Young Sheldon – A Loaf of Bread and a Grand Old Flag

By starrymag | February 27, 2019

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

 

 

The episode begins with adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) remembering how a particular childhood incident that started with bread resulted in the Coopers nearly getting kicked out of the U.S. We cut to Sheldon (Iain Armitage) and Tam (Ryan Phuong) having lunch and Sheldon cringing at the sandwich tasting different. Tam offers to trade his dumplings for it. Sheldon passes and calls Mary (Zoe Perry). She assures him of not changing a thing with it same bread, same peanut butter and same jelly. Sheldon asks if different knives were used. Mary concurs and hangs up. Still dissatisfied, Sheldon decides to do science on it. He tastes each component separately and confirms a problem with the bread’s taste.

 

At recess Georgie (Montana Jordan) notices Veronica (Isabel May) upset and asks if everything’s okay. She reveals that she and Dustin have broken up. Feeling bad Georgie offers to platonically dine with her at Waffle House, just like spending time with someone who’s had his heart broken recently. Veronica asks who it was and Georgie reminds it was him. He promises to be a good friend since, given the situation, he’s been there and done that.

 

Mary shows Sheldon the Happy Hearth Home bread packet at home trying to get his confidence back up. She also asks Missy (Raegan Revord) if her sandwich tasted different. Missy has zero idea as she traded it for Ding Dongs. George (Lance Barber) comes in to taste the bread and ends up supporting Sheldon. However, Mary feels it’s all because of Sheldon’s puberty-induced taste bud change. He discusses this with Tam and gives the bread another try. This time he’s sure that the bread’s going through puberty on the contrary.

 

Sheldon and Tam go to the mart. Looking at the prices Tam realizes why their marts are killing his parents’ business. Sheldon asks one of the employees if something’s changed about the bread. It turns out the guy has no idea as $3.35/ hour for stacking shelves isn’t worth the worry. Tam compares it to his $5/week and secretly decides to sue his folks in the future against child labor laws. Sheldon suddenly picks up a loaf that says “A subsidiary of the Domestic Food Corporation” unlike it had before. He tastes a slice and confirms that to be the odd bread.

 

After going home Sheldon call up Happy Hearth Home Bakeries complaining about bread tasting different ever since it’s been bought out by Domestic Food Corporation. The customer care person recites a scripted monologue as to how their new acquisition hasn’t affected product quality, instead allowed faster and cheaper production.

 

Georgie joins Veronica at Waffle House where she disappointingly talks about Dustin whom she thought would be interested in Christian life, but he turned out to be just like other guys. She asks Georgie if he can just be her friend. He reminds her that even after being punched and rejected he’s still there eating waffles by her side. He assures her of being a good friend.

 

Quoting the “We make bread cheaper and faster” statement Sheldon, accompanied by Meemaw (Annie Potts), starts a petition against the bakeries standing in front of the mart taking signatures. Most people decline but he stays put. Looking at the grim participation, Connie suggests heading back home, but Sheldon reveals he’s expecting Channel 7 who he’d called earlier to do coverage his Classic American story of “Little Guy vs. Corporate Greed.” Connie is puzzled and left gaping as the news crew drives down for real and position their boom mic right above her grandson’s head for the Classic Americana tale!

 

The duo reach home in time to catch their coverage. Mary and George are shell-shocked to hear what Sheldon said. According to him Domestic Food Corp has no right to change bakery production rate and costs and that a centralized control would have prevented it from happening. Twisting it, the reporter asks if he’s suggesting that Texas needs communist form of governance. Sheldon, kinda confused, says yes.

 

George suffers a panic attack. Mary asks him to calm down hoping that people wouldn’t have watched the 4 o’clock news much. Sheldon; however, wishes the opposite. Connie rushes home to display the American flag in front of her house. Mary and George follow the drill.

 

Soon Brenda (Melissa Peterman) rings asking Mary to ensure that Sheldon keeps distance from Billy thanks to Channel 7 news. Mary is furious and asks her to ensure that in the future Billy shouldn’t try to sit on an egg and try hatching it as she saw him doing that the earlier day. Brenda walks off in denial and Mary bangs the door shut.

 

At school kids pick on Sheldon asking him to go back to Russia. He finds it odd as he’s never been there in the first place. Tam reveals a note left by his mom in his lunch box, “Do not talk to Sheldon.~ Mom.” Sheldon is fine with it given he does most of the talking anyways. At the restaurant Veronica joins Georgie for lunch who’s sitting alone, given his new commie status. He asks if she’s sure she wants to join him, but she dusts off the matter and instead asks if he even knows what a commie means. Georgie knows from the Hollywood context, but politically he’s blissfully unaware. They enjoy the meal.

 

George is summoned at the principal’s office who is being forced to pull the plug on him as parents don’t want a suspected communist coaching their kids at school. George explains how Sheldon was just confused with bread tasting different and asks for another chance. After much dialogue, the principal decides to arrive at a choice the next time he receives a similar complaint. Similarly for Mary, Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby) is unsure about continuing her position as apparently her family supports the atheistic communists, which is a departure from their church beliefs. Mary clears out the sandwich incident and how Sheldon’s words were played out wrongly. She asks for another chance as well.

 

All these incidences force George to make an appearance along with Sheldon on Channel 7 in order to clear up the recent miscommunication. He stresses on how he and his family have fought for this country that they deeply love and that Sheldon is just ten years old, not a communist and loves his country too. End of story.

 

That night at dinner Sheldon tells how he’s decided to give the bread another chance and now that he’s accepting change he’s not finding it as bad as before and it definitely toasts well. There’s no reaction from anybody. He realizes no one is keen on speaking with him, but he still feels this step has been a positive stride in his personal growth and he’d like to call it maturity. There’s still no response. Sheldon decides to try and seek opinion the following day and goes back into the silence, just like everybody else.