Young Sheldon – A Slump, a Cross and Roadside Gravel

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

Georgie (Montana Jordan) finds an article about making quick money. He shares it with George (Lance Barber) and Sheldon (Iain Armitage). Georgie is particularly interested in collecting platinum from roadside gravel.

George, Mary (Zoe Perry) and Connie (Annie Potts) are at Missy’s (Raegan Revord) practice. She plays miserably. Coach Dale (Craig T. Nelson) is disappointed and so is she. Though Connie blames the older pitchers and George suggests to think less to get over her slump, Missy needs a different solution. Mary suggests praying. Sheldon is playing on the computer and Georgie approaches him to get help on the platinum extraction. Sheldon is sure that his Professor Proton chemistry set will help, but they’d need to build a makeshift 2000°C oven out of a leaf blower and garbage can. However, he’s not keen on helping and is manipulated by being forced to wonder what Professor Proton would think of him. Coach Dale trains Missy by being her pitcher. Before giving her first shot, she prays to God and swings the perfect shot right on her first attempt. Elated, she thanks God. However, Dale would’ve enjoyed some credit too.

Sheldon helps Georgie select a roadside patch which looks worn-out from traffic. Georgie starts to dig out gravel. Sheldon doesn’t help. Missy tells Mary about her great practice. Though she prayed, Missy is anxious as God knows all about her evil thoughts too and wonders if wearing a cross would help. Mary suggests cleaning up her thoughts instead. Missy thanks God for helping her in spite of being so busy. After getting home, Mary gives her childhood cross to Missy to wear. Missy considers the cross to be a microphone which would relay her prayers better. She silently prays for a good game on Saturday and also wishes that the mean pitcher meets with an accident.

Sheldon and Georgie are at the garage. They’re sifting gravel. Georgie feels that if he were as smart as Sheldon he’d have entered the stock market. Sheldon; however, finds happiness in his quest to unravel how the universe works. Georgie’s personal philosophy is earning one’s right to party. George spots both his sons working together and feels uneasy. He feels worse upon learning of Missy’s cross and her praying. Seeing his kids behave George anticipates a disaster, unlike Mary. His worry takes form when the boys come in asking for his power drill to build the makeshift oven. Their request is denied. Missy asks Sheldon to pray as it’s helping her, but he is an atheist. Suddenly it strikes him that they could use their art class pottery kiln at school. He and Georgie make a rush. Seeing Georgie sneak around the school corridors, Sheldon gets confused as he’d been told that they have permission. It seems that Georgie lied to him and calls his sneakiness as being extra wary. Sheldon also recalls how a rat once stole a nutter-butter right out of his lunchbox; little does he know that the rat was Georgie.

As Mary walks Missy home for a good practice Billy (Wyatt McClure) bumps into them. He offers Missy a dollar he picked up from the church collection plate and asks her to rub her cross on his bat for good luck. Mary is stunned at how Missy has been spreading this wrong practice and orders her to get home leaving Billy hanging. Georgie gets the kiln running and Sheldon is pleasantly surprised at how he got it all correct. Unfortunately, Georgie has the least interest in learning technicalities. He believes that sales guys don’t need to know the workings to sell products. Sheldon doesn’t quite agree. Their discussion is cut short as the kiln starts to smoke. Georgie tries to locate water. Sheldon’s panicking goes into full hyperventilating mode as the fire alarms start ringing.

George is pissed at the boys as he drives them home. Sheldon shares that they had permission. Georgie looks guilty. George asks Sheldon to rethink if it’s possible for the school to allow a ten year old and an idiot to operate a 2000°C kiln unsupervised. Sheldon realizes that he’d been lied to and also solves the nutter-butter theft. Missy also knows that mom is mad at her. Mary explains to her that she’s got a wrong idea about how prayer works. God does not grant wishes or give good luck but he rather gives humans a chance. He has a plan and we pray to build a relationship with him rather than simply asking for stuff. Missy finds it complicated and decides to continue with the rubbing ritual. Having had enough, Mary takes away her cross as she’s not ready. Missy is worried about her Saturday’s game. Mary apologizes to God for Missy’s behavior and for her family’s borderline disbelief in him. She has exhausted herself trying to bring change and needs his help.

At dinner, Connie asks how everyone’s day went. She senses that it was bad. Mary suggests saying a quick grace but Missy wonders if asking God to bless their food is okay. As Connie is getting impatient, Missy discloses everything. George asks Mary to return the cross as it helped Missy get past the slump and in sports one doesn’t mess with things when they’re working. Connie concurs as she’s seen players kiss their crosses before starting a game. Mary doesn’t care and is still against returning the cross only to be used as a good luck charm. Connie has plenty of crosses and asks Missy to take one from there but she only wants her lucky one. Georgie is glad that no one is focusing on what they did. The family says grace and Sheldon blurts out what they did at school with the smoking kiln. Connie is interested to hear more. Later, Sheldon suggests to Georgie a new way of earning quick money by developing a device that curates one’s favorite songs whilst holding camera features. Georgie passes on the idea.

That Saturday George sneaks the cross from Mary and while looking elsewhere he calls Missy near to the pavilion and offers it to her to wear. Missy turns it down and wants to do it on her own as she doesn’t want God to get mad at her. George happily respects her decision and gets back to his seat. The game begins. Missy misses the first ball. She summons dad.

George rushes back with Missy’s good luck charm.