Young Sheldon Just Made Meemaw the Villain Behind Georgie & Mandy’s Doomed Marriage

Although Meemaw’s secret gambling room was always bad news in Young Sheldon, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 19 made her side hustle a serious issue for its central couple. In Young Sheldon’s finale, Georgie and Mandy were happily married and raising their first child together. When The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” introduced Georgie, he mentioned an “Ex-wife” in passing. Thus, as the title of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage implies, Young Sheldon’s spinoff needed to explain this discrepancy.

The inevitable split between Georgie and Mandy in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is unavoidable since it was already set in stone by The Big Bang Theory before Young Sheldon even began. However, the question of why and how the breakup happened, and whether it left any room for potential reconciliation, remains open. Most recently, episode 19, “Snitch v. Deadbeat,” makes Georgie’s grandmother Meemaw seem like a potential culprit.

Meemaw’s Continued Gambling Scheme Causes Issues In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage

In “Snitch v. Deadbeat,” Meemaw informs Mandy that her father owes her more than $1000 thanks to bad bets. When Mandy’s attempts to get the money prove too slow for her liking, Meemaw calls Audrey and causes a huge, protracted battle between the Cooper and McAllister families. Much like Dale and Meemaw’s relationship is worse in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage than it was in Young Sheldon, Georgie and Sheldon’s grandmother is even more abrasive and addicted to conflict in the spinoff.

Eventually, Georgie averted disaster by using his money to pay off Meemaw, although no one thanked him for his efforts. However, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage highlighted how much Memo’s toxic behavior caused Mandy and Georgie trouble, as it was her illegal sports book betting scheme that caused all the problems in the first place. Meemaw got something of a free pass when the debt was repaid. Audrey didn’t report her to the police, and only Mandy and Georgie ended up in a worse financial position by the time the entire affair had reached its end.

Meemaw Not Giving Up Gambling Means She Didn’t Learn Her Lesson In Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon’s supporting star Meemaw often caused conflict among the Coopers back when Georgie was working in her earlier gambling backroom, but she seemed to change her tune after meeting with her strict parole officer. Since The Big Bang Theory’s version of Meemaw was so much more sedate and subdued, it seemed like the spinoff was setting her up for a character change after her gambling room was raided.

Throughout Young Sheldon’s seven seasons, Meemaw was both irrepressibly rebellious and entirely self-interested. Meemaw seemed to calm down and start focusing on her family after her Young Sheldon season 7 arrest, so it is notable that Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage undid this completely with its sports book subplot.

What Meemaw’s Refusal To Stop Gambling Can Get Georgie & Mandy In Serious Trouble

Aside from the dangers of being caught gambling, Georgie and Mandy have very different takes on the entire existence of Meemaw’s controversial betting business. Georgie, having weathered the storm of an earlier raid, isn’t fond of gambling or the legal risks involved. Mandy, meanwhile, sees it as a lucrative way to keep their family fed. At this point, the last thing that Mandy and Georgie need is another reason to fight.

Meemaw’s First Marriage gambling story was always likely to end in tears when she employed Mandy, and it predictably brought out an unwelcome side of Georgie’s love interest.

However, that is exactly what Meemaw provides in “Snitch v. Deadbeat.” Meemaw’s First Marriage gambling story was always likely to end in tears when she employed Mandy, and it predictably brought out an unwelcome side of Georgie’s love interest. The question now is whether this will be the specific straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back and causes their divorce, or if Young Sheldon’s spinoff will find another, bigger problem to divide the pair as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage continues.

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