S02.E22: A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast

[Friendly kitty]

6 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

This just felt like a way to get rid of Dr. Sturgis.  TBBT ended on a happy note, this was depressing.

Not necessary. It ended sadly, but next season we can be shown how John will recover from such a breakdown, how he will find the strength to live again. After all, he already had similar problems before, but he managed to overcome them. And now he will be able...

Edited May 18, 2019 by Friendly kitty

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

This just felt like a way to get rid of Dr. Sturgis.  TBBT ended on a happy note, this was depressing.

Although it was depressing for Dr. Sturgis, I loved the ending of YS showing all of TBBT kids.  I didn't notice little Leonard's red robe until someone else mentioned it.  I've gone back and re-watched the ending many times now.  There's a little microscope on Bernadette's night table!  It was perfection.

Here's hoping that Dr. Sturgis will be back and that he'll be doing much better.  It might just be a warning to Sheldon's parents though on what could potentially happen to Sheldon if he becomes too involved in his work/studies and doesn't have any friends.  From what we've seen, Dr. Sturgis seems to be a loner.  I could see Sheldon going down a dark path if he remained isolated from people and had no friends.  Dr. Sturgis represents a potential older version of Sheldon, IMO.  There are many lessons to be learned from how he handles things.  With the ending of YS, we see the light at the end of the tunnel for young Sheldon and how his future friends will change his life dramatically.  I loved it!  

[BitterApple]

I had the opposite reaction. I actually found the episode uplifting, despite the sad material. John's breakdown was heartbreaking, but probably for the first time in his life, he has someone who cares for him and will help him get through it. Sheldon feels a sense of isolation and loneliness now, but there's a group of people out there who eventually embrace him and help him find his place in the world.

I took the overall message to be that there's a light at the end of the tunnel for all of us, we just have to get there. 

[HouseofBeck]

15 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I had the opposite reaction. I actually found the episode uplifting, despite the sad material. John's breakdown was heartbreaking, but probably for the first time in his life, he has someone who cares for him and will help him get through it. Sheldon feels a sense of isolation and loneliness now, but there's a group of people out there who eventually embrace him and help him find his place in the world.

I took the overall message to be that there's a light at the end of the tunnel for all of us, we just have to get there. 

That's how I took it, too. And perhaps it's not really a breakdown, just warranted sadness at not achieving a dream, and some acting out. And until Connie, nobody knew that what he really needed was a hand full of sub atomic particles reaching out to prove he wasn't a neutrino.

That ending got me good. Just hang on, Sheldon! 

[zoey1996]

On 5/17/2019 at 12:35 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

There are A/B switches that let you push a button to switch input from cable to antenna and back. Those were common back then.

Yes, however, since Georgie arranged for the cable and George didn't know how it was set up, he probably didn't know how that worked.  An installation tech explained it to me, but if not for him, I don't know how I would have figured it out.

I liked this whole episode.  I hope John is able to recover from his breakdown and be back, and better, with Connie for next season.  Loved Missy trying to explain to Sheldon that he might want to lower his expectations, and he didn't "get it."

Loved the ending montage!  I rarely watched TBBT, but I mostly knew who the characters as children were.  And Sheldon admitted to being wrong!

[possibilities]

I thought maybe that genius girl who was around for a few episodes would show up, but this ending was better. I didn't like seeing Sheldon be so sad, but it might be the first time he's shown any actual interest in friendship, and I can see how, with this outcome, he might have given up and closed himself off and stopped trying. And THAT would explain a lot.

[Utpe]

Ugh, this episode really tugged on my heartstrings.  I was sad about TBBT ending, and then they go and do this.  I hope Dr. Sturgis is okay by the next season.  At least he has somebody in his life that really cares about him.

And the ending montage of the kids...my goodness, how adorable was that?  I've already replayed the scene a million times.

They really outdid themselves with this episode.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

I didn't like seeing Sheldon be so sad, but it might be the first time he's shown any actual interest in friendship, and I can see how, with this outcome, he might have given up and closed himself off and stopped trying. And THAT would explain a lot.

That's an excellent point!  He got burned once, so he's not going to let that happen again.  It was sad seeing him cry though because I thought he'd already shut down his emotional side.  He's still just a kid that wants to be accepted and have friends.  It's too bad that even Tam let him down. 

5 hours ago, Utpe said:

And the ending montage of the kids...my goodness, how adorable was that?  I've already replayed the scene a million times.

Between both finales, this was by far my favorite moment of the night.  Hopefully that scene will give kids hope who might be feeling alone right now.  

[aemom]

I thought that Billy was going to wander into the garage for the free food, but with the surprise ending, they had to keep Sheldon alone in the garage or it wouldn't have had the emotional impact. I loved seeing all the mini-BBT characters with that song in the background. That was A+.

I think that was fair if Georgie had control of the channels he was paying for, but not the whole TV. Missy is a delight. The casting for this show is outstanding. 

That whole scene with John and Connie was sad. I hope he's not leaving the show.

[Tom Holmberg]

21 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

however, since Georgie arranged for the cable and George didn't know how it was set up, he probably didn't know how that worked. 

Sheldon, as a fan of Radio Shack, probably could have explained it to him.

[SosaLola]

Was little Leonard listening to the Nobel announcements, too? I love how he and Sheldon have so much in common even though they wouldn't admit it. 

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, SosaLola said:

Was little Leonard listening to the Nobel announcements, too? I love how he and Sheldon have so much in common even though they wouldn't admit it. 

He was!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, SosaLola said:

Was little Leonard listening to the Nobel announcements, too? I love how he and Sheldon have so much in common even though they wouldn't admit it. 

Every time I read little Leonard it reminds of the BBT episode where

Spoiler

Amy gets drunk after Bernadette and Penny look at bridesmaids dresses without her. Each time I read it in drunk Amy’s voice.

Amy: Oh, look. It’s Sheldon and little Leonard. Hi, little Leonard. 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Guest

[HazelEyes4325]

On 5/17/2019 at 9:43 AM, Driad said:

Sturgis asked Connie to marry him, but did not mention that he had had this problem that might reoccur?

I actually wasn't surprised that he hadn't mentioned it.  He may not have seen those "episodes" as others saw them and just thought they were hard times or whatnot.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

12 hours ago, ChitChat said:

It's too bad that even Tam let him down. 

Tam probably spends all his free time working in his parents' store. If he were up at 5 am, they would likely find something productive for him to do. 

[HazelEyes4325]

4 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Tam probably spends all his free time working in his parents' store. If he were up at 5 am, they would likely find something productive for him to do. 

Agreed.  I chalked up Tam's absence to it being so early, not because he didn't value his friendship with Sheldon.  I think it said something about Sheldon as a character that he took everyone's absence as a sign that no one liked him (which, admittedly, was probably the case for 99% of the people invited) and not that it was far too early for anyone to show up and listen to an announcement on a shortwave radio.

[DarkRaichu]

I love this show so much.  Dr. Sturgis breakdown at the end was so heartbreaking.  His realization of his broken dream just as he told Sheldon that not everyone who deserved recognition got one was so well acted.

How will his condition influence his relationship with Connie next season?  Seriously, this show is so good I care about the relationship of older characters.  I never care about the more senior characters in other series before 😄

Of course Sheldon being all alone was sad to see too.  This was probably the end of optimistic Sheldon.

Loved the young versions of the other BBT characters

13 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Tam probably spends all his free time working in his parents' store. If he were up at 5 am, they would likely find something productive for him to do. 

I chalked it as he was up late the previous night helping his parents doing inventory at their store 🙂

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Loved that young Raj was wearing a sweater vest. 

[LoneHaranguer]

On 5/17/2019 at 7:01 AM, Katy M said:

Speaking of which, I'm not sure why Leonard's  mother yelled at him that he should be in bed.  If it was 5 in TX, then it would have been 6 in NJ.  If it was a weekend, who cares when he gets up, and if it was a weekday, he would have had to get up soon for school anyway, right?

The writers must have forgotten Leonard was from NJ. If he took a bus to school, as was likely, a 6AM wakeup was typical back then, and if anything, Beverly should have been yelling that he needed to get ready for school. I don't think they needed the yelling; what other kid with glasses would they be showing us (especially with that background song)?

Having said that, it was an awesome idea, so I don't mind a minor glitch in execution.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I think we’ve seen one BBT episode at someone else’s house, a long time ago, and we don’t relate the young Sheldon character or show to the adult versions at all—they stand on their own. There might be little references to the adult versions flying around all the time that we’re just not picking up on, but it’s a testament to the writers and actors that YS works as its own thing. Even this season finale—the other little kids at the end worked as any smart vulnerable misfits (although is Little House on the Prairie—pretty easy reading for a 10-year-old—a thing for that character as an adult? That was the only jarring thing to me without context). Very sweet.

Edited May 20, 2019 by MakeMeLaugh

[Magnumfangirl]

1 hour ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

is Little House on the Prairie—pretty easy reading for a 10-year-old—a thing for that character as an adult?

Yes.  Adult Amy is obsessed with LHOTP an she writes LHOTP fanfiction.

[MakeMeLaugh]

1 hour ago, Magnumfangirl said:

Yes.  Adult Amy is obsessed with LHOTP an she writes LHOTP fanfiction.

Cool—Thank you!!! 

[Homily]

3 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Even this season finale—the other little kids at the end worked as any smart vulnerable misfits (although is Little House on the Prairie—pretty easy reading for a 10-year-old—a thing for that character as an adult? That was the only jarring thing to me without context).

I loved that they showed Amy with the Little House book, I knew she loved the TV show and assumed from that that she read the books but I didn't recall this ever being stated.  Nice to confirm it.  And I dunno about anyone else but I don't think Little House on the Prairie is an easy read - 10 makes sense - and an obsessive fan (as we know Amy is) would be reading and re-reading those books regardless of age.

Edited May 21, 2019 by Homily

[ams1001]

7 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

The writers must have forgotten Leonard was from NJ. If he took a bus to school, as was likely, a 6AM wakeup was typical back then, and if anything, Beverly should have been yelling that he needed to get ready for school. I don't think they needed the yelling; what other kid with glasses would they be showing us (especially with that background song)?

I don't know; My NJ elementary school didn't start until 9. I was definitely not up at 6 (more like 7:30, probably). By high school, I was up around 6:15 (school started at 7:40 but we lived only a few minutes away and my parents dropped us off in the morning so I wasn't worrying about catching the bus).

24 minutes ago, Homily said:

I loved that they showed Amy with the Little House books, I knew she loved the TV show and assumed from that that she read the books but I didn't recall this ever being stated.  Nice to confirm it.  And I dunno about anyone else but I don't think Little House on the Prairie is an easy read - 10 makes sense - and an obsessive fan (as we know Amy is) would be reading and re-reading those books regardless of age.

According to Scholastic, LHOTP is grade 3-5 reading level (so age 8-10 or so). Though I would guess Amy was an advanced reader. But I was a good reader and I loved them at that age, too. I still have my box set and they're looking pretty well-loved.

[MakeMeLaugh]

2 hours ago, Homily said:

I loved that they showed Amy with the Little House book, I knew she loved the TV show and assumed from that that she read the books but I didn't recall this ever being stated.  Nice to confirm it.  And I dunno about anyone else but I don't think Little House on the Prairie is an easy read - 10 makes sense - and an obsessive fan (as we know Amy is) would be reading and re-reading those books regardless of age.

Not knowing the character or that the Little House books had any significance for her as “an obsessive fan,” I said to Mr MML “that’s a pretty easy book for a child her age.” My second-grade granddaughter actually just read it (she is an avid reader but not particularly precocious, and I remember reading through the whole series myself by third grade) so it was on my radar. As I said, it was the only thing in the YS season finale that wasn’t a universal “true” thing for the kind of children that shared young Sheldon’s intellectual abilities, and I really admire the writers for writing YS to stand in its own like that. Not disparaging the character or the book!

[Sarah 103]

On 5/16/2019 at 9:54 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Awww the mini Big Bang gang!

LMAO at Missy catching George watching the adult movie channel.

On 5/17/2019 at 1:17 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

The Missy actress was superb walking in on her dad looking at naked women on TV. Her “Ooohh!!” was perfection and conveyed so much.

I'm surprised George didn't try to bribe/bargin with her, because that totally would have worked. 

On 5/17/2019 at 12:39 AM, BitterApple said:

When the scene shifted to the montage of young BB castmembers, the waterworks started flowing. That was an awesome way to tie the shows together.

A+ for this finale.

Agreed. This is how you do a season finale that can also function as a series finale, but still works if the series comes back from another season. 

I'm sure Dr. Sturgis will be back season because Connie was able to talk him down and into the apartment. 

[Zanzibar]

I didn't give any thought to "that book is too easy for Amy at that age."  I was a fan of the Little House books growing up and read them over and over for years.  I read them with my daughter,  and just re-read them a couple years ago, and I'm in my 50s.   My thought was, of course they show Amy reading that book, she loved that series.  My quibble with Amy's part of that was that there was next to no detail in her room.  Each of the other characters had highly detailed rooms, but Amy is just shown in bed reading a book with a flashlight.  I felt like they skimped on her part of that scene.

[anna0852]

 I picked up on a bit of detail. She was wearing the same long-sleeve, old-fashioned nightdress we've seen that she prefers as an adult. Her glasses look very similar to what she wears now. And the fact that she's sneaking with a flashlight to read her book hearkens back to how strict her mother was growing up.

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, anna0852 said:

 I picked up on a bit of detail. She was wearing the same long-sleeve, old-fashioned nightdress we've seen that she prefers as an adult. Her glasses look very similar to what she wears now. And the fact that she's sneaking with a flashlight to read her book hearkens back to how strict her mother was growing up.

Come to think of it, I had one of those nightgowns, too (though grew up to be more of a tank top and shorts kind of girl). Even had the long brown hair. I was Amy minus the glasses and the genius IQ. 🙂 

(Not that my parents were particularly strict; I just wanted to read while they wanted me to sleep. Needed the flashlight because their room was directly across from mine and they kept their door open when we were kids so my mom would have seen the light under my door from her bed.)

[Homily]

21 hours ago, Zanzibar said:

I didn't give any thought to "that book is too easy for Amy at that age."  I was a fan of the Little House books growing up and read them over and over for years.  I read them with my daughter,  and just re-read them a couple years ago, and I'm in my 50s.

As a librarian and a rabid reader of Little House I would have said the books up to and including On the Banks of Plum Creek would be accessible reading to a strong reader under the age of 10-11.  The books after that I think are much more oriented to 10-14 age range given the subject matter.  Not sure how many 7 yr olds are going to be that interested in Laura working and being wooed and getting married 😊.  Anyway I was just glad to see that they had little Amy reading Little House!

Edited May 22, 2019 by Homily

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, Homily said:

As a librarian and a rabid reader of Little House I would have said the books up to and including On the Banks of Pum Creek would be accessible reading to a strong reader under the age of 10-11.  The books after that I think are much more oriented to 10-14 age range given the subject matter.  Not sure how many 7 yr olds are going to be that interested in Laura working and being wooed and getting married 😊.  Anyway I was just glad to see that they had little Amy reading Little House!

I found this which lists the series overall as reading level 8-12 years, but there are various ways they score kids books (Lexile measure, Accelerated Reader score, etc.) and those scores vary between the books.

[Browncoat]

She may have been re-reading the series.  I'm considerably more than 10, and I occasionally re-read them.  Just like I read and re-read the Harry Potter books.

[Nordly Beaumont]

My sister will grab any Little House book and read a couple chapters every time life seems too overwhelming. It reminds her life could be a whole lot harder!

[MakingBacon]

The Little House books have been my favorite series since I was a kid. I still re-read them every year and I am in my forties. Of course Amy would be reading her favorite series. There is comfort in reading something you love. 

[Homily]

23 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I found this which lists the series overall as reading level 8-12 years, but there are various ways they score kids books (Lexile measure, Accelerated Reader score, etc.) and those scores vary between the books.

Exactly.  And the guides are usually about reading level and not about reading interest.  Some kids are going to read at an advanced grade level and will be happy to read books intended for older children - some kids may be able to read at an advanced level but have no interest in books that are aimed at that level.  It's all good.  Nothing creams my corn more than book snobs who feel that because they read Book A at 7 that a child reading that same book at 12 must be backwards and somehow lacking in intellect! Of course Amy is reading Little House - she is probably STILL reading Little House 😊.

Edited May 23, 2019 by Homily

[TigerLynx]

I like the examples we are getting of how Georgie becomes a responsible adult.  The look of pride on George's face when Georgie told him he paid for the cable with his money that he got from his job was nice.

The ending montage of Sheldon's future friends was sweet.

[GrtGzu]

But see, My dad woulda told Georgie that not only did he have to pay the cable bill, he would also be responsible for a portion of the ELECTRIC bill that supplies the power to the tv, (since Georgie wants to "pay bills" now), and he would also have to purchase his OWN dam tv to watch his cable on as well...

I was REALLY glad that Dr. Sturgis didn't leap off the roof...I sat in front of my TV STUNNED while Mee-Maw talked him down...(Annie Potts is SO good!!)..sooooo glad she did...He seems like just a "sweet soul" who's been left out in the dust, and nobody cared....

Like Shelly.....The ending was indeed SU-FRIGGIN-PERB!!!! Loved seeing his "future friends", coming down the pike...

But I'm still "braced" for the next season when:

I'm not gonna say it here, cuz it's not allowed....

Just gonna have some kleenex on hand....

Edited May 26, 2019 by kariyaki
De-bolded the type

[Homily]

I've got this episode taped and even so I didn't notice where they gave the ages of the BBT children.  Help!  When did that happen?

[Bort]

11 minutes ago, Homily said:

I've got this episode taped and even so I didn't notice where they gave the ages of the BBT children.  Help!  When did that happen?

It's in the credits for the actors playing the children. It says so-and-so, age whatever, for each one.

[John Potts]

George (Sr) needs to offer Missy some bribe to prevent her from spilling he was watching Skinemax (or whichever channel it was) because there is no way she won't tell otherwise. He's going to have to haggle her down from a pony, I expect.

I did wonder if Dr Linklater(?) was lying about Dr Sturgis to "clear a path" for himself to hit on Connie, though it seems his comments were genuine. Though doing Tai'Chi on the roof is scarcely grounds for being committed (there really are thousands of Neutrinos passing through you every second).

On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 2:55 AM, 2727 said:

but his sadness at the realization that he doesn't have any friends (even Tam didn't come),

I assume Tam had to work in the family shop and would probably have been there if he could.

On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 3:06 AM, Frost said:

And then the scientist he was rooting for didn't even win the Nobel.

I'm not sure what year this was, but Frederick Reines won the Nobel Prize in 1995 for detecting Neutrinos (and Prizes were awarded in 2002 and 2015 for research relating to Neutrinos). So just like we know Sheldon will find friends, Neutrinos' time will come!

[Katy M]

16 minutes ago, John Potts said:

I'm not sure what year this was, but Frederick Reines won the Nobel Prize in 1995 for detecting Neutrinos

I think it's 1990.

16 minutes ago, John Potts said:

George (Sr) needs to offer Missy some bribe to prevent her from spilling he was watching Skinemax (or whichever channel it was) because there is no way she won't tell otherwise.

That would be horrid parenting.

[SoMuchTV]

22 minutes ago, Katy M said:

That would be horrid parenting.

So like pretty much any sitcom parent ever? But, yeah.

[John Potts]

11 hours ago, John Potts said:

George (Sr) needs to offer Missy some bribe to prevent her from spilling he was watching Skinemax (or whichever channel it was) because there is no way she won't tell otherwise.

11 hours ago, Katy M said:

That would be horrid parenting.

I wasn't offering parenting advice (to a fictional character from the 90s!), just commenting that Missy is going to tell Mary if she isn't convinced to do otherwise (and that she is clever/conniving enough to realise she is in a strong position to extort her father for as much as possible). It's not as if the show hasn't already portrayed George as a somewhat neglectful parent. Hell, if he wants to be a really bad parent, he could say he "accidentally" discovered that Georgie had ordered the channel, not him (which would be totally throwing his son under the bus, even if it was actually based on the facts).

[LoneHaranguer]

5 hours ago, John Potts said:

Hell, if he wants to be a really bad parent, he could say he "accidentally" discovered that Georgie had ordered the channel, not him (which would be totally throwing his son under the bus, even if it was actually based on the facts).

All we know is that George saw "boobies", so the channel may not have been anything scandalous, not that Mary would have liked hearing that her kids could see something like that. This was before the TV rating system was invented, so she couldn't have locked out the PG-13 and R-rated content that cable uses to bring in customers.

[HyeChaps]

Do all scientists realistically pine for a Nobel prize?

[Katy M]

5 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Do all scientists realistically pine for a Nobel prize?

Realistically pine in the sense that all scientists think that they actually have a shot?  Probably not.

Realistically pine in the sense that in reality all scientists dream about it?  Probably.  Just like every actor or actress dreams of one day getting an Oscar.  If there's a prize in your field, you're going to dream about it.

[Gothish520]

On 5/19/2019 at 8:43 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

Agreed.  I chalked up Tam's absence to it being so early, not because he didn't value his friendship with Sheldon.  I think it said something about Sheldon as a character that he took everyone's absence as a sign that no one liked him (which, admittedly, was probably the case for 99% of the people invited) and not that it was far too early for anyone to show up and listen to an announcement on a shortwave radio.

And, let's be honest, an announcement that most people would not have any interest in hearing!

[meep.meep]

On 6/3/2019 at 10:13 PM, HyeChaps said:

Do all scientists realistically pine for a Nobel prize?

Nobels are not offered in all fields, so no.

Most scientists realistically pine to be published in the top journal in their field or Science or Nature which cover all fields.

[marriedaniac]

On 5/27/2019 at 11:47 PM, kariyaki said:

It's in the credits for the actors playing the children. It says so-and-so, age whatever, for each one.

Screenshot with the ages listed!

[Coffeefrog19]

OMg I loved the ending so much!