Episode Recap
At his dental office, Dr. Bowers tells Mary that Sheldon has a baby tooth that never came out and will need to have extracted. Mary knows Sheldon will freak out about the pain, the blood and the needle. Dr. Bowers recognises that too, which is why he’s counting on Mary to break the news. When Mary suggests telling him together, Dr. Bowers says no to that as well. As a final offer, Mary proposes putting his business card in the next church newsletter free of charge.
Later, as Mary drives Sheldon home, she breaks the news to him. When Sheldon asks why he didn’t hear this from his dentist, Mary admits she had the same question. Sheldon worries that it’s a big procedure, but Mary tries to reassure him. There may be a little blood and a needle, but they’re going to put Sheldon under. Sheldon is alarmed, saying put under with drugs is even more dangerous.
As Meemaw sits with her feet up on Dale’s desk as he works, she tells him this isn’t the date night she’d envisioned when she shaved her legs. Dale says he’ll be done soon and will take her to Medford’s best, and only, Chinese restaurant. Meemaw is not thrilled with that proposal, so Dale concedes it’s not a bad idea to get out of Medford once in a while. When Meemaw suggests going away for the weekend, Dale reminds her it’s hard for him to get away from the store. Meemaw wonders what’s the point in being the boss if you can’t get someone to work for you. After Dale proposes leaving Georgie in charge, Meemaw wants to go so she just says “Good idea.”
When Sheldon goes to the school library to see if they have any material on the Lamaze technique, Ms. Hutchins wonders whether Georgie got his girlfriend in trouble. Sheldon explains he’s worried about being put under with drugs. He saw the “very effective” commercial with the egg in the frying pan. Ms. Hutchins says since it’s a high school, they don’t have books on pregnancy. But since it’s a high school, she does keep some pregnancy materials under the counter.
Back at home, Sheldon is watching the lamaze video and practicing his breathing technique. When Missy reminds him he’s having a tooth pulled, not giving birth to a baby, Sheldon insists if it can work for getting an eight-pound human through a birth canal, it can work for a tiny tooth. Surprised to hear a typical baby weighs eight pounds, Missy vows she’s never having kids. Fun fact from Adult Sheldon, Missy ended up having four. Missy goes onto say if she does have kids, she’ll take any drugs they give her. Adult Sheldon says that part was true.
When Dale goes to talk to Georgie at the store, he says he’s thinking about taking his Meemaw away this weekend. Georgie gives him his blessing. Dale asks if he could look after the store while he’s gone. Georgie wonders if he’s being made manager, but Dale insists he’s just looking after the store. Georgie wonders if he can fire people or earn more money, but the answer’s no. Georgie asks if he can change the music they play around here as it’s kind of “grandpa music”. Dale wonders what makes it grandpa music. Georgie asks him if he listens to this music and if he has grandkids.
When Dr. Bowers goes into his waiting room to get Sheldon, Mary says she’ll stay there as she doesn’t want to get in the way. Dr. Bowers says it’s no trouble, but Mary would rather stay there and do her crocheting. Dr. Bowers insists she comes. In the consulting room, Dr. Bowers tells Sheldon not to worry about needles because they’re going to put him under. Sheldon says no thank you as there are risks associated with anesthesia. When Mary asks if there are any other options, Dr. Bowers explains Sheldon could stay awake but they would have to give him novocaine. Sheldon says no needles, just pull the tooth. After Dr. Bowers shows him the dental pliers he’s going to be using, Sheldon changes his mind and asks for the drugs.
As Dale drives Meemaw to a casino, he asks if she goes there often. Meemaw says he shouldn’t be surprised if everyone there knows her, knows how she takes her whiskey, and the color of her lucky bra. When she asks what he’s into, Dale admits he’s not much of a gambler. Meemaw points out he just left Georgie in charge of his store, so she disagrees.
Back at the store, Georgie puts on his “No grandpa mix” tape. Georgie is happy as he serves a trio of customers. He asks one guy if he enjoyed his shopping experience. When the customer replies that he did, Georgie says he would tell the manager but he already knows, because it’s him. Georgie tells a woman buying a tennis racket that it was a pleasure to “serve” her. Finally, he tells an older gentleman lifting weights that they don’t have a license to sell “guns”. Georgie adds that he’s just kidding; it’s Texas, they guns are in the back.
Back at the dentist’s, Dr. Bowers tells Sheldon that they’re going to put the anesthesia mask on him now. After the dentist tells him to breathe normally and count back from 100, Sheldon says counting back from 100 isn’t complex enough to occupy his mind. Mary tells him to do something sciency, like count pi. Sheldon says that can’t be done as pi is an irrational number, but he embraces her suggestion by calculating the matrix coefficients necessary for a unified field theory. As Sheldon starts to discuss the four fundamental forces of the universe, Dr. Bowers places the mask on him and he goes under.
Under the anesthesia, Sheldon dreams he is at a circus where Sturgis encourages him to step right up for his chance to meet Thoth, the Egyptian God of knowledge. John says Thoth has all the answers, and no question is too big or too small. When Sheldon says he has a question to ask, John peels back the curtain. After Sheldon wanders in and walks towards the Thoth display, he asks the exhibit how he can unify the four fundamental forces of the universe. The exhibit starts to give the answer. In the real world, Sheldon is mumbling about gravity as Dr. Bowers works on the tooth.
Back at the store, Georgie shows off a helmet by letting a customer bat him on the head. Georgie tells the kid to try the helmet on and he’ll be up front when they’re ready to buy it. As Georgie returns to the counter, he notices the cash register is open and has been emptied. He rushes outside in search of the thief, but there’s no sign of anybody else. Meanwhile, at the casino, Meemaw and Dale win at the roulette table. When Dale asks if she wants to go to the bar, Meemaw says they’ve hit and they’ve gotta ride it out. After a double zero, Meemaw declares the ride over and they head to the bar.
When a woozy Sheldon wakes up on the couch wondering where he is, Missy jokes that he died and is a ghost now. After Mary comes to ask how he’s feeling, Sheldon says he had a dream in which he solved the unified field theory. Mary says good for him, but Sheldon admits he can’t remember it. Mary mentions he was mumbling about gravity and forces, but she says he wasn’t making much sense. Sheldon explains that a unified field theory is the holy grail of physics, so solving it would be the greatest breakthrough in the history of science.
Later, Sheldon calls up Dr. Bowers to ask him to administer more anesthesia. Sheldon explains he doesn't have a dental problem, he just needs to enter a trancelike state so he can communicate with Thoth, the god of knowledge. Sheldon suggests the greatest discovery in physics would be worth him losing his dental license.
At the casino bar, Dale remarks that this is nice, as he doesn’t get away from work too often. Meemaw wonders why he’s still working at his age, saying he doesn’t want to be that guy who works until he drops dead. Dale points out he is having fun, he’s out with her. Dale says you know what would be fun, New Orleans is just a few hours from there and they have a 24-hour wedding chapel. A stunned Meemaw laughs and says no. Dale says they’re good together and they’re old, she just said so. Meemaw points out they’ve not even said “I love you” yet. Dale says it there and then, but Meemaw doesn’t respond. After Meemaw says she’s not going to say it under those circumstances, a hurt Dale gets up and leaves.
Back at the store, Georgie is in the office as he calls the police to report a robbery. Before he gives them his name, Georgie wants to know if there’s any way to do it where the owner of the store doesn’t find out. Georgie explains he was left in charge and screwed up, losing at least $400. Not getting the answer he was hoping for, Georgie tells them he’s got to think about it and will call them back.
Sheldon is in a steam-filled bathroom at home as Adult Sheldon explains that if he was going to recapture his insight into a unified field theory, he needed to find a way to put himself in an altered state of conscience. Native Americans would sit in sweat lodges for hours to achieve this, but he only manages a minute and a half. Later, he tries self-hypnosis with a cuckoo clock that scares him. Finally, he tries a repetitive spinning technique but gets dizzy, throws up and falls over.
When Dale returns to the hotel room, Meemaw is already there on the bed. Meemaw tells him he didn’t have to storm off, but Dale doesn’t respond. Meemaw calls him childish, explaining she just doesn’t want to get married and it’s nothing personal. Dale says it feels personal. Meemaw argues she’s not rejecting him, she’s rejecting marriage. If it helps, it’s not the first proposal she’s turned down. Dale asks how the hell that helps, remarking “After everything I’ve done for you and your family!”. Meemaw is taken aback by the suggestion she should marry him just because he gave her grandson a job. Dale tells her she can forget he even asked.
As Sheldon works in the garage, Adult Sheldon explains that after his other attempts to enter a trancelike state failed, he turned to something Nancy Reagan herself told him to “just say no” to. His mind-altering substance of choice: chamomile tea. But not your grandmother’s chamomile tea; 30 cups of chamomile tea condensed into a teaspoon of calming sludge. Inside, a downbeat Georgie returns to his bedroom and closes the door. He climbs up on a cabinet to reach the vent, removing an envelope with a picture of a car on it. Georgie sighs as he removes cash from the envelope.
After Sheldon downs the teaspoon of chamomile tea in his bedroom, he lays down on his bed, holding his stomach. After saying it didn’t appear to be working, he hears a Germanic voice from above. As Sheldon looks up, he sees his Einstein poster moving and talking to him. Sheldon is excited to hear from Einstein, but admits he was hoping to hear from Thoth. Sheldon explains he was told the solution to unified field theory in a dream but can’t remember it. The Richard Feynman poster comes to life to ask where the fun is in finding things out from some joker with a bird head. Feynman says a real scientist loves the thrill of the chase, and asks the Stephen Hawking poster if he’s right. Professor Hawking agrees, but points out he does love riding his chair over bubble wrap. The Professor Proton poster chimes in to say it is fun to pop that stuff. Sheldon wonders what will happen if he never figures out. Einstein, Feynman and Hawking point out they never figured a unified theory out but had great careers anyway. Professor Proton not so much.
When Sheldon feels that none of the posters can help him, Einstein says if he was offered a choice between all the knowledge of the universe or the endless pursuit of it, he would choose the pursuit. Sheldon thinks that’s very insightful, but Feynman points out Einstein stole it from Gotthold Lessing. When Professor Proton wonders who that is, Missy’s Cyndi Lauper poster explains he’s an 18th century German philosopher. Cyndia Lauper tells the male posters that the girls are trying to have fun over there. Adult Sheldon explains he made peace with his inability to solve unified field theory, but his intestines did not make peace with the concentrated chamomile syrup. Sheldon runs out of the room, declaring a bathroom emergency.
When Georgie returns to Dale’s store, he’s surprised to see the front door ajar as he knows he locked it. As he cautiously walks inside, Georgie asks who’s there, saying he’ll call the cops. When Dale says it’s just him, Georgie wonders why he’s back so soon. Dale tells him it’s none of his business and asks how it went yesterday. Georgie says it was good, until it wasn’t. Georgie explains he was helping a customer and he forgot to close the register. When he got back to it, all the money was gone. After Dale asks if he’s kidding him, Georgie concedes he screwed up. After Dale asks if he called the police, Georgie explains he didn’t want to get them involved. Georgie says he was gonna make it right, handing Dale the money from his car fund. When Georgie asks if they’re good, Dale says he’s fired and tells him to get out of his store now.
