Warning! SPOILERS about Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1, episode 19 ahead.

Audrey’s conduct when Mandy got pregnant in Young Sheldon and her behavior with Georgie in First Marriage season 1, episode 19 finally rectified that mistake. Mandy getting pregnant not a long time after being introduced in Young Sheldon risked destroying her and Georgie’s relationship, but it also had a massively negative impact on the McAllisters’ depiction, as they were led by Audrey to cut Mandy from their lives. Considering how Audrey also behaved after returning in Mandy’s life, it makes sense for Young Sheldon to portray her as villainous.

However, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1 also showed how other characters present both in Young Sheldon and its spinoff could behave just as callously, and yet they wouldn’t face the same scrutiny Audrey did. At the same time, First Marriage introduced a truce between Audrey and Georgie, as living together inevitably showed Audrey how her family beyond Mandy responded well to Georgie, pushing her to see his good qualities too. All this softened Audrey’s stance towards Georgie, and with it, the show’s portrayal of Audrey, and it couldn’t have been more evident than in First Marriage episode 19.

Audrey's Reaction To Jim's Gambling Highlights How She Was Mischaracterized

Audrey Is Villainized Despite Being As Reasonable As Various Other Characters

The reason Jim cited for not wanting to pay his debt to Connie all at once was that then Audrey would know in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1, episode 19. Mandy helping Connie collect a debt in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 14 already unveiled Connie’s most successful method of getting her money back. While hiding the loss from Audrey was Jim’s priority, Audrey’s reaction wasn’t that different from what Connie already expected, as telling the wives the truth was already Connie’s MO to get her money back, but that didn’t work with Audrey, who helped Jim.

Indeed, while Audrey was mad at Jim for gambling, which he expected, she was also helpful, as she had succeeded in getting Connie to back down by threatening to expose her. Reading the situation correctly, she realized Connie had already brought out the big guns by telling her, expecting her to force Jim to pay. Instead, Audrey played her perfectly, refusing to keep her threat to expose her to the police only because that could have potentially implicated Mandy too. Although Audrey was framed as the villain from whom to keep the debt secret, her reaction wasn’t unfair at all.

Mandy & Meemaw Can Be As Vicious, But Only Audrey Is Seen As A Villain

There's A Double Standard When Weighing Audrey's Worst Instincts Against Other Characters'

Although Audrey’s behavior towards Mandy in Young Sheldon could justify seeing her as a villain, that isn’t the case in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Indeed, First Marriage has highlighted plenty of circumstances in which Connie and Mandy could be just as callous, and yet they are never seen as villainous. Connie’s reckless behavior in both Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage could be seen as diabolical, especially for how she happily involved Georgie in her shady deals. Connie almost solely appeared in First Marriage to threaten debtors, and yet she was seen as eccentric rather than villainous.

Georgie’s success in the multilevel marketing scheme Mandy had bought into made her envious instead of happy that they were making money, highlighting Mandy’s worst qualities, but never seeing her as a villain.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1 also heavily highlighted Mandy’s major flaw of being spiteful and unable to gracefully accept help from her loved ones, instead wanting independence. This was especially evident in First Marriage episode 8, when Georgie’s success in the multilevel marketing scheme she had bought into made her envious instead of happy that they were making money, highlighting Mandy’s worst qualities, but never seeing her as a villain. Only Mary is portrayed as a villain in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, but that falls in line with Mary’s inevitable transformation in her Big Bang Theory version.

How Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage's Changed Portrayal Of The McAllisters’ Dynamics Makes It Better

Audrey Not Being Seen As The Villain Shows All McAllisters As Imperfect & Human

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage might have begun portraying Audrey in the same unfair light she was in Young Sheldon, but as she grew inevitably closer to Georgie, it also became clear that she couldn’t be seen as the bad guy all the time. This is completely obvious in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 19, where everyone is shown as at fault: Mandy for gloating after learning about Jim’s massive debt, Jim as he kept his gambling secret from Audrey, and Audrey herself, who was her usual harsh self with everyone else, but especially Jim.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 19 isn’t the first time Audrey is shown as somewhat relatable, with her staunch of Mandy’s career showing her better qualities and explaining her original dislike of what Georgie represented.

Georgie’s exasperation with all of them in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage episode 19’s ending perfectly captured their faults, while also highlighting that there isn’t one worse than the others. Instead, the McAllisters are all shown as characters with good qualities and flaws, making their depiction imperfect, but more realistic than it would be if it singled out only one as a villain and the others as unable to make mistakes, as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage initially did.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage airs new episodes on Thursdays at 8pm EST on CBS.