While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage smartly broke up Dale and Meemaw back in season 1, Young Sheldon’s spinoff then wasted this twist by bringing the couple back together soon after. Since Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is one of CBS’s biggest sitcoms, it seems fair to suggest that the show is doing something right.
That said, Young Sheldon’s spinoff isn’t without its issues. Young Sheldon’s ratings were notably higher than those of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, even in its final season, and the newer show clearly lost some fans who were happy to wrap up the Cooper family’s story with the death of George Sr.
However, even among viewers who stuck around for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, there were some rumblings of complaint online. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage making Mandy a villain was a decision that some fans criticized, while Mary’s increasingly unreasonable personality also came under fire from viewers who had grown accustomed to her more likable portrayal in Young Sheldon.
Meemaw and Dale Should Have Stayed Broken Up In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
The Couple Briefly Split Up In Season 1 Episode 14
Perhaps the worst character change in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage was the character transformation of Annie Potts’ Meemaw. Arguably, it would be more accurate to say that Meemaw’s character didn’t transform at all, and this was precisely why viewers felt let down by her portrayal in the Young Sheldon spinoff.
Throughout Young Sheldon seasons 6 and 7, Meemaw played with some serious fire by running an illegal gambling room out of the back of her launderette. This eventually backfired on her in season 7, when the police raided the place and arrested her. This nearly put Georgie’s future in jeopardy and left him out of work with a baby to feed.
Although Meemaw initially seemed to be sobered by this run-in with the law, by Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1, episode 14, “A Sportsbook and a Break Up,” she was back to her old tricks. Not only did Meemaw revive her secret sportsbook gambling business to make money, but she even roped Mandy into the scheme this time around.
Within a few episodes, Meemaw had caused a serious rift between the Cooper and McAllister families by letting Mandy’s father run up a serious line of credit on some bad bets. While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2’s potential Sheldon comeback might be its most exciting development, this storyline provided one of the show’s early missteps.
When Meemaw’s dependable, reliable partner, Dale, discovered that she had revived her illegal gambling scheme, he broke up with her for lying to him. However, by the end of “A Sportsbook and a Break Up,” the couple had reunited without Meemaw apologizing or promising to end her illegal gambling.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Undoing Dale’s Ultimatum Made Meemaw’s Story Worse
Meemaw’s Gambling Hasn’t Had Any Lasting Repercussions
Dale landed Meemaw with a daring ultimatum, saying she had to choose between him and the sportsbook scheme. This seemed like it would finally force the character to grow and change, just like her community service in season 7, monitored by Octavia Spencer’s stern parole officer, Rhonda, seemed like it would.
However, in both cases, Meemaw simply forgot her lesson and moved on without changing her behavior at all. An illegal gambling room almost got her and her newly married grandson put in prison in Young Sheldon season 7, but then she got away with it.
A sportsbook scheme almost lost her Dale in “A Sportsbook and a Break Up,” but then he changed his mind. Meemaw constantly avoids any growth when the two shows refuse to challenge her, meaning her character ends up feeling stagnant and toxic as a result.
The fact that Meemaw allowed Jim to run up a debt against her epitomizes the extent of her poor judgment, and provides more justification to support Dale’s decision to break up with her. Undoing this breakup, and undoing it so swiftly without Meemaw ever reconsidering her choices, wasted a great chance at redemption for this character.
While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage will always be about its central couple first and foremost, the show still needs a large supporting cast to keep proceedings interesting. Young Sheldon was originally focused on Sheldon himself, as the title implied, but Georgie became such a popular breakout character that he now has a show of his own.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Almost Explained A Major TBBT Mystery
Dale’s TBBT Absence Was Explained By The Breakup
Meemaw is a similarly beloved character, but this doesn’t mean that she can always remain the same while the people around her change. As Mary grows more religious, Mandy and Georgie try to get their lives on track, and the McAllisters become more complex, fully rounded characters, Meemaw seems uniquely cartoonish and one-dimensional.
It’s hard to find the character more funny than annoying when she constantly makes the same mistakes, faces no consequences, and then repeats this cycle ad nauseam. The easiest way to break this repetitive, tiresome issue would have been for Dale’s breakup to truly emotionally impact Meemaw.
While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s highest-rated season 1 episode centered on Connor, Meemaw is still one of the show’s most beloved supporting characters. Dale’s breakup could have both finally seen her character grow, and doubled as an explanation for why he was never mentioned in The Big Bang Theory.
Now, Dale’s absence from the original show remains unexplained, since he is still around and still seemingly playing a big part in Meemaw’s life in season 2 of the spinoff. Meanwhile, Meemaw remains Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s weakest major character, as she hasn’t changed at all since Young Sheldon, unlike the rest of the show’s heroes.
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