Mum's Monday: Young Sheldon - Season 1

WARNING SPOILERS

This program is a spinoff from the series The Big Bang Theory, focusing on the character Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage). The first episode is a good start, realistic and in keeping with the Sheldon (Jim Parsons) Character in Big Bang, although some of it seemed a bit obvious from what we have heard like when during Big Bang Sheldon was watching ‘Professor Proton’ (Bob Newhart). 

The second episode starts off with Sheldon’s mum Mary (Zoe Perry) being worried about Sheldon being alone and having no friends, but as often is the case she doesn’t talk to Sheldon about it, who is quite happy on his own with his thoughts on science, she talks to everyone else. Also can Sheldon make friends from a book? Answer ‘No not exactly’. The ending and what the FBI agents witness is funny, but I don’t think Mary and George Sr. (Lance Barber) Sheldon’s mum and dad will find it amusing or it would help Sheldon’s case, but I can see why in an episode of Big Bang, Sheldon’s twin sister Missy (Courtney Henggeler) referred to Sheldon as a ‘Rocket Scientist’.

The third episode, Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby) took a risk, asking Sheldon to go up to the front of the church and explain his thoughts on 50/50 on whether there is a God, although at first I felt panic it was amusing to watch. When George Sr. suffers a minor heart attack it is well timed when Meemaw (Annie Potts) turns up at the hospital then the kids Sheldon, his older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and twin sister Missy (Raegan Revord) arrive soon after, avoiding the need to explain how a 14-year-old Georgie drove Meemaw’s car. The next week in church when Sheldon is putting across his science versus god views, I am not sure I agree on the excuse used for the family to leave the church, but it did show resourcefulness and quick thinking when drastic measures were needed. Also having seen Meemaw (June Squibb) in an episode of Big Bang portrayed as caring and looking out for Sheldon’s welfare, showing her as she is in Young Sheldon, she isn’t anything like I imagined her to be. I thought she would be a warmer more of a grandmotherly type, not the frivolous, gambling and wine drinking person she is seen as in Young Sheldon.

In the next episode, although disaster is averted, Sheldon is left traumatised, however, 5 weeks seems excessive but it is Sheldon Cooper we are talking about. This episode makes a good point on the up side of all attention being mostly on Sheldon, but morally for development purposes we may not agree in the long run. As the episode continues we see Sheldon being introduced to comic books that ultimately helps him overcome his anxiety. It is a shame his parents don’t share or understand his good news at the end though.

The next episode proves that ‘if a first you don’t succeed, try again’ if you trust the person, in this case Sheldon who is providing the information/statistics, I’m not sure I agree the same tactics being used for gambling purposes though. It is also good for the episode to be clear, that despite Sheldon’s brain power, he is still only at a young age, as pointed out by his mum.

In the next episode where Sheldon wanted to prove to NASA that re-useable rockets were possible. It was heart-warming to see his dad George take him to Houston. There is nothing like putting across your research and getting some answers face to face. However, a lesson to learn is, there are some dishonest people out there ready to steal your work, so it is important to protect yourself and your data.

The episode with the Brisket was a bit slow to begin with but soon become fun to watch. The goose chase George was sent on was all well thought out and brilliantly unusual. Although the episode doesn’t feature Sheldon much, he ultimately saves the day, thanks to his remarkable memory, however, he may not want to remember everything he has seen or heard.

The episode where Sheldon, his dad George and big brother Georgie took the road trip to see the shuttle launch, although it didn’t work out as planned, it was a lovely ending and shows, you should say things to people before it is too late. This episode left me feeling happy and sad at the same time.

The episode where Sheldon plays fast and loose with the rules you just know he will be found out, how and when we had to find out eventually. It is a shame Meemaw had to fall down a hole though.

In the episode where Sheldon goes off to look at a college in Dallas, it is interesting to see both interpretations of the first meeting of the couple Sheldon will be staying with when George and Mary leave him at their house. It gives the viewer a vision of what parents may feel when they are about to be separated from their child for a time. His high school teachers are at first obviously pleased Sheldon has left, and we hear the realistic gossip on their thoughts of him, however, it doesn’t last. I did feel at the end his teachers would actually secretly miss the interactions with Sheldon in the class room, but wouldn’t admit it to themselves.

At the start of the next episode about the game ‘Dungeons and dragons, we don’t see much of Sheldon, we do however, see Mary trying to stop him playing with it. This episode highlights that it is how a person sees a problem as to the intensity of it and sometimes it is better to just agree to stop an intense argument, if you know the person well enough. However, as the episode progresses Mary has a point and who knew there were so many religions to research and experiment with? And now including Sheldon’s new one Mathsology.

In the next episode it seems the Cooper household has a new addition, a personal computer, thanks to some money Mary has been saving. It is a shame to see it cause a problem between George and Mary. However, it is soon resolved when George and Georgie try to get to grips with the household appliances. It is funny to see Meemaw trying to work out how to use the mouse. The computer looks like it will be a wise investment, although George may not think so if he is unable to enjoy as much beer as he likes, but Missy may or may not win at gambling, not recommended.

In the next episode yes rules are rules, I see that, but if Sheldon doesn’t want to get sick, he thinks he can break the rules. It is surprising to see his rule breaking escalate. Him preventing contamination leads to a funny scene when Missy draws a mouth and nose on his mask. Sheldon’s alterations to the garage makes Mary mad. It is good to see Meemaw save the day, until the next morning anyway, and it was nice to hear ‘Soft Kitty’ being sung for the first time.

In the next episode things in the Cooper household have moved on, Mary has a job at the church. It was nice to see her so excited about it, just one small hitch though, who is going to watch Sheldon and Missy? It turns out they were little heroes, and yes wait till you see what Missy did to Meemaw. It is so funny and Meemaw, she cares really.

In the next episode it is nice to see Sheldon’s group expand from two to three, with the inclusion of Libby (Anjelika Washington), who wants to pursue Geology. Although knowing her, listening and understanding what she says has its advantages, we find out why the future Sheldon feels the way he does about Geology. It is sad to see how Libby sees Sheldon. It was a big let-down and I did feel sorry for him.

In the next episode we see a uniquely bad loser in Sheldon. Things soon change as he pursues another career path. We have to remember that Sheldon is a fictional character so it is amazing to see the young actor who plays him do his audition, it blew me away watching it, and he inevitably got the lead and Meemaw made a good point in that a woman plays the part of Peter Pan. Unfortunately acting for Sheldon is not for him, he overlooked the fact there would be an audience which is in fact kind of important.

In the next episode I liked Sheldon’s take on being wrapped in cotton wool, if it is a little noisy. Also who’d have thought a little girl could be so menacing? Not me.

In the next episode Sheldon wants to be an adult and live an adult life. This is a clever episode as it gives an insight into what it is like to be an adult. How long can Sheldon as a child last without the obvious help he still needs from his parents with certain things. I did wander how long Mary would last not acting as a mother, but she grew stronger throughout the first part of this episode. However, with the help of the weather it is good to see everything return back to normality.

In the next episode Sheldon has decided he has grown out of high school. So with his new found pen pal Dr. John Sturgis (Wallace Shawn) he starts college. However, Meemaw his ride got more out of the experience than Sheldon did. It is strange how no one has worked out that an older Sheldon has entered into the mix. It was nice to see Missy and Georgie achieve a good result on Missy’s homework. The episode highlighted that if you compare yourself to a nine-year-old in college you unfortunately do look stupid even if you are not, it is all in the prospective.

In the next episode, the question is how much trouble can a neighbour’s dog cause? Answer, a lot, but Sheldon has a plan. unfortunately, Mary shuts it down so Sheldon had to find a more creative way of overcoming his phobia. Sadly 911 may need to be called, poor fish.

The next episode is a follow on from a previous one with Dr. John Sturgis. Sheldon has one now forgotten to mention that a guest, Dr. John Sturgis was coming to dinner and two proceeds to tell his parents he has a real male role model to look up to. True to form that Sheldon has no clue of other people’s feelings or expectations. When Missy is on George’s radar, as wanting to be a good role model for his daughter. I hope George likes lobster at the Red Lobster. It seems the only successful dinner for two was George and Missy, it is lovely to see them connect. It is also nice to see respect and also explained success between Meemaw and Dr. Sturgis, and the last word was jacket oh!

In the last episode of season one, to sum up this episode takes just a few words and sentences. Broken hearts, rivalry, contracts and a nice massive lovely surprise Big Bang cross over revelation at the end.

This season one has grown in quality over the episodes into a very well done, stand-alone series. I love the theme song it is a perfect fit for the show.