Season 2 of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Might Have Just Found Its Breakout Star

Although Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1 didn’t center Jessie Prez’s Ruben in its plot, Young Sheldon’s spinoff can make up for this with its second outing. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s title alone gives away the show’s main focus. Young Sheldon‘s finale set up the spinoff when the show ended with Georgie and Mandy happily married.

When Georgie was first introduced in The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” he bitterly complained about an “Ex-wife” in one passing remark. This proved that, at some point between the ending of Young Sheldon and the start of The Big Bang Theory, Georgie and Mandy must have separated off-screen.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s title playfully alludes to this unseen event, promising that the spinoff will explain why the seemingly happy, stable couple broke up some time after the birth of their first daughter, CeCe. Already, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1 offered up numerous potential explanations for the split.

Georgie wanted to have more children, while Mandy was more concerned with prioritizing her career. Mandy disagreed with the idea of Georgie taking out a large loan to buy her father’s tire store, while Georgie wasn’t comfortable with the idea of her working with her ex.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 2 Could Make Ruben Pivotal

Georgie’s Resentful Coworker Became An Important Figure In The Finale

One could even argue that, by the end of season 1, Georgie’s best McAllister relationship in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage wasn’t with his wife, but rather her brother, Connor. Throughout season 1, Georgie and Connor forged a sweet friendship as Georgie helped Mandy’s oddball brother fit in and Connor helped Georgie take care of himself.

In episode 7, “An Old Mustang,” Georgie showed Connor how to get a job, and Connor ended up impressing his father as a result. In episode 12, “Typhoid Georgie,” Connor kept Georgie at home when the workaholic attempted to attend work even though he was clearly severely ill.

The pair’s unlikely friendship made Connor into Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1’s breakout character, as Mandy’s little brother proved he was more than a mere Sheldon clone. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s breakout star was a welcome surprise, but season 2 can now give another recurring character a chance to shine.

Jessie Prez played a somewhat thankless role in season 1 as the bitter mechanic Ruben. As far back as the pilot, Ruben was defined by his disdain for Georgie. Ruben resented Jim’s preferential treatment of Georgie, viewing this as an inevitability since Jim was Georgie’s father-in-law. To be fair to Ruben, he wasn’t wrong to note their unequal treatment.

Ruben’s First Marriage Character Can Change Completely In Season 2

Ruben Was Initially Defined By Georgie’s Relationship With Jim

However, since Georgie is the show’s hero, Ruben’s complaints were never treated as more than sour grapes. As such, it was an intriguing and unexpected twist when he and Georgie bought Jim’s store together. Ruben originally resented Georgie’s preferential treatment, but now the two are equals since Jim is gone, meaning season 2 will redefine their roles in the show.

Although it might not be the most experimental sitcom on TV, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage does subvert sitcom tropes here and there. Mandy and Georgie have the biggest male/female age gap relationship in network sitcom history, and the fact that the show chronicles a relationship viewers already know ends badly is an interesting, unusual approach.

As such, there is reason to trust that Ruben’s role in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 will do something fresh with the character. Ruben’s petty sniping was funny throughout season 1, and the eternal sad sack’s complaints made him an amusing supporting character. However, Ruben will occupy a fundamentally different role in season 2 now that Jim is gone.

Without Jim around, Ruben has no reason to feel like Georgie is receiving preferential treatment at work. On the contrary, it was Ruben who offered to make up the difference when Georgie’s offer for the store came in lower than the sum offered by another buyer. In the end, Georgie borrowed from his mother, Mary, and aligned himself with Ruben.

Only by relying on Mary’s loan and by splitting the business with Ruben could Georgie afford to take over the store. What’s more, the other buyer, rival tire salesman Fred Fagenbacher, immediately visited the new business owners to tell them that he planned on mercilessly driving them out of business now that they owned the store.

First Marriage Season 2 Must Expand Ruben’s Role

Georgie’s Mother Mary Could Make Ruben’s Part More Interesting

Fred’s threats mark a major turning point in Ruben and Georgie’s relationship, since the pair will need to be constructive partners if they hope to survive in this competitive business environment. Ruben and Georgie could become good friends in season 2 without Jim around, and they will at least need to work together seamlessly to keep their business afloat.

However, the duo will first have to solve a related issue, one that has been a problem for Georgie since the ending of Young Sheldon. Mary loaned Georgie the money to buy the tire store, meaning she will have some ownership stake in the business that he runs with Ruben.

Although Mary was always high-strung, her attitude has grown firmer since George Sr.’s death. Throughout Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1, Georgie struggled to balance his mother’s neuroses with the difficulties of integrating himself into the McAllister family. This will likely be exacerbated in season 2, as Mary will have a tangible financial stake in the future of his business.

One could already argue that Georgie’s relationship with his mother has been co-dependent since his father’s death, especially compared to the independent Sheldon and Young Sheldon’s rebellious Missy. However, it will be interesting to see how Ruben gets along with Mary.

Since he isn’t related to her, Ruben may well have little patience for Mary’s demands. However, he and Mary are just as likely to end up getting along famously, and this could annoy Georgie even more.

One of the first things that viewers learned about Georgie in “The Sibling Realignment” was that he felt Mary never appreciated everything he did for her and their family. As such, it would not be a shock if Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 finally saw Georgie and Ruben get along, only for Young Sheldon’s Mary to inadvertently jeopardize this.