Young Sheldon – An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

Adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) believes that back in his childhood days he was definitely Dr. Linkletter’s (Ed Begley Jr.) favorite student. As we get back to the present, we see that a lecture is over and Meemaw (Annie Potts) has come to pick him up. Dr. Linkletter is enthralled upon seeing her; so much so that he invites Sheldon (Iain Armitage) to a lecture on the Mathematics Robotics Communication and suggests Connie drive him and Sheldon there next Thursday. Displeased, Connie says she’s not available but Sheldon, who knows her schedule by heart, catches her lie. The boys also agree on a dinner before the lecture, but Meemaw’s had enough. She lets Linkletter know in privacy that she’s only agreeing for the sake of Sheldon. He seems fine with it. After all, he’s got a Thursday date secured!

On their way home Sheldon can’t reduce his excitement for the lecture, but Connie hints that its complicated. She explains how Dr. Linkletter’s favoring him to simply get close to her. Sheldon finds it illogical given his Meemaw is dating Dr. Sturgis. Connie begs him to drop this plan as it’s too complicated a situation. Sheldon agrees to try.

At home George (Lance Barber) receives a big box of courier for Georgie (Montana Jordan). It’s a box full of candy that he’ll sell to kids at school. In the meanwhile, Sheldon seeks advice from Tam (Ryan Phuong) on whether his Meemaw is actually right. Tam agrees that guys do indeed pull sketchy stunts to get dates. He himself did so once by claiming to be a Karate Kid 2 extra to a girl. He never got the date though.

Sheldon calls Dr. Linkletter to get clarity and straightaway asks if Meemaw is right or did he genuinely invite him because of his interest in the subject matter. Praising his smartness, Linkletter lies to him but the boy innocently believes the old man.

Georgie is selling candies to a student when Veronica (Isabel May) shows up. She warns him about how his sister who sold stuff at school is now at juvenile but he immediately shows her his candy stash. She calls it an entrepreneurial move. He’s on cloud nine and dreaming about walking down the school hallway with Veronica. She’s bedazzled with candy jewelry and is planting a kiss on his cheek. He zips out of the fantasy world and agrees he is pretty “entrepreneurialistic.” Veronica doubts if it’s even a word, but according to him money can buy vocabulary. She wishes him good luck and gets going.

Sheldon visits Meemaw and let’s her know how she was wrong thanks to his dialogue with the professor. Connie tries saying that he’s been lied to, but Sheldon doesn’t believe her. She wonders if he’ll believe a stranger over his own grandma. It turns out he does seem to prefer the man who called him smart to the lady who is yelling at him right now. This does it for Connie and she says no to taking him to the lecture. Sheldon calls her selfish. She now gets silent and gives him a hard stare. In no time Sheldon rushes home screaming how Meemaw swatted his bottom. She calls her mom, but Missy (Raegan Revord) feels that a thanks in person is in order.

Georgie visits a jewelry store to buy some for Veronica. He gets confused between choosing an anklet, a necklace or pair of earrings.

At home Mary and George make Sheldon explain why he was wrong, but he’s unfazed and unaffected. Instead, he’s wondering who from dad and mom will drive him to the lecture. Both decline. He calls them both even more selfish and soon gets grounded for a month.

Georgie hands over the gift to Veronica. She opens it to find a beautiful and an expensive necklace inside. She can’t accept it and returns it to him mentioning how he can’t buy her with money. Georgie is hurt and confused. Back at home Sheldon decides to visit Dr. Sturgis in order to untangle himself from this rut and restore balance. He writes a letter, handing the envelope to Missy informing her how he should be back before midnight but if needed to be located the envelope has his whereabouts. He leaves. Missy tears it open only to find out how he knew about her bad patience and moreover has ciphered his location out in Morse code. Sheldon bikes his way to the bus station and asks Stan (Kurt Scholler), the guy at the counter, for a ticket to Dallas. He can only give one if Sheldon is accompanied by an adult. In no time Sheldon starts sharing his whole problem from speaking about John Sturgis to how he landed into a psychiatric ward and how he needs to visit him now. Bored, the man himself buys a ticket and gives it to him. At home Mary frantically goes through the letter to find her son. Sheldon calmly settles himself on the Dallas-bound bus while his brother finally woos Veronica with a ten cent necklace that makes her blush.

Sheldon’s co-passenger, Clara (Patricia Belcher), is rather an irritated lady. Sheldon boasts how he has the bus schedules and their departure and arrival times memorized. She asks if he isn’t a little too young to be travelling alone. Soon he starts telling about the complex turn of events that led him to that bus.

Mary, Connie, Missy and George are worried. They all visit the school library to decipher the code in the letter. They soon understand that Sheldon’s on a bus. It hits Connie that he’s going to Rusk to meet John (Wallace Shawn) at the hospital. George rushes to get the police. Missy asks if Sheldon is going to jail. Mary says no, bumming out Missy even more.

At the end of the episode Clara calls Sheldon the most selfish, rude and ungrateful character in the whole story he told. He is amused and starts to draw a comparison to “Star Trek’s” Devil in the Dark episode wherein there was a debate on who was the monster – the miners or the hoarders. While the former thought the hoarders were the monsters, in reality it was them as they well killing its eggs. Sheldon finally delineates that he is a miner here. Soon state troopers follow the bus. Today adult Sheldon remembers that to be the first of seven times that he was brought home by law enforcement. Back at home Sheldon makes his parents watch that “Star Trek” episode as a way to apologize. Connie; however, would have preferred a simple “I’m sorry.” Sheldon is amused that she didn’t understand the premise at all. He plays it from the top once again.