Episode Recap
Adult Sheldon explains Heidelberg is considered one of the most beautiful German cities. He lists some of the popular attractions, but admits he has no interest in that. He was only there for intellectual superiority. In Professor Salzman’s class, Sheldon answers a question and is confused when the class erupts in laughter. Professor Salzman asks if, in Texas, they don’t laugh when somebody says something stupid. “You’re darn tootin’”, Sheldon says before asking who goofed. Salzman tells Sheldon he did, calling him a “dummkopf”. Sheldon is surprised he’s being called a dummy, so Salzman asks a student to explain where Sheldon went wrong. Sheldon elicits more laughter when he admits he’s never heard of the Calabi-Yau manifold. Professor Salzman again calls him a dummy. Adult Sheldon says he was quickly learning that not all Germans are the warm, fun-loving people he was led to believe.
At the gambling room, Georgie observes that there’s a big crowd today. Meemaw says it’s not enough. Georgie thinks they’re raking it in, describing the place as full of chumps. When Wade complains at that characterization, Georgie assures him he means everyone else. Meemaw argues they’re raking in quarters, but points out she’s got a house to rebuild. When Georgie asks if she wants to raise the prices, Meemaw is thinking bigger: table games. Maybe a roulette wheel. Georgie is surprised given their machines are already a grey area, but table games are straight up illegal. Meemaw argues that’s because of how much money they pull in. Georgie wonders what their silent partner, the cops, will say. “Thank you for my new fishing boat”, Meemaw jokes. Georgie says he can’t go to jail, he’s got a young family. Meemaw tells him to calm down, no one’s going to jail. After Georgie asks Meemaw to at least think about it first, Meemaw says “fine” before immediately deciding they’re doing it.
At the Cooper house, George answers the door to Jim, who explains he found some of Mandy’s old baby stuff. George tells him Mandy’s not there right now - she took the baby for a check-up - but he is welcome to come in, have a beer and watch the Astros. When Jim expresses surprise that George’s wife would let him have a beer in the middle of the day, George explains his wife is in Germany… for the whole summer. Jim thinks George is living the dream. Inside, Jim says hi to Missy, who is busy clipping coupons. Jim’s impressed George has everyone chipping in. George argues it’s what he does as the head coach. After Missy chides her father for tossing a beer cap on the counter, Jim wonders whether Missy is the assistant coach. George admits she may “own the team”. Missy reminds them to use coasters.
Back in Germany, Sheldon goes to talk to Professor Salzman. Sheldon says he is now well versed in the Calabi-Yau manifold, but Salzman shows little interest. Sheldon admits it wasn’t on the syllabus at East Texas Tech. After Salzman derisively says East Texas Tech sounds “charming”, Sheldon points out it’s actually quite humid. Regardless, Sheldon is ready to re-assert himself as class leader. Salzman tells Sheldon his classmates went to some of the best schools in the world. There is no “East MIT”. Sheldon argues he would have gone to a better school, but he was eleven. Salzman says at some point you ask the piano-playing dog, not “are you a dog?”, but “can you play the piano well?” Sheldon is confused, so Salzman simply tells him he is far behind his peers. Sheldon insists he has no peers. Salzman thinks they would agree, which is why he’s recommending tutoring. “Me tutor them?” No. “You tutor me?” No. “Me tutor you?” Salzman calls over a very young female student, Mei-Tung Chen, who has an undergraduate degree in education and asks her to tutor Sheldon.
At the gambling room, Georgie is surprised to see a crowd of people playing at a roulette table with an old guy taking bets. When Georgie asks Meemaw how she got the table, Meemaw claims to know a guy. Where did she find the croupier, Georgie wonders. He’s “the guy”, Meemaw admits. Meemaw tells Georgie that Herman said on a good night one table can throw off a thousand dollars. Georgie is impressed. Meemaw points out that would buy a lot of diapers. “Maybe even a nanny”, she adds. Meemaw tries to get Georgie thinking by asking how the three of them are finding it living in Sheldon’s room.
Back at the Cooper house, as CeeCee fusses, Mandy asks Missy if she can look after her for a while. Missy would, but she needs to head to the grocery store now if dinner’s going to be ready on time. After she overhears George and Jim playing along with “The Price is Right” on TV, Missy asks if they’re having a good time. When they confirm they are, she bluntly tells them it’s over. At the grocery store, George has a shopping list and is wheeling the cart as Jim, armed with the coupons, pushes CeeCee’s stroller. When George grabs a tin of green beans, Jim points out that’s not the brand on the coupon. George is glad Jim spotted that, saying Missy would have had his ass for that mistake.
In Germany, Mary opens their apartment door to Mei-Tung, who explains she’s there for tutoring with Sheldon. Mary thinks it’s cute how he’s helping her, but Mei-Tung states she’s helping Sheldon. Mary’s confused, so Mei-Tung explains she is tutoring Sheldon. Amused by the idea that Sheldon needs help, Mary asks Mei-Tung to wait a moment as she gets Sheldon. Mary heads to Sheldon’s room and finds him lying face down on his bed. Sheldon says he’s been thinking they should go home after all. As Mary wonders why, Sheldon says he misses “Dad… and football. The whole shebang.” Mary wonders if the fact he is being tutored by a little girl has anything to do with it. “Leave me alone”, Sheldon grumbles. Mary reminds Sheldon he came here to learn new things and expand his horizons. “What do I know? I'm a dummkopf.”, Sheldon claims. As Mary insists nobody thinks that, Mei-Tung walks into his room and declares she does. After Mei-Tung suggests they start with anti-De Sitter Space, Mary asks what that is. Sheldon has no idea.
In the main room, Mary reads the bible on the couch as Mei-Tung tutors Sheldon. Sheldon is already puzzled, even though Mei-Tung gave him a clue. Sheldon offers an answer but it’s wrong, so she slaps his hand with her pencil. “Ow”, Sheldon exclaims before asking why she hit him. As Mei-Tung argues pain is the best teacher, Mary smiles to herself. Sheldon tells Mei-Tung she’s a very impressive little girl, but he repeats Professor Salzman’s analogy about a piano-playing dog. Mei-Tung points out that she plays very well, she’s a concert pianist. “Of course you are.”, Sheldon says as Mary chuckles. When Sheldon wonders what his mother’s laughing at, Mary claims it’s just a funny part of the bible.
Back home, Jim joins the Coopers for dinner. Missy finishes saying grace, ending with “bless the hands that prepared it.” When George asks what about the hands that went to the store and bought the food, Missy is not impressed. Mandy apologizes for arriving late, explaining CeeCee has terrible gas. George and Jim insist she was fine for them. Flashback to CeeCee crying at the grocery store: Jim thinks she might be hungry, while George thinks she might be teething. Jim suggests letting her suck on a Slim Jim. “Two birds”, George says. Back at dinner: Mandy notices Georgie is quiet today, but he insists it’s work stuff. Jim didn’t think running a laundromat would be too stressful. Georgie and Mandy share a look as they imagine the slot machines in the gambling room. Mandy reminds her father he knows what dealing with the public is like. Jim tells the story of a guy who came in complaining about his tires, way past their warranty, kicking up a big stink. What did he do? Jim says he gave the guy a new set of tires anyway. He lost some money but got a customer for life. When Georgie says he could learn a lot from Jim, Jim insists he could also learn a lot from his father. As Georgie asks “what you got, big man?”, George is lost for words until the phone rings. “Saved by the bell”, Mandy jokes. In the kitchen, George answers a call from Jim’s wife, Audrey. Jim dashes to the phone, apologizes for losing track of time, and claims he was spending time with CeeCee - who looks more and more like her grandmother. After Jim promises to come home right away, he tells the Coopers he’s gotta go and rushes home.
Later that night, in Sheldon’s bedroom, Mandy asks Georgie what’s up. Nothing, he claims. As Mandy presses him to come clean, Georgie wonders if that’s obvious. After Georgie explains Meemaw put a roulette table in the gambling room, Mandy wonders what the problem is. Georgie explains the slot machines are already a grey area, but this could land them in jail. Mandy says he should tell Connie he wants no part of it. Georgie admits he did, but his grandmother pointed out they could throw off a thousand dollars a day. “Oh.”, Mandy says, “Then do it.” As Georgie reminds her he could end up in jail, Mandy scoffs and jokes that she’ll wait for him. Georgie thought she’d be on his side. Mandy insists she is on his side. In fact, they should get married sooner so she doesn’t have to testify against him. “And also because you love me.”, Georgie adds. “Thousand bucks a day? You bet I love you.”, Mandy jokes.
In the gambling room, Georgie tells Meemaw he thought it over and thinks the reward of the gaming tables is worth the risk. When Meemaw asks if Mandy’s on board, Georgie claims he didn’t tell her. Meemaw is happy Mandy brought him around. Meemaw asks Georgie to shadow Herman, saying it’s the “bottom of the ninth” for him. Georgie goes over to the coughing Herman at the roulette table and explains he wants to learn what it’s about. Herman tells Georgie he’ll pick it up in no time. When Georgie asks if they bought this table off him, Herman admits he used to have his own gambling room until it got shut down. After Georgie wonders whether it was the cops, Herman says it was nothing like that. “Dixie mafia.”, he explains, “They threatened to cut off my- Red 16. Red 16.”
Back in Germany, as Mei-Tung tutors Sheldon, she once again tells him he’s wrong and slaps his hand with her pencil. Sheldon doesn’t understand his mistake, so Mei-Tung explains he didn’t account for all the dimensions. Sheldon thinks the Calabi-Yau manifold has six dimensions, but Mei-Tung clarifies that’s only if there’s fermions, otherwise there could be up to 26 dimensions. When Sheldon mentions that Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis never told him about 26 dimensions, Mei-Tung asks they are. Sheldon explains they’re his teachers and they’re really smart. When Mei-Tung responds that she has never heard of them, Sheldon says he’s probably never heard of her teachers either. “I recently studied with Henry W. Kendall.”, Mei-Tung reveals. “The Nobel Prize winner for his pioneering research on the deep inelastic scattering of electrons on protons and bound neutrons?”, Sheldon queries. After Mei-Tung says yes, Sheldon claims he’s never heard of him. Mei-Tung instructs Sheldon to try the problem again, but a frustrated Sheldon says the problem is it’s stupid. “You can’t make up dimensions.”, he says while gesturing to the three dimensions he’s familiar with. After Mei-Tung tells him he forgot the dimension of time, Sheldon holds out his hand so she can slap it with her pencil.
At the gambling room, Georgie is standing with Herman. He offers to take his place and let Herman sit down, but he tells Georgie at his age he sits down he might not get back up. Herman is stunned when he sees two men enter the gambling room. The Dixie Maffia. He tells Georgie he’ll take care of it. The guys approach Herman and asks who’s in charge her. Herman says Georgie and runs away. One of the henchmen asks Georgie for the money. He says he can’t give it up, he’s depending on it to support his daughter. The mobster says “Hope she enjoys being an only child” and holds up a pair of scissors. Georgie wakes up in bed, with Mandy asleep at his side. Georgie takes a peek under the covers and looks down at his body. He sighs with relief.
When Georgie goes to the kitchen in the middle of the night, he finds Missy at the table nursing a cup of tea. She couldn’t sleep either. After Missy asks if he’s okay, Georgie tells her not to become an adult because it sucks. Missy says too late, complaining about how much it costs to feed a family these days. If it wasn’t for double coupons, she doesn’t know how they’d manage. Georgie argues making money’s no picnic either. He wants to provide for Mandy and CeeCee but it’s really working his last nerve. Missy points out she spends her whole day holding this house together and nobody even says thank you. Georgie understands. He gets home from work and no one asks how his day was. When Missy does ask about his day, he tells her not to ask. After Missy wonders why they do it, Georgie points out he has a fiancee and a baby, and they’re all sleeping in Sheldon’s room. “Oh, yeah, you’re screwed.”, Missy concedes, “I mean why do I do it?”
When Linkletter is awoken by a ringing phone in the middle of the night, he answers a call from Sheldon wanting to know why he never told him there’s 26 dimensions. Linkletter is confused. “I'm in Heidelberg and I'm studying string theory, and I'm now drastically behind, thanks to you.”, Sheldon states. After Linkletter points out it’s 3am there, Sheldon reasons that’s why Dr. Sturgis didn’t answer. Linkletter says it’s also why he’s going to hang up. “I had to be tutored by a child and the professor called me a dummkopf.”, Sheldon admits. Linkletter chuckles and says now he’s glad Sheldon called. “I don't like it here. I miss being the smartest one in class.”, Sheldon admits. Linkletter tells him if he’s always the smartest in a room, he’s never learning anything. “Interesting”, Sheldon remarks before asking what he should do. “Listen.” Sheldon insists he is listening. “No, that's the answer. Try doing something you're truly awful at: just shut up and listen.”, Linkletter tells him. Sheldon tries to argue, but Linkletter tells him to listen in class and then hangs up.
When George walks into the kitchen that morning, he wonders why there’s no food waiting for him. “What, you didn't make a big ol' breakfast?”, he asks Missy. Missy replies that she did, and she’s eating it. Missy then declares that when she’s done, she’ll go watch TV while George makes his own breakfast and does the washing up. George is taken aback. “But…”, he stammers, “you were doing great, so grown-up, cooking and cleaning.” “Mmm-hmm”, Missy responds nonchalantly, asking her dad to pass the syrup. “I thought we had a whole thing going here.”, George argues. Missy tells her father they now have a new thing going, telling him to look at the fridge. As George examines the chore chart, he points out it’s his job that pays for everything. Missy acknowledges that and thanks him. She also thanks him in advance for doing the laundry and taking out the garbage. “What about Georgie?”, he wonders. When Missy explains Georgie mows the lawn and cleans the toilet, George chuckles.
In Germany, Sheldon is in Professor Saltzman’s class. Adult Sheldon explains he wanted to give up and run away, but he’d read enough comic books to know that heroes don’t quit. Instead of running, he decided to stay and face the biggest challenge he’d ever had: keeping his mouth shut. As Professor Saltzman asks a question, it takes all of Sheldon’s determination not to raise his hand. Mei-Tung answers the question. When Saltzman asks another question, Sheldon snaps his pencil as he tries hard not to raise his hand. “This turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life. By being open to people smarter than me, I grew as both a man and a scientist. Humble, brilliant... I really am the whole package.”, Adult Sheldon remarks.
When George opens the door to Jim, he wonders what brings him by. Jim explains he finished his “honey-do list”, so Audrey “gave him the afternoon off”. After George invites him in, Jim says he thought they’d do something fun. Cut to George and Jim struggling to fold laundry inside. Jim remarks that this isn’t fun. George explains he didn't make the chore chart, telling Jim to grab a corner. “There is no corner!”, Jim complains. As Georgie emerges from the bathroom while the toilet flushes, George asks him to come give them a hand. “Oh, you don't want me touching anything.”
