Things immediately start off heated, when Mary decides to extend an olive branch to Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones), and invite her to help plan and attend her daughter's shower. Mary did not expect Audrey to say yes, but to her surprise (and disappointment), Audrey happily agrees to join in the celebration. Mary’s kindness hits a tipping point, however, when Audrey becomes overbearing and takes over the planning. Who knew a righteous and Godly woman such as Mary was capable of hate. Although Audrey appears to finally be accepting Mandy’s pregnancy, she hasn’t completely let go of her resentment, peppering the planning conversation with comments of displeasure about her ruined daughter and her 17 year old baby daddy.
To make the situation even more bizarre, Georgie is still dating Amber (Lucy Loken) and asks for her advice on a gift for Mandy. He presents Mandy with a gold locket, with a sonogram of their baby inside. Mandy is visibly touched and it feels as though she is about to succumb to her feelings for Georgie, until he tells her the gift was Amber’s idea. Shaken, Mandy pulls back and quickly thanks Georgie for the gift. She hasn’t completely given up though, Missy finds Mandy staring at the locket and it is clear that she was affected by Georgie’s gesture, regardless of who was behind it.
If things weren’t awkward enough, Mandy chooses not to invite any of her friends to the shower, since she still hasn’t told them about her situation. That leaves Audrey, Connie, the Cooper women and Brenda, who has her own feelings of discomfort around Mary, as the only shower guests. As the women partake in the traditional baby shower activities, games and gifts, Mandy is confused when her mother gifts her a key. Audrey explains that she has set the guest room up as a nursery, and Mandy is invited to move back home. Tensions rise as Audrey states that Mandy is going to need help, which offends Connie and Mary who have been helping her throughout her entire pregnancy.
When Audrey makes a backhanded comment about Georgie, Mandy snaps and tells her mother that Georgie will be a better parent than she ever was. Mandy is hurt by how quickly her mother was willing to turn her back on her, and the way the Coopers stepped in and embraced her with open arms has shown Mandy what a supportive, caring family looks like. Mandy isn’t willing to run back to the woman who abandoned her at her time of need, and she shouldn’t be expected to either. Being a family is a lot more than sharing DNA, and the Coopers have definitely proven to be more of a family to Mandy than hers ever have.
Since the women are busy with the shower, Mary urges George Sr. to invite Mandy’s dad Jim (Will Sasso) and brother Connor (Joseph Apollonio) over to watch football with him, Sheldon and Georgie. At first, Sheldon tries to get out of it by asking Dr. Linkletter for permission to use the lab during that time, but Linkletter surprised Sheldon with his response. He explains that bonding and building relationships is essential for Scientists, and convinces Sheldon to go. If you thought the wedding shower was awkward, the men have their own uncomfortable afternoon, when Mandy’s brother is introduced by their father as a vegan artist with no future prospects. To top it off, he doesn’t watch football so Georgie is left trying to find other ways to bond with him. Luckily, Georgie has experience with having a brother who is different from the norm, and is able to keep the conversation going with stories of torturing Sheldon throughout the years.
George Sr. isn’t faring any better with Jim, struggling to maintain a conversation of his own. Luckily for the Cooper men, their afternoon is cut short when Audrey bursts in and demands that Jim and Connor leave with her, having just stormed out of the shower after her intense moment with her daughter.
The episode ended abruptly, which means the drama will likely carry over into next week. Now that Mandy’s parents have decided to accept Mandy and the baby, albeit begrudgingly, it opens the door for many possible scenarios. What are your thoughts, Young Sheldon fans? Will Mandy’s mother stay away? Or will she find another way to take the reins over her daughter’s life? Is Mandy ready to succumb to her feelings for Georgie and try making a life with him? I’d love to hear your ideas! Share them below and follow me on Twitter @MiddleofCanada.
