S02.E13: A Nuclear Reactor and a Boy Called Lovey

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon attempts to build a nuclear reactor; a university cocktail party gets heated when Dr. Sturgis's colleague flirts with Meemaw; Georgie is heartbroken when he learns Veronica has a boyfriend.

Airdate: Thursday, January 17, 2019

[Spartan Girl]

Poor Georgie. High school love sucks.

[Browncoat]

I felt so bad for Georgie!  But it looked like Veronica had some sympathy, too.

Missy, as always, rocked.  I loved the scenes with her and George, gossiping.

[ams1001]

Missy and George gossiping was adorable.

[jewel21]

I laughed every time George yelled out he was fifteen. 

Missy and George had great scenes together. I loved him getting into all the gossip. So funny.

[ams1001]

I was getting annoyed with Mary being jealous over his teenage crush until she said she was basically punishing him just for the hell of it, because her ego wouldn't let her stop.

[Mystery]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I felt so bad for Georgie!  But it looked like Veronica had some sympathy, too.

Missy, as always, rocked.  I loved the scenes with her and George, gossiping.

 

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Missy and George gossiping was adorable.

 

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

I laughed every time George yelled out he was fifteen. 

Missy and George had great scenes together. I loved him getting into all the gossip. So funny.

Yes, yes, and yes. I love their relationship; you can tell that the two actors are very comfortable with each other. Almost as good as their dinner date. They both do such a good job of being interested in the same thing (gossip, in this case) but still maintaining their roles as a child and an adult. I was glad that George was appropriately sympathetic to Georgie, while Missy was too young to be anything but amused. 

[Bort]

Seems like it's time for a little reminder that 'future' Big Bang Theory plot points are not to be brought up in the episode topics. Posts will be removed.

[aemom]

12 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Missy and George gossiping was adorable.

I hope this isn't just a one-off and that we see a lttle scene of this here and there in future eps.

The look on Sheldon's face when all the yellow suited people showed up in the garage was priceless. 

Interesting plotline with Connie and her boyfriend (who's name escapes me).  I liked that they tried to support each other and then she got all hot and bothered when he fought for her.

[Frost]

I can't help but like Missy because she's such a spark of life, but she really is a mean child.  She was positively relishing all the negative gossip she was spreading during the whole episode, even about her own brother.  Even George was momentarily taken aback, until he was distracted by the non-husband pregnancy.  Missy is ten year's old.  Empathy is not beyond her years.  Unfortunately, I think she sees spreading gossip as her moment to shine in her family and, it seems, at school.  Oh well.  Fictional character!  I think I would despise a real life Missy, but the cutie pie on Young Sheldon is a keeper!  The writers just need to remember to throw in scenes like her hugging Sheldon when he cried.

The actor playing Georgie is really good!  His character has more to do this season and he's doing a great job with his scenes.  

I like this show because the family relationships are not completely sanitized.  Mary sniping at George over "Kathleen Parker!" (or whatever her name was), George bellowing "I was fifteen!" over and over again, etc.  Everybody wanders around the house and interacts.  It doesn't feel so stagey.

[Quark]

I love this show so much.

[HazelEyes4325]

Enjoyable episode but, man, Mary was unlikable.  As far as we've seen, George has given her no reason to doubt his feelings towards her, but she's through the roof over a teenaged crush that he has long since put from his mind.  That being said, I can see how it might play a role in the larger issues going on in this family which the show is addressing in an interesting (and smart) way of talking around it, but doing so that the audience knows that not everything is hunky dory.

I do love Missy and, yes, she is mean.  But she's mean in a way that sort of makes sense--she has this very holier-than-thou mother and she chooses ways to act out (in cahoots with someone else, usually someone named George...) that directly undermines her mother's belief system.  This time it was gossiping.  I also think it showed how street smart this girl is.  I still think that she's probably the smartest character in this show.

I'm glad that they sort of closed the loop with Georgie and Veronica and they did it well.  The actor playing Georgie is really impressing me!  Last season, I thought he was rather weak, but I realize now that it was because the show gave him so little to do.  I still believe that this show is best when it doesn't center around Sheldon, but rather has Sheldon as an observer of his family.

[rmontro]

I thought the Georgie/Veronica and MeeMaw/Dr. Sturgis couple stories were kind of cute.  And the George/Mary story was kind of funny.  I liked Mary's admission that she was punishing George for "nothing, really".  

I also liked Dr. Sturgis' complete lack of concern over what Sheldon was up to.

[Browncoat]

53 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I also liked Dr. Sturgis' complete lack of concern over what Sheldon was up to.

That was great.  "Nope, sorry, I don't have any radioactive material, but, hey, try smoke detectors!"

[HurricaneVal]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

I also liked Dr. Sturgis' complete lack of concern over what Sheldon was up to.

I cracked up so hard at that.  It's like Dr. Sturgis wants to give Sheldon whatever he needs to keep him happy, so Mee-maw will continue to like him.  Yet at the same time, he's just outright gleeful at Sheldon's enthusiasm for science.  Dr. Sturgis is a complicated character--he's calculating and naive. 

I loved Mee-maw's realization that parroting all the science-babble Sheldon was constantly directing her way during her awkward evening could save her from humiliation. 

But the best part was Missy's secret gossip cabal of little sisters.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I cracked up so hard at that.  It's like Dr. Sturgis wants to give Sheldon whatever he needs to keep him happy, so Mee-maw will continue to like him.  Yet at the same time, he's just outright gleeful at Sheldon's enthusiasm for science.  Dr. Sturgis is a complicated character--he's calculating and naive. 

I don't think he's calculating at all.  I think he just takes everything at face value and loves science and Sheldon's love of science.

5 hours ago, Frost said:

I can't help but like Missy because she's such a spark of life, but she really is a mean child. 

I agree. I love MIssy, but she does take too much delight in the pain of others.  I kind of understand it.  TBH, when I was a kid, I loved it when my sister had a downfall. She was just smarter, prettier, more athletic and popular, and I'll admit I was jealous.  So, maybe I'm reading to much into it, or projecting too much, but I think that even though Missy acts confident a lot of the time, she does feel stupid next to Sheldon (which had been actually stated) and probably less in general than her popular football palying (not sure he's doing that anymore, but it doesnt' matter much to my point) older brother.  She knows Sheldon is her mother's fave and Georgie is her dad's and so she takes certain delights in the miseries.  Not saying it's right.  I just understand it.  And, as stated, she's just a TV character.  

[HouseofBeck]

Oh, that was wonderful. Missy's little sister network, the hilarious scientist 'fight,' and poor Georgy. I agree that his lady love seemed sympathetic. High school can be so wretched.

Sheldon (and Missy, for that matter) looked so much older to me in this ep that at first I couldn't stop focusing on how his little kid voice didn't match his face anymore.

[aemom]

15 hours ago, Frost said:

I like this show because the family relationships are not completely sanitized.  Mary sniping at George over "Kathleen Parker!" (or whatever her name was), George bellowing "I was fifteen!" over and over again, etc.  Everybody wanders around the house and interacts.  It doesn't feel so stagey.

Katherine Dempsey  ;-)

[BitterApple]

15 hours ago, HouseofBeck said:

 

Sheldon (and Missy, for that matter) looked so much older to me in this ep that at first I couldn't stop focusing on how his little kid voice didn't match his face anymore.

Yes, it was so distracting for me as well! It's like Iain's body hit puberty but his voice hasn't caught up yet. I wonder how the show is going to deal with him losing his cute factor? 

Regarding Missy, it would've been a great lesson if, for all the gossip she was spreading, she heard something unflattering about her family. 

I agree Mary was being ridiculous about George's crush. 

Poor Georgie. I wish Veronica had grabbed the note out of that kid's hand instead of standing there, but I guess she was caught off guard.

[Chit Chat]

23 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't think he's calculating at all.  I think he just takes everything at face value and loves science and Sheldon's love of science.

That's the way I see him.  He's a grown up Sheldon. That's why I find Connie's attraction to him a little weird.  Anyway, Dr. Sturgis will learn that things like building a nuclear reactor is no small science project for Sheldon.  He wants to power the whole neighborhood and beyond!  Dr. Sturgis is loveably naïve when it comes to Sheldon's capabilities.  

[Katy M]

37 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

He's a grown up Sheldon. That's why I find Connie's attraction to him a little weird. 

Kind of a reverse Oedipal complex?  

[Concerned]

20 hours ago, HouseofBeck said:

Oh, that was wonderful. Missy's little sister network, the hilarious scientist 'fight,' and poor Georgy. I agree that his lady love seemed sympathetic. High school can be so wretched.

Sheldon (and Missy, for that matter) looked so much older to me in this ep that at first I couldn't stop focusing on how his little kid voice didn't match his face anymore.

Young Sheldon was so cute last year, but he’s outgrown the cute stage. It happens to all cute child actors, but usually they stay cute for three seasons or so such as Malcolm in the Middle, Wonder Years, Boy Meets World etc. 

[shapeshifter]

On January 19, 2019 at 10:45 AM, BitterApple said:

Poor Georgie. I wish Veronica had grabbed the note out of that kid's hand instead of standing there, but I guess she was caught off guard.

Did Veronica seem to realize her boyfriend was being a jerk, or not? I couldn't tell. I guess if it matters we'll hear about it in a future episode.

 In contrast, I was relieved that Memaw wasn't woke enough to think her boyfriend was being a jerk by resorting to fisticuffs with the other scientist to stake his claim to her.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Did Veronica seem to realize her boyfriend was being a jerk, or not? I couldn't tell. I guess if it matters we'll hear about it in a future episode.

If you look at her face while he was reading the letter, it did look like she liked what was being said.  She must have liked Georgie's prose.

It couldn't have come to any big surprise to her that he liked her, but maybe she thought he was only interested in her physically.

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Did Veronica seem to realize her boyfriend was being a jerk, or not?

I think she did.  She wasn't laughing, and she had a look on her face that, to me, looked like she felt bad for Georgie in that he was being humiliated.  I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up dating Georgie.

As for Sheldon, I'm so glad that we got to see the story play out of him trying to make a nuclear reactor.  Thanks writers for that! 

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

I was relieved that Memaw wasn't woke enough to think her boyfriend was being a jerk by resorting to fisticuffs with the other scientist to stake his claim to her

What would have been the correct reaction? The other scientist acted quite blatantly going as far as putting his hand on Meemaw trying to drag her way.

[CherryAmes]

8 hours ago, LadyKenobi said:

Awkward, yes, but he has a certain joy about life and working with other people than Sheldon lacks.

I think this is the key difference.  In a way I guess we're being shown the route Sheldon's life could have taken if things had gone differently for him.  Different family circumstances, different opportunities etc.  As well though, of course, there is only so much anyone can do to actually change another person, Sheldon was probably programmed to BE Sheldon almost from birth.

[shapeshifter]

12 hours ago, FinnishViewer said:

What would have been the correct reaction? The other scientist acted quite blatantly going as far as putting his hand on Meemaw trying to drag her way.

Well, I hear today's parents of young children say, "Use your words," so I guess he could have said that.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/19/2019 at 4:35 PM, Concerned said:

Young Sheldon was so cute last year, but he’s outgrown the cute stage. It happens to all cute child actors, but usually they stay cute for three seasons or so such as Malcolm in the Middle, Wonder Years, Boy Meets World etc. 

I noted mostly that he seemed really tall while looking into the refrigerator. 

[rmontro]

19 hours ago, GussieK said:

I noted mostly that he seemed really tall while looking into the refrigerator. 

Well, Sheldon is tall, so...

[tkc]

On 2019-01-18 at 10:16 PM, AEMom said:

Katherine Dempsey  ;-)

He was FIFTEEN!   :D

[3 is enough]

On 1/19/2019 at 8:45 AM, BitterApple said:

Regarding Missy, it would've been a great lesson if, for all the gossip she was spreading, she heard something unflattering about her family. 

Realistically, it's a small town, and she is the girl with the weird brother. Pretty sure she has heard more than a few things about her family.  The "mean girl" persona probably helps her cope.  

Edited February 2, 2019 by 3 is enough

[ashleylm]

Re Missy's supposed meanness--I'm not getting that, I'm seeing a girl who's delighted to have learned interesting secrets about other people, not one who's chortling over their misery.  (I also think Young Sheldon is still cute, but I also think that of my 15 year old nephew who's well into puberty--neither of them are equivalent to a nine-week kitten, but who is?)

[John Potts]

I loved the little touch that Sheldon took precautions in dealing with radioactive materials... by wearing rubber gloves (and while they might possibly stop Alpha particles, Gamma radiation would pass straight them - though I guess it would at least stop him getting it on his skin). Americium really is thought of as a potential power source, though - in fact the same plot (with a less comic outcome) featured on CSI:NY.

Liked Connie having her flashback to Sheldon telling her about Gravitrons* and using that to impress the Academics with her knowledge. Nice to know she really does listen, even if she doesn't understand what he's saying.

* Not the supervillain

[LisaM]

I loved that Meemaw was able to parrot back some of what Sheldon had told her. That was great.