S02.E15: A Math Emergency and Perky Palms

[Bort]

Quote

Sheldon and Dr. Sturgis have their first fight when Dr. Sturgis marks a question wrong on Sheldon's test. Also, Mary takes over for Pastor Jeff when he's out sick.

Airdate: Thursday, February 7, 2019

[SpiritSong]

I am utterly baffled as to why the writers think watching 10 year old Sheldon acting like an asshole is entertaining. Last week, he was a total asshole; this week he was 9/10 of one. The character has already ruined a lot of episodes of BBT. Now I'm almost at the point of quitting this series, though I love every character except Sheldon. I even like Pastor Jeff.

I don't know if it's Lorre or the writers he's hired but he really needs to let the other cast members shine and reduce the ever annoying Sheldon to a minor supporting character.

[Utpe]

Regarding the couple that needed marriage counseling...was the husband gay?  I think that might have been the reason why they were having issues in the bedroom.  Not entirely sure.

Pretty sad episode.  I felt really bad about the old man passing away at the end alone in that cluttered house.  Even worse was Mary discovering him that way.  Ugh.

[tkc]

The man who Mary visited was played by Barry Corbin, who I’ll always think of as Maurice Minnifield from Northern Exposure!

Anyone have a piano that needs flinging? :)

Edited February 9, 2019 by tkc

[mxc90]

4 hours ago, Utpe said:

Regarding the couple that needed marriage counseling...was the husband gay?  I think that might have been the reason why they were having issues in the bedroom.  Not entirely sure.

I believe he is gay. If mentioning the flower shop being across from the post office or the pretty petunias or he liked to clean up clutter were meant to be jokes...I did't laugh. They did a good job making the wife look stupid by she not knowing he was gay. 

[rhys]

And why Mary can't keep a confidence from George when she says she can't tell him who she is counseling. She can be a real dope at times mentioning where the husband works!

[Bort]

I didn't pick up on the subtext of the husband being gay. I guess they were too subtle for me. Now that you all mention it, I'm all, "Ohhhhh..." because I was wondering what their boudoir problems could've possibly been.

[2727]

37 minutes ago, rhys said:

And why Mary can't keep a confidence from George when she says she can't tell him who she is counseling.

I loved George being a big old gossip again. It plays against type and makes me laugh.

[BitterApple]

8 hours ago, Utpe said:

Regarding the couple that needed marriage counseling...was the husband gay?  I think that might have been the reason why they were having issues in the bedroom.  Not entirely sure.

Pretty sad episode.  I felt really bad about the old man passing away at the end alone in that cluttered house.  Even worse was Mary discovering him that way.  Ugh.

I thought that's what they were intimating. George's face was like "uh, really?..." when Mary couldn't put two and two together. 

Pastor Jeff and the chain-smoking secretary are hilarious. 

I agree about Sheldon. It really pissed me off when MeeMaw snapped at Dr. Sturgis at the dinner table when it was really Sheldon who was being a mouthy brat. I understand an adult shouldn't stoop to that level but a child shouldn't speak like that to an elder. 

Not enough Georgie and Missy in this episode.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, tkc said:

The man who Mary visited was played by Barry Corbin, who I’ll always think of as Maurice Minnifield from Northern Exposure!

Wow!  I didn't recognize him.  I'm glad you mentioned that.  

13 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I thought that's what they were intimating. George's face was like "uh, really?..." when Mary couldn't put two and two together. 

That was funny, and George's face when Mary said that he owns the Pretty Petunia!  I figured that was their angle as soon as the guy corrected his wife about the gingham cloth when they first sat down with Mary. 

[SmithW6079]

9 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

I am utterly baffled as to why the writers think watching 10 year old Sheldon acting like an asshole is entertaining. Last week, he was a total asshole; this week he was 9/10 of one. The character has already ruined a lot of episodes of BBT. Now I'm almost at the point of quitting this series, though I love every character except Sheldon. I even like Pastor Jeff.

I don't know if it's Lorre or the writers he's hired but he really needs to let the other cast members shine and reduce the ever annoying Sheldon to a minor supporting character.

Yes, they've really upped Sheldon's asshole factor lately, and not the past two episodes. I still think he was a prime douche when he was experimenting with Missy. I wish he hadn't been right about the equation. 

I figured the husband was gay as soon as the couple walked through the door. That he was a series of gay stereotypes -- owned a flower shop, knew fabrics, and wanted to declutter -- just confirmed for me that that was what they were implying. What astounded me was that the couple would stay when some unqualified, unlicensed housewife told them she was going to be their marriage counselor instead of the pastor, who presumably has some degree, which probably included some kind of counseling courses. 

[Bort]

10 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

What astounded me was that the couple would stay when some unqualified, unlicensed housewife told them she was going to be their marriage counselor instead of the pastor, who presumably has some degree, which probably included some kind of counseling courses. 

And if they had been what is typical for a couple who needs counseling: older and married for a while, the couple probably would've just wanted to reschedule. But this couple was of the newlywed variety and seemed pretty naive. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Yeah, I don’t need to watch an arrogant, pompous 10-year-old Sheldon. Send him to college so we can enjoy the rest of the family. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by hoodooznoodooz

[MaryMitch]

12 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

I am utterly baffled as to why the writers think watching 10 year old Sheldon acting like an asshole is entertaining. Last week, he was a total asshole; this week he was 9/10 of one. The character has already ruined a lot of episodes of BBT. Now I'm almost at the point of quitting this series, though I love every character except Sheldon. I even like Pastor Jeff.

I don't know if it's Lorre or the writers he's hired but he really needs to let the other cast members shine and reduce the ever annoying Sheldon to a minor supporting character.

I thought Sheldon was acting in character - he believed he was right and was sticking to his guns. And since he WAS right, then what's the problem?

I had the exact same experience in college - I used a different path to get to a result in physics, and got dinged for it. I eventually convinced the TA who was grading the test that my approach was just as valid. And I was pretty mad about it, just like Sheldon.

[Bort]

31 minutes ago, MaryMitch said:

I thought Sheldon was acting in character - he believed he was right and was sticking to his guns. And since he WAS right, then what's the problem?

Sheldon could've stuck to his guns without making snotty comments at dinner. He speaks to people like they're idiots and he needs to learn that it'll earn you a night in a gym locker if you piss off the wrong person. Oh wait...

He definitely has a bit of a learning curve on those things.

[CherryAmes]

5 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

thought Sheldon was acting in character - he believed he was right and was sticking to his guns. And since he WAS right, then what's the problem?

I really liked that when Dr Sturgis got mad at him Sheldon ran off crying.  I always appreciate when they show that for all his smarts Sheldon is still just a little boy,

Love the librarian BTW.

Edited February 10, 2019 by CherryAmes

[Sarah 103]

15 hours ago, mxc90 said:

I believe he is gay. If mentioning the flower shop being across from the post office or the pretty petunias or he liked to clean up clutter were meant to be jokes...I did't laugh. They did a good job making the wife look stupid by she not knowing he was gay. 

I imagine very few people in a small town in Texas during the 1990s had gaydar. 

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

I imagine very few people in a small town in Texas during the 1990s had gaydar. 

I agree and I think that's what made it especially hilarious. Mary's all giddy, thinking she's making headway, meanwhile she's totally clueless as to what's really going on. 

[2727]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I imagine very few people in a small town in Texas during the 1990s had gaydar. 

Child, we didn't even know Liberace was gay.

[HazelEyes4325]

My two random thoughts here:

1 - Does anyone know who played the young Young Sheldon?  His resemblance to Armitage was so strong that I wonder if it was a younger sibling.

2 - Am I the only person who expected, when Dr. Sturgis was first listening to Sheldon try to explain how he was wrong, for him to burst out with, "Inconceivable!"?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

16 hours ago, rhys said:

And why Mary can't keep a confidence from George when she says she can't tell him who she is counseling. She can be a real dope at times mentioning where the husband works!

I thought at first that that was going to be why Pastor Jeff came back to the office when he was still sick, because Mary had let the identities leak out and the couple had complained. 

So we're supposed to deduce that if a couple is having bedroom issues and the husband owns a florist shop,  he is likely gay?

[Mystery]

17 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I didn't pick up on the subtext of the husband being gay. I guess they were too subtle for me. Now that you all mention it, I'm all, "Ohhhhh..." because I was wondering what their boudoir problems could've possibly been.

For me it was him pointing out that the picnic cloth was gingham, where I think they expected us to head that way.

16 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Not enough Georgie and Missy in this episode.

Preach. Though Georgie did get a good line when the teacher asked him where Sheldon was and he asked back, do you really want him here?

16 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I figured that was their angle as soon as the guy corrected his wife about the gingham cloth when they first sat down with Mary. 

Yup. 

13 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Yeah, I don’t need to watch an arrogant, pompous 10-year-old Sheldon. Send him to college so we can enjoy the rest of the family. 

I'm holding on for that, too! 

2 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

My two random thoughts here:

1 - Does anyone know who played the young Young Sheldon?  His resemblance to Armitage was so strong that I wonder if it was a younger sibling.

I even went looking to see if Iain had a younger brother. Maybe they just kind of photoshopped his face on to some other kid? There was something else recently (a commercial, maybe?) where Missy knocked over a table of Legos or some other toy, and she also looked younger but still like herself. 

One thing I liked about this episode was Mary helping out at church by visiting the guy who was shut in. We see a lot of preaching in TV shows but not, at least on the shows I watch, a lot of actually acting in a Christian way. I felt bad that none of her family was at church when she spoke about the guy who had died. I thought they usually went with her to church. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Mystery

[rmontro]

I was actually hoping that Dr. Sturgis was right about the math problem.  Surely Sheldon can't be right about everything.  By the way, I really like the relationship between him and Meemaw, they're cute together.  It's one of my favorite parts of the show.

About the part where Mary was visiting the shut in guy:  I really thought that after her complaints about the mess, he was going to spend the weekend cleaning up his house, and end up overexerting himself and having a heart attack.  Fortunately for Mary, that wasn't the case lol.

Edited February 10, 2019 by rmontro

[SmithW6079]

9 hours ago, 2727 said:

Child, we didn't even know Liberace was gay.

We knew. We just didn't tell our mommas. 

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, 2727 said:

Child, we didn't even know Liberace was gay.

Heh!  Back in the early 70's, my parents and I went to see him perform in Daytona Beach (he was great!) Even if my parents knew, they didn't tell me and I was so young that I had no clue what that even meant.  I really don't think my parents knew or thought about it.  Those were the days where almost no one talked about s.e.x.  (always spelled out,) and being gay meant you were happy (the original definition of the word!)  

7 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

So we're supposed to deduce that if a couple is having bedroom issues and the husband owns a florist shop,  he is likely gay?

For me it was the way he corrected his wife about the gingham and then winked at Mary.  The mannerisms gave it away. 

[rmontro]

19 hours ago, 2727 said:

Child, we didn't even know Liberace was gay.

"Too much of a good thing.... is wonderful!".

This is going back to the 70s, but two other people I didn't know were gay:  Elton John and Freddie Mercury.

Freddie Mercury certainly didn't seem to hide it, but I seriously thought it was a joke, like Monty Python dressing up as old ladies.  The ballet costumes, the band name Queen, the "Yoo-hoo, yoo-hoo" backup vocals.  I thought it was funny, intentionally.

[possibilities]

I don't like that stereotypes are being used to identify people, and I hate that ideas like "straight men can't be florists who know how to identify gingham" are not considered absurd.

I am glad that more people are able to be open about who they are, thus more people are aware of who's gay or not. But I kind of like that it was possible for people to not assume Liberace was gay. And, though the show was playing it that Mary was hilariously naive, I found it fundamentally offensive that it was supposed to be funny and not sad that the couple was struggling and no one was going to help them because of prejudice. It's not funny. It's terrible.

[Sarah 103]

22 hours ago, 2727 said:

Child, we didn't even know Liberace was gay.

Althought this does beg the question, in that time and place, how did George know? Where/when did he develop gaydar? 

22 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

 Am I the only person who expected, when Dr. Sturgis was first listening to Sheldon try to explain how he was wrong, for him to burst out with, "Inconceivable!"?

No, that it didn't occur to me but now that you mention it, that reaction line would have been fantastic. 

[Token]

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 10:15 PM, SpiritSong said:

I am utterly baffled as to why the writers think watching 10 year old Sheldon acting like an asshole is entertaining. Last week, he was a total asshole; this week he was 9/10 of one. The character has already ruined a lot of episodes of BBT. Now I'm almost at the point of quitting this series, though I love every character except Sheldon. I even like Pastor Jeff.

I don't know if it's Lorre or the writers he's hired but he really needs to let the other cast members shine and reduce the ever annoying Sheldon to a minor supporting character.

The show is called Young Sheldon.  I'm pretty sure it should be expected that Sheldon would play a pretty major role in the show.

[2727]

I like spending time with Sheldon, both here and on BBT. He's a caricature and makes me laugh.

I also like Missy but recognize that her wry sarcasm is not a particularly realistic portrayal of a 10-year-old, either.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 2/10/2019 at 4:08 AM, rmontro said:

I was actually hoping that Dr. Sturgis was right about the math problem. 

He was. The point of a test is. not to get the right answer; the point is to show you know what you were supposed to have learned. Many teachers will remind students to "show your work" to head off complaints like Sheldon's.

[SpiritSong]

15 hours ago, Token said:

The show is called Young Sheldon.  I'm pretty sure it should be expected that Sheldon would play a pretty major role in the show.

Of course he's going to play a major role. But in the last two episodes the writers have chosen to make him a total jerk. He didn't start out that way. He had his moments, true, but he wasn't entirely unlikeable. He's now getting close to that point, and I don't consider it funny or entertaining. YMMV,

[TheLastKidPicked]

I love the way talented and confident actors underplay their scenes, just reacting to Sheldon.

MeeMaw:  Don't sweat it.  You'll get a hundred on the next test.

Sheldon:  I should have gotten a hundred on this one!  Dr. Sturgis made a mistake!

MeeMaw: Aaaaand, we're sweatin' it.

.....

And when George tells Sheldon that there are a lot of stupid adults in the world, but Sheldon has to show them respect.

Sheldon:  I understand sir.  Thank you for your incredibly wise advice. 

George:  (Not getting it):  Well, good, then!

Edited February 11, 2019 by TheLastKidPicked

[Browncoat]

26 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

And when George tells Sheldon that there are a lot of stupid adults in the world, but Sheldon has to show them respect.

Sheldon:  I understand sir.  Thank you for your incredibly wise advice. 

George:  (Not getting it):  Well, good, then!

The best part about that was that Missy totally got it. 

[AnnaRose]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The best part about that was that Missy totally got it. 

I loved that!!

[SmithW6079]

8 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

And when George tells Sheldon that there are a lot of stupid adults in the world, but Sheldon has to show them respect.

Sheldon:  I understand sir.  Thank you for your incredibly wise advice. 

George:  (Not getting it):  Well, good, then!

Oh, I forgot that exchange. Add that to the "Sheldon is an Asshole" list. I thought he didn't understand sarcasm.

[TheLastKidPicked]

10 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Oh, I forgot that exchange. Add that to the "Sheldon is an Asshole" list. I thought he didn't understand sarcasm.

I've noticed a few people really had a bad impression of Sheldon's behavior in this episode.  Some of that blame goes to the adults in the episode.

When Sheldon said to Dr. Sturgis,  "Don't treat me like a child.  Treat me like a colleague."

What Dr. Sturgis should have done, and any responsible adult should have done, is set a boundary for Sheldon by saying,

"Sheldon, you are a very smart kid.  Maybe the smartest kid I've met.  But we are not colleagues.  You are a student and I am a professor.  We respect each other but we are not colleagues."  

[Dana G]

1.  Sheldon is technically an asshole in BBT; why wouldn’t he be as a child?

2.  Young Sheldon is set in the 1980s.  Lots of pastors of small churches in the South (or Texas) wouldn’t have had a degree, let alone one qualifying him to provide counseling.  Certainly a housewife who watched Phil Donahue could have done just as well.

3.  Also in the 1980s, many people wouldn’t even think a young married man would be gay.  Plus, why is anyone surprised that the “humor” of the show is built on stereotypes?  BBT is made up of sexist, homophobic and (borderline?) racist jokes.  I like the show, but I liked All in the Family too.  

Edited February 13, 2019 by Dana G

[Sarah 103]

On 2/13/2019 at 12:57 PM, Dana G said:

Also in the 1980s, many people wouldn’t even think a young married man would be gay. 

That's a good point. I hadn't even thought of that but you are totally correct on that point, especially in a small town in Texas. 

[John Potts]

On ‎2‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 4:30 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I still think he was a prime douche when he was experimenting with Missy. I wish he hadn't been right about the equation.

That was my wish too. Sheldon is a genius, but even geniuses (genii?) can make mistakes. And I loved the Librarian going "95% - that's good!" "How long have you known me?" "Sorry - How terrible, only 95%!"

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 5:57 PM, Dana G said:

3.  Also in the 1980s, many people wouldn’t even think a young married man would be gay.  Plus, why is anyone surprised that the “humor” of the show is built on stereotypes?

I didn't think they were even trying to hide the "Because he's GAY!" innuendo, though I agree (having also lived through the 80s) that people (particularly, I imagine, in small town Texas) would assume it was impossible for somebody to be married and be gay. Did like Mary sitting with the shut in guy (Maurice!) because it's rare to see a devout Christian portrayed as engaging in an act of Christian charity - particularly as the guy she was visiting wasn't a kindly old man but basically a jerk.

[Anothermi]

On 2/9/2019 at 9:24 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

My two random thoughts here:

1 - Does anyone know who played the young Young Sheldon?  His resemblance to Armitage was so strong that I wonder if it was a younger sibling.

2 - Am I the only person who expected, when Dr. Sturgis was first listening to Sheldon try to explain how he was wrong, for him to burst out with, "Inconceivable!"?

I'm late to this show. Just viewing it now, but I looked this up because I thought it would be interesting to know.

In case anyone else is still actually wondering...

Here is a link to the young actor who played young Young Sheldon;  

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10206603/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t16