Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker
"Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker" is the 4th episode of season seven of the American sitcom Young Sheldon. It aired on March 7, 2024.
Summary[]
Missy steps up, Mary has a surprise for George, and Sheldon finds his dorm occupied.[1]
Extended Plot[]
Sheldon and Mary finally go on a layover flight to London, while Sheldon and Mary talk about colleagues and string theory, the plane experiences some problems. Mary prays and asks Sheldon if he wants to be included, Sheldon declines.
They finally arrive in London, their next stop is Chicago, but a baby starts crying loudly on the plane. Sheldon gets annoyed by it but Mary tells Sheldon that the baby will calm down.
4 hours later, they arrive in Chicago, the baby is still crying and Sheldon is still annoyed by it and asks Mary to tell the mother to make the baby stop crying. Mary tells Sheldon that "sometimes moms can’t make their babies be quiet no matter how much they try", Sheldon takes the hint and goes quiet.
7 hours later, they finally arrive in Houston, Texas. Sheldon tries to get his ears to pop, Mary offers gum but Sheldon declines once he learns it’s cinnamon gum but then the baby starts crying again.
The Coopers (except Meemaw) are patiently waiting for Mary and Sheldon, they’re also holding up a sign that says ”Welcome Home Mom & Sheldon!" Sheldon and Mary arrive and they’re instantly greeted by the Coopers, when CeeCee starts crying, Sheldon sarcastically says ”look mother, more babies”.
The Cooper family is reunited and they arrive home, Sheldon finds out that George, Mandy, and the baby have been sleeping in his room, Sheldon says that he’s okay with it but tells them to get out now that he’s home. Missy suggests Sheldon sleep in the garage but Sheldon declines it, George suggests Sheldon sleep in the couch while they figure it out tomorrow, Sheldon agrees but his ears finally pop which prompts Sheldon to test his hearing. Later, in bed, Mary is excited that she’s finally getting a good sleep and reveals to George that she has a surprise for him.
Meanwhile, Sheldon can’t sleep because of CeeCee’s constant crying and goes to confront Mandy about it but Mandy just shuts the door in his face. Sheldon goes over to the garage but leaves when he sees the status of it. Sheldon calls Meemaw to ask for a sleepover, Meemaw asks Dale if Sheldon can sleep over, Dale agrees with it but Meemaw tells Sheldon that Dale said no.
In the morning, Mary is shocked when Georgie and Missy are actually being responsible and taking part of household chores and even putting up a chore list and a bathroom schedule. While Georgie goes to the bathroom, Mary suggests she and Missy have a day together, but Missy declines it and says that she has to help Taylor go pick out some back-to-school clothes. Mary asks Missy when she’s gonna meet Taylor but Missy asks Mary to stop making it weird.
Mary visits Dale’s house and asks them how’s it going with the two of them living together, Meemaw just says some creative ways on how Dale and Meemaw do coitus. Mary asks Meemaw how her house is, Meemaw tells Mary that it’s gonna take long for it to be rebuilt. Mary thanks Dale that he gave Meemaw a house to live in, Meemaw gives Mary a picture of what her house looks like.
Mary visits George at the football practice.
When Sheldon goes to his dorm, he is shocked when he finds out that someone lives there now, Evan. Evan tells Sheldon to go out but when Sheldon asks him questions gives him a book instead, after reading the book does Evan finds out what Sheldon's name is.
Meanwhile, when Mary hands out food to the football team George interrupts and tells them to "hit the sleds”, Mary joins them and rides the sleds while the football team pushes the sleds. Coach Wilkins offers George some ”Ants on a log” and tells George that it’s raisins, not ants, George declines it and continues watching Mary.
At Sheldon’s dorm, after Sheldon disinfects the bathroom, Evan (Who Sheldon still doesn’t know his name) tries to make small talk but Sheldon tells Evan that he doesn’t do that, but Evan lures Sheldon with an unreleased game called ”Star Fire”, it was then when Sheldon realized they could be best friends.
After practice, Mary wants to be the team's "team mom", but George tells her that the practice is meant to be endured and hated by the players. Mary says that it’s terrible and they’re making it out to be monsters, George tells her that monsters can’t have a coach mom and immediately sprints away grabbing all the stuff.
When Sheldon can't beat the monsters, Evan puts in a cheat code, which Sheldon despises since Sheldon doesn't cheat, Evan tries to calm him down by telling Sheldon it's like a secret command and it's in the game kinda like cheating with a wink, but it only makes it worse since Sheldon doesn't like winks, calling Evan a "cheating winker", and leaves but comes back after Sheldon realizes he doesn’t have a place to stay. Sheldon claims that was their "first fight".
Meanwhile, while Mary is drinking crappy beer, Missy comes in crying and running to her room, Mary asks what’s wrong and Missy reveals that Taylor broke up with her, Mary comforts her but Missy asks Mary to not tell George as George doesn't know they were going out, Mary agrees with it and asks what happened, Missy and Mary both go to her room to explain.
14 hours and 211 lives later, Sheldon finally beats Star Fire, he wakes up Evan to reveal the news and asks for Yoo-Hoo, Evan doesn't have any but Sheldon goes to go get some but ends up sleeping in the hallway.
At the Coopers, Mandy asks where Sheldon is, Missy tells Mandy that Sheldon is probably in the garage, George asks why not somebody wake him up but Mary replies that they shouldn't as they're having a lovely time, everyone gives Mary a look, Mary explains that they should let Sheldon sleep, from jet lag and all, and if they want she can go get Sheldon but everyone stops her.
Later, Mary finally reveals the surprise to George, which turns out to be her cosplaying a German girl named "Helga", Sheldon comes home and wonders where everyone is, and hears sounds coming from his parent's room and he knocks on the door and opens it. Sheldon sees George and "Helga” in bed engaging in coitus, and he immediately leaves the house. Adult Sheldon reveals that he had never spoken to his father about what he saw that day and that he added extra knocks to his routine so that people can have extra time to put their pants on.
Credits[]
Main[]
- Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper
- Zoe Perry as Mary Cooper
- Lance Barber as George Cooper Sr.
- Montana Jordan as George Cooper Jr.
- Raegan Revord as Missy Cooper
- Jim Parsons as the voice of Sheldon Cooper
- Annie Potts as Meemaw
- Emily Osment as Mandy McAllister
Guest[]
Notes[]
- Evan's name is never explicitly stated in this episode.
- What happened in this episode is different from what Sheldon told Penny in The Hot Tub Contamination. What he told her was that when he was thirteen years old, he once came home during spring break because they ran out of math to teach him. His mother was at a Bible study, He walked in the house expecting it to be empty and heard a sound from his parents' bedroom. When he opened the door, he saw his father having relations with an unknown woman. But in reality, the woman George was making out with was in fact Sheldon's own mother, but he assumed it was another woman all along, and this was where Sheldon got his three knocks from. Also, this episode doesn't take place in spring break and it takes place perhaps in the early fall, as Sheldon and Mary were in Germany all summer.
- Taylor breaking up with Missy is another instance in which she ends up in a failed relationship. This could foreshadow what happens to her in The Big Bang Theory.
Critics[]
Trivia[]
- This is the episode where Sheldon’s famous three knocks came from as a trait, rather than a reference.
- It is never revealed why Taylor broke up with Missy.