# The Big Bang Theory, Season 9, Episode 14 -- "The Meemaw Materialization" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174 "2016-02-04T20:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/81 "2016-02-06T08:00:56Z")
Jennifer Aniston is way too young to be Penny’s mother. I’m torn between Katey Segal and Jennifer Coolidge. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/82 "2016-02-06T12:59:14Z")
Katey Segal is the perfect choice ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/83 "2016-02-06T13:27:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Jennifer Aniston is way too young to be Penny’s mother. I’m torn between Katey Segal and Jennifer Coolidge. I dunno. Apparently there’s a history in Penny’s family of “having” to get married. Who’s to say Penny’s mother wasn’t 16 when she got pregnant? Anyway, age of actor and age of character aren’t the same thing, and costumes and make-up are great things. Neither Melissa Rauch nor Mayim Bialik look (or sound) anything like their characters IRL. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/84 "2016-02-06T14:13:40Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > My main point was that it was the 2nd question she asked after Meemaw told her she would not be getting it. > > To Sheldon: “you have an engagement ring?” > > “Penny, did you know about this?” > > is not odd that Amy asked this question, I think it was odd that it was the 2nd question she asked. Once again… it is a SITCOM. It is not a romantic novel. The writers have less than a half an hour to pack in as many laughs as they can. Continuity and reality are not their biggest concerns. If reality was their priority it would be a really boring show about three guys hanging out. Lets just say for a moment though that it is reality… a bombshell is dropped, and your best friend is in the room at the time… she doesn’t gasp or act surprised. There is a chance you may suspect that she knew something in advance. But again… it is not reality. Having Amy interrogate Sheldon would have wasted precious minutes without a laugh, and the writers can’t afford that. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/85 "2016-02-06T14:14:54Z")
Jennifer Aniston was born February 11, 1969. Kaley Cuoco was born November 30, 1985, which mean she was conceived around February 23, 1985 (given the average of 40 weeks of pregnancy). So if the characters were the same age as the actors, Penny would have been conceived when her mother was sixteen years and twelve days old. I can’t imagine Jennifer Aniston being willing to play a role in which she tries to look older. Also, I think that Rauch and Bialik do look like their characters. They look like what their characters look like when they get nice hairdos and good clothes. Have you seen the episode where they go to Disneyland and dress up like princesses? Please watch it and notice the differences. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/86 "2016-02-06T14:28:29Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Jennifer Aniston was born February 11, 1969. Kaley Cuoco was born November 30, 1985, which mean she was conceived around February 23, 1985 (given the average of 40 weeks of pregnancy). So if the characters were the same age as the actors, Penny would have been conceived when her mother was sixteen years and twelve days old. I can’t imagine Jennifer Aniston being willing to play a role in which she tries to look older. Also, I think that Rauch and Bialik do look like their characters. They look like what their characters look like when they get nice hairdos and good clothes. Have you seen the episode where they go to Disneyland and dress up like princesses? Please watch it and notice the differences. Age of actor is not age of character. When _One Day at a Time_ premiered, Bonnie Franklin was three years younger than the character she was playing, and only 16 years older than the actresses playing her daughters. Meanwhile, the actresses playing the daughters were both the same age-- 15, but one was supposed to be 16, and the other was supposed to be 14. It worked out, though, and the show ran 9 years. Now, you may be right that Jennifer Aniston won’t play older than her real age, or someone who was a teenage mother, but it has nothing to do with when her actual birthday is. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/87 "2016-02-06T14:42:59Z")
Note that I deliberately said, “if the characters were the same age as the actors”. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/88 "2016-02-06T14:51:16Z")
Jennifer Aniston is too young to play Penny’s mother. Catherine Rhea, however, is the perfect age. Why no Rhea love? ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/89 "2016-02-06T15:02:06Z")
They also shouldn’t have picked someone so short. Laurie Metcalf is tall, and so was the actress who played Sheldon’s sister. If they had to go with someone short, and Chloris Leachman wasn’t available, my personal choice would be Anita Gillette. The reason is that she can bring even a crap script to life. And she is very good at the slow subtle dig playing a mother grilling her son’s girlfriend, so she could, I’m sure, do it as a grandmother. But she can be sweet as syrup on ice cream as well. (As far as the Penny similarities, Gillette did play Sally Bowles in the 1960s.) Great choice in Anita Gillette. She displayed her comedic acting chops extremely well as the mother in the TV sitcom “Normal, Ohio.” Grab her quick before she buys the farm. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/90 "2016-02-06T15:10:51Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > [Me]They also shouldn’t have picked someone so short. Laurie Metcalf is tall, and so was the actress who played Sheldon’s sister. If they had to go with someone short, and Chloris Leachman wasn’t available, my personal choice would be Anita Gillette. The reason is that she can bring even a crap script to life. And she is very good at the slow subtle dig playing a mother grilling her son’s girlfriend, so she could, I’m sure, do it as a grandmother. But she can be sweet as syrup on ice cream as well. (As far as the Penny similarities, Gillette did play Sally Bowles in the 1960s.) > > Great choice in Anita Gillette. She displayed her comedic acting chops extremely well as the mother in the TV sitcom “Normal, Ohio.” Grab her quick before she buys the farm. Thanks for your support, but she’s not\* that \*old. She’s quite a bit younger than, for example, Betty White-- and seven years younger than the actual actress who played Meemaw. And she’s been doing a nightly cabaret act in New York. I should be half as tough when I’m her age. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/91 "2016-02-06T15:29:59Z")
The producers obviously went with a Shelly Winters (Grandma Mary) type for Meemaw. The only line that made me laugh was Sheldon’s “Woman, cool your jets. I gave you my virginity.” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/92 "2016-02-06T15:36:03Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Jennifer Aniston is too young to play Penny’s mother. Catherine Rhea, however, is the perfect age. Why no Rhea love? Because you mean Caroline Rhea. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/93 "2016-02-06T15:38:03Z")
What about Loni Anderson for Penny’s Meemaw? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/94 "2016-02-06T15:39:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The producers obviously went with a Shelly Winters (Grandma Mary) type for Meemaw. Except that actress was no Shelley Winters. Had she been, the episode might have worked. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/95 "2016-02-06T15:40:12Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > What about Loni Anderson for Penny’s Meemaw? _Meemaw_? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/96 "2016-02-06T15:42:59Z")
Audrey or Judy Landers for Penny’s mother? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/97 "2016-02-06T17:23:27Z")
Has it ever been settled whether Meemaw is Sheldon’s maternal or paternal grandmother? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/98 "2016-02-06T17:29:27Z")
No. I was thinking maternal, but I’ve changed my mind. The fact that Mary had custody of her ring made me think that she probably gave it to her son to ask Mary to marry him. Also, she drank a large glass of bourbon straight, which was what Sheldon’s father drank. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/99 "2016-02-06T18:02:57Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Because you mean Caroline Rhea. Look, don’t go correcting me just because I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174/100 "2016-02-06T18:13:40Z")
Katey Segal would be fun because she has already played Kaley’s mom. Recently she played Jake’s mom on Brooklyn 99 A famous mom (Florence Henderson?) is one way to go, but off the wall (Madonna?) is another. Brian [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-season-9-episode-14-the-meemaw-materialization/745174.md?page=6)