Sheldon, watching on the couch, flinches. His lips move silently. “That’s… not what happens. The sitcom version has a hug. This is… a drama.”

Mary’s eyes well up. “George, that’s not fair.”

“Fair?” He stands up, knocking a chair back. The camera shakes. “You want fair? I’ll show you fair.” He slams his fist on the table. A coffee mug tips over.

Sheldon doesn’t answer. He’s seeing the uncut version of his own life—the fights not resolved in 22 minutes, the silences not filled with punchlines, the tears not followed by a commercial break for laundry detergent.