Young Sheldon season 7 episode 2 recap: Sheldon's finally not the smartest one in the room

We're back with a new episode of Young Sheldon season 7! We're nowhere near the end of the season and series yet, but I know time is going to move by fast with the final season. Last week on the premiere episode, we saw news of the tornado reach Sheldon and Mary who are in Germany, Meemaw trying to work through the aftermath of losing her home, and the Cooper house being more full than ever. And Missy certainly stepped up, taking care of everyone.

And now on to Young Sheldon season 7 episode 2! "A Roulette Wheel and a Piano Playing Dog" continues on from last week's events. It portrays how Sheldon is actually the weakest one in his class. What a surprise! And Connie has an idea to bring in more money to the gambling room so she can make enough to rebuild her home. But it could be risky. Read on below for the details of what happened on the new episode of The Big Bang Theory prequel!

Sheldon’s dilemma

In Heidelberg, Germany we finally see our favorite young genius in class. However, he's dealing with a huge dilemma. He's actually the weakest one there and doesn't know what he's talking about. When he provides answers to the professor, the other students start laughing. And then his teacher calls him a dummy in German. Yeah, super encouraging. But honestly even though Sheldon of course is only a kid here, he really does need to be taken down a peg. And Mary would agree with us!

After class, he goes to his mother to complain about what happened. I love this scene between Mary and Sheldon because she's kind of a little happy about him being treated the way he treats everyone else. She does his "there, there" to comfort him, which he accepts, and then asks for a hot beverage. Mary reluctantly starts heating up the water. Then, Sheldon's predicament gets worse. At least in his books. His teacher recommends tutoring for Sheldon to catch up with his peers. And that tutor is a "young girl" who already has her undergraduate in education. Impressive!

It's basically a repeat of Paige all over again, except this time there wasn't just one person in class smarter than him. It's everyone. When she stops by to tutor him, Sheldon is sulking at first and doesn't want to. But Mary convinces him to get up and learn. And it's funny how his young tutor slaps him on the hand with a pencil, declaring "pain is the best teacher," when he gets something wrong. Mary is just chuckling in the back. And not going to lie, seeing Sheldon struggle and be put in his place feels really good!

As he continues to struggle, he thinks of giving up and running away. But then Sheldon remembers how the heroes in comic books don't quit. After speaking with Dr. Linkleter, he advises Sheldon to just listen. And that's the "biggest challenge" he's ever faced based on Jim Parsons' narration: “This turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life. By being open to people smarter than me, I grew both as a man and a scientist. Humble, brilliant. I really am the whole package.” Sure Sheldon. But what else did we expect from him?

Meemaw and Georgie "big time illegal" venture

Connie is desparate to make more money fast so she can rebuild her home as soon as possible, and we really can't blame her. So she has an idea to get a roulette table in addition to the slot machines they currently have. A worried Georgie reminds her table games are "big time illegal" which she responds with because they make "big time money." But Georgie doesn't want to go to jail. His "I've got a family to take care of" is so sweet. He really is an adult, has grown up, and assumes all responsibility for Mandy and CeeCee. Talk about character development!

It's kind of funny that Georgie was the adult in this conversation versus his grandmother. But she's persistent and finds them a table and a dealer, Hermon. Connie tells Georgie to learn what he can from the dealer, whose health is declining. He'll need to take over soon it seems. Hermon tells Georgie he used to have a gambling room too years ago before the Dixie Mafia showed up and he had to shut it down. This of course makes the oldest Cooper sibling worry even more about what they're doing.

With the show mentioning this and how the table is super illegal, I'm guessing this decision is going to come back and bite them in the butt. Later, there's a nice moment between Georgie and Missy who both can't sleep. They talk about how hard it is to be adults, and once again Georgie mentions taking care of his family. This conversation also makes Missy realize that she really doesn't have a reason to be playing mom. More on that below!

Grandfather bonding

Mandy's father Jim stops by the Cooper home to drop off some of Mandy's old baby stuff they found, and comes in for an afternoon beer. He tells George he's lucky his wife is gone for the whole summer. Haha. The two are sitting and relaxing, watching TV and drinking beer when Missy walks in. She's still in charge and asks them to go to the grocery story with CeeCee. They do, and it's quite cute and funny. As the family sits down for dinner, Mandy says it took her a while to put CeeCee down because the poor baby had a lot of gas. It's revealed that to quiet her crying at the store, George and Jim gave her a Slim Jim to keep quiet. Oh these poor grandfathers don't know what they're doing.

Missy says my favorite line in the episode. “Would it kill anyone to say thank you for this delicious meal?” LOL. I'm loving this mom era for Missy. But perhaps now she knows all the work Mary does for her and the family and will appreciate her mother more! I thought it was interesting that Jim mentions his tire store in the episode, and Georgie is impressed with his business skills. In the first couple of Young Sheldon seasons, we previously saw how Georgie worked at Herschel Sparks' garage and learned about cars and tires. But I wonder if Mandy's dad will teach him even more and show him the ropes, leading to the adult Georgie's successful Dr. Tire franchise that we see in The Big Bang Theory.

Finally, Missy realizes that she doesn't need to be doing everything herself around the house. She wakes up and makes her own breakfast, telling George he'll need to make his own food and do the dishes when he's done. Plus, there's now a family chore chart where everyone needs to pitch in around the house. Yes, Missy. Agreed! It ends on a hilarious note where Jim shows up again to hang out with George, but gets wrapped up in helping him figure out how to fold the fitted sheet. And when they ask Georgie, he tells them they don't want him near as he just finished cleaning the toilet.

Next week on Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon season 7 episode 3, “A Strudel and a Hot American Boy Toy,” will see Sheldon once again sort of not listening to his mother, exploring Germany behind Mary's back, per the synopsis. Though based on a promotional image, it seems like he gets into some trouble.

Elsewhere, Meemaw and Dale are trying to adjust to living together and Missy "attempts to pull a fast one on George." Looks like her mom era is over, and Missy is going back to being the young teen that she is. The third episode airs Thursday, Feb. 22, 20224 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The episode will also be available to stream on Paramount+. Check out the promo below!

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote as we bring you weekly recaps of Young Sheldon season 7!