Episode Recap
Adult Sheldon explains how he always knew his extraordinary life would be chronicled in numerous biographies. He even used to make up his own titles: "From Texas to Success: the Sheldon Cooper Journey", and "Cooper for Kids", a pre-school introduction to quantum gravity in superstrings. He knew his formative years would be well-documented, which meant he needed to polish up some of his early academic credentials, especially East Texas Tech.
In President Hagemeyer’s office, she wonders what she’s looking at. Sheldon explains that it’s his proposal for next semester's curriculum on string theory. He may be leaving, but he believes the university can attract more brilliant minds by staying on the cutting edge. Hagemeyer points out he’s not a professor there. Sheldon acknowledges this, adding that if he were to teach, it would be at a more prestigious institution. Hagemeyer asks what she’s supposed to do with this. Sheldon emphasizes that, although he won't be at the university, he will always be associated with it. He wants people to look at his resume and be impressed by East Texas Tech. Hagemeyer insists they have an excellent faculty and they are quite capable of devising their own curriculum without his help. “I suppose I could spin East Texas Tech as a hardship I had to overcome, like a hunchback or a club foot”, Sheldon argues. “54 days”, Hagemeyer says quietly - but not quietly enough. “I know. I'm going to miss this, too”, Sheldon says.
In President Hagemeyer’s office, Drs. Sturgis and Linkletter sit before her. She presents them with the new curriculum she developed for next year. “Introduction to nonlinear sigma models?”, John questions, noting that’s some pretty advanced stuff. Hagemeyer argues that’s the point. Although Sheldon is leaving, they can attract the next brilliant mind if they stay on the cutting edge. Linkletter feigns agreement, suggesting John take the nonlinear class while he takes… “Oh, so much here I've heard of. Which one do I pick?”, he muses. Hagemeyer tells the pair of them that the curriculum is too advanced, maybe she should rethink her faculty. Alarmed, John asks what she means. “Well, legally I can't say that I'm replacing you with someone younger, so I'm not saying that”, Hagemeyer clarifies. “Legally.” Linkletter points out he has tenure, but John admits he doesn't. “Tough luck”, Grant remarks. “Another thing I'm not saying is that I'm going to put your office at the top of a flight of very steep stairs”, Hagemeyer adds. Linkletter insists that won’t be necessary. They might be out of touch now, but they can catch up. John agrees, “We can be up to speed in two shakes of a lamb's tail.” Linkletter tells him not to say that as it makes him sound old. “Lickety-split?”, John tries. “Better”, Grant concedes. “Lickety-split”, John repeats.
George drinks a beer and watches TV in the den while Mary knits on the couch. After Mandy and Georgie arrive with CeeCee, Mandy hands their daughter over to Mary, who is looking forward to spending time with her granddaughter. Mary tells them they’re so happy to babysit, and suggests Georgie and Mandy go to dinner after the movie. Mandy mentions they’re trying to save money, so Mary nudges George to give them some cash for dinner. George points out they’re already babysitting for free. Mary says that’s because they never get to see this little one, because “her mean Mommy and Daddy moved her away.” As Georgie and Mandy say goodbye to CeeCee, Mary assures them CeeCee will “be an angel for Nana and Grampy.” George notes he never signed off on the nickname “Grampy.”
As a befuddled Dr. Linkletter reads a paper in his office, he hears a knock on the door. It's John, who explains he just finished reading “Ed Witten's article on the Landau-Ginzburg orbifold.” “I'm almost done with one on Planckian scattering”, Grant mentions. John doesn’t know why they were so reluctant to dive into these new theories. Grant agrees. They start throwing out positive descriptions: “Exciting stuff.” “Thrilling.” “So thrilling.” “A little hard to parse.” “A bit enigmatic.” Linkletter admits he had to read the same paragraph four times, while John confesses he actually fell asleep on one paper and drooled all over it. Sturgis wonders if they are actually too old to learn new things. Linkletter admits this would have been over his head even as a young man. Sturgis suggests they just need someone to explain it to them. Linkletter worries he means Sheldon. John thinks Sheldon would be happy to help, but that’s exactly what Grant is afraid of. “I don't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he's smarter than us”, Grant declares. Sturgis points out Sheldon is smarter than them. Linkletter knows that, but Sheldon can never know that, he says. They decide to work together as a team. When they sit next to each other to read a paper, it’s too far away for Linkletter, then becomes fuzzy for John, who forgot his “cheaters”. Linkletter offers his spare pair. “Teamwork”, he says with a chuckle.
Back at the Coopers’, Mary is trying to get CeeCee to speak. “Nana. Nana. Na-na.”, she says. As George returns from the kitchen, he wonders whether CeeCee isn’t a little young for that. Adult Sheldon points out he said his first word at four months. “It was hypotenuse.” Mary retorts that she asked George to get CeeCee’s bottle, not his. “Two birds, Mare”, he replies. Mary asks him to sit down on the ground with her and feed CeeCee, saying it’s how you bond. George agrees but notes she’ll need to help him get back up. When Missy returns home and finds her dad on the floor, she worries he fell. George explains he’s bonding with the baby. Mary thinks CeeCee is the cutest. “Want to know what else is cute?”, Missy asks, “Another piercing right up here”. George immediately says no. Missy wonders why not, mentioning that Heather just got one. George insists she’s not getting another piercing, but Missy points out it’s her ear. “We made that ear. It's our ear.”, Mary argues. Missy declares she hates this house as she storms off. George says he misses when Missy couldn’t speak.
Back at the university, John wearily walks down a dorm corridor and knocks on a door. When Sheldon opens it, John greets him. “I was hoping I could pick your brain about some of the latest breakthroughs in string theory.”, John explains, adding, “And, uh, maybe we keep this between us. Uh, Dr. Linkletter doesn't need to know.” Sheldon opens his door wider to reveal Linkletter sitting at his desk. “I can't believe you went to Sheldon behind my back”, John tells Linkletter. “You're doing the same exact thing”, Linkletter points out. “Yeah, well, you did it first!”, John argues. Sheldon interjects, “In or out? I don't have all night.” John flashes a quick smile and walks in.
Back home, Georgie and Mandy stand by the door with George and Mary, who is clinging onto CeeCee. Mandy asks if CeeCee was any trouble. “Not at all”, Mary replies. George asks how Mandy’s nap was. “I've had better”, she admits. George tells Mary this is the point where she hands the baby back and lets them leave. Mary insists she’s just soaking up as much CeeCee time as she can. George points out they don’t live far away, Mary can soak her up anytime. “Okay, well, Nana loves you. Nana's the best. Nana. Nana, Nana, Nana.”, Mary coos to CeeCee. “All right, Nana, take it down a notch”, George tells his wife. Mary hands over CeeCee and insists they can bring her back anytime. She means it. Anytime. George figures they got the message. As he and Mandy leave, Georgie confirms he did.
Back inside, Mary remarks how nice it was to look after CeeCee. George thinks it’s a sweet deal. “You have a little fun, then hand her right back”, he says. Mary mentions she likes having a baby in the house. George is alarmed by this, so he tells her about Russ at work, who is starting over again with wife number two. Mary doesn’t think it sounds so bad. “Are you serious?”, George questions. Mary sighs, “Well, Georgie and CeeCee live across town, Sheldon's about to move to California. The house is gonna feel empty.” George points out it’s not empty yet. They still have Missy. Mary counters that Missy doesn’t let her hug her anymore. “That is not true,” George says before calling, “Missy, get out here and hug your mother!” “No!”, Missy shouts from her bedroom. George sighs.
At a roadside bar, George sits at a table with Principal Petersen and Coach Wilkins. Wilkins notices a booth just opened up and suggests they grab it. Petersen retorts that they’re not on a date and he doesn’t want his knees rubbing up against Wilkins’. “George, you believe this guy? He wants to sit in a booth”, Petersen says to his distracted friend. After George snaps out of it and makes the same joke about not being on a date, his friends wonder what's going on. George explains they were babysitting the granddaughter and now he’s worried Mary's got a bit of baby fever. They discuss Russ, their colleague who was in better shape than George but is now shuffling around like a zombie. Petersen says just because Mary’s enjoying the grandkid doesn’t mean she wants kids of her own. George admits Mary has brought it up before. Petersen jokes there’s gonna be a new zombie in town. “A chunky zombie”, Wayne adds. George points out he has a say in this too. Wilkins advises George to be honest with her, while Petersen suggests George do what he did. “I’m not getting a divorce”, George quips. Petersen clarifies, “No, I mean, get a little snip. Never worry about it again“ “Well, you mean like a... like a down-there snip?”, George asks. Petersen can’t believe he let George teach Health. Anyway, George doesn’t think Mary would go for that.
In Sheldon’s dorm room, Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Linkletter sit on chairs, writing notes on stools as Sheldon stands before them. He asks a complicated question. After Dr. Sturgis gives the wrong answer, Sheldon raps his knuckles with John’s pencil. “Hey!” Dr. Linkletter then provides another wrong answer, earning a similar whack. When Sturgis asks why Sheldon is hitting them, Sheldon flashes back to his young tutor in Germany, Mei-Tung, who would hit him with a pencil after he answered incorrectly, arguing that “Pain is the best teacher.” Sheldon explains that he’s teaching them. “Well, it feels like you're hitting us”, Linkletter complains. “Like you, I struggled with these concepts, but eventually, I mastered them, through hard work, resilience and a healthy dose of knuckle whacking”, Sheldon tells them. Dr. Linkletter says, “Son, we are accomplished scientists. We won't be treated like this.” “Very well”, Sheldon replies. He flashes back to his lecturer in Germany, Professor Salzman, who called him a “dummkopf” in front of the entire class. Back in the present, Sheldon adds, “There's also public humiliation. That was quite effective. Are you old dummkopfs ready to learn, or is it past your bedtime?” Dr. Sturgis, unoffended, confirms, “Oh, I’m good till at least 7:30.”
When George returns home, he finds Mary looking through pictures of when the kids were young. There are photos of the twins’ first birthday Georgie losing his first tooth. “When he learned it was worth a quarter, he tried pulling the rest of 'em”, George recalls. “Tell me you don't miss their sweet little faces”, Mary says. George points out that’s why they took pictures. “It's not the same as rocking 'em to sleep at night”, Mary argues. Until they wake you up at 3am, George adds. “And smelling their little heads”, Mary mentions. “That’s the smell you remember?” George inquires. “Come on”, Mary says, “It wasn’t that bad.” George knows it wasn’t, but he points out they were younger then. Mary insists she’s not saying they should try for another one. “I'm just saying, if there was an accident... it might be a happy accident”, Mary supposes. George figures it’s in God’s hands then. “I guess it is”, Mary agrees.
George arrives at the doctor’s clinic and presents himself at reception, stating he’s there for a vasectomy. The receptionist informs him that the earliest appointment is in three weeks. “That long?”, George exclaims. Just then, a man emerges from a room, declaring, “I can’t do it. I can not do it”, before walking out of the building. “Something may have just opened up”, the receptionist tells George.
In his dorm room, Sheldon phones Meemaw. “Well, isn't this a nice surprise?”, she says after answering. “You're old. Can you still learn new things?”, Sheldon asks. Meemaw hangs up. When Sheldon phones back, she asks if he wants to try that again. “I need your help.” “I’m listening.” Sheldon explains, “I'm trying to teach Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis string theory, and they're struggling. I'm worried that their advanced age is a factor. And since you're also…” Meemaw warns him to be careful. “...in the winter of your life”, Sheldon finishes. Meemaw hangs up again. When Sheldon calls a third time, Meemaw asks, “You were saying?” “And since you're also a wise and mature woman…” Meemaw tells him to go on. “...you might have some tips on how best to educate others in your peer group.” Meemaw paraphrases, “So you want me to help you teach an old dog new tricks?” Sheldon feels if he had said it that way, she would have hung up on him. Meemaw tells Sheldon it can’t be easy for Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis to be taught by somebody his age. “I think you're just gonna have to be a little understanding and patient.” “Patient? They could drop dead at any mome-”, Sheldon starts to say before Meemaw hangs up again. When Sheldon calls back once more, Meemaw simply says, “What?” “Despite this challenging exchange, you know I love you”, Sheldon tells her. “Yeah, yeah.”
As Coach Wilkins drives George home from the clinic, he can’t believe George got a vasectomy without telling his wife. George explains he only went down there to ask some questions, but they had an opening. “So you said, ‘Get in there, start snipping!’”, Wayne jokes. George admits he panicked, but mentions that Mary was looking at baby pictures. “Oh. Clearly, you had no choice”, Wayne says sarcastically. George tells Wayne he’s in a lot of pain right now and he’s not helping. Wayne wonders what Mary’s gonna say when she finds out. George insists she’s not going to find out. Wilkins points out he can barely walk. “You think she’s not gonna notice?”, he asks. “You have any idea how much sitting I do at home?”, George says. “Oh, I can imagine”, Wayne says, “I do work with you.” George sighs and tells Wayne to watch out for that… pothole. “Oh, I saw it”, Wayne says as George grimaces.
In Dr. Sturgis’s office, he and Dr. Linkletter discuss the studies they’ve been reading. “26 dimensions. In what world are there 26 dimensions?”, Linkletter complains. Sturgis recalls when he was an undergraduate, they made fun of the old professors who didn't understand the theory of mesons. Linkletter chuckles, remembering he did the same. Linkletter once told his thesis advisor, "I'm surprised you don't understand the physics of time. You were here for the dawn of it." They both laugh, but Sturgis laments how they have become those old professors. “I wish”, Linkletter says, “My mentor was a Fields Medal winner, taught at Princeton. What have I done?” Sturgis points out Grant wrote that article on the positron. “And you... you've lectured all over the world”, Linkletter reminds John. Sturgis says he can ask for Pepto Bismol in 16 languages and demonstrates in Greek. “Clearly, we’re not too old to learn things”, Linkletter declares. “And there's no shame in needing a little help”, John adds. “Yeah!”, they both agree. “But does it have to be Sheldon?”, Linkletter asks. “Yeah”, John confirms.
Adult Sheldon explains, “My meemaw made me realize that Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis' failure to learn string theory was my failure as a teacher. Perhaps the knuckles that really needed to be rapped were my own.” Sheldon hits his own hand with his pencil. “Ow!”, he exclaims, “Lesson learned.” After a knock on his dorm room door, Sheldon opens it to find Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Linkletter. John asks Sheldon to teach them again. “All right, dummkopfs, let's do this”, Sheldon says.
After George lumbers into the kitchen, he opens the freezer, takes out a bag of frozen peas, and applies it to his crotch. Missy, who is doing homework at the kitchen table, asks if he does that to all the food. “I got hurt at practice”, George claims. Missy jokingly asks if he blew his whistle too hard. When Mary walks in, she wonders what happened. George claims he pulled a muscle at practice. “Also, I'm never eating peas again”, Missy chimes in, as Mary follows George through to the den. After George says it’s his groin, Mary offers to run a warm bath for him. “Oh, I'll be fine”, he insists. “I just need to sit for a while... and not take a shower for two to three days.” When Mary offers some BENGAY, George quickly shouts, “No, no! No.” Mary asks if he wants a heating pad. “I’m good. Got my peas. Just need to sit”, George says before letting out an airy, prolonged groan as he slowly lowers himself into his chair. “You sure you're okay?”, Mary asks. “Oh, yeah, right as rain”, George groans.
In Sheldon’s dorm room, Dr. Sturgis stops Sheldon to ask a question. “Are you saying that the particle should be understood as a sequence of functions executed in a manifold?”, John asks. Linkletter, fearing punishment if Sturgis was wrong, says, “He said it, not me.” Sheldon confirms that John is correct. Linkletter claims they were both thinking it. “So that would mean…”, Sheldon prompts Linkletter to explain. “Gravity is just the residue of forces within manifolds?”, Linkletter says hesitantly. “Are you asking me or telling me?”, Sheldon queries. “Telling you?”, Linkletter says uncertainly. “You’re right”, Sheldon tells them. John and Grant high-five each other in celebration.
Back in the den, Mary yawns and tells George she’s heading to bed, asking if he’s coming. George says he thinks he’s just gonna stay there. “You sure you're okay?”, she inquires. “Yeah, I'll be fine”, he tells her. “Look at us. It's 9:00, I'm exhausted. You got hurt watching other people exercise”, Mary says with a laugh. “I can't believe I thought we could handle another baby.” George sighs, “Really?” Mary insists CeeCee’s all they need. “Well, if that's how you feel, I support it”, George tells his wife. As Mary says good night, George asks if she could swap out his bag of frozen vegetables. “Broccoli or corn?”, she wonders. “Surprise me.”, George replies. As Mary walks away with the frozen vegetables, George looks down at his crotch and sighs.
