Original subtitles

Previously onYoung Sheldon...You can't be my lab assistant.

There's a wait list of students

and I just can't give you special treatment.

Not with that attitude.

[phone rings]

Hello?

Can I be your lab assistant?

If I say yes, will you please stop hounding me?

Absolutely.Fine, you win.

I understand my role here.

In fact, I noticed a flaw in your reaction rate,

but I kept it to myself because I know my place.

What is it?Nice try.

LINKLETTER: Fire!

Fire!

Was it too much oxygen in the reagents?

See, you didn't need my help after all.

ADULT SHELDON: My role as Dr. Linkletter's lab assistant

was progressing nicely.

I had mastered operating the manual particle collector,

aka a broom.

I may not always recognize

sarcasm, but I sure know how to use it.

Sheldon,

I've hit a bit of a roadblock

with the solar neutrino detector.

Why don't you come have a look?

Are you saying you would like meto take part in your experiment?

Well, I think a fresh set of eyes might be helpful.

Because my previous observationsproved correct?

Yes.

And had you listened to me, the lab wouldn't have caught fire?

Yes.

So just to be clear, at the tender age of 11,

I'll be officially participatingin an academic study.

Will you do it or not?

Absolutely. Here you go.

What am I supposed to do with this?

Well, if you can't figure thatout, no wonder you need my help.

♪ Nobody else is stronger than I am ♪

♪ Yesterday I moved a mountain

♪ I bet I could be your hero

♪ I am a mighty little man

♪ I am a mighty little man.♪

Do we have another hair dryer?

This one broke.

Just use a towel.

So my hair can look like yours?

I don't think so.

Go look in the garage.

Thank you.

I like my hair.

ADULT SHELDON: I may have been part of an academic study,

but I wasn't the only Cooper

on the verge of making a great discovery.

Sheldon's tests.

[heavenly choir sings]

I'm gonna be rich.

[knocking]MARY: Missy, ten minutes.

MISSY: Okay.

[clears throat]

♪

Whatcha looking at?

Uh, just Pastor Jeffand Mrs. Sparks.

They were out there the other day, too.

Oh.

How come you don't go with them?

They didn't invite me.

Ouch.

Rough start to your day.

[exhales]

So, the problemthat I'm running into

is I can't getthe inner sphere

to remain suspendedin the buffer liquid.

Have you tried wrapping the sphere in copper wire?

I did,but it just slips out.

Perhaps we could suspend it in some sort of sleeve.

That would prevent lightfrom getting through.

Hmm.

I wonder if my thinking would be more effective

if I had a beard to stroke.

It's one of the few aspects of puberty I'm looking forward to.

GEORGE JR.: Hey, Tam.

Hey.What if I told you

you didn't have to study for your chemistry test tonight?

Why?

'Cause I found this.

TAM: Cool.

But how do you know we're gonna get the same test?

I checked-- we've been taking the same ones all year.

And teachers call uslazy?

I know.

Well, thank you.

Hold on now. I ain't just givin' it away.

How much?

Five bucks.

It's worth it.

If I get another B, my mom will kill me.

Hey, I don't just sell tests.

I bring families together.

♪ Take the Lord, praise the Lord... ♪

Get this.

I drove past

the Methodist church and you know

what the sign out front said?

What?

"Friendship, pirate ship, try the best ship-- worship."

Clever.

That was our sign last year! I wrote that!

Isn't the most important thing

that it might get more people to go to church?

But whoever did it has the sin of stealing

on their soul now, so at least there's that.

There you go.

Oh, um...

I saw

you and Brenda Sparks

out for a walk this mornin'.

That's fun. Yeah.

Nice way to start the day.

Yeah. Um...

I'd go with George,

but he's a gym teacher,

and as a group, they're not much for walkin'.

Well, you keep asking, maybe he'll come around.

Good idea, thank you.

It's not just witty church signs up here.

[sighs]

I never thought a sphere suspended in mineral oil

could be so exciting.

Eight minutes and it hasn't moved.

So far so good.

Oh, boy, my heart is pounding.

I hope I don't turn into an adrenaline junkie.

What's going on in there?

This is a prototype of a solar neutrino detector.

We need to keep the sphere suspended

precisely in the scintillator.

Speaking of scintillating...

No. Sorry.

Darn it.

Ah, the oil must've dissolved the adhesive.

Well...

ready to hit the road?

Please, not yet. We're so close to cracking this.

Just ten more minutes?

Fine.

Oh, boy. Yes!

ADULT SHELDON: I wasn't even at that school,

and I was still boosting its grade point average.

You got biology?

Depends. You got money?

Yeah.I got biology.

Perhaps we could create some sort of a cocoon to suspend it.

Out of wire?Or nylon.

But I wouldn't know how to weave it around a sphere.

I'm not a genius, but it sounds to me

like what y'all are talking about is, uh, crochet.

I suppose we are.

Because with crochet, you can make all kinds of shapes.

Intriguing.

Hell, I even crocheted a cover for Jolene.

I'm sorry?

That's my bowling ball.

She likes to name inanimate objects-- it's odd.

Or whimsically charming.

Connie, would you help us detect solar neutrinos?

Really?

You-you-you want me to be a part of your science thing?

Indeed.

Well...

sure, why not.[chuckles]

Excellent.

ADULT SHELDON: And just like that,

my meemaw had been seduced by the siren call of science.

But before we unravel the secrets of the universe,

I'm gonna hit the john.

Oh... of course.

MARY: And bless the hands that prepared it.

Amen.

Amen. Amen.

Where is everyone?

Georgie's out and Sheldon's

at the university with Meemaw.

A lot of pressure on me to keep things fun.

MARY: Hey, I was thinking

after dinner, maybe you and I could go out for a walk.

Why?

Pastor Jeff and Brenda have been doing it, might be nice.

So go with them.

They didn't invite her. She was all upset about it.

[clears throat]

Well, you get left out

and I get punished?

A walk with your wife is punishment?

You're up, say somethin' fun.

I think Pastor Jeff and Mrs. Sparks

might be talking about Billy.

What's going on with Billy?

He's been getting in trouble at school.

How is that fun?

It's gossip. Gossip's fun.

Poor thing.

Brenda did say he was having trouble adjusting.

Maybe I should see if she's doing okay later.

Great idea. I'm not walking, good job.

So what am I making this thing out of?

We were using wire, but that might be

difficult to crochet with.

Oh, please, I could crochet barbed wire

with a chopstick if I had to.

I admire your bravado.

In this case,

isn't it the feminine, "bravada"?

I've never heard the term "bravada."

Let's just go with "chutzpah."

What's chutzpah?It's like moxie.

Oh, I do like moxie.

I admire your moxie.

However, I believe that nylon thread

would be the best choice.

True, it's chemically inert and would allow

more light to pass through.

Nylon thread.

Done.

Brava. That one I know is a word.

MEEMAW: Can I ask...

why exactly are we looking

for solar neutrinos?

Other experiments have only seen about half the neutrinos

coming from the Sun.

And we'd like to figure out why.

And what happens if we do?

They will tell us what kind of nuclear reactions

are going on there.

In the Sun?

Yes.

That's so far-- how?

Neutrinos are made deep within the core of the Sun.

They have to go over a hundred times

the radius of Earth just to get out.

Mm, kind of like how you can drive

all day and still be in Texas.

Exactly, then they have to travel another

93 million miles just to get here.

Huh.Neutrinos are essentially

direct messengers from the center of the Sun.

That's why we're building the prototype.

And I get to be a part of it?

You do.

Damn.

Is there any money in it?

No. Damn.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Hey, Brenda. It's Mary.

Oh. Hey.

Hi. I was just checking in, seeing how you're doing.

How am I doing about what?

Well, I heard that Billy

might be having a tough time at school.

Well, you know what, he'll be fine, so thanks for calling.

Okay.

Um, if there's anything I can do,

or if you ever want to talk...?

Good to know. Anything else?

Uh, no, that was it.

Okay. Bye.

[dial tone]

[exhales]

[audience cheering on TV]

ADULT SHELDON: That night, my meemaw was so inspired

to be part of our science experiment,

she began working on it as soon as she got home.

♪

♪ Fight till the end

♪ 'Cause your life will depend

♪ On the strength that you have inside... ♪

She was in the zone.

♪ Standin' out in the crowd...

She was focused.

She was determined.

She was also 68 and had eaten a lot of pizza.

[snoring]

ANNOUNCER: And the Nobel Prize for Science goes to Connie Tucker!

[applause]♪ You're the best around...

Oh, my goodness, y'all are so sweet.

[chuckles]

I want to thank my brilliant grandson Sheldon

and his pal Dr. Linkletter, for bringing me in

on the experiment.

I'd like to thank my Aunt Linda for teaching me to crochet

when I was knee-high to a June bug.[laughter]

And everyone, for making me...

"The Meemaw of Science."

[cheering, applause]♪ Oh, you're the best around... ♪

AUDIENCE [chanting]: Meemaw! Meemaw! Meemaw!

♪ You're the best around

♪ Nothing's gonna ever keep you... ♪

ADULT SHELDON: Being a good entrepreneur,

my brother realized his supply of my old tests was limited.

So he did something else he was good at: lie to my father.

Dad, you ever use the copy room at school?

Sometimes. Why?

I need to make some copies for a school project I'm working on.

Uh, it's not really for students.

You know, they keep it locked.

So, you have a key?

I'm not giving you my key.

Why not?Well, because I know you,

and therefore don't trust you.

I told you, it's for school.

Great, then bring it by my office tomorrow

and I'll make copies.

Never mind.

It's not on my key chain!

GEORGE JR.: Dang it.

ADULT SHELDON: It was however, in my dad's drawer at work,

leading my brother to do something

he had never done before: get to school early.

Sucker.

[machine whirring]

It's like printing money.

[key clicking in lock]

[sniffs]

[knocking on door]

[door closes]

You look beautiful.

Shut up and kiss me.

[moaning]GIVENS: Oh, Cheryl.

HUTCHINS: Oh, Hubert.

[cow bellows]

[phone ringing]

John Sturgis.

Hey, John.

Connie. So nice to hear from you.

You'll never guess what I'm doing.

Tell me.

I am working on a solar

neutrino detector.

Wow. I was gonna guess making soft-boiled eggs. [chuckles]

[chuckles] Yeah, Sheldon and Linkletter

asked me to help them out.

Oh. Linkletter's involved.

Oh, well, he's not so bad.

[laughs] You and he aren't...?

Oh, no, no, no. I'm still seeing Dale.

Okay, good.

I can handle you with a guy who sells volleyballs,

but you with another scientist, that'd be like

a dagger in the heart.

[chuckles] No daggers here.

[chuckles] So tell me about this experiment.

Well, I don't know if you know this, but solar neutrinos

are like little messengers from the center of the Sun.

I did know that,

but it's delightful to hear you say it.

Well, enjoy, 'cause that's about all I remember.

[laughs]

So, what's new by you?Well, let's see...

Uh, oh, yesterday I had my first breakfast burrito.

Mm.

Good for you. How was it?

Confusing. I ordinarily have burritos for lunch or dinner.

[Meemaw laughs]

I don't know how to respond to that.

You're working on an experiment

and I'm eating dinner for breakfast.

It's a crazy world.

[moaning]

I've got to get back to the library.

Oh, but this is so much more fun than books.

Will I be seeing you tonight?

Oh, you'll be seeing all of me.

[both panting]

I think this might be my finest work.

And she made my dinner mittens, so that means a lot.

Oh.

I can't thank you enough.

Shall we apply the empirical method?

Yes, the empirical method. Let's apply that.

[knocking on door]

What now?

I feel like I might've overstepped my bounds

last night, so I just wanted to bring you these and apologize.

Thank you.

And I did mean it.

If you ever need to talk, I'm here.

Appreciate it.

Okay.

It's more than Billy.

Herschel moved out.

Oh, Brenda, I'm so sorry.

Do you want to come in?

Of course.

So what's with the box?

SHELDON: The experiment needs to be in complete darkness to work.

We watch these monitors for the results.

Okay, all that's left is to turn on the cameras.

Sheldon, will you get the lights?

Yes, sir.

Is that to make it more dramatic?

It's so that we can better see the flashes on the monitor.

But a little drama never hurts.

[chuckles]All right, here we go.

Commencement of the solar neutrino detector prototype

in three, two, one.

[whirring]

I don't see anything.

Give it a moment.

♪

Is that it?

That's it.

[gasps]

We did it.

Phase one is a success.

Congratulations.

MEEMAW: Wow.

Look at those beautiful neutrinos.

Those aren't neutrinos.

What are you talking about?

That's what we're looking for.

That's just radioactivity.

Well, then, when do we find the neutrinos?

We don't. This is just the prototype.

You kidding me?

The actual device needed would be the size of a building.

And that's 20 to 30 years away.

Well, I could be dead by then.

You still may have helped advance science.

Unless another team beats us to it.

Yeah.

I'm gonna wait in the car.

If it helps, in 30 years, I should still be alive.

Boy, you'd think she'd be happy about that.

[door closes]

Remember, the smart cheater gets some answers wrong.

I heard I might find you here.

Oh, hey, Mr. Givens.

Would you like to explain why this was on the copy machine?

Anyone could have left that there.

It's your brother's and Tam said it was you.

Fine, but I only left it there

because you came in the copy room and I had to hide.

What? When? What?

This morning before school.

[exhales]: Uh...

What exactly did you see?

I don't want to talk about it.

Well, I don't want you talking about it.

Well, I don't want you talking about this.

I don't even know what this is.

I don't even know what I saw.

All right, then. All right.

Captioning sponsored by CBS, WARNER BROS. TELEVISION

and TOYOTA.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org