S02.E10: A Stunted Childhood and a Can of Fancy Mixed Nuts

[Bort]

Quote

When Sheldon learns that people with stunted childhoods can turn into social outcasts, he tries to act like a kid. Also, Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis's relationship is tested when she teaches him how to drive.

Airdate: Thursday, December 6, 2018

[Spartan Girl]

The origins of bazinga!

Loved Missy and Paige pranking George. And only Sheldon would barf on a swing set.

Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis continue to be sweet. I'm kind of starting to hope they're endgame.

[Bort]

Missy was way over on the other swing. That had to be some high velocity projectile vomiting from Sheldon.

[mojoween]

I love exasperated Georgie opening the nut can and Sheldon ending up being the one getting scared.

Paige looks like she’s wearing a wig.  It’s weird.

[LakeGal]

I thought it was strange that Paige had such dark roots for a 10 year old.  

[anna0852]

Bazinga!

I'm a Toy Story kid. The Memaw/Dr. Sturgis relationship is just too weird. That's Bo-Peep and TRex!

[Katy M]

I loved this episode.  It was funny.  Paige and Missy's friendship was unexpected, yet delightful.  If Dr. Sturgis has gotten along this long without driving, he can probably make it through the rest of his life.  

[Browncoat]

14 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Bazinga!

I'm a Toy Story kid. The Memaw/Dr. Sturgis relationship is just too weird. That's Bo-Peep and TRex!

Well, no wonder he can't drive!  With those tiny arms, he can't reach the steering wheel!  :)

[AnnaRose]

17 hours ago, mojoween said:

Paige looks like she’s wearing a wig.  It’s weird.

 

17 hours ago, LakeGal said:

I thought it was strange that Paige had such dark roots for a 10 year old.  

I never noticed this first time I watched, but after reading these posts I can't unsee it!  Watching the episode a second time, I thought it must be a wig... except a wig wouldn't have those dark roots at the part line too, right?  Did they bleach that poor girl's hair to look more like she belonged to the actress they hired to play her mother?

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I loved this episode.  It was funny.  Paige and Missy's friendship was unexpected, yet delightful.  

I have no problem with the idea of Paige and Missy being friends, but I can't remember when this happened. Am I forgetting an episode or a scene where the two of them spent time together? That being said, the friendship totally worked for me. I like the idea that Paige may be super smart but she is also still a kid. She can effortlessly bounce back and forth between genuis stuff and kid stuff. 

I loved that we got the origin of Bazinga. 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Sarah 103

[AnnaRose]

29 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I have no problem with the idea of Paige and Missy being friends, but I can't remember when this happened. Am I forgetting an episode or a scene where the two of them spent time together? That being said, the friendship totally worked for me. I like the idea that Paige may be super smart but she is also still a kid. She can effortlessly bounce back and forth between genuis stuff and kid stuff. 

I loved that we got the origin of Bazinga. 

I think we're supposed to assume it happened off screen, possibly the same day Paige and her parents came to visit the Coopers.  In that episode, we only saw Paige with Sheldon and Paige's older sister with Missy and Georgie... but that doesn't mean the two younger girls didn't eventually spend time together too.  (Or some other time the families got together.)  Maybe since Georgie and the older sister were busy making out when the came to visit, Missy went to play with Paige who probably had already had enough of Sheldon.

[Sarah 103]

5 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

I think we're supposed to assume it happened off screen.

This works for me. I like the way the show keeps reconfiguring the characters (putting different characters together for a subplot). I would be up for more Paige and Missy adventures.  

[Bort]

I pretty much assumed that Paige and Missy hit it off in this episode. I don't find it out of place for little kids to become friends in one afternoon and want to do a sleepover. They're very impulsive.

[Browncoat]

Didn't they bond in the shoe store before skipping off to the Hello Kitty store? 

[meep.meep]

Ian A. looks like he's grown a lot - looked enormous in the swing scene.

[babyhouseman]

Grown Sheldon's voiceovers were amusing especially when you know how he turned out.

"I'm not a weirdo. I grew up to be well-adjusted and charming."

"Bazinga is what led me to be the merry and joyful prankster my friends love"

[BitterApple]

4 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Ian A. looks like he's grown a lot - looked enormous in the swing scene.

I noticed that too. He's losing that "little kid" look very rapidly.

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Didn't they bond in the shoe store before skipping off to the Hello Kitty store? 

 

5 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I pretty much assumed that Paige and Missy hit it off in this episode. I don't find it out of place for little kids to become friends in one afternoon and want to do a sleepover. They're very impulsive.

That's true. To me it felt like there was more history between them, but you are correct. It could have been as simple as they thought the duck boots were cute, bonded more over Hello Kitty, then wanted to have a sleepover. 

[Mystery]

McKenna Grace is blond, so maybe her hair's just darkening as she gets older. The dark roots did look odd. 

I was afraid for a second that Paige wouldn't like Missy's overture about the cute boots, and relieved that she did. Crazy, I know!

I can see myself watching this show less and less as Sheldon becomes even more irritating. Hated him in the shoe store, hated him doing pranks. 

[anna0852]

3 minutes ago, Mystery said:

 

I can see myself watching this show less and less as Sheldon becomes even more irritating. Hated him in the shoe store, hated him doing pranks. 

Unfortunately that's probably going to happen. We know what kind of adult he turns into.

[Babalooie]

17 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Did they bleach that poor girl's hair to look more like she belonged to the actress they hired to play her mother?

Here's her IMDB page and it looks like they have been bleaching her hair for a while...or she's wearing a clip-on ponytail in this photo.

 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5085683/?ref_=tt_cl_t9

Edited December 8, 2018 by Babalooie

[AnnaRose]

5 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Here's her IMDB page and it looks like they have been bleaching her hair for a while...or she's wearing a clip-on ponytail in this photo.

 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5085683/?ref_=tt_cl_t9

Wow, she's been in a lot of things already.  She's a cute actress and she does a great job playing Paige.  I still think it's pretty effed-up to repeatedly chemically bleach a child's hair though.  I wonder if it could bleach that much naturally from the sun?

[Armchair Critic]

In the shots from behind Paige's hair looked really wiggy or as though they had somebody with a wig on taking her place. Strange stuff.

[HouseofBeck]

Annie Potts. I loved her in other things, but damn, was she ever born to play this role. She packs such range into each scene she's in. And you can see how the things she says, even when Sheldon gets that puzzled look, have stayed with him. 

I kept waiting for Paige's over the top little girl antics to end out of boredom or something--at least, to me it seemed she was playing a caricature of what she thinks a 'normal' girl would be--but as Mary pointed out, she IS a little girl. 

Love Tam. His world-weariness with a glimmer of lecherous future hope. :)

[AnnaRose]

7 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

In the shots from behind Paige's hair looked really wiggy or as though they had somebody with a wig on taking her place. Strange stuff.

Huh.  Maybe they did have a stand in for some of the shots because of availability/number of hours a child can work issues.  I also remember at least one scene in which it did look very wiggy, more so than in other shots.

[MaryMitch]

Regarding Paige's hair: no way that color is her natural color.

I liked the entire episode, but my favorite part was when Missy thought Sheldon was really upset and she came to sit down next to him. (On the whoopee cushion. Bazinga!)  Every now and then she shows sisterly love and those are sweet moments.

[Sarah 103]

On 12/9/2018 at 10:26 AM, HouseofBeck said:

I kept waiting for Paige's over the top little girl antics to end out of boredom or something--at least, to me it seemed she was playing a caricature of what she thinks a 'normal' girl would be--but as Mary pointed out, she IS a little girl. 

I agree with you. I think the Paige we see is who she is. The character is supposed to be a contrast to Sheldon. While Sheldon is a genuis and acts more like an adult most of the time (and has to work at being a normal kid), Paige goes back and forth. She can have super intelligent conversations with adults about cutting edge science but also geek out over cute Hello Kitty stuff with Missy. I also like that they are showing a genuis who is better at social things. 

[BlossomCulp]

When Dr Sturgis started the car and first started driving the look on his face is exactly what I think I looked like everytime I drove a car!  Which is one reason why I no longer drive a car!

I loved Sheldon's pranks and especially when he jumped when those snakes came out of the can.  Bazinga - lol.

Edited December 10, 2018 by BlossomCulp

[Yeah No]

I just answered my own question with Google and yes, they still make that "fancy mixed nuts" gag.  I'll swear the can I had 50 years ago looked exactly the same!

https://www.amazon.com/Loftus-Fancy-Salted-Mixed-Nuts/dp/B0006GK4AO

[Guest]

On 12/6/2018 at 7:49 PM, LakeGal said:

I thought it was strange that Paige had such dark roots for a 10 year old.  

It’s a wig. She dyed her hair brown for The Haunting of Hill House. 

[jewel21]

I think it's sad she has to dye her hair at such a young age. My mother only let me get highlights when I was 17 years old. She didn't want me damaging my hair. 

[AnnaRose]

2 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I think it's sad she has to dye her hair at such a young age. My mother only let me get highlights when I was 17 years old. She didn't want me damaging my hair. 

Not only hair damage but all those toxic chemicals absorbed through the scalp. (And inhaled, too.)  Ugh.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I think it's sad she has to dye her hair at such a young age. My mother only let me get highlights when I was 17 years old. She didn't want me damaging my hair. 

Maybe it's because I'm 60 and my mother gave me my first perm. at age 5, but I have no problem with her dying her hair at her age.  Actors do a lot in the name of their craft, and to me that's pretty minimal.  If she gained 30 lbs. I would be against that as it might have lasting detrimental effects.  At least hair eventually grows out, and eventually most women end up dying their hair anyway when it starts to turn gray.  At least when you're young your body is more resilient to the chemicals.

[HazelEyes4325]

On 12/7/2018 at 2:40 PM, kariyaki said:

I pretty much assumed that Paige and Missy hit it off in this episode. I don't find it out of place for little kids to become friends in one afternoon and want to do a sleepover. They're very impulsive.

Paige and Missy have met before, but Paige was being "fixed up" (for lack of a better term) with Sheldon, so I doubt she interacted much with Missy.  Here, the met up in a setting where Sheldon was occupied with something else and Missy was free and it sort of happened.

Honestly, though, I think there is something bittersweet about Paige and Missy becoming friends *now.*  I would have thought that Missy would have somehow been incorporated in the previous get-together with Sheldon, but apparently not.  It's like Paige is this ONE thing--a super smart little girl--and they were completely focused on the "super smart" part but forgot the "little girl" part.  My guess is, like Sheldon, she doesn't really have any peers/friends at school.  And, as an only child, her parents were completely focused on her specialness, to the point that it ruined their marriage., but never really saw her for what she was. The parents thought that she (and Sheldon) needed a super smart friend, but what Paige really needed was a girlfriend.

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

And, as an only child, her parents were completely focused on her specialness,

She has a sister.

[anna0852]

A sister Georgie was making out with 😁

[HazelEyes4325]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

She has a sister.

Holy crap, I totally forgot about that!  Of course, I bet her parents have too.

[BitterApple]

22 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Not only hair damage but all those toxic chemicals absorbed through the scalp. (And inhaled, too.)  Ugh.

Over on the Hallmark Movie thread, it was mentioned how Candice Cameron is now wearing wigs for her movies, because the constant bleaching and dyeing caused her hair to fall out. It's definitely not good for McKenna to be on this path at such a young age.

[PWHCHCH]

On 12/12/2018 at 12:28 PM, Dani said:

It’s a wig. She dyed her hair brown for The Haunting of Hill House. 

Holy moly I didn’t even realise it was her in Haunting of Hill house. She is seriously talented then. 

[marypat57]

On 12/12/2018 at 1:58 AM, Yeah No said:

Maybe it's because I'm 60 and my mother gave me my first perm. at age 5....

I'm 65 and my mom was a big fan of those Tonette home permanents (the home permanent made with the younger woman in mind..)

I don't remember how many I actually had, but I will never forget one in particular.  I was about 7 1/2 and was getting ready for my First Communion.  In order to make my very fine, thin hair look nice in the pictures, mom gave me a Tonette.  Only she left the lotion on too long, and it was a disaster.  I ended going to the local beauty parlor to have it 'corrected'.  I don't remember any Tonettes after that.  I did however, get several perms in the 80s and very early 90s.  I have since returned to my natural straight hair (with highlights).

[femmefan1946]

On 12/7/2018 at 1:02 PM, AnnaRose said:

 

I never noticed this first time I watched, but after reading these posts I can't unsee it!  Watching the episode a second time, I thought it must be a wig... except a wig wouldn't have those dark roots at the part line too, right?  Did they bleach that poor girl's hair to look more like she belonged to the actress they hired to play her mother?

A friend , 8 years old at the time, returned to Canada after spending some months in SriLanka. She had very blonde hair, until it started growing in again away from the tropical sun.

As a result she had two inch dark brown roots by Christmas, when she got  haircut (pixie cut) that made the two tone look less obvious.

[jewel21]

I knew someone in high school who's eyebrows were almost black, and her hair was super light blonde. Her roots were growing in black, though, a good like four inches. It looked like she was naturally a brunette and had dyed her hair and the roots were growing in, but it was actually her hair color changing naturally. So weird. 

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, marypat57 said:

I'm 65 and my mom was a big fan of those Tonette home permanents (the home permanent made with the younger woman in mind..)

OMG, if not for you I never would have remembered the name of that perm!  That's exactly the one my mom used.  BTW, I hated it and soon went back to my naturally straight/wavy hair.  I didn't have another perm until the 80s, when having "big hair" was in style.  I stopped perming around 1990 or so when I adopted the above the shoulder, sleeker "bob" hairdo that started to be the rage that decade.  I wore that until the early 2000s, when I grew it out, had it cut into long layers and bought a flat iron.  I've been doing that ever since.

[theredhead77]

Oh, my childhood mall days. How I miss thee.... from the perspective of a kid. I love that even in Texas it was "the Hello Kitty store" and not Sanrio. I hope we get more 80s store drops like Topkapi, Millers Outpost, Natural Wonders, and on and on.

While I dig the friendship between Paige and Missy I was getting the impression that Paige is developing a crush on Sheldon.

[staleydm01]

On 12/21/2018 at 2:31 PM, theredhead77 said:

Oh, my childhood mall days. How I miss thee.... from the perspective of a kid. I love that even in Texas it was "the Hello Kitty store" and not Sanrio. I hope we get more 80s store drops like Topkapi, Millers Outpost, Natural Wonders, and on and on.

While I dig the friendship between Paige and Missy I was getting the impression that Paige is developing a crush on Sheldon.

 

On 12/21/2018 at 2:31 PM, theredhead77 said:

Oh, my childhood mall days. How I miss thee.... from the perspective of a kid. I love that even in Texas it was "the Hello Kitty store" and not Sanrio. I hope we get more 80s store drops like Topkapi, Millers Outpost, Natural Wonders, and on and on.

While I dig the friendship between Paige and Missy I was getting the impression that Paige is developing a crush on Sheldon.

 

On 12/13/2018 at 9:56 AM, PWHCHCH said:

Holy moly I didn’t even realise it was her in Haunting of Hill house. She is seriously talented then. 

I’m just unsure why her wig was blonde with brown roots as if the character was meant to be 10 surely it wouldn’t be ombré etc so young, plus i query why movies with bigger budgets wouldn’t wig her as I as a screenwriter would never want a actress to be stuck off set with their character look