How Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Is Giving Its Most Misunderstood Character More Depth Than Sheldon

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 12 was full of big developments for the main couple, but one supporting character is finally growing into his role as a member of the McAllister family. While Montana Jordan first played Georgie Cooper, Young Sheldon, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage instead focuses on life with his in-laws, the family of Mandy McAllister (Emily Osment). While Georgie connects with her father, Jim (Will Sasso), her mother, Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones), doesn’t fully approve of Georgie. Yet, there’s one McAllister that often goes forgotten because he isn’t properly fleshed out: Dougie Baldwin’s Connor.

Connor has been the source of some light laughs in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, but the most attention he’s garnered is as the sitcom’s version of Sheldon, the youngest member of the Cooper family who led the first spinoff and starred in the mother series, The Big Bang Theory. Although Connor has appeared in every episode, he’s normally inconsequential to the overarching story in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, whether he appears to talk about Jay Leno or simply play charades. Thankfully, the spinoff set up by the Young Sheldon finale seems to finally be realizing Connor’s hidden potential.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Is Starting To Utilize Connor As More Than A Recurring Joke

He’s Becoming More Than An Easy Punchline

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has raked in impressive ratings for its pilot season, no doubt due to the chemistry between the characters. The talented cast of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage make the marital disputes and family drama feel real, but their masterful performances only underscore how little Connor has been utilized. For the first few episodes, Connor only appeared to be laughed at. Whether it was to poke fun at his taste in music, frame his observations as absurd asides, or cast his character as an oddball, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has misconstrued Connor’s character.

Fortunately, Connor has been able to just exist in the spinoff over the last few episodes, but Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 12 takes it a step further. In the opening scene of the episode, Audrey is teaching Connor to knit. Though it’s somewhat played for laughs when Georgie joins them, the joke isn’t at Connor’s expense. In the closing scene, Connor casually sits with the rest of the family to watch Mandy’s weather report. Little appearances, even without lines, help incorporate Connor into the fold and establish him as a character rather than a caricature.

Connor’s Caretaker Role In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Episode 12 Showcases His Ignored Practicality

He’s Far From Incompetent

As the spinoff is slowly revealing, Connor is just as capable as everyone else in the McAllister house (and maybe twice as wise). When Georgie falls sick in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 12, Connor is the one who takes care of him and talks him through his nightmare about his father. Connor wasn’t just involved in the story of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 12, he played a pivotal role in it. Even when Georgie tries to “tough it out” and go back to work before recovering, Connor is able to get him back to bed and take medicine.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 12 isn’t the first time they’ve hinted at Connor’s obvious competency, but it’s the first time it’s taken a serious note. Connor stunned Audrey by handling all the household chores, telling her he didn’t do his laundry or clean the toilet beforehand simply because nobody asked him to. The laugh track suggests it’s a comedic beat, revealing that Connor isn’t just misunderstood by his family, he’s misunderstood by the show itself. At least in episode 12, Connor gets Georgie to realize his fears surrounding his father’s death without canned laughter having to follow.

How Conor Can Eventually Be A Better Character Than Sheldon

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Can Free Connor From The Nerd Archetype

Although Connor has been constrained as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s Sheldon-type character, he has the potential to develop far beyond his genius predecessor. Iain Armitage has yet to reprise his Young Sheldon role in the spinoff, but Sheldon’s fate is already predetermined by Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory. As such, it’s already public knowledge how much (or how little) Sheldon will change as he grows up. Comparatively, Connor should be able to have more of a character arc in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 and beyond.

While Connor can still have bizarre one-liners here and there, that shouldn’t be the sum of his presence in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Just like Audrey has nuanced feelings about Mandy’s career, Jim has a complex relationship with Georgie’s salesmanship, and Jim and Audrey even have depth within their relationship, Connor should be given similar narrative opportunities to expand his character. Having a friend outside the family, a central goal to work towards, or even a love interest would help Connor develop into the mainstay he should be in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.