This episode continues Mary’s journey of finding out who she is without the church and in the process, she ends up discovering a whole new side of herself. When Mary scoffs at Connie for reading a romance novel, she challenges Mary to give it a try. It doesn’t take long for Mary to get sucked into the story, even hiding in the bathroom to read in private. The book unlocks a curious side of Mary and she decides to write her own romance novel, where a character named Marie meets a handsome man named Dusty in a bar. Of course “Marie” is a pseudonym for Mary, and she attempts to capture her very vivid fantasy on paper. George catches Mary enthralled in her writing, and asks what she’s doing. She quickly dismisses it as her grocery list. However, her fantasy has gotten her hot, and she lures a confused but eager George into the bedroom. Later, George confides in Dale about Mary’s sudden change in personality and Dale sarcastically suggests that she has either hit her head or she’s going through menopause because there is no possible way that a woman would be turned on by George. It is fun to see this wild side of Mary and Zoe Perry is fabulous in portraying this new side of her character, while maintaining pieces of the moral, conservative side that have made Mary who she is for so long.
Although Georgie and Mandy’s storyline was on pause in the last episode, Georgie took the spotlight tonight by stepping up for Mandy in a big way. When he stops by Mandy’s apartment to drop off pickles and ice cream, he finds her literally in the dark. She explains that her power has been turned off because she was short on bill money. Georgie offers to help, but she refuses. The next day, she shows up at The Cooper’s garage, aka Georgie’s place, and explains that her money problems are actually bigger than she made them sound and she has been kicked out of her apartment. Georgie invites her to stay with him and offers to go and get her stuff from her place, but there’s a problem. The landlord has padlocked Mandy’s door, and he will not allow her to get her things until she pays him all of the back rent that she owes. Viewers know that Georgie will do just about anything for the girls he is smitten with, and Mandy is no exception. However, this is Georgie we are talking about and although he means well, his plans are never created with much thought. He attempts to sneak into her apartment through the window, however, he quickly finds out that he has snuck into the wrong apartment, when he comes face to face with the barrel of a gun. Georgie quickly explains himself to the man holding the gun, and is relieved when the man reveals that he knows Mandi and concludes that Georgie must be “the young bastard that knocked her up.” He realizes that Georgie’s intentions are good and lets him go. The next day, Georgie brings pizza and Ginger Ale to Mandi on his lunch break, and she starts to cry. She explains that her life is a mess and the saddest part is that Georgie is the best thing in her life. She realizes that he’s been trying, hard, and we finally see her begin to break her defensive walls down and let Georgie in. Mandy is clearly at the lowest point in her life, and Georgie is coming through for her in a big way, even arranging for her to live with Meemaw. Will this be the event that finally forces Mandy to relent and let Georgie be a part of her life?
Leave it to Sheldon to provide the comic relief this episode. Dr. Sturgis assigns an ethics assignment that challenges Sheldon to pick the ethical side of an argument and present it to the class. This immediately puts Sheldon into a panic, as the abstract nature of the assignment is challenging for his black and white personality to process. Sheldon asks George and Missy for help with his homework, which results in witty banter between the two over their shock that Sheldon is actually asking them for help. When Missy asks Sheldon what ethics means, he realizes he has in fact, come to the wrong place. In the end, Sheldon decides to put his own spin on the assignment and announces to the class that instead of allowing people to voice their opinions, they should follow an autocracy or rather, a Sheldocracy. Dr. Sturgis is miffed over Sheldon’s choice not to follow the parameters of the assignment, but by now he’s likely accepted that this is par for the course with a student like Sheldon.
It was Missy’s turn to be sidelined this episode, as she was only in a few scenes, providing sarcasm and dry humour in response to her brothers’ antics. The last couple of episodes have shown us a more mature side of Missy but tonight, her rebellious, sarcastic side was back on full display. The best example this episode is when Sheldon referred to Mandy as his “niblingo,” the name he coined for her in the season premiere, and Missy quips to Mandy, “you remember Sheldon,” with perfect comedic timing.
It will be interesting to see what more will unfold as Mary continues to embrace the side of herself that has been locked away for so long due to her devotion for the church. What are your thoughts? Did you enjoy seeing this side of Mary? Will this bring Mary and George closer together or ultimately drive them apart? Let me know what you think by commenting below. You can also engage with my Twitter posts on my new profile @ms_c_almeida.
