Episode Recap
George is surprised to find bacon sizzling in the kitchen. Mary explains she had an idea for a new family tradition: Pancake Sundays. George wishes he had known because he made an early tee time with Wayne, who is going through a divorce and really needs support. Mary sends George on his way with bacon for him and Wayne. When Mary tells Missy about Pancake Sunday, Missy is already dressed and ready to go to Six Flags. Mary offers to cook her pancakes before she leaves. “Pancakes and roller coasters? Do you want me to barf?” Missy asks before hearing a car horn and heading out. Sheldon is upset by the notion of Pancake Sundays, insisting it’s Kellogg's Bran Buds Sunday as it has been for the past three years. Mary offers to make him any kind of pancake he wants. “On Bran Buds Sunday?” he wonders. After Mary agrees to put Bran Buds in the pancakes, Sheldon says that could work. Cut to Mary watching as Sheldon eats a pancake. “It does not work,” he says before spitting out a mouthful.
At the video store, a young woman, Amber, holds up two video tapes and asks for Georgie’s opinion. He says Pauly Shore is a comedy god and warns her she might pee herself laughing. Amber thanks Georgie for his advice, stroking his arm as she leaves. After Amber goes, Mandy tells Georgie that Amber was flirting with him. Georgie insists he wasn’t trying to flirt, but Mandy says it’s not a problem. He can flirt with other girls since they’re not a couple. Georgie points out they are having a baby together, which is significant. However, Mandy insists he’s not tied down. When Georgie asks if he gets a vote, Mandy says yes, but she and the baby get two votes. He’s not tied down.
Mary is surprised when Dale answers the door at Meemaw’s house. Dale asks if he needs to pretend he didn’t spend the night there, saying he doesn’t know how this works. Mary says it’s fine; he could have said nothing, but now she definitely knows. When Meemaw shouts to ask who’s at the door, Dale says it’s Mary and she knows he slept there. At the kitchen table with Meemaw and Dale, Mary explains she made pancakes for her family, but they’re all busy. She then asks what they’re up to today. Dale was trying to convince Meemaw to go fishing, while she’s trying to get him to go to a flea market. When Mary suggests they could come up with something else to do, Meemaw wonders how they became a threesome. “You don't want to hang out with me?”, Mary asks her mother. Meemaw says she does, but claims Dale’s not too keen on her. After Dale insists that’s not true, Meemaw says he’s got a fishing partner the. Mary admits she doesn’t really want to go fishing. “Boy, that was a close one,” Dale says.
As Georgie drives home with Mandy, she feels he’s mad at her. Mandy asks if it’s about that girl, Amber. Georgie wonders why Mandy wants him to date someone else. Mandy clarifies she didn’t say she wanted him to date, just that it’s okay if he does. When Georgie questions why she slept with him again, Mandy argues it was one night and a mistake. Hurt by that, Georgie says maybe he should go out with Amber. And maybe Mandy should go out with someone, Georgie adds. Mandy scoffs, saying, “there's nothing men want more than a girl with a baby pushing against her bladder.” When Georgie asks if Mandy wants him to pull over at this Wendy’s because its restroom is pretty nice, Mandy says, "Yes, I do."
When George arrives home, Mary asks him about golf. George says it was fun and mentions that Wayne hit a duck. Mary doesn’t laugh, so George figures you had to be there. When George asks if the kids are home, Mary replies, “Nope. Just me. All by myself.” George thinks that sounds nice, but Mary admits her Sundays feel kind of empty without church. George insists they’ll do something together next Sunday. Mary says it’s not just Sundays, mentioning the other church activities she used to participate in. She had a whole community. George tells her to find a new community, get involved, and make some friends. “You make it sound so easy,” Mary tells him. George points out that even Sheldon has school friends, so how hard could it be?
As Georgie puts up a poster at the video store, Amber returns and says he was right about his movie recommendation. When she asks if he has any other suggestions, Georgie mentions a good Mexican restaurant down the street. Georgie proposes they go there sometime, and Amber says she's free tomorrow. "It's a date," Georgie says a little too loudly, as Mandy sits at the register. "Sorry, that was a bit loud. I'm just excited for our date!", he says.
When Mary walks up to Missy in the school corridor, Missy wonders why she’s there. Mary says the school is looking for volunteers. After Mary asks about a boy who said hi to Missy, calling him cute, Missy takes her mother aside and says she has to leave. Missy tells Mary she’s embarrassing her. Mary agrees to leave if Missy doesn’t want her there. Missy promises she’ll do anything Mary wants on the weekend, just not here and not near anyone she knows. “Can't wait,” Mary says flatly. Missy says a quick "Love you, bye," and rushes away.
As George watches TV in the den, Georgie comes to ask his father for advice. Georgie explains the situation: Mandy saw a girl flirting with him. George assumes Mandy is mad at Georgie, but Georgie clarifies it's the other way around. Mandy wants him to go on a date, but he thought he was “wearing Mandy down.” George acknowledges that his son does have that effect on people. Georgie then explains he’s supposed to go to dinner with Amber, and Mandy is saying she's okay with it, but he’s worried it's a trap. Georgie asks what he should do. “Well,” George begins to say…
Later, Georgie joins Dale in his office at the sporting goods store. Dale supposes Mandy will be mad if Georgie doesn't go on the date, but if he does go, he will feel guilty. Georgie points out that Amber would also be upset if he stands her up. Dale tells Georgie that he can't live his life afraid that women will get mad at him. “It's just what they're born to do,” Dale argues. “Makes sense,” Georgie says. “I'm not a woman. I'm mad at you right now,” Dale adds.
When Mary finds Sheldon watching TV, she asks if he’s watching his Star Trek program. After Mary asks if she can join him, Sheldon says not at all, but warns her it’s addictive. When Mary sits down, she asks if the character is Spock. Sheldon replies there is no Spock; this is Deep Space Nine, not the original series. When the theme music plays, Mary wonders if that’s it. Sheldon explains there’s a whole hour left. “Oh,” Mary says.
As Georgie drives Amber to their date, she asks if the car is his mom’s because it's so practical. After Georgie admits it's his, Amber says she drives a Toyota but her ideal car is a Mustang. When Georgie reveals he used to have one, Amber is surprised he traded it in for this. Georgie insists he had his reasons. “Oh, you wanted to look like a soccer mom?” she jokes. As Georgie tries to explain, Amber keeps joking with him. He finally says, “You know that girl at the video store?” “The giant, pregnant one?” Amber wonders. Georgie says yes and looks at Amber, who gets his drift. When Amber asks if they’re a couple, Georgie says no, explaining, “We're having a baby, but we're not together. In fact, she's the one who told me I should ask you out.” “That’s not weird,” Amber says. “Really?” Georgie wonders. “No, it's weird,” she says.
When Meemaw arrives home and finds Mandy watching TV, she says she thought Mandy would be out for dinner. Mandy replies that Georgie is out. Meemaw, wondering if Mandy is mad at Georgie, asks what he’s done now. Mandy explains that Georgie is out on a date. As Meemaw’s rage starts to build, Mandy clarifies that she was the one who told Georgie to go out with another woman. Meemaw gets angrier and asks why Mandy would do that. “I have enough going on here without worrying about being in some relationship. Plus, Georgie deserves to have a life,” Mandy argues. “So y'all are good, and I don't have to be mad at anybody?” Meemaw asks. After Mandy confirms that’s the case, Meemaw decides to phone Dale and pick a fight.
As Mary finishes work at the bowling alley, she's surprised to see Brenda there on her night off. Brenda explains she's meeting up with some friends. "Friends from high school, or...?" Mary asks. "More like a bunch of gals that used to be married, used to be in Weight Watchers, and now just come here to drink and complain about their lives," Brenda explains. After Mary says that sounds like fun, Brenda reluctantly invites her to join them. Brenda warns Mary that it's a salty group and she doesn't want her to be shocked. Mary reminds Brenda that she’s met Meemaw, and Brenda sees her point.
As they talk in his car after their date, Amber tells Georgie she didn’t actually find Pauly Shore funny; she just wanted to talk to him again. When Georgie asks if his situation would scare her off, she admits she has issues too. Amber is in the middle of a divorce after a year of marriage. When Georgie asks if she still has feelings for her husband, Amber wonders if he has feelings for Mandy. Georgie points out he asked her first. Amber says it’s complicated. Georgie can relate, saying he turned to two grown men for advice, and neither had a clue about his situation.
Back at the bowling alley, after Brenda’s friend Helen shares a story from her love life, she tells Mary it’s her turn. Mary insists she can’t talk about her love life but reveals she and George have been “connecting” more lately. As Brenda looks uncomfortable, Helen mentions Brenda’s "secret boyfriend" that she won't talk about. Mary gasps, but Brenda insists there’s no one. After Jill whispers that she thinks the guy’s married, Brenda insists he’s not. Helen points out that a minute ago, Brenda said there was no guy.
When Mandy goes into the living room, she finds Meemaw watching a shopping channel. As Mandy looks out the window, Meemaw asks if Georgie is back yet. After Mandy says no, Meemaw wonders if Mandy is having second thoughts. Mandy admits that if it weren't for the baby, she would never have seen Georgie again. “But there is a baby,” Meemaw adds. Mandy points out that Georgie has been very helpful. She keeps pushing him away, but he always comes back. “What the hell am I doing, sending him off with another woman?” Mandy wonders. After Meemaw says yeah, Mandy says she’s actually asking. Meemaw is lost for words and asks for a minute to think about it.
When Mary goes into the bedroom, George points out she stayed out late. Mary explains she followed his advice and made new friends. When George asks who, Mary mentions Brenda and her friend group. "Sounds fun," George says. Mary admits it was and reveals she has some dirt. Brenda has a secret man she's hiding from everyone, Mary explains. "Really?" George asks. And he might be married, Mary adds. George gives a faint chuckle and asks, "Who do you think it is?" Mary doesn't know, but she says she and the gals are going to find out.
In the Sparks' chicken coop, George asks Brenda, "What the hell? Your friends all know about your 'secret boyfriend'?" Brenda asks if he thinks it's him. "It's not?" George questions. "No, George," she tells him. After he wonders who it is, Brenda says she didn't tell her friends and isn't about to tell him. "Okay," George says. Brenda asks if he's upset that there might be another guy in the picture. "No," George says. "Good. Go home to your wife," Brenda tells him.
The next morning, a hungover Mary wakes to find Sheldon in her bedroom. He has compiled a detailed guide outlining all the Star Trek shows, characters, and their timeline. Mary asks if they can do it later as she has a headache. “Unfortunately not,” Sheldon tells her. “If we don't do it now, you'll be completely lost when we watch The Animated Series this afternoon.” After Mary asks for twenty more minutes, Sheldon insists they have to start now because he has almost a hundred pages.
When Georgie arrives at the video store, Mandy is already there. Georgie says he thinks he owes Mandy an apology. “You were totally right. I had a good time with Amber last night,” he tells her. Mandy insists she’s glad for him. “We ended up talking for hours. Turns out we have a lot in common,” Georgie explains. After Georgie thanks her for pushing him to go on a date, Mandy says he’s welcome.
