"Four Hundred Cartons of Undeclared Cigarettes and a Niblingo" is an episode of Young Sheldon that first aired September 29, 2022.
Georgie and Connie are in U.S. Border Patrol custody, and are brought before Judge Landry (Rocky McMurray). Landry tells Georgie and Connie that if they plead guilty, then they can pay a $2,500 fine (equivalent to more than $5,000 in 2022) and walk free. Georgie and Connie initially try to negotiate a lower fine, but Landry sends them back to the cell. In the cell, Connie tells Georgie that he isn't a terrible dad, since he didn't leave Mandy as soon as she got pregnant.
George Sr. asks Dale (Craig T. Nelson) to provide the cash (since George doesn't have enough), and the two of them drive down to the border, with Dale bringing his camera to photograph Connie in the cell. Georgie and Connie promise to pay back the entire fine. On the drive home, Georgie tells George about how since he did everything for the baby, he isn't being selfish, which George appreciates. George then tells Georgie about what it was like when Mary got pregnant, and how it never really stopped being scary. Meanwhile, Connie hints at Dale that he can have sex with her in exchange for forgiving the fine.
Meanwhile, Sheldon and Missy spot Mandy trying to break in to Connie's house, go over to confront her, and learn who she is. Sheldon goes back home to tell Mary, while Missy tells Mandy everything that is happening in their family, such as Mary being kicked out of church. Mary goes over to see what Missy and Mandy are doing, and Mandy acknowledges Mary's pain, but still refuses to marry Georgie.
Later that night, Mary is taking out the trash, when she runs into Pastor Jeff. Jeff invites Mary to come to church on Sunday. Mary, Missy, and Sheldon attend church, but no one wants to talk to them or pray with them, so they leave. Sheldon then calls out Jeff and the congregation on their hypocrisy, as Jeff was giving a sermon on how "God is love", yet no one was acting that way to the Coopers; Sheldon then turns to correcting Jeff's pronunciation of "Nebuchadnezzar", and Mary drags Sheldon out of church.
Jeff later comes to the Coopers' house to talk to Mary, and tries to tell her that she should keep coming to church, but she refuses.
Tropes
- Crisis of Faith: Mary is beginning to feel like God has abandoned her due to all the hardships she's endured in the last few weeks.
- Previously on…: We're reminded of what happened in the Season 5 finale.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Mary feels unwelcomed at church and walks away with Missy and Sheldon, Sheldon returns to call out the congregation on their hypocrisy, talking about how God is Love and yet they shun Mary for Georgie's actions. At the end, however, it devolves into him correcting their pronunciation of Nebuchadnezzar.
- Stealth Pun: Mary takes Sheldon and Missy to church where they're shunned and ignored, an attitude which gives Mary a crisis of faith. The song playing over the sequence is an instrumental version of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion".
