Young Sheldon Discussion Thread

[mirs1]

 

[vonmar]

 

[bfm]

As I expected In Israel it will be aired by the satellite company (most people have satellite or cable, recently spme internet-based companies joined the market) that runs TBBT (new episodes, seasons 1-8 are available in the cable's VOD service as well) and one internet-based company.

One site published an article calling it a dissapointment, saying that it goea back to the 1980's not only in story but also in format.

Edited September 28, 2017 by bfm

[3ku11]

No surprises on its viewership and ratings performance. The TBBT lead in was always going to give it a boost. It well be interesting how it fairs in a different timeslot. Without the TBBT lead in. 

I have to agree with IWD, it does feel a bit like The Wonder Years. Reminded me a bit of The Goldbergs. A Good Humored Family Show. Humerous. But not terribly funny. So can't say I well watch frequently. I agree it does have a sorta 80's feel to it, in terms of format and storytelling. 

Edited September 28, 2017 by 3ku11

[mirs1]

10 minutes ago, 3ku11 said:

No surprises on its viewership and ratings performance. The TBBT lead in was always going to give it a boost. It well be interesting how it fairs in a different timeslot. Without the TBBT lead in. 

It will air after TBBT also in November.

[bfm]

I think episode 4 and on will be the real test, I think people (me included) will give it a chance for 2-3 episodes, curious due to it being about Sheldon as a kid, but will then quit if it doesn't look promising. To keep me they will have to do better than the pilot.

[Jonny]

OK well I watched the first episode despite my reservations and tried to watch it with as open a mind as I could possibly have.

It's a very different show that much is clear in just the first episode, there wasn't that much comedy in the opening episode unless you found some of the traits and behaviors of Young Sheldon humorous and the reactions of his family to them. I have seen reviewers refer to it as more a dramedy than a comedy and that's probably true there seems to be some underlying drama with the brother and father angle. As a child of the 80's I like the setting and the music (I watch the Goldbergs and really like it) and even though I am not from the US I can probably see and know some pop culture references as the show goes on. I kind of hope we get to see more about the technology at the time and cultural changes (The Goldbergs are masters of that, but I don't think it will be on that level).

In terms of the acting I think the clear star was unquestionably Zoe Perry, I thought she nailed the character in terms of her personality, her voice and looks. Obviously it helps that her real life mother plays the adult Mary Cooper so there is probably some combination of natural influences and ability but also able to got to her for advice on how to play the character. When I think of Mary Cooper from TBBT I think of a woman who clearly adores her son but sometimes struggles with how different her son is leading to comments that are perhaps a bit unwarranted or inappropriate. I got the same vibe from the young Mary Cooper so that is a sign she did a great job IMO. I especially liked her solution to the bow tie situation more than her husbands.

I thought the sister has some pretty good lines actually, I always got the perception that she was a bully to Sheldon (less so than their brother). As far as bullies go what I saw was tame and they did actually have some fairly friendly or reasonable conversations, thinking to the scene when they are in their bedroom talking about the financial troubles. I wonder if you will see more of the bullying element as they get older, say pre-teens. I have two sisters, one that is three years younger than me and we used to fall out loads and bicker around that teenage stage.

The dad really is a mystery. I never got the impression Sheldon was that particularly close to him from past comments on TBBT and there was a kind of distance between them, didn't really see that it the pilot but I think we got a clear sign of perhaps that looming financial trouble might be the catalyst to create the Sheldon's father we know from the TBBT canon. It is fairly established he was a drunkard and cheated on his wife so unless they are going to deviate from the canon (I don't think that is something you can really say Sheldon just viewed that situation differently and that reality was far from the truth, there are specific examples here) it will happen. I think his father will likely be the source of the drama in this series, you could also see some of the Sheldon/Mary vs George/George Junior pairings that can be used for drama.

I could understand his brother a bit, Sheldon being so different and now being at the same school in the same year is always going to have an impact on him and what his peers think. I thought the locker room scene reflected that perfectly. I would assume this is likely going to create more drama between them as the series goes on.

Sheldon himself, well I'll just put this out there I am not a fan of early season TBBT Sheldon and I often cringe at some of that early stuff especially observational comments. The scene with him pointing at all his classmates and pointing out his teacher has a mustache I cringed at but I get it was in character though. The comments in the church about testicles went down like a lead balloon for me. In terms of laughs I didn't really find anything that funny with Sheldon himself, the laughs came from people interacting with him. His mother for example actually made me laugh a few times or his sister when interacting with him. But I would say Iain did a good job portraying the character he is supposed to be playing.

Overall I wonder where they are going to go with this as Sheldon's childhood if you go off the TBBT canon sounded quite miserable at times. I wonder how far they will and can actually go with this, but I do sense drama on the horizon with their financial situation, as he struggles to adjust to school life and his relationship with his brother in particular. I wonder how far they are going to go with his father, will all these external and internal pressures make him drink more and more and eventually cheat on his wife frequently? Is that too dark for this kind of show?

I'll probably watch the next couple of episodes just to try and get a feel for where they are going with this and what kind of story they are trying to tell and get across the audience. It was as I expected really, though Zoe Perry and the girl who plays Missy were a pleasant surprise.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Jonny

[hokie3457]

1 hour ago, Jonny said:

OK well I watched the first episode despite my reservations and tried to watch it with as open a mind as I could possibly have.

It's a very different show that much is clear in just the first episode, there wasn't that much comedy in the opening episode unless you found some of the traits and behaviors of Young Sheldon humorous and the reactions of his family to them. I have seen reviewers refer to it as more a dramedy than a comedy and that's probably true there seems to be some underlying drama with the brother and father angle. As a child of the 80's I like the setting and the music (I watch the Goldbergs and really like it) and even though I am not from the US I can probably see and know some pop culture references as the show goes on. I kind of hope we get to see more about the technology at the time and cultural changes (The Goldbergs are masters of that, but I don't think it will be on that level).

In terms of the acting I think the clear star was unquestionably Zoe Perry, I thought she nailed the character in terms of her personality, her voice and looks. Obviously it helps that her real life mother plays the adult Mary Cooper so there is probably some combination of natural influences and ability but also able to got to her for advice on how to play the character. When I think of Mary Cooper from TBBT I think of a woman who clearly adores her son but sometimes struggles with how different her son is leading to comments that are perhaps a bit unwarranted or inappropriate. I got the same vibe from the young Mary Cooper so that is a sign she did a great job IMO. I especially liked her solution to the bow tie situation more than her husbands.

I thought the sister has some pretty good lines actually, I always got the perception that she was a bully to Sheldon (less so than their brother). As far as bullies go what I saw was tame and they did actually have some fairly friendly or reasonable conversations, thinking to the scene when they are in their bedroom talking about the financial troubles. I wonder if you will see more of the bullying element as they get older, say pre-teens. I have two sisters, one that is three years younger than me and we used to fall out loads and bicker around that teenage stage.

The dad really is a mystery. I never got the impression Sheldon was that particularly close to him from past comments on TBBT and there was a kind of distance between them, didn't really see that it the pilot but I think we got a clear sign of perhaps that looming financial trouble might be the catalyst to create the Sheldon's father we know from the TBBT canon. It is fairly established he was a drunkard and cheated on his wife so unless they are going to deviate from the canon (I don't think that is something you can really say Sheldon just viewed that situation differently and that reality was far from the truth, there are specific examples here) it will happen. I think his father will likely be the source of the drama in this series, you could also see some of the Sheldon/Mary vs George/George Junior pairings that can be used for drama.

I could understand his brother a bit, Sheldon being so different and now being at the same school in the same year is always going to have an impact on him and what his peers think. I thought the locker room scene reflected that perfectly. I would assume this is likely going to create more drama between them as the series goes on.

Sheldon himself, well I'll just put this out there I am not a fan of early season TBBT Sheldon and I often cringe at some of that early stuff especially observational comments. The scene with him pointing at all his classmates and pointing out his teacher has a mustache I cringed at but I get it was in character though. The comments in the church about testicles went down like a lead balloon for me. In terms of laughs I didn't really find anything that funny with Sheldon himself, the laughs came from people interacting with him. His mother for example actually made me laugh a few times or his sister when interacting with him. But I would say Iain did a good job portraying the character he is supposed to be playing.

Overall I wonder where they are going to go with this as Sheldon's childhood if you go off the TBBT canon sounded quite miserable at times. I wonder how far they will and can actually go with this, but I do sense drama on the horizon with their financial situation, as he struggles to adjust to school life and his relationship with his brother in particular. I wonder how far they are going to go with his father, will all these external and internal pressures make him drink more and more and eventually cheat on his wife frequently? Is that too dark for this kind of show?

I'll probably watch the next couple of episodes just to try and get a feel for where they are going with this and what kind of story they are trying to tell and get across the audience. It was as I expected really, though Zoe Perry and the girl who plays Missy were a pleasant surprise.

An excellent post @Jonny .  There are so many questions as to where they will go with this and you addressed them quite well.  I adored Zoe's portrayal of Mary. It must be quite something for her to act a younger version of a role her mother created (it would be interesting to hear her speak frankly about that on many levels....).  The George Sr. character is something to watch. Sheldon's recollections of him for the most part have been negative.  The interactions that we saw in the pilot were less so.

 

The financial pressures.  I think that will be a difficult wire to walk.  I have seen some posters express excitement over Sheldon experiencing some of the technological wonders that are on the horizon in 1989.  Unfortunately, unless he does so at school or perhaps a library, they will not be available to a family with three children and limited financial resources.  Perhaps Mee-Maw can be a solution brining relief there....

 

Anyway, again @Jonny , a very thoughtful post!

[Jonny]

31 minutes ago, hokie3457 said:

An excellent post @Jonny .  There are so many questions as to where they will go with this and you addressed them quite well.  I adored Zoe's portrayal of Mary. It must be quite something for her to act a younger version of a role her mother created (it would be interesting to hear her speak frankly about that on many levels....).  The George Sr. character is something to watch. Sheldon's recollections of him for the most part have been negative.  The interactions that we saw in the pilot were less so.

 

The financial pressures.  I think that will be a difficult wire to walk.  I have seen some posters express excitement over Sheldon experiencing some of the technological wonders that are on the horizon in 1989.  Unfortunately, unless he does so at school or perhaps a library, they will not be available to a family with three children and limited financial resources.  Perhaps Mee-Maw can be a solution brining relief there....

 

Anyway, again @Jonny , a very thoughtful post!

Thanks! I've tried to be as objective as I can be. I had big reservations when the project was announced so maybe some subjective stuff might creep in but I think I have been pretty fair with what I thought about the episode and I called it how I honestly saw it.

I thought Zoe was very good, I hadn't watched any of the trailers or interviews before watching this so I literally had no expectations or clue what she would be like on the show. From the first scene it looked like she was perfect for the part, Sheldon playing with his trains and you hear that familiar 'Shelly!' cry that sounds EXACTLY like her mother lol. I thought she has the mannerisms spot on when they are having their family meal and a food fight occurs. She was the standout for me throughout the episode.

Yeah I never saw George senior painted in a good light by adult Sheldon so this character will be fascinating to watch to see what he is really like. You would assume he's going to go a certain way and become very different from the person we kind of saw in the pilot. But I genuinely don't know if they will do that or not, if he doesn't cheat on his mother then what does that tell us? It's not something you can really make up, if adult Sheldon said he cheated on his mother by the sounds of it more than once then it surely must have happened.

Great point that I hadn't at all considered about the technology and their access to it. You could be right in that he will experience some of that at school or his grandmother might be able to at least give them some access to them. Sheldon had a wide of array of trains, but they could have come from when his father had his old job. I got the impression that George's old job offered more financial security than his new one, Football is huge in Texas and coaches presumably get paid fairly decently. It could end up being though for the show that they complain and argue about money but still seem to have things.

Like I said I'll give it a couple more episodes to see where it goes.

[mirs1]

25 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Thanks! I've tried to be as objective as I can be. I had big reservations when the project was announced so maybe some subjective stuff might creep in but I think I have been pretty fair with what I thought about the episode and I called it how I honestly saw it.

I thought Zoe was very good, I hadn't watched any of the trailers or interviews before watching this so I literally had no expectations or clue what she would be like on the show. From the first scene it looked like she was perfect for the part, Sheldon playing with his trains and you hear that familiar 'Shelly!' cry that sounds EXACTLY like her mother lol. I thought she has the mannerisms spot on when they are having their family meal and a food fight occurs. She was the standout for me throughout the episode.

Yeah I never saw George senior painted in a good light by adult Sheldon so this character will be fascinating to watch to see what he is really like. You would assume he's going to go a certain way and become very different from the person we kind of saw in the pilot. But I genuinely don't know if they will do that or not, if he doesn't cheat on his mother then what does that tell us? It's not something you can really make up, if adult Sheldon said he cheated on his mother by the sounds of it more than once then it surely must have happened.

Great point that I hadn't at all considered about the technology and their access to it. You could be right in that he will experience some of that at school or his grandmother might be able to at least give them some access to them. Sheldon had a wide of array of trains, but they could have come from when his father had his old job. I got the impression that George's old job offered more financial security than his new one, Football is huge in Texas and coaches presumably get paid fairly decently. It could end up being though for the show that they complain and argue about money but still seem to have things.

Like I said I'll give it a couple more episodes to see where it goes.

I agree, George Sr. is the biggest mystery right now. I think that, in a way, to make the character  interesting for the new viewers the writers had to somehow soften him. That can be explained, at least in the little things, with the fact that a child that has seen his mother suffer in a bad marriage for so long, probably has a lot of very bad feelings towards his dad and prefers to indulge on the bad than on the good times with him.

At the moment, if I had no info from 10 years of watching TBBT, I would consider George Sr. just totally unprepared to parent a child so different from himself and I would imagine that, in time, this fact will drive the two of them  apart. Also, George  seems way more aware (or more concerned) than Mary of the fact that, dealing with Sheldon, is a huge problem for George Jr. It's like each parent is trying to defend the child they feel more vulnerable, and that can be another source of friction between them.

But, I've watched TBBT for 10 years, so I know very well George was a drinker and a cheater and the very last season (when, mind you, YS was already in the works) the writers came up with the very "visual" story of Sheldon catching him cheating. If I have to make some prediction, I think the writers, for this first season, when Sheldon is still 9, will continue with the angle of a hill-prepared father that tries to connect with his son, but has difficulties due to the fact they  very different. We'll see George Sr. being bitter for his financial problems and him and Mary fighting and having a rough marriage, but nothing overly dramatic. Probably, if the show survives a couple of seasons, in time the writers will explore the reasons and the shortcomings that made him the person that "older" Sheldon remembers.  

[joyceraye]

I must admit to being confused about George's job. Are coaches paid less than the other teachers ?

Why do Mary and Sheldon refer to him as ' His dumbass daddy' and 'Not a very clever man' since he must have been to university ? 

Do some high schools pay the staff less and that's why they are harder up now they've moved ?

[Jonny]

26 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I must admit to being confused about George's job. Are coaches paid less than the other teachers ?

Why do Mary and Sheldon refer to him as ' His dumbass daddy' and 'Not a very clever man' since he must have been to university ? 

Do some high schools pay the staff less and that's why they are harder up now they've moved ?

I don't know but Texas is a football mad state from what I gather, high school football and college football is huge there. I would imagine a high school coaches salary is on a par with a teachers. They were based in Galveston I believe (pretty sure I recall them saying they had to move in the talk near the end) which is a city in Texas, but now they are in a small town. I got the impression he was earning more money in his old coaching job than his current one. Maybe he was a coach at college level now he is a high school coach?

He actually seems fairly educated to me, but that was one episode so maybe too early to tell. It could be the usual everyone is seen as less intelligent compared to Sheldon and that his mother thought he was a dumbass because he did stupid things when he was drinking.

27 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

I agree, George Sr. is the biggest mystery right now. I think that, in a way, to make the character  interesting for the new viewers the writers had to somehow soften him. That can be explained, at least in the little things, with the fact that a child that has seen his mother suffer in a bad marriage for so long, probably has a lot of very bad feelings towards his dad and prefers to indulge on the bad than on the good times with him.

At the moment, if I had no info from 10 years of watching TBBT, I would consider George Sr. just totally unprepared to parent a child so different from himself and I would imagine that, in time, this fact will drive the two of them  apart. Also, George  seems way more aware (or more concerned) than Mary of the fact that, dealing with Sheldon, is a huge problem for George Jr. It's like each parent is trying to defend the child they feel more vulnerable, and that can be another source of friction between them.

But, I've watched TBBT for 10 years, so I know very well George was a drinker and a cheater and the very last season (when, mind you, YS was already in the works) the writers came up with the very "visual" story of Sheldon catching him cheating. If I have to make some prediction, I think the writers, for this first season, when Sheldon is still 9, will continue with the angle of a hill-prepared father that tries to connect with his son, but has difficulties due to the fact they  very different. We'll see George Sr. being bitter for his financial problems and him and Mary fighting and having a rough marriage, but nothing overly dramatic. Probably, if the show survives a couple of seasons, in time the writers will explore the reasons and the shortcomings that made him the person that "older" Sheldon remembers.  

Great points.

Yeah you had that whole episode with Sheldon worried he was going to turn to drink and women like his dad because he argued with Amy like his parents did. I mean I am not bothered about actually seeing his mother putting hamster poop in his tobacco so I think they can break that canon lol, but a lot of fears to do with his father are in Sheldon and I think you can't like not have them happen.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Jonny

[spidergirl]

20 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I must admit to being confused about George's job. Are coaches paid less than the other teachers ?

Why do Mary and Sheldon refer to him as ' His dumbass daddy' and 'Not a very clever man' since he must have been to university ? 

Do some high schools pay the staff less and that's why they are harder up now they've moved ?

I must admit I got a bit confused too about his job.

Anyway, as was said this character holds a mystery what is characterization concernned that made me reallly curious to see what writers might come up in next episodes about his development for "older" Sheldon to have shared many hard things about him.

Regards George junior, I think he was not bad. I know it is early for say much about him but I tried to walked in his shoes about having his younger brother in same academic level than him. Imo this charcater, as his father, might be the surprises of this show. As long as they wont be portrayed totally diferente than Sheldon had been saying for all these years, it wont be a big deal for me.

 

 

[mirs1]

14 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Yeah you had that whole episode with Sheldon worried he was going to turn to drink and women like his dad because he argued with Amy like his parents did. I mean I am not bothered about actually seeing his mother putting hamster poop in his tobacco so I think they can break that canon lol, but a lot of fears to do with his father are in Sheldon and I think you can't like not have them happen.

As I said, I think the main question is not whether or not the writers are going to write those fact into the show, but whether or not the show lives long enough for them to happen. Sheldon caught* his father with his mistress at 13 and I guess his parents separated (but not divorced) shortly after that and his father dies when Sheldon was 15. The kid now is 9 years old, not sure w'll see him past high school (he graduated at 11), and I'd say it's more or less around that period that things started going really downhill in the Cooper's marriage.

* This must be one of those cases when one should use some "Back to the future" verb conjugation... does will have had caught sound better? LOL!

20 minutes ago, spidergirl said:

Regards George junior, I think he was not bad. I know it is early for say much about him but I tried to walked in his shoes about having his younger brother in same academic level than him. Imo this charcater, as his father, might be the surprises of this show. As long as they wont be portrayed totally diferente than Sheldon had been saying for all these years, it wont be a big deal for me.

 

 

The biggest surprise I had was how much I felt sympathetic with George Jr. I have zero interest in George Jr. in TBBT universe, he seemed a very plain character to me, but seeing that teen-ager has completely changed my perspective. Not that I'm looking forward to him to visit older Sheldon, but I want to learn something more about him in YS.

[spidergirl]

28 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

The biggest surprise I had was how much I felt sympathetic with George Jr. I have zero interest in George Jr. in TBBT universe, he seemed a very plain character to me, but seeing that teen-ager has completely changed my perspective. Not that I'm looking forward to him to visit older Sheldon, but I want to learn something more about him in YS.

I felt it too. Actually he was the character , after Sheldon, I most enjoyed in pilot.

Regards George junior to visit Sheldon, I believe it is possible at this point. Sheldon is going to marry and it might be possible to  put both Sheldon's  sibblibgs as guests in his and Amy's wedding. And it would be a good promotion for YS, if we think about it by the audience/ratings side. The show started really well and even it only last at least a couple of seasons, they will do their best for keep us interested and mostly the casual viewers who might not watch tbbt yet.

And last , I might be wrong, course, but I think Sheldon and Amy might get married this season. Still not believe in a big marriage for them but I can see Sheldon's family there and at least Amy's father. After all , as viewer , I think it might be interisting to see these younger versions in their older versions, as we could see the impact they have in Sheldon after all these years, especially after how much Sheldon mattured as he and Amy met and fell in love. 

Edited September 28, 2017 by spidergirl
Grammar

[joyceraye]

I've watched the pilot twice now and apart from the mitten-wearing at mealtimes I can't yet see anything abnormal about Sheldon. Not counting the other forty or so when I was one myself, I had nine-year-olds of both sexes in my life for over thirty years. This is what highly intelligent boys who are keen on learning things are like. They are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about anything to do with their hobbies. Shock or even outrage at discovering that an official rule book issued by a school is not only ignored but unenforced would be vigorously expressed. Talking in church, especially about things inappropriate to the surroundings, is par for the course regardless of IQ. 

Sheldon's lack of friends no doubt suggests we are going to see some of his less-tolerable traits in future episodes.

 

[mirs1]

18 minutes ago, spidergirl said:

I felt it too. Actually he was the character , after Sheldon, I most enjoyed in pilot.

Regards George junior to visit Sheldon, I believe it is possible at this point. Sheldon is going to marry and it might be possible to  put both Sheldon's  sibblibgs as guests in his and Amy's wedding. And it would be a good promotion for YS, if we think about it by the audience/ratings side. The show started really well and even it only last at least a couple of seasons, they will do their best for keep us interested and mostly the casual viewers who might not watch tbbt yet.

And last , I might be wrong, course, but I think Sheldon and Amy might get married this season. Still not believe in a big marriage for them but I can see Sheldon's family there and at least Amy's father. After all , as viewer , I think it might be interisting to see these younger versions in their older versions, as we could see the impact they have in Sheldon after all these years, especially after how much Sheldon mattured as he and Amy met and fell in love. 

Oh, yes, I know...The writers have also hinted the possibility that people from Sheldon's past could come to visit him and his brother would be more believable that, let's say, an old teacher or something like that. A wedding is also a good excuse for a family reunion. Anyway, even so, it's not really in my wish list, I could live without ever seeing "older" George in TBBT universe, but I'm very curious to know more about Young George.

Edited September 28, 2017 by mirs1

[spidergirl]

3 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

Oh, yes, I know...The writers have also hinted the possibility that people from Sheldon's past could come to visit him and his brother would be more believable that, let's say, an old teacher or something like that. A wedding is also a good excuse for a family reunion. Anyway, even so, it's not really in my wish list, I could live without ever see "older" George in TBBT universe, but I'm very curious to know more about Young George.

I am not saying that will be your case , course, but a well built and reasonable characterization might change those minds who are not much into a character. It had happened to me before.

The truth is we know Sheldon's side about his brother regards some stuff but we dont know Georges side. That family had many issues and sometimes a not correct behavior towards a relative hide some hard feelings about something or someone.  I am not saying that the bullying behavior from Sheldon's  brother is acceptable but Sheldon was not easy eiher and they were both kids in a hard family environment. 

I hope I made sense.

 

[joyceraye]

37 minutes ago, mirs1 said:

As I said, I think the main question is not whether or not the writers are going to write those fact into the show, but whether or not the show lives long enough for them to happen. Sheldon caught* his father with his mistress at 13 and I guess his parents separated (but not divorced) shortly after that and his father dies when Sheldon was 15. The kid now is 9 years old, not sure w'll see him past high school (he graduated at 11), and I'd say it's more or less around that period that things started going really downhill in the Cooper's marriage.

* This must be one of those cases when one should use some "Back to the future" verb conjugation... does will have had caught sound better? LOL!

The biggest surprise I had was how much I felt sympathetic with George Jr. I have zero interest in George Jr. in TBBT universe, he seemed a very plain character to me, but seeing that teen-ager has completely changed my perspective. Not that I'm looking forward to him to visit older Sheldon, but I want to learn something more about him in YS.

I'm imagining, if we get that far,that Sheldon has the wrong end of the stick about glimpsing his father in bed with another woman. Maybe his father had flu or something and the woman was not in the bed with him but was only the doctor bending over it to take his pulse. Embezzling from an employer and carrying a bottle of driving whisky are harder to imagine alternative incidents to be mistaken about.

I've often felt sympathy for Missy growing up alongside Sheldon, and even thought up a fanfic about it, but this is the first time I've felt anything for George Junior. I thought for some reason he wasn't much more than a year older than Sheldon. I'm surprised to find there's a five-year age gap. In BBT Mary seemed to me to have been young when she had all the children. Her mother is still alive and well, perhaps around eighty, which makes her a grandmother at about forty if George was born in 1975. Having a bright two-year-old sibling stealing all your thunder when you're seven is hard - harder than having one who's six. and that's hard enough.

[mirs1]

6 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I'm imagining, if we get that far,that Sheldon has the wrong end of the stick about glimpsing his father in bed with another woman. Maybe his father had flu or something and the woman was not in the bed with him but was only the doctor bending over it to take his pulse. Embezzling from an employer and carrying a bottle of driving whisky are harder to imagine alternative incidents to be mistaken about.

If that happens, I think I'll throw something at my TV....my suspension of disbelieve doesn't go that far, LOL!

7 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

I've often felt sympathy for Missy growing up alongside Sheldon, and even thought up a fanfic about it, but this is the first time I've felt anything for George Junior. I thought for some reason he wasn't much more than a year older than Sheldon. I'm surprised to find there's a five-year age gap. In BBT Mary seemed to me to have been young when she had all the children. Her mother is still alive and well, perhaps around eighty, which makes her a grandmother at about forty if George was born in 1975. Having a bright two-year-old sibling stealing all your thunder when you're seven is hard - harder than having one who's six. and that's hard enough.

From the pilot, it looks to me that Missy is better equipped than George to deal with Sheldon. She is a tough little girl, who knows what to say to shut him down. For George it seems things are harder, especially now that he has Sheldon as a schoolmate and will be always compared to him.

[spidergirl]

Tbh, I dont believe they could do that about the other woman and Sheldon's  dad inciddent. If  they made up another version of that sad inciddent it would be bad as they would hint Sheldon  miserstood the whole thing and it would be too forced after so many years as Sheldon did not figure out what he saw was completely different than what he processed.  That inciddent happened when he was 13. Surely he would have got any info from George jr about that kind of stuff ,  even when he was not interested or self couscious of what he was learning.  Young sibblings learn many things from their older sibblings, even what is too much ahead for their  age or  their care about it.

Note: I removed earlier post because I felt I was not very clear about what I meant.

Edited September 28, 2017 by spidergirl

[joyceraye]

1 hour ago, spidergirl said:

Tbh, I dont believe they could do that.  Sheldon had proven since very earlier in the show he is not clueless about the sexual act.  He  also had said often he knows about all things since he was a kid, even those he would not care about.  If they made up another version of that sad inciddent it would be bad as they woul hint Sheldon  was not so clever after all since a very young age.  Surely he had had always issues about his interaction with others  but we saw in pilot he paid very attention to things. That inciddent happened when he was 13. Surely he would absorb info from George jr about that kind of stuff ,  even when he was not interested.  Young sibblings learn many things from their older sibblings, sometimes even what is too much ahead their  age or the use of the matter for themselves, lol!

I was thinking along those lines, yes : thirteen-year-old boys make everything about sex. Even Sheldon must have gone through that stage, however much he supressed it when he grew up. I'm imagining a funny scenario in which Sheldon shuts his eyes and closes the door because of what his adolescent brain believes it saw. Ian Armitage may not want this part for another four years anyway so we probably won't and need to worry about anything that far ahead

The subtitles for the episode are availabe now so I've been able to get a better grasp of what they were all saying. The inaudible conversation between the parents turns out to be about Sheldon needing shoes they can't afford. George wonders if he could wear Georgie's outgrown ones but Mary thinks it wouldn't work because Sheldon won't even hold Georgie's hand let alone consider putting his feet in his old shoes. 

George tells Sheldon he was fired for doing his job and reporting wrongdoing. That doesn't seem very likely. I'm a bit suspicious about the job loss and the move. Can school authorities fire a teacher for anything other than proven misconduct ?

I agree with everyone's memories that eighties and early nineties electronic innovations were expensive. They are not likely to be within affordable range for a family who have to find something to cut down on in order to afford shoes for a boy whose feet are growing. I was a working adult with no dependents then and I didn't buy any of it.

13 minutes ago, spidergirl said:

Note: I removed earlier post because I felt I was not very clear about what I meant.

Mais j'ai compris.

Edited September 28, 2017 by joyceraye

[spidergirl]

6 minutes ago, joyceraye said:

Mais j'ai compris.

Oui, bien sur.

Edited September 28, 2017 by spidergirl

[mirs1]

6 hours ago, joyceraye said:

I must admit to being confused about George's job. Are coaches paid less than the other teachers ?

Why do Mary and Sheldon refer to him as ' His dumbass daddy' and 'Not a very clever man' since he must have been to university ? 

Do some high schools pay the staff less and that's why they are harder up now they've moved ?

I've read something on line about that. As far as I understand, it's not strictly necessary to have a degree to be a high school coach, it  depends on the state regulation (I couldn't find what are the regulations in Texas). In order to save money, most schools prefer to enroll coaches that have a degree and are qualified to teach, so that they can do both jobs (as it happened in the pilot itself with the first teacher Sheldon met, she was the volleyball coach and the English teacher), but for their most valuable teams, they can invest on a full-time coach. The salary varies  from school to school.Texas spends a lot in high school and college football, so I assume salaries are pretty good over there, but the Coopers moved in a place with a not very prestigious school, because George Sr. said he got a bad reputation and hence no good school would have hired him. I can see that they are in dire straits.

Edited September 28, 2017 by mirs1

[Kev0821]

Jim and Iain's interview on CBS This Morning: