The Sibling Realignment

"The Sibling Realignment" is the twenty-third and penultimate episode of the eleventh season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The episode aired on Thursday, May 3, 2018.

Summary
When Sheldon learns that his mother won't attend his wedding unless he invites his brother, Georgie, he and Leonard travel to Texas to end a family feud. Also, the Wolowitz kids inadvertently infest Amy, Bernadette, Wolowitz and Koothrappali with pinkeye.

Extended Plot
Amy comes home and finds Sheldon in a heated conversation with his mother. She won’t come unless Sheldon invites his older brother Georgie. His brother tormented him though out his childhood and he still holds a grudge against him.

At the Wolowitz house, the Posse is assembling gift bags for the wedding guests. The fact that Sheldon didn’t invite his brother gives the drama that the other girls were expecting at a wedding. Howard comes downstairs and asks what the symptoms of Pink Eye is because both kids have it. Amy is upset because she doesn’t want to be sick since her wedding is next week. Penny body blocks Howard from coming down stairs to keep him away from the bride.

While Raj and Leonard play a video game, he complains that he might be the only single guy at the wedding without a date. Sheldon enters and asks him about his brother who wasn’t that mean to Leonard. Georgie isn’t returning Sheldon’s calls. On his brother’s phone message, he told Sheldon to call back on 1-800-SUCK-IT. Leonard says that short of flying there, what else does his mother expect him to do. On a plane to Texas, Leonard keeps wondering why he was there.

Bernadette and Raj are discussing his wedding date problem. He wonders why he can’t call a firm and just hire a woman. Bernie explains that it’s called an escort service. Howard comes down stairs with a case of Pink Eye and mentions to Raj that he should not have used his VR googles.

In Dallas, Sheldon and Leonard arrives outside Georgie’s place of business, the Dr. Tire Store. He apparently has a chain of tire stores. Sheldon muses that to get that degree, one only needs a semester of community college. Inside a clerk explains that she’ll go contact the doctor. Georgie comes out and asks what the hell Sheldon was dong there. Also he goes by George now. Sheldon tells him that he wasn’t returning his phone calls. George reacts that Sheldon was the smart one and he should be able to figure it out. Leonard adds that Sheldon isn’t smart like that. His brother complains that they haven’t spoken in ten years and now Sheldon expects him to drop everything because that’s what he wants.

Penny answers a Skype calls and finds that Bernadette has Pink Eye. Amy jumps in the call yelling that also she got it though Penny is still healthy. Bernadette suggests that she wear a veil, which Penny initially finds funny. Amy is afraid that Sheldon may never return from Texas if he knows she is sick. Bernadette then suggests that Amy tell Sheldon that the wedding theme is The Walking Dead which she accepts as plan B.

In George’s office he is not happy that Sheldon is now invited because their mother wants him there. George just wants Sheldon to ask him nicely which Sheldon does. He thanks Sheldon and then adds he would rather shallow a pregnant wildcat than come. Sheldon leave explaining that it is good that he sells tires because he is very tiresome.

At the motel, Sheldon is still arguing with his mother who wants her boys to work it out between themselves. Sheldon still blames his brother for being mean to him all through his childhood. He once threw away his Halloween costume and Sheldon had to dress up in a sheet. Leonard decides to go talk to him again.

Raj had a date but it didn’t go well since he was now infected. Amy isn’t sympathetic since she is getting married and his maid of honor looks fine with his clear eyes.

Leonard returns to George’s office as he finishes a big tire deal. Leonard tries to tell George that they were a lot alike and that he had picked on him so much. George feels like he was protecting his younger brother from life and his old foibles. The Halloween costume was of Madame Curie and George didn’t want him to get beat up. He looked after him, drove him around and explained and apologized to others when he was rude, not unlike Leonard. Sheldon got all the extra family money to go to college and to Germany, while George had to work hard to open his first tire store. And then who was their mother most proud of? Sheldon. Leonard added that his mother is also prouder of Sheldon, too.

At the pedestrian, Penny is plating with the kid’s toy. Everyone came since they needed to find out their Pink Eye cases were viral or contagious. Howard suggests that Amy wear a welder’s mask to the wedding. Bernie pops in with the good news was it is a bacterial and not a contagious case they all have.

Back at the motel, Sheldon on the phone complaining about the spelling on their room service menu. Leonard comes in with George and tells Sheldon that he needs to apologize to him. Sheldon explains that George doesn’t know what he is putting their mother through. George retorts that Sheldon doesn’t know how bad it was for their mother after their father died and that he had to take care of their mother and Missy. Mary wouldn’t let Sheldon know how bad things were. He was protecting his little brother. Just because life hard for Sheldon, that didn’t mean that is wasn’t hard for everyone else. Sheldon didn’t realize that and apologized. And then he honestly asked George to come to his wedding which George said that he wouldn’t miss. Sheldon and Amy were talking about the success of his trip though Amy won’t show him her swollen eye. She also suggest that he doesn’t have to hurry home and that he could stay (Amy looks at her eye drops.) another two to three more fun-filled days. Sheldon agrees so now they could visit a local train museum which thrills Leonard.

In a pharmacy checkout line, Raj meets a woman who also has Pink eye and then invites her to the wedding.

Credits

 * Guest starring:
 * Jerry O'Connell as George Cooper Jr.
 * Lynn Andrews as Margaret
 * Ellie Reed as Jenna
 * Teleplay: Dave Goetsch, Maria Ferrari & Jeremy Howe
 * Story: Steve Holland, Eric Kaplan & Anthony Del Broccolo

Critics

 * IMDb user reviews

Trivia

 * Sheldon makes up with his older brother who bullied him while growing up.
 * Everybody but Leonard, Sheldon, and surprisingly Penny get pink-eye from Halley and Neil threatening Amy's wedding day.
 * Amy and the girls are assembling a welcome package together for the guests.
 * George is the biggest tire supplier in Texas.

Quotes
Howard: How do you know if someone has pink-eye?