How ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ Uses a Thanksgiving Fight to Teach a Lesson About Grief

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 1, Episode 5, “Thanksgiving.”]

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage examined the ups and downs of a family Thanksgiving in its latest episode, which saw the McAllisters and Coopers come together in the aftermath of George Sr.’s (Lance Barber) loss.

Following the devastating death at the end of Young Sheldon, this new spinoff broaches the topic of what celebrating the first holiday without a member of the family is actually like. While there were plenty of laughs to go around, the installment, which featured Georgie’s (Montana Jordan) mom Mary (Zoe Perry), sister Missy (Raegan Revord), Meemaw (Annie Potts), and Dale (Craig T. Nelson), also included plenty of emotional moments.

“Georgie is sort of in this dual role where he’s trying to step in and be like his dad and keep the family together, but he’s also the kid who lost his dad and is hurting because of it,” executive producer Steve Holland tells TV Insider. “So he’s both of those things at once, and I think he’s trying to sort of lean into [the idea that he’s] filling in dad’s role.”

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As fans saw in the episode, Mandy (Emily Osment) took a more assertive role with the Coopers in order to sway them towards celebrating together after Mary initially refused Georgie. While he tried putting his foot down and told his family that he’s the one taking over George’s role, no one else sees him in that capacity, and Holland notes, “It’s gonna be Mandy who has to help guide him towards better ways to interact with his family.”

“She’s older and more experienced and I think also just sort of more socially aware of things, but in a funny way also not afraid to do whatever it takes to get this thing done for her husband,” Holland continues. “Mandy is willing to do whatever it takes to give Georgie the Thanksgiving that he needs.”

Mandy managed to get Meemaw and Dale on board, and, by agreeing to observe her getting a tattoo, Georgie’s younger sister Missy. But Mary was the hardest sell. Eventually, Mary turned up at the McAllister’s house, where Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones) and Jim (Will Sasso) were hosting everyone.

Troy Harvey / Warner Bros.

And while getting in the door might seem like the toughest job, it was sitting around the dynamic between Jim and Audrey that sent Mary fleeing. When Audrey began fighting with Jim about the amount of beers he’d had, things got tense for everyone, but it was especially upsetting for Mary, who misses the fact that she can never do something like that with George again.

“That was the thought going into it as it seemed more interesting to us that there was this unexpected side to grief, and people grieve in different ways and obviously everyone misses the good times, but to realize that you also miss the bad times,” Holland points out is what’s important to take away from Mary’s reaction. “You miss having those fights. You miss being frustrated with them. That seemed much more interesting and a real part of grief that people maybe don’t talk about as much.”

Confused about Mary’s departure, Georgie sought answers and learned why his mother couldn’t handle the metaphorical heat Audrey and Jim’s fight was cooking up. “Those bad times are just as important as those good times, about the person that you miss,” Holland adds. By the end of the episode, Mary, Georgie, and Missy convened at the cemetery for pie picnic style by George Sr.’s grave.

Troy Harvey / Warner Bros.

While Missy pointed out how weird the situation was, the Coopers acknowledged that it was a nice moment for the family to share Thanksgiving with the patriarch in that way. Despite George Sr.’s loss, Holland notes that Barber and even Young Sheldon‘s titular star Iain Armitage have been present behind the scenes for tapings of episodes since Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage began shooting.

“It’s actually really sweet because everyone’s been on set,” Holland gushes, “even for episodes that they weren’t in, like, Matt Hobby.” As viewers know, Hobby played Pastor Jeff on Young Sheldon, and Holland teases, “He’s actually going to be in an episode coming up, but before that, he had come to visit.”

Holland acknowledges “the cliche of everyone saying this is a family,” but he says, “They really have been super supportive and been here for Emily and Montana because they’re friends, fans, and family.” That was felt on set while shooting this episode as stars from the single-cam Young Sheldon stepped out onto the multi-cam stage.

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“They know the thrill and I think are so excited to be back in front of an audience and the audiences love seeing them,” Holland notes. “These are literally pros who have done this for decades,” he adds in particular of Potts and Craig. “So to put them back in front of an audience and watch them do what they do is thrilling.”

As for when fans can anticipate more of the Coopers dropping in, Holland shares, “It’s fun to bring these cast members back in and we love them and they’re terrific, but it always has to be in service of like this show. If we can find a story that feels like it’s gonna service these characters in Georgie and Mandy’s story, then we’re thrilled to have them back as many times as they want to come back and play with us… It’s like we’ve got this bench of all-stars.”

All-stars indeed. Stay tuned as Season 1 unfolds to see who else will pop in for upcoming episodes and let us know what you thought of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage‘s holiday episode in the comments section, below.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Thursdays, 8/7c, CBS