Sheldon: Oh, I'm assuming you heard the bad news.
Mary: What news?
Sheldon: Isaac Asimov died.
Mary: Oh, no, is that one of your school friends?
Sheldon: What? No, he's one of the most prolific science fiction writers in the history of the genre.
George Sr.: Never heard of him.
Sheldon: Sure you have. He wrote I, Robot, the Foundation trilogy.
George Sr.: Nope.
Sheldon: Nightfall? The Posotronic Man?
George Sr.: You ever heard of this guy?
Mary: Mm-mm.
Sheldon: Caves of Steel. Hostess. The Naked Sun?
George Sr.: Whoever he is, sorry he died. Gotta go. Bye.
Mary: Bye.
Adult Sheldon: Astonishing. Asimov wrote almost 500 books, which was apparently 500 more than my family had read.

Dr. Linkletter: [on answer phone] Connie, Grant Linkletter. Wonderful seeing you tonight.
Meemaw: Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Linkletter: Hope you enjoyed our little book club. If you'd ever like to discuss it further, I know the perfect Italian café. The cannolis are resplendent.
Meemaw: Resplendent! [chuckles] [machine beeps]
Dr. John Sturgis: [on answer phone] Connie! John Sturgis here.
Meemaw: What a surprise.
Dr. John Sturgis: It was so nice to have you at our book club. When it comes to science fiction, those things can be real sausage parties. Anyhoo, if you're free next week, I was wondering if you'd like to... [Meemaw skips to the next message]
Dr. Linkletter: Grant Linkletter again. If you don't like Italian, I also know a sublime Vietnamese spot. Have you ever tried Bún Boò Hue? [machine beeps]
Dr. John Sturgis: I don't know why I said "sausage party." There was probably a better way to phrase that. [machine beeps]
Dr. Linkletter: Connie, Grant Linkletter...

Dr. Linkletter: I can't believe you'd use our book club to hit on Connie.
Dr. John Sturgis: And you didn't, Captain Cookies?
Dr. Linkletter: All right, if we're both gonna pursue her, let's lay down some ground rules.
Dr. John Sturgis: Fair enough.
Dr. Linkletter: And my ginger snaps are moist and delicious!
Dr. John Sturgis: Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

George Jr.: [answers phone] Hello?
Dale: Hi, it's Dale. Listen, you gotta tell your dad.
George Jr.: Well, I will, eventually.
Dale: Well, if you don't, I'm gonna.
George Jr.: I just need more time to figure things out.
Dale: Well, your dad's sniffing around here, he's asking a lot of questions.
George Jr.: What kind of questions?
Dale: Like why are you talking to me instead of him?
George Jr.: Why does he care?
Dale: His feelings are hurt.
George Jr.: That's weird.
Dale: I know. 'Cause talking to you ain't great.
George Sr.: [opens door] Can I get a hand with something?
Dale: Yeah. [on the phone] Oh, gotta go. I love you, Mom. Bye-bye. [hangs up]
George Sr.: Your mom's still alive?
Dale: Huh?

Sheldon: Can we get back to the book?
Dr. John Sturgis: Yes, Connie, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on it.
Meemaw: I think I've said my piece.
Sheldon: I have some thoughts.
Dr. Linkletter: And we'll get to those in due time. Don't you think Asimov did a remarkable job of capturing the poetic terror of the coming darkness?
Meemaw: I'm not sure I got that.
Dr. Linkletter: Oh, listen to this. "Dusk, like a palpable entity, entered the room, and the dancing circle of yellow lights about the torches etched itself into ever-sharper distinction against the gathering grayness beyond." [Meemaw and John are silent]
Sheldon: Powerful.
Dr. Linkletter: Wasn't it?
[Meemaw shrugs her shoulders]

Mary: What time are you home tonight?
George Sr.: Late. I'm working at Ballard's after practice again.
Mary: How long can you keep this up?
George Sr.: Uh, maybe I'll get fired from the high school and only have one job to worry about.
Mandy: I'm sorry.
George Sr.: Me, too.

Dr. John Sturgis: "It was very horrible to go mad and know that you were going mad. To know that in a little minute, you would be here physically, and yet all the real essence would be dead and drowned in the black madness."
Sheldon: Bravo. [claps] Now I would like to read one of my favorite passages from the book.
Meemaw: I feel like I am all Asimov'd out. Let's hit the road.
Sheldon: Very well. We can kick off the next meeting with it.
Dr. Linkletter: Perhaps I can bake some cookies. I'm handy in the kitchen, you know.
Dr. John Sturgis: [exhales sharply] I've had them, and they're dry.

Missy: I'm going to Pastor Jeff's.
Mary: Oh, uh, okay. Good luck. Call if you need anything.
Missy: Yeah.
Mary: You know, I was thinking, if you want, you could bring the baby here. That could be fun.
Missy: To a house that isn't babyproofed? That seems irresponsible. [walks off]
Mary: Uh-huh.

Dr. Linkletter: How rude of me, Connie. Can I offer you a beverage? Soda, water, Snapple?
Meemaw: I'm fine.
Dr. John Sturgis: I'd take a Snapple.
Dr. Linkletter: You know where the fridge is.

Sheldon: I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.
Meemaw: Not exactly.
Sheldon: Why?
Meemaw: Why? After Frick and Frack found out I was single, they got all weird.
Sheldon: What do you mean? All they did was discuss Asimov.
Meemaw: Sure. Maybe I misread the situation.

Dr. John Sturgis: I read it as well. I found it quite compelling. A planet that only experiences nightfall once every 2,000 years.
Dr. Linkletter: And once it does, it drives everyone mad. Brilliant.
Sheldon: I found the tension between the scientists and the religious cultists reminiscent of some dinnertime conversations at my house. [laughter]
Dr. John Sturgis: What did you think, Connie?
Meemaw: Eh...
Sheldon: You didn't like it?
Meemaw: I don't need a story set on some outer space planet to tell me that people freak out about change.
Dr. Linkletter: Interesting.
Meemaw: People lost it when women started wearing pants and getting jobs. Everybody just overreacts to everything.

Sheldon: All right, I would like to call the first meeting of the Isaac Asimov book club to order. I'm assuming everyone's read Nightfall?
[Dr. Linkletter and Dr. Sturgis both hold up their copies of the book]
Meemaw: I read it. [chuckles] I may have dozed off a few times, but I read it.

Adult Sheldon: I was envious of my meemaw. That night, she would get to experience one of my favorite stories for the very first time.
Meemaw: [v.o.] "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and preserve for many generations, the remembrance of the city of God?" [outloud] What?!

Dr. Linkletter: Rule number one, no badmouthing each other to gain favor with Connie.
Dr. John Sturgis: Agreed. And whatever happens, we can't let it affect our working relationship.
Dr. Linkletter: Our working relationship is already antagonistic.
Dr. John Sturgis: True. What's next?
Dr. Linkletter: No using Sheldon to win points with Connie.
Dr. John Sturgis: But he likes me better than you.
Dr. Linkletter: That's why I brought it up.
Dr. John Sturgis: Fine.
Dr. Linkletter: Fine.
Dr. John Sturgis: Fine.
Dr. Linkletter: Fine!

Sheldon: What if it's just a short story? Would you read it then?
Meemaw: Why do you care if I read this?
Sheldon: Let's see. Perhaps it has something to do with Pop Pop dying before we ever got to discuss the books he gave me.
Meemaw: How short a story?
Sheldon: Nightfall's only 30 pages.
Meemaw: Fine.
Sheldon: Excellent. Why did you change your mind?
Meemaw: Because you made me feel bad about my dead husband.
Sheldon: Neat.

Sheldon: Guess what. Dr. Sturgis, Dr. Linkletter and I are starting an Isaac Asimov book club.
Meemaw: That's nice.
Sheldon: I'm glad you think so because you should join.
Meemaw: And I think... no.
Sheldon: But this is perfect for you.
Meemaw: Why?
Sheldon: Because three smart people will be there to explain things that go over your head.
Meemaw: I'm gonna bonk you over your head in a minute.

George Sr.: Hey, what are you doing here?
George Jr.: I just had to talk to Dale.
George Sr.: You all right? You look like you saw a ghost.
George Jr.: Yeah, I'm good.
George Sr.: Look, I know I've been busy, but if you ever want to talk, I'm around.
George Jr.: Actually, uh... I-I... I got a... I got a girl pregnant.
George Sr.: What the hell's the matter with you?!
[George picks up Dale's cash register and smashes it through a glass display case, before tearing his own shirt off]
[reality:]
George Sr.: Hello? I said if you ever want to talk, I'm here.
George Jr.: Thanks. Gotta go.

George Jr.: All right. I know what I need to do.
Dale: Tell your parents?
George Jr.: Do the right thing and marry her.
Dale: Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Georgie... no one has to get married here.
George Jr.: Well, my dad got my mom pregnant, and he married her.
Dale: Rushing into marriage with someone you hardly know is a bad idea.
George Jr.: Maybe we could be happy together.
Dale: How does she feel about you right now?
George Jr.: Pissed. But she's pregnant, so it's probably just chick hormones.
Dale: Well, tell her that and see what happens.

Sheldon: Have you read The Gods Themselves?
Dr. Linkletter: "We cannot stop Estwald."
Both: "We are Estwald!"
Dr. John Sturgis: Who's Estwald?
Sheldon: You don't know him either?
Dr. John Sturgis: I know who Asimov is, but I've never read his work.
Dr. Linkletter: Talk about big boy science. The man coined the term "robotics."
Dr. John Sturgis: Ooh.
Sheldon: Maybe we could have a book club.
Dr. John Sturgis: My social schedule is astonishingly open.
Dr. Linkletter: What a lovely way to honor Asimov's life.
Sheldon: It'll be like my mom's Bible study, but we know the characters aren't real.
Dr. Linkletter: What book should we start with?
Dr. John Sturgis: That naked one sounded good.

Dr. John Sturgis: Ooh, perhaps the cold dark matter we're looking for is not the axion but the majoron.
Sheldon: Uh-huh.
Dr. John Sturgis: That's it? I just laid down some big boy science.
Sheldon: Sorry. We lost a great man today, and no one seems to care.
Dr. Linkletter: Asimov?
Sheldon: Yes, Asimov.
Dr. Linkletter: I told three people the news, and you know what they said?
Sheldon: "Who's that?"
Dr. Linkletter: Exactly. What's wrong with the world? The man's a legend.
Sheldon: I didn't know you were a fan.
Dr. Linkletter: Ever since I read The Naked Sun. I'll admit, I came for the naked, but I stayed for the interplanetary conspiracies.

Missy: Do you think Pastor Jeff will let me babysit for him?
Mary: I don't know. Their baby isn't even a year old yet.
Missy: Heather M. got ten bucks, and all she did was watch MTV while her cousin slept. [scoffs] What a scam.
Mary: It's not always that easy.
Missy: They lay there like a lump. How hard can it be? [Mary sighs] Will you please just ask Pastor Jeff?
Mary: I... I don't think you're gonna like it.
Missy: You don't think I'm responsible enough.
Mary: All I said was I don't think you're gonna like it.
Missy: I don't like homework, but I do it.
Mary: I have seen your homework. Is that how you're gonna take care of a baby?
Missy: Math is harder than babies.

Meemaw: You haven't said a thing about my new car.
Sheldon: Oh. I hate it.

Sheldon: How are you holding up?
Meemaw: With what?
Sheldon: The death of Isaac Asimov.
Meemaw: Who?
Sheldon: Pop Pop's favorite science fiction writer, remember?
Meemaw: [chuckles] At this rate, you're lucky I remember Pop Pop.
Sheldon: Well, he gave me Asimov's Foundation trilogy for my fifth birthday.
Meemaw: I remember he used to try to get me to read that stuff. Boring!
Sheldon: Boring? Asimov invented the laws of robotics and the concept of a galactic empire.
Meemaw: If a book doesn't have a shirtless guy with long hair on the cover, I ain't reading it.
Sheldon: You're missing out.
Meemaw: I'm really not.

George Jr.: My folks are gonna kill me.
Dale: They don't know yet?
George Jr.: You're the only person I told.
Dale: Oh, no, I don't want that.
George Jr.: Please help me.
Dale: [sighs] All right, first things first. Are you sure this kid's even yours?
George Jr.: Yeah. We've been sleeping together.
Dale: Well, that doesn't mean it's yours.
George Jr.: [cheerfully] Maybe she cheated on me.
Dale: We can only hope.

George Jr.: Can I talk to you about something?
Dale: Come on, this is my coffee time.
George Jr.: It's more important than your coffee.
Dale: If I don't drink my coffee, I don't go to the bathroom. That's important.
George Jr.: That girl I was seeing is pregnant.
Dale: You win. Sit.

Missy: [on the phone] Pastor Jeff, this is Missy Cooper.
Pastor Jeff: Hey there, Missy. What can I do for you?
Missy: This is about what I can do for you.
Pastor Jeff: Okay.
Missy: How would you and your wife like a night away from the baby? Maybe a movie? I hear Beethoven's funny. It's about a big dumb dog.
Pastor Jeff: Are you offering to babysit?
Missy: Yes, I am.
Pastor Jeff: 'Cause I asked your mom about it a while back, and she said you weren't interested.
Missy: Oh, really? Well, she's wrong.
Pastor Jeff: Fantastic. How's Friday at 6:00?
Missy: Perfect.
Pastor Jeff: See you then. What was the name of that dog movie again?
Missy: Beethoven. And it's PG, so God's cool with it.

Missy: [enters] I am never doing that again.
Mary: Is the baby okay?
Missy: Yeah.
George Jr.: What's going on?
Missy: Babies are the worst. That's what's going on.
Mary: She babysat for the first time.
Missy: And the last time.
George Jr.: Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that bad.
Missy: Look at this. Food, powder, vomit, pee. You don't want to know.
Mary: You should have called me.
Missy: When? I didn't have a minute to myself. You were so right.
Mary: Well, it's not about me being right.
Missy: I need a shower and a bath. Never again! [exits]
Mary: You okay?
George Jr.: [voice quavers] Uh-huh.
Missy: [o.s.] Never again!

Meemaw: But hearing you boys go on about it did remind me of Pop Pop.
Sheldon: What did he used to say?
Meemaw: [chuckles] I wish I could remember. But he did get all excited about it, like you.
Sheldon: Well, at least I have Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Linkletter to share my enthusiasm.

George Jr.: Are you sure?
Mandy: [picks up pregnancy test] I'm sure.
George Jr.: Sometimes these things ain't accurate. Maybe take another one.
Mandy: [picks up another test] Here you go.
George Jr.: Two is convincing, but-but three...
Mandy: I'm pregnant, Georgie!
George Jr.: [sighs] What happens now?
Mandy: I don't know. I've never been knocked up by a 17-year-old before.
George Jr.: Well, if it helps, I turn 18 in March.

George Jr.: Hey.
George Sr.: Your mother said you wanted to talk to me?
George Jr.: Yeah. Come in.
George Sr.: So, what's going on?
George Jr.: It's kind of hard to talk about.
George Sr.: Whatever it is, I'm here for you.
George Jr.: I... I got a girl pregnant.

Sheldon: Is this because Coach Ballard got upset and broke up with you?
Meemaw: No.
Dr. Linkletter: You two broke up? I'm sorry to hear that.
Dr. John Sturgis: Terrible news.
Dr. Linkletter: Terrible. Terrible.
Meemaw: It's okay. I'm over it.
Dr. Linkletter: Excellent.
Dr. John Sturgis: Great.
Sheldon: Look at the four of us talking about Isaac Asimov!

Missy: Why don't you trust me?
Mary: Because you can't even remember to take out the trash.
Missy: I remember. I just don't do it. And for your information, Pastor Jeff hired me to babysit this Friday.
Mary: He did?
Missy: He did.
Mary: Okay. But if you need any help, if you run into any problems whatsoever, I am right next door and I want you to call me.
Missy: I'll be fine.
Mary: Missy...
Missy: Okay! Look, I'm taking out the trash.
Mary: I just put that bag in.
Missy: There's no pleasing you.

George Sr.: I saw Georgie stopped by earlier.
Dale: Well, yeah, he does that once in a while.
George Sr.: Yeah. Didn't realize y'all were so close.
Dale: Oh, uh, I wouldn't say close. He might. I wouldn't.
George Sr.: So, uh, what'd he come by for?
Dale: Just to chat.
George Sr.: Really?
Dale: Mm.
George Sr.: Well, I guess it's good he's comfortable talking to someone.
Dale: Uh-huh.
George Sr.: Instead of his own father.
Dale: Uh, I... I'm sure he'll talk to you.
George Sr.: Thanks. [walks off]
Dale: [to himself] And you're not gonna like it.

Dale: So the baby's yours?
George Jr.: What am I gonna do?
Dale: Is there any chance she might decide not to have it? Put it up for adoption?
George Jr.: Not happening. She's keeping it.
Dale: Well, I hope you enjoyed being young and carefree, because that ship has sailed.
George Jr.: Not helpful.
Dale: No.

George Jr.: It's Georgie.
Mandy: [opens door] What?
George Jr.: I know I was a little freaked out the last time I was here.
Mandy: You should be.
George Jr.: But I had some time to think, and there's something I need to ask you.
Mandy: Yeah?
George Jr.: Are you sure that baby's mine?
[cut to Georgie in Dale's office again:]
George Jr.: She did not like that question at all.

Missy: Mom, can I ask you a Bible question?
Mary: Always.
Missy: Lying's a sin, right?
Mary: Sure is. Proverbs 12:22. "The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy."
Missy: Does it say anything specifically about lying to your pastor?
Mary: Did you lie to Pastor Jeff?
Missy: No, but you did.
Mary: I did not.
Missy: You told him I wasn't interested in babysitting.
Mary: No. I said I didn't think you were interested, which, technically, was not a lie.