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ByJeremy Smith
CBS
Prequels are tricky narrative propositions. In many cases, they're cynically conceived to wring out whatever juice still remains in a film or television franchise. They're often unsatisfying in a storytelling sense, leaving viewers ticking off the minutes or episodes until they arrive at the starting point of the thing they loved in the first place.
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And yet there are exceptions. Tony Gilroy just completed a "Star Wars" prequel masterclass with the second season of "Andor," which leads into the emotionally devastating "Rogue One." Meanwhile, Vince Gilligan arguably topped the towering achievement of "Breaking Bad" with the crushingly tragic Slippin' Jimmy spinoff "Better Call Saul." Prequels are not automatically artistic dead ends. Many fans of "The Big Bang Theory" have discovered this over the last eight years with the surprisingly poignant "Young Sheldon" and its follow-up "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage."
Creators Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Steve Holland have taken a page from the Gilligan school of prequel storytelling by building a bridge to their flagship series without a carefully plotted blueprint. "Young Sheldon" proved to be a tough show to pull off because they felt obligated to kill off Lance Barber's George Cooper Sr. because, per "The Big Bang Theory" universe, he died during Sheldon's childhood. Lorre went on record with his regret over dropping the sword of Damocles on George Sr. But the man is dead, and, as we learned in the final episode of "Young Sheldon," he left the family's house to his widow, Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry). We also know that Mary will sell the house, but the reason for which it's sold might not be what we expected.
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Georgie might be a tire pauper before he becomes a tire king
CBS
just completed its first season, and the final episode delivered with the not-altogether-unsurprising reveal that Mary has put up the Cooper family's house as collateral so that Georgie can get a bank loan that will allow him to buy McAllister Auto & Tire from Mandy's father.
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For "The Big Bang Theory" fans, this is a huge moment, and it doesn't portend well for the future of the McAllister business. Obviously, we know Georgie is destined to become "The Tire King of Texas" via his Dr. Tire franchise, but we don't necessarily know if his success grows out of McAllister Auto & Tire. What's abundantly clear is that Mary is comfortable with risking the house for the potential betterment of her son's future. "Honey, your whole life I was focused on your brother and sister," said Mary. "It's your turn." She then went on to add, "If I do lose the house, me and Missy are moving in with you and Mandy!"
Why do I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Mary and Missy in future episodes of "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage?"
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In an interview with TVLine after the airing of the season finale, Steve Holland didn't place this out of the realm of possibility. "Anything's possible," he said. "We haven't thought that far ahead yet, but one of the things that we liked about [Mary risking the house] is that it makes the stakes higher." He acknowledged that Georgie has a palpable "drive to succeed," but there's no guarantee he's going to come through for his mother. "We like piling as much on Georgie's shoulders as we can," he said.
So Season 2 of "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" will evidently hinge on the fate of McAllister Auto & Tire. I've a feeling Georgie and Mandy are about to learn a good deal about rock bottom before they hit the franchise big time, which they may not experience as a married couple.
