Young Sheldon - A High-Pitched Buzz And Training - Review + POLL

Baby Sheldon is back and he is as irritating and as charming as ever. After the first season’s final episode was more about Meemaw – not that I’m complaining, Annie Potts is quite fabulous – than about her precious moonpie, the focus in the premiere of the new season is back on our favorite neurotic brainiac.

Sheldon is irritated, tortured really, by a high-pitched buzz that he believes to be originating from the family’s refrigerator. Unsurprisingly, Sheldon does not suffer in silence but makes sure his entire family is agonized by his obsession over the noise. Convinced that there is nothing he cannot do, he decides to take apart the refrigerator. After all he is a genius and read all the instructions – what could possibly go wrong?

Turns out everything goes wrong and his parents are left with a repair bill of 200$. George Sr. is livid, and lets Sheldon know how very disappointed he is in him. I think it is the very first time that we see Sheldon weep bitterly. In The Big Bang Theory, it gets indicated several times that Sheldon’s relationship with his father was rather strained. In Young Sheldon there were few to no scenes so far that really explore this difficult relationship (which might change once the boy gets older). This scene might be one of the very first incidents that really got to Sheldon’s little heart. Even though his father calms down pretty quickly, a child does not easily forget how it feels when their parents tell them what a disappointment they are, even when it is said in the heat of the moment.

Not only for the audience but also for the always sassy Missy it is heart-wrenching to see Sheldon cry. It comes as a surprise that she actually tries to comfort him as she usually does not have anything positive or kind to say about him. It is quite interesting to see Sheldon being hugged without him visibly feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed like adult Sheldon possibly would feel in the same situation (at least adult Sheldon in the early seasons). This raises the question whether his awkwardness when it comes to body contact naturally developed when he got older along with his various obsessive-compulsive disorders, or if there was a particular event that caused him to fear the human touch.

George insists that Sheldon pays him back every dime for the repair of the refrigerator. So, the boy decides to get a job as a paper boy. Needless to say, Sheldon is completely and totally overwhelmed with this rather mundane task. Yet, he does not even think about giving up. He braves the dangers of riding a bike, thunderstorms, big scary dogs and even birds (!!!) to get his job done. All the while his mother is keeping an eye on her precious little boy from a not-so-far distance.

When Sheldon does not receive the praise and tips for his work that he expected he is rather frustrated and lashes out on his family. What he says are probably the most relatable words that ever left his unfiltered mouth:

"I'm not just tired, I'm exhausted. Everything hurts. I get up in the morning to do this job I don't even like and I'm doing it just for the money and it's not even a lot of money. I keep trying harder and harder and it doesn't even make a difference so if you are going to yell at me or punish me let's just get it over with."

George lets Sheldon know that this is how he feels on a regular basis. It is simply part of growing up and of having a job, at least for most people. Sheldon, however, is not most people. He goes and finds someone who does the work for him. His neighbor Billy Sparks.

As per usual, the episode concludes with a monologue from adult Sheldon:

"My father’s wisdom touched me deeply, which is why, to this day, no matter what I am going through, I am never irritating or abusive to any of my friends or loved ones. Ask them, they'll tell you.”

Ha! I’m sure Leonard agrees!

What did you think of the season premiere? What was your favorite moment?