"A Free Scratcher and Feminine Wiles" is an episode of Young Sheldon that first aired February 24, 2022.
Sheldon, Dr. Sturgis (Wallace Shawn), and Dr. Linkletter (Ed Begley Jr.) are arguing with each other over the design of a radio telescope that they are working on. President Hagemeyer (Wendie Malick) tries to resolve the conflict by telling each of them that they are in charge, but they quickly find out about Hagemeyer's deception, so she brings in Dr. Lee (Ming-Na Wen) from UC Berkeley to lead the project.
Sturgis and Linkletter quickly accept Lee's leadership, but Sheldon doesn't, claiming that she does not take any of his suggestions seriously. Sheldon asks Missy for help, but she doesn't offer any good advice. Sheldon then takes inspiration from Star Trek, in which then-Cadet Kirk passed the Kobayashi Maru by reprogramming the test. Sheldon decides to do the same thing to Lee's computer to show her that his idea is the best.
Sheldon arrives on campus with the floppy disk that he prepared at home, and sneaks into Lee's office to reprogram her computer. At that time, Lee and Hagemeyer are drinking together in Hagemeyer's office and talking about the struggles that they have faced as women in academia. Lee talks about how her male colleagues tried sabotaging her experiments in order to prove that they were better researchers, and so she set a trap to deter anyone who tried to do that. Right as she says that, Sheldon activates said trap.
Meanwhile, Mary is given a free lottery scratch-off ticket at the gas station, but refuses to use it, out of the belief that gambling is sinful. Missy finds the scratcher in the trash, and scratches off the first two numbers (which are both $500), before Mary catches her. Mary tells her to throw it away, but then secretly goes back and scratches off the third number, which is also $500. Missy says that half of that is hers, since she prayed for it, but Mary refuses to cash in the ticket. Missy then tells George about the ticket.
George really wants the extra $500, and Mary partially caves, agreeing that they can buy a dishwasher with it. Mary only wants to buy the really cheap dishwashers, but George says that it's okay to splurge on this purchase, causing the two of them to get into an argument. George talks with Principal Petersen (Rex Linn), and Mary talks with Connie, and they come an understanding and agree that they can buy an expensive dishwasher.
In The Tag, the Cooper family is trying out the new dishwasher, and everyone is very impressed, except for Missy, who is still mad about not getting any of the money.
Tropes:
- Covered in Gunge: Dr. Lee booby trapped her office so that anyone trying to hack into her computer (in this case, Sheldon) gets their face shot with blue powder.
- Dumpster Dive: Twice in a row, someone — first Missy, then Mary — fishes the lottery scratcher from the trashcan to scratch it.
- Flashback to 'A Lock-In, a Weather Girl and a Disgusting Habit': When George tells Petersen that he saw Mary in the church parking lot laughing and smoking with the youth pastor.
- Mandatory Line: Georgie only appears in The Tag.
- Mundane Object Amazement: Everyone but Missy wonders at the new dishwasher the Coopers bought with the scratcher money. George is even keenly interested in Sheldon reading the user manual for the dishwasher.
- Nerd Nanny: President Hagemeyer brings in Dr. Lee to lead the telescope project because, along with her scientific credentials, as a mother of three, she knows how to deal with the immature Sturgis, Linkletter and Sheldon.
- Nerds Speak Klingon: After Sturgis and Linkletter speak with Lee in Mandarin and French, respectively, Sheldon tries to show them up by speaking Klingon. Later, Dr. Lee uses the Klingon word for "no" on Sheldon, admitting that she learned that one word just to use it on him.
- Shout-Out:
- To Home Alone, which Dr. Lee uses (after having watched it with her children) as inspiration for the trap in her office.
- To Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, from which Sheldon takes inspiration for hacking into Dr. Lee's computer. In the movie, then-Admiral Kirk boasts that he passed a Starfleet Academy simulation for an unwinnable scenario by reprogramming the scenario.note
- Territorial Smurfette:Dr. Lee: Can you believe there were only three women in my major?President Hagemeyer: Well, at least you had each other.Dr. Lee: Those bitches? Pass.
