Young Sheldon (2017–…): Season 6, Episode 4 - Blonde Ambition and the Concept of Zero - full transcript

Sheldon makes a terrifying mathematical discovery while tutoring Billy; Mary is jealous of Missy's relationship with Mandy and Meemaw.

Previously, on
"Young Sheldon"...

Why do you look like
you're gonna cry?

A year ago, I was a TV
weather girl in San Antonio,

and now I'm living in a
garage with the 17-year-old

who got me pregnant.

I'll be 18 before you know it.

But not before you're a father!

It's gonna be okay.

Is it?

I peed in the sink last night.

Trust me. I'll fix this.

Make yourself at home.

Oh. Thank you so much.

It's only temporary. I promise.

Oh. No problem.

Stay as long as you need.

Bathroom's right down the hall.

Oh, boy, a bathroom.

Here you go...

Scrambled eggs, bacon,

biscuits and fresh-squeezed
orange juice.

Thank you. Looks amazing.

Where's mine?

You're not pregnant. She is.

Well, I like to think
we're pregnant.

Really?

Are your ankles swollen?

Did you throw up this morning?

Are you constipated?

No, dear.

Stop calling me "dear."

I'm not your dear.

You want
breakfast,

eggs are here,
stove is there.

Knock yourself out.

I get she's pregnant.

I don't know why
you're so moody.

On the count of three...

I'm leaving, I'm leaving.

Have a good day, Mama.

Ugh. "Mama."

♪ 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. ♪
*YOUNG SHELDON* Aired on: October 20, 2022.

Season 06 Episode 04
Episode Title: "Blonde Ambition and the Concept of Zero"

Since losing his job,

one of the few upsides
for my dad

was having the house to himself
to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Billy!

Stop feeding the chickens
Cap'n Crunch!

But they like it.
We've been over this.

You don't eat their food,
they don't eat yours.

Everything okay over there?

Yeah.

Doesn't sound okay.

Oh. You don't want to know.

Tell me.

He's failing math,

and they might hold him back.

That's rough.

I try helping him, but math
was never my strong suit.

Yeah, I hear ya.

And when you do try to
help 'em, they realize

how dumb you are.

You think...

Sheldon would help Billy?

I'm not sure helping
others is where he shines.

Pissing 'em off...
He's got that down cold.

Well, then I'm screwed.

I can't afford a tutor.

Let me talk to Sheldon,

see what I can do.

Appreciate it.

Mom, look!

That chicken is not a hat!

Hurry.

Hey. How was school?

Sucked.

Language.

You asked, and it did.

What happened?

I don't want to talk about it.

Are you sure?
I'm a pretty good listener.

Then why didn't you hear me say
I don't want to talk about it?

- Is this about a boy?
- Mom.

I-I do have some experience
on the subject.

Please, the only two boys
you have experience with

are Dad and Jesus.

I'm gonna go talk to Meemaw.

I know other boys.

And then he walked right on
by me like I wasn't there.

Does he even know
you like him?

I don't know. I've ignored him,
been mean to him.

What else can I do?

Sounds like you've
tried everything.

Okay.

I've got an idea.

Why don't you just tell him?

But what if he
doesn't like me back?

I would die.

You will not die.

Oh, yes, I will.
I will be dead,

and you will be sad
at my funeral.

How about this...

Why don't you get
one of your girlfriends

to find out
how he feels about you.

Why? Because then you don't have
to put yourself on the spot.

Okay. And if he
doesn't like me back,

I'll just keep being mean
to him until he does.

I don't know why that works.

Men are dumb.

Does that mean
we're dumb for liking 'em?

It's not a good look for us.

You busy?

Yes, but I'm also excellent

at bifurcating
my cognitive abilities. Hit me.

Billy is struggling with math,
and, mm,

his mom was hoping
that you could tutor him.

I could.

Great.

But I won't.

Why not?

Because me teaching Billy
is like trying to use

the gravitational power
of a neutron star

to change the spin of a boson.

Don't do that.

If he doesn't pass math,

they're gonna hold him back.

That's the system working.

Very Darwinian.

Yeah. Never mind.

Yeah, I told Brenda teaching
wasn't really your thing.

Well, it's not that
I can't do it.

Don't worry about it.

You're good at a lot of things.

Teaching just ain't one of 'em.

I know what you're doing.
It's reverse psychology.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

It's childish and obvious.

- So you'll do it?
- Yes, I'll do it.

Thanks for the pie.

Mandy keeps bringing all
these leftovers from the diner.

Well, she's lucky to have you.

Mm-hmm.

And Missy, too.

Lucky, lucky.

Oh, it's killing you, isn't it?

What? No.

I...

I am happy

that she has an adult
she can confide in

about...

Come on. Just tell me.

I would.

But the bond between a girl
and her grandmother is...

sacred.

I am her mother
and I am your daughter.

Give me something.

It's just boy stuff, okay?

That she'd rather
talk to you about.

That's right.

There you go.

Eat those feelings.

All right, I'm given
to understand you have

a test coming up on
negative numbers and fractions.

Yeah.

So, what part
don't you understand?

Oh, boy.

Let's take it back a step.

Where do you stand
on addition, subtraction,

multiplication and division?

I'm against it.

Oh, boy.

Hope you like tuna salad.

I brought you a whole tub.

How old is it?

I don't know,
but the clock's ticking.

Meemaw?

Uh-oh.

We need to talk.

Hi.

- Hi.
- What's going on?

I told Heather
that I liked Kevin

so she could find out
if he liked me back.

Then she asked him out.

What? She didn't even think

he was cute
until I said I liked him.

Well, why'd
you tell her?

She told me to.

'Cause that's
how you find out

if somebody likes you
in school.

That's o-one way.

Why?
What would you have done?

Uh, well, you put him
on Heather's radar

when you said
you liked him.

I probably would
have dropped a note

in his locker or asked
one of his guy friends.

That makes so much more sense.

Why didn't you tell me that?

I gave you good advice.

It's not my fault
Heather sucks.

So what do I do now?

Well, the first thing...

I was talking to her.

Okay, your basic
arithmetic skills

are disappointing
but functional.

Thank you.

All right, let's talk
about negative numbers.

I'm all ear.

"Ears."

No. "Ear."

This one's clogged.

Right. Okay.

Negative numbers are numbers
that are less than zero.

- But zero's nothing.
- Yes.

So how can you have
less than nothing?

Let's see.

How about this?

If you have a dollar,
that's one.

If you have no dollars,
that's zero.

But if you owe me a dollar,
that's negative one.

Does that make sense?

I think so.

All right,
we're making progress.

Mom!

I owe Sheldon
a dollar.

Tomorrow,
I'm gonna tell Heather

what a bitch
she is in front of everyone.

No, no, no.
Don't show your cards.

Tomorrow, you're
gonna be her best friend.

Why?

'Cause then
she'll tell you things,

and you can
use those things against her.

Oh. You're good.

I know.

It's nice to have someone
to talk to about this stuff.

My mom's pretty religious,
and my meemaw's kind of old.

Hey.

I'm sitting right here.

Evening.

I thought
you were with Missy.

Oh.

I thought it was a good idea
if she talked to Mandy.

They're closer in age.

She threw you over,
didn't she?

Without hesitation.

Stings, don't it?

It do.

Well, regardless,

I'm glad Missy has someone
she can talk to.

Like a big sister.Yeah.

Who got knocked up
by a 17-year-old knucklehead.

Why does she want to talk
to her instead of us?

Pisses me off.

Hey. What's up?

Nothing.
Just making dinner.

What's going on with you?

Just trying to stay busy.

Keep my mind off the fact
that the mother of my child

doesn't want me around.

Oh, honey,
I'm sorry.

Hey. Maybe you could put
in a good word for me.

And what would that word be?

Take your pick. Dependable.

Hardworking. Trustworthy.

Sexy.

Georgie.

You're right.

Sexy's how I got
into this pickle.

And if you add negative one
and positive one,

you get?

Zero?

Correct.

I think I understand.

- Good.
- One question...

How can you have zero
if zero is nothing?

It's not something
that you have.

Zero represents
a state of nothingness.

What does that mean?

It's nothingness.

The absence of somethingness.

Trust me, zero is a thing.

But you just said
it's a nothing.

I did.

Which is it?

A something or a nothing?

We have a problem.

What?

Zero might not exist.

Of course zero exists.

Great.
Then explain it to me.

Easy.
Zero is nothing.

But how can nothing
be a thing?

Think of it this way...

Picture an empty box.

All right.

What's in the box?

Nothing.

It's not nothing.
Air, atoms, molecules...

That empty box
is as full as full can be.

Regardless,

zero is very important.

I'm not saying
it isn't important.

I'm just saying
the little round guy ain't real.

You're being silly.

Zero is a number,

like every other number.

Oh, yeah?
Can you divide with it?

Well...

No.

In fact, the Greek philosopher
Parmenides said,

"Nothing cannot exist,
because to speak of something

is to speak of something
that exists."

Well, I suppose...

you could look at it that way.

Dr. Sturgis,

zero isn't real.

I feel dizzy.

Need any help
making dinner?

You?

Yeah.

Since when?

Since I thought I should learn
to cook for Mandy and the baby.

Georgie, that is the sweetest
thing I've ever heard.

Well, I'm a sweet boy.

So what are
we doing here?

We are peeling potatoes.

Cool.

Why?

'Cause we're making
mashed potatoes

and we don't want
the skins in 'em.

Uh-huh.

Why?

'Cause mashed potatoes
are supposed to be smooth.

Hmm.

You know a lot
about potatoes.

Go ahead. Peel one.

You think I'm ready?

Only one way to find out.

I'll see ya later.

Where you going?

To dinner.

I'm cooking.

Actually, we're cooking.

Actually, we're bleeding.

Mandy's taking me to dinner.

What about homework?

Don't have any.

Can I go with y'all?

I thought you were
helping me cook.

Hang on.

Can I?

No. It's girls' night.

Bye.

Might want to wash
this one off.

Oh.

Any updates on Kevin?

I did what you said and
was nothing but nice to Heather.

Okay. How'd that go?

So good.

I found out
she stuffs her bra.

Huh. See?
When the time is right,

you can destroy her with that.

That's gonna be a good day.

And that trick
isn't just for middle school.

That's something you can use
for the rest of your life.

You are so wise.

Well, I have
lived a little.

And so pretty.

You should be on TV.

Actually,
when I lived in San Antonio,

I was a weather girl.

Oh, my God,
you were a TV star?

Monday through Friday,
5:00 a.m.,

right before the farm report.

Okay, you're, like, my new hero.

Oh, stop. You could
totally be a weather girl.

No. They're all perfect
and blonde. Like you.

Anybody can be blonde.

You think
Madonna's really blonde?

What?

She's a brunette.

What about
her Blond Ambition Tour?

Ha. More like Bottle Blond
Ambition Tour.

Funny and beautiful.

No wonder my brother
put a baby in you.

What's wrong?

Zero.

Zero is wrong?

Zero doesn't exist.

I don't understand.

Neither do we.

Dr. Linkletter,
there's no such thing as zero.

That's preposterous.
Of course there is.

Prove it, tough guy.

Uh-oh.

May I have that?

Over here.

Uh-oh.

Let me see.

It's bad.

Just stay calm.

I'm sure it's fine.

It's the end of my life.

Just show me.

Oh, my.

That is... something.

I can probably be
homeschooled, right?

It's okay. We can fix this.

Before my parents get home?

They're gonna kill me.

Oh, man.

Look at your head.

- Shut up!
- Georgie, don't make this worse.

There's worse?

Anyone home?

Okay, stay here.
We'll stall him.

Do you see
her head?

Oh.

Hey. What's up?

Nothing. Nada.
Absolutely nothing.

Where are the kids?

Well, I believe
Sheldon's at Billy's.

Oh, good. He's helping him.

Mm.And Missy?

Missy...

That's a good question.

I haven't seen her.

I have not seen her,
personally, myself.

Okay.

We're a good team,
me and you.

Oh, not now, Georgie.

I'm afraid I have
some bad news.

If you mean I'm gonna
be left back, it's okay.

You tried.

No. Well, maybe.

I have bad news about zero.

It doesn't exist.

So I was right?

No one is more shocked
than I am.

I can't help you
with your test.

Without zero, I don't even know
what math is anymore.

Hmm.

Yeah. Hmm.

What if we just
pretend it exists?

Are you saying to accept zero
as an act of faith?

Was I?

I think so.

Okay.

My mom accepts God
as an act of faith,

and zero is way more useful
than God.

- Do not say that around Pastor Jeff.
- Think about it.

Without zero,
we wouldn't have calculus.

Without God, we wouldn't have
Spanish Inquisition.

I know the Spanish
word for "fajita."

And don't forget...
Before the Big Bang,

there was actually nothing.

It's "fajita."

So you could say
the entire universe

was born out of zero.

Meaning that zero created
the universe, not God.

Maybe we should pray to it.

I think we should.

Zero, it's me, Sheldon.

I know I doubted you,
but in my defense,

you're literally nothing.

I would like to thank you for
all the gifts you've given us...

The null set,
Fibonacci sequence,

binary language.

I could go on
ad infinitum,

but not without you.

Ask Zero
to help me pass my test.

Zero's not magic.
You still have to study.

Oh. Then I'm going back
to Jesus.

Jesus, please help me.

I'm already the biggest kid
in sixth grade.

Amen.

Amen.

Hello? Who's in there?

Me.

I need to use the bathroom.

Give me a minute.

Can someone give me a hand
with these groceries?

Sure. Dad, come on.

I got to go to the bathroom.

Hey, Mandy.

Mrs. Cooper.

What brings you here?

Just saying hi to Georgie.

Why, hello to you, too.

Let's get a move on.

Oh, boy.

Damn it, Missy.
I'm two seconds away

from peeing in your mother's prayer garden.

Look what I found.

What the hell?

Melissa Cooper,

what did you do?

Yeah. What did you do?

Yeah.

Good news.
I think Billy

might pass his
math test tomorrow.

There's a math test tomorrow?

Your hair is
upsetting me.

Screw it.
I'm going outside.

You can cheat off me
if you want.

I studied.

Thanks.

I'm not
saying it was God or zero,

but a small miracle
did happen that day.

Billy passed the test with a 68

and went on
to the seventh grade.

Where he remained
for the next several years.

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

Synchronized by srjanapala