgingly did so)--which was to try to foster a relationship between at least the kids of the family, if not the girl and Sheldon.  Obviously, this is not the tactic that one would take in more serious bullying or with older kids, but it actually was appropriate (in my opinion) in this particular case.  What would have been the best, though, would have been for the girl's parents to actually step in and talk to her...but that would have been a very boring episode.

All that being said, though...that girl was creeepy!  And, given how her mother behaved, it's not a surprise to see that she would take aggression out on others.

[Runningwild]

4 hours ago, Gummo said:

I also liked them showing Mary slowly getting more & more insufferable with her approach to religiosity. It makes her less likable but ties in nicely with Big Bang.

To what are you referring? I remember her saying she would angrily saying she would pray for the woman. Was there something else?

[Bort]

Melissa Peterman was the neighbor mom! She's so hilarious, it was a shame her comic timing wasn't utilized more.

5 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

Was that period-correct Scooby Doo that Missy was watching? Seemed a bit new millenium for the era.

It was A Pup Named Scooby Doo, which debuted in 1988. 

[Chit Chat]

40 minutes ago, Runningwild said:

I remember her saying she would angrily saying she would pray for the woman.

I thought that was funny, and classic Mary when she yelled out "I'll pray for you!"    You know she really wanted to punch that woman in the face, but she showed great restraint in that moment.  She's done that when other people (Leonard's Mom) have insulted her about her religious beliefs.  

I don't always like how Mary handles things with Sheldon, but I sure am enjoying seeing the younger version of Mary handle the challenges she had with a young Sheldon.  

[DkNNy79]

Has it been established that Sheldon is the youngest?  I can't remember if its been stated that he's the younger twin.  I know Mary calls him "her baby" all the time.

[Driad]

Some shows would have had it turn out that Bobbi had a crush on Sheldon and wanted to kiss him. But I think she's really a bully. If this show continues for several more seasons, the relationship between her and her mother might get interesting.

[mojoween]

It still amuses me that Sheldon’s dad was Leonard’s bully.  I mean obviously not in the same universe but I like the juxtaposition.

I feel that Mary was in the wrong in that while she did try to peacefully handle the problem at first, when it went sideways she should have backed off because the other lady was at work.  Public place or not, that was rude.

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

I feel that Mary was in the wrong in that while she did try to peacefully handle the problem at first, when it went sideways she should have backed off because the other lady was at work.  Public place or not, that was rude.

I've started this post 3 times trying to say that it wasn't wise, but not wrong for Mary to show up at the mom's work but, you know what?, it was wrong.  I can't explain it away.  Yes, the mom was in a position where she spoke with the public, but it still wasn't appropriate for Mary to show up and confront her, however politely, about a personal matter--especially when they lived right next door to each other (I think?  at least they were in the same neighborhood.)  It seemed the only reason they set it up that way was to include Meemaw in the scene--which wasn't even that funny.

[BlossomCulp]

8 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

What would have been the best, though, would have been for the girl's parents to actually step in and talk to her...but that would have been a very boring episode.

You're left with the impression that her father did talk to her.  Whatever he said clearly made no difference however!

[madpsych78]

And although Bobbie was a bully her brother Billy clearly is not, taking after their dad. The scene with Missy, Billy, and Bobbie was pretty funny. 

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, BlossomCulp said:

You're left with the impression that her father did talk to her.  Whatever he said clearly made no difference however!

I don't think the dad spoke to her beyond asking her at the door (and that conversation was pretty ineffectual)

[LucyEth]

Another good episode.  Love this show.

[SparklesBitch]

12 hours ago, Gummo said:

Loved George and Herschel bonding over being henpecked by their wives.

Me too, especially them getting their story straight before George left the chicken coop. 

7 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I thought that was funny, and classic Mary when she yelled out "I'll pray for you!"    You know she really wanted to punch that woman in the face, but she showed great restraint in that moment.  She's done that when other people (Leonard's Mom) have insulted her about her religious beliefs.  

Yes! The threat in her voice was perfect and hilarious, and definitely right in line with Mary of the BBT.

I really enjoyed George in this episode in general. His interactions with Mary cracked me up, from his “that’s rich” reaction to her saying that he’s more intimidating than she is to his “Yeah. Me and the Lord. Team effort” comment when Mary said something like “thank the Lord” after he “handled” the situation with Sheldon’s bully. I like his sense of humor. :) 

[Mystery]

When Mary asked Sheldon (while fixing his scraped knees) if he felt stronger, and he said "No," Iain really did sound just like adult Sheldon. 

[mojoween]

6 hours ago, Mystery said:

When Mary asked Sheldon (while fixing his scraped knees) if he felt stronger, and he said "No," Iain really did sound just like adult Sheldon. 

Yes!  They ruined it by putting that part in every commercial before the show aired but I still loved it.  

I know this isn’t Iain’s first work, and TBH I wasn’t as enamored of him in Big Little Lies as most of the articles said they were, but he’s just perfect in this. He must have shadowed Jim for awhile or something because he’s doing a bang-up job.

[thebigboot]

On 4/6/2018 at 6:22 AM, Ina123 said:

She was supposed to stand up to the bully. Instead she had an afternoon tea party with her. No mention of a problem with Sheldon.

Meh, I’m in the middle. As many times as the rest of the family gets set aside for Sheldon, maybe it’s that kind of fair play mindset.

[BlossomCulp]

12 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I don't think the dad spoke to her beyond asking her at the door (and that conversation was pretty ineffectual)

When the two dads are hiding out in the shed the bully's dad assured George that he would talk to his daughter.  As anyone who has dealt with bullies knows however just talking to them is rarely enough to stop them.  Which George, who admitted he was once a bully himself, should have known!  

[CherryAmes]

I liked this episode but it annoyed me that, once again, we are treated to Lorre's take on women - that they are all bullies at heart and the men in their lives are whipped.  

[Wayward Son]

I felt sorry for Sheldon in this episode and I think it did a great job of portraying the impossible position young boys often found themselves in. On the one hand, you have the arguably archaic rule “a man should never raise his hand to a woman rule” making it difficult if not impossible for a boy to defend himself against a girl without earning titles such as “woman beater”, disappointment from grown ups and possible further bullying from others. On the other hand, not defending yourself is also looked down upon as shown by remarks such as “it’s not OK for him to be beat up by a little girl”. It really is a no win situation. If you defend yourself you’ve broken the “dont Raise your hand to a woman rule” and if you don’t you’re portrayed as a wimp for being beat up by a girl. 

[CherryAmes]

I agree Sheldon was in an impossible situation but added to that he wasn't being bullied by a girl his own age he was being bullied by a girl 3 years younger than he was.  I think had it been a 6 year old boy he still would have been the bad guy had be fought with a 6 yr old!

[MaryMitch]

31 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I agree Sheldon was in an impossible situation but added to that he wasn't being bullied by a girl his own age he was being bullied by a girl 3 years younger than he was.  I think had it been a 6 year old boy he still would have been the bad guy had be fought with a 6 yr old!

Yeah, that was no win. Getting his sister to do the dirty work would have solved the problem, but unfortunately Missy didn't follow through, which disappointed me.

[HyeChaps]

Sheldon was able to teach himself to sing and tap dance, but he couldn't learn self defense?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 4/8/2018 at 12:17 PM, MaryMitch said:

Yeah, that was no win. Getting his sister to do the dirty work would have solved the problem, but unfortunately Missy didn't follow through, which disappointed me.

I thought that Missy would have threatened to beat her up. Might have worked, and even if the little girl complained to her parents, Mary wouldn't be mad at Missy since she was trying to help Sheldon.

[Ubiquitous]

When they didn't show the cause of Young Sheldon's distress, I suspected something was up, like there was no bully and he was being neuritic and paranoid. I'm glad it turned out the little girl didn't have a crush on him, I guess.

On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 12:10 PM, CherryAmes said:

I liked this episode but it annoyed me that, once again, we are treated to Lorre's take on women - that they are all bullies at heart and the men in their lives are whipped.  

Oh my gosh! I cannot watch ANY Chuck Lorre show without noticing that!