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Young Sheldon could be months, weeks, or even days out from a painful childhood memory first revealed on The Big Bang Theory. [pmc_inline_gallery]
During Thursday’s episode, Sheldon’s twin sister Missy confronted George about sneaking around with next-door neighbor Brenda Sparks. The episode also acknowledged that Missy is now 13 years old — which, according to Big Bang, is the age where Sheldon walks in on his father having sex with another woman.
“I was 13 years old, and on spring break from college,” Sheldon told Penny during Season 10 of the mothership. “My mother was in bible study, I walked in the house expecting to find it empty, and I heard a sound coming from my parents’ bedroom. When I opened the door, I saw my father having relations with another woman…. We locked eyes, I ran to my room, and we never, ever spoke of it.” It’s the reason why Dr. Cooper knocks three times before entering a room.
On Young Sheldon, George and Brenda’s relationship can best be described as an emotional affair. They’ve been sneaking into Billy’s chicken coop to see each other ever since Meemaw first started to suspect that her son-in-law was up to no good early in Season 5, but they haven’t had sex — not yet, anyway. At this point, Mary is aware that Brenda has feelings for a married man, but she has no idea that man is George.
When the spinoff first hinted at a possible extramarital affair at the end of Season 4, series co-creator Steve Molaro put out a statement conceding that Adult Sheldon told some not-so-great stories about Dad on Big Bang — stories that were conceived before the Powers That Be ever dreamt up Young Sheldon. “We try to honor those stories [on Young Sheldon] but also like to find unexpected ways for them to play out,” he said at the time. “These stories Adult Sheldon is telling us [on the prequel] come from a new perspective — one he has gained after becoming a father himself. Sometimes life gets complicated, but we’re excited to explore these new chapters in the lives of the Coopers.”
In other words, the spinoff could undo what Sheldon thought he saw at 13, or even ignore it entirely. But the second scenario seems highly unlikely now that the spinoff has spent the better part of two years teasing George’s infidelity. So now we ask you: What should Young Sheldon do? Should the prequel stay true to what was established on TBBT and explore the repercussions of that moment? Or should that moment be retconned? Vote in our poll, then sound off in Comments.
Leave it alone. I like George’s character. Let him get back with his wife.
I agree. He’s my favorite character. I want him to. stick around
I absolutely 💯 agree. I find George to be a sympathetic character at this point, and Mary is a little more difficult to connect with, IMHO. It just seems like it would be really sad and painful to have to acknowledge the actual fact. Some things are better left unsaid.
Young Sheldon could play this off as it being Mary and George in bed, Sheldon never stated he saw the woman. He also stated that they never spoke about it, you would think George would try to talk to Sheldon and make sure he doesn’t say anything if he was cheating.
Makes sense it was actually Mary in that bed and that’s why it was never discussed. I mean I walked in on my parents ( unfortunately ) when I was young and it was never discussed between us.
Me too! Sheldon on (TBBT) never mentioned the other woman, it could have been Mary.,
Are you sure he didn’t? I can’t remember which episode exactly but I think it may have been Amy who asked about his incessive knocking and he said he walked in on his father with another woman or the neighbor. May not be the exact words but somewhere in that context.
This is how I think they should handle it as well. Mary used “being at bible study” as an excuse to knock boots with George. Sheldon believed Mary was at bible study so assumed it was another woman. George never talked to Sheldon about it out of embarrassment at being caught having sex, not out of being with another woman. So they address future Sheldon’s memory, but it turns out to not really be anything bad.
But of course they never ask me about plots, so who knows.
I agree with this idea that is was Mary & she wasn’t at Bible study.
Since Young Sheldon was in complete shock and traumatized walking in on George (in the middle of the day no less) he probably didn’t even look or notice that it was his mother. Thus sex was therefore referred to as coitus for the rest of his life.
I like the idea of it being Mary In bed with George all along. And Sheldon making that comment to Penny, that he caught his dad cheating , to be his one mistake he’s ever made. Tie it in with that scene where he says he has never made a mistake and if he ever did he would admit it. Well he did make a mistake in his childhood and just didn’t know it until he was older. The married Sheldon could let the audience know.!
It doesn’t make sense that George would bring a woman into HIS house to have sex, thereby risking the potential to get caught. So yes, it needs to be Mary.
Absolutely! George is most definitely NOT a stupid man! No way would he bring another woman into his house/bed. I hope the powers that be do the only logical thing and make it Mary in bed with her husband! We know George is supposed to die during Sheldon’s youth. I just hope George and Mary rediscover their love before he dies!
Totally agree with you. I thought It could be Mary. She hasn’t been going to bible study for a while now and she and George have been pretty dandy lately too. I hope this is how they play it.
Agree!
In the BBT clip above, Sheldon says his mom was at bible study & his dad was with another woman. He’s very clear that he witnessed an affair
And had it been Mary she would’ve 100% forced an awkward conversation on Sheldon about God, parents, and sex. I really like George too, but I think they should not retcon his affair. Mary made lots of comments on it in TBBT too
Right now Mary is not attending church functions, so when we see her attending Bible study again, we’ll know we’re closer to the timeframe of BBT-Sheldon’s story.
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But I could easily see adult Sheldon in a voiceover on YS adding additional context to “rewrite” what 13-year-old Sheldon saw. After all, 6 seasons in, does any fan of Young Sheldon really want George to be a villain?
George is a good guy save him!
Forget the supposed infidelity, when does George die?
Mary is becoming a religious shrew the more we watch. Cannot stand her holier-than-thou attitude.
I thought she would be brought down a peg or two when her “church” turned their back on her and her family.
They still have to split first, don’t they?
If I recall correctly, George dies when Sheldon and Missy are 14.
Correct. And that situation, as painful as it will be also needs to occur to stay truthful and honest with Sheldon’s timeline.
No it doesn’t. All it needs is for the adult Shelton’s voice over to explain what happened and why to him it was “the day my father died”. Even though Mary with her bible bashing background might have forgiven George straight away. Meemaw would have dismissed it and probably blamed Mary for being little miss frosty knickers. And, George jr and Missy would have been talked around by Meemaw. Sheldon though is “special” and holds grudges, enough to tell others his dad died.
Except that he died of a heart attack so this does not work. In my opinion, the best parts of Young Sheldon are Georgie, Meemaw, Missy and Mandy. George and Mary are ok and have some good moments. After 12 years of TBBT and being in Season 6 of Young Sheldon, Sheldon has become the least interesting part of the show. Having George still die and having Georgie and Meemaw step up and keep the family together while Mary grieves and protecting Sheldon could be interesting to me.
I completely agree that Sheldon has become a non-entity in his own show. I enjoy the rest of his family more. Perhaps this kind of shake-up could bring him back into the fold more. Right now he’s totally isolated, boring, and dislikable.
How about this: the woman Sheldon sees is Missy who has put on a wig. She is performing CPR on her dad. Sheldon doesn’t realize it and runs off and locks himself in his room. Missy hears him and tries to get him to help. When he opens the door and sees Missy he realizes his mistake he tries to
help but it’s to late. A few minutes go by and the silence is broken by the sound of an ambulance and paramedics rushing George to the hospital. By the time Mary arrive George has passed.
So Mary’s know it all behavior bothers you, but not Sheldon’s?
Oh, no, his behavior is annoying as hell too.
The older he gets the meaner and more self-involved he gets.
Not a good look. Iain is not a cute little boy anymore, where anything he says can be forgiven because he doesn’t know any better. He is definitely reaching the point of being an a-hole. Just like he is as a grown up.
I hesitate calling Sheldon “mean”. Haven’t we pretty much come to accept that he’s somewhere on the Autism spectrum? He’s just brutally honest because he doesn’t have any kind of filter.
Have they said he’s on the spectrum? Remember, his mom had him tested 😛😛
Yeah, mean is not the correct word.
Selfish? That’s kind of the same as self-involved.
He’s a spoiled brat. He gets his way every time.
He feels entitled, again, because he knows he’s a genius.
Exactly.
I absolutely agree with you. He’s at that point where a good slap in the face is in order. He’s an intellectual bully. And those can often hurt you more than a physical bully. Physical pain goes away. Mental anguish stays in the mind for ever.
Sheldon plainly told Penny that it was “another” woman. I think the story needs to stay true to the prequel.
But they could theoretically say it was Mary and Sheldon just assumed it was someone else because he thought he knew his mom wasn’t home. I’m not saying they necessarily should but without the other woman named, I think they have a little wiggle room.
I agree. Make that be his one mistake he admits he made. In the voiceover he can say he found out from his mom after they talked about it when his first child was born for example. Kind of a “I do wish dad was here but I’m still mad at him for cheating on you” sort of thing…
IMO —this has to be addressed the knocking 3 times is an Iconic Sheldon trait on Big Bang
If it’s going to be a spin-off from The Big Bang Theory it should play all the way through how the story was told because it won’t be a spin-off if the truth of the show don’t be in complete completed especially if you going to show the part where he died now what makes sense go all the way through with the story.
Re Young Sheldon
I am not so much concerned with Sheldon’s squabbling parents as I am at Sheldon the teen & how the writers deal with a growing Sheldon.
I do love Big Ban, Youbg Sheldon. A lot of good laughs considering world events. People need fun escapes. 💞👍
I agree with you 100% Norrie. I always thought they should have cast a younger boy as Sheldon. Iain is wonderful but he’s getting too old. The older he gets, the less funny the show becomes. I don’t like it as much as I used to cause he’s not a cute little kid anymore.
That’s always a problem with shows when the kids grow up. This show is becoming less and less about Sheldon.
That makes no sense. So u think its a good idea to recast a young kid to play sheldon to what, go back to high school? He is 13 now and in college, if i remember right in a year or 2 he ‘s suppose to be getting his phd, and moving to california (big bang). This isn’t the simpsons were they’re kids forever.
While Young Sheldon was premised on The Big Bang Theory it has grown and blossomed on its own. It’sa show that stands on its own and it’s entertaining on its own. There’s enough lies, cheating, and deceit in the world. Let’s leave this as a fun sitcom, not a dramedy. If it gets any darker I will quit watching it.
Besides, George has some of the best lines in his deadpan way!
I know this sounds kind of strange, but Young Sheldon could eventually have to pack adult Sheldon off to Pasadena and his life in Big Bang and carry on without him. There is enough of a story in Meemaw, Mary, Missy and the Georges to carry on with Sheldon having left the family group. That way we get to see what the Coopers did whilst Sheldon was off doing his Big Bang story.
That’s a great idea! Then in some episodes Mary can be gone because Sheldon’s friend, Leonard, had her fly to California to help Sheldon through some bad times! It would connect with TBBT shows!
I for one would prefer that the infidelity issue be avoided. I enjoy the family aspect of Young Sheldon, as tattered as it may seem sometime. I don’t want to introduce too much drama into one of my most cherished sitcoms.
Agreed
100% agree with Tom.
Re my comment on Young Sheldon, sorry for spelling errors as popups got in the way. Yay to Big Bang, Young Sheldon. Love all the actors and behind scenes 💞
You cannot retcon Sheldon. He remembers everything vividly and YS is truly starting to bother me now that it seems to want to write BBT history. That’s just wrong and I will stop watching.
Really…eidetic memory kind of implies that his memory is perfect. NO retconning!
I was just coming here to say this, his eidetic memory has been referenced multiple times on both TBBT and YS. You can’t really retcon that.
He has also been known to misinterpret things. However, having it be Mary in bed with George doesn’t retcon anything and keeps George a decent guy.
I think they should have Sheldon walk in on “something”… perhaps Sheldon saw something that he considered “relations” that may not have actually involved sex. Who knows with Sheldon, he is as naive as he is smart. I am still upset Sheldon didn’t give a “wink” to YS and thank Dr. Sturges in his NPP acceptance.
While I realize that is what happened but they’ve had so many problems that I’d like to see some happiness in the family. I’m sure there’s a way to make it work. Maybe Brenda moves instead of destroying a family and hurting someone who thinks she’s a friend.
His infidelity, or at least a relationship with another woman, has to happen before he passes, because Sheldon mentions his Dad being with a bottle blonde bartender who tries to buy his love with action figures.
I always hated when a comedy brought in tragedies, like infidelity, cancer or other life threatening disease and death. They should skip over all those things. That’s when I stop watching the “comedy” cause it’s no longer a comedy. I watch a comedy to forget my problems and real life and laugh. I always loved Mad About You but stopped watching when it got too real. And I’ll do the same with Sheldon.
Nor should they kill off George. It would severly negatively impact the dynamics of the show
The events of his childhood, make Sheldon the adult we know. If this is ret-conned, why will he knock 3 times before entering a room? I’m sure other character traits he’s known for will also be affected. Keep YS true to TBBT
My whole family watches Young Sheldon and we have seen all of The Big Bang Theory. Please ignore the part of Sheldon walking in on his father. Make it a part that never happens along with George passing away. George completes this family and it would be great to see him to the end of this series. George is the glue that holds this whole family together.
If its canon keep it canon
Sheldon is an unreliable narrator. He may see something between Brenda and George that he misinterprets as intimacy, but is something more innocent, like a kiss, a hug, or a good-bye. George would never commit adultery in the home where his wife and children live.
Of all the comments I’ve read here, yours is the most on-point. Whatever George may or may not do, I agree with you that he would not commit adultery in the home of his wife and kids.
He wouldn’t have to—Brenda has her own house with no spouse to avoid.
I’m all for Sheldon misconstruing what he saw—he’s pretty naive, despite his genius—and if they never speak of it, there’s no reason to expect him to know any differently until his own experiences help shed light on the situation.
Agree. Make it a mistake Sheldon made.
Such a great point! I vote to have it be Sheldon’s mistake. Close calls with Brenda but never actual physical contact. Actually ready to wrap up the Brenda/George scenario.
They need to stay true to the story but I think they could alter it a bit. I know people are dumb but if it was Brenda and she’s divorced, why not send her kid outside to count eggs and do it at her house? He’d be there all day. Instead of doing the deed in George’s house full of kids with MeeMaw across the street. I think MeeMaw needs to take Mary to buy an outfit with a wig to spice things up. Sheldon can see the hair and Mary can be too embarrassed to say anything. Narrator Sheldon can say after he had kids he finally told his mom what he saw and she fessed up. It would give Sheldon closure and keep George’s integrity (aside from the emotional affair) intact.
I was thinking about a “wig scenario” here as well! Which would fit/be understandable given George & Mary’s marital problems.
This is a great solution and could make good comedy as well!
Plus, Mary’s been writing the romance novel and has been a bit more “frisky” lately, which has kept George interested. A wig and some role-playing fantasy would be a natural next step — and a great way to wiggle out of the set-up left to us by TBBT without hurting the original.
Ohhh good point! I forgot about her novel!
I’d forgotten it too, LOL, which is why it is in a separate comment!
I agree. I think it was Mary in wig and makeup role playing one of her fantasy encounters from her novel. The scene could play out as what Sheldon saw and a very embarassed Mary coming out from under the covers. Beside Mary could not be at bible study having been shunned by her church members and study group
Excellent point.
That is the perfect solution and would be very comical while saving TBBT scenario. And pleeease let George live!
It could be good comedy. I agree with the comment above too – Sheldon as a young kid doesn’t exactly understand intimacy and relationships making him an unreliable narrator. I don’t think George would do that in their house. He’s anxious when he’s alone with her in the chicken coop. Plus, Mary could use some spicing up while she’s on her church leave. Plus, besides her faults I like Brenda. I don’t want her to be their homewrecker.
Sheldon, could have just taken the fact his Dad and Brenda were in his parents bedroom together, and taken any show of empathy between them, i.e. a hug, as they were having coitus. Sheldon freaked, ran, and as time went on, in his mind, the scene got worse, from a hug to hot Texas coitus.
It’s a tough one because we’re seeing perspective that we never had on TBBT. George is clearly a much better father than we ever saw on there, and Mary is far from blameless in the current distance between her and George and is also “emotionally cheating” with Pastor Rob.
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We know Sheldon frequently misinterprets things, but I don’t see how they can write around him seeing George in bed with another woman.
Maybe they could reflect back on it as a dream and didn’t really happen.
They can say it was a dream. Lol it’s worked for shows like Dallas back in the day. Maybe they can use it to their advantage by having the ability to recreate the past. Maybe to correct what Sheldon actually saw versus what he thinks he saw. Lol 😝
And how did “the whole season was a dream” go over? It’s mocked to this day (though people call it genius when Newhart did the same thing about entire SERIES).
Sheldon’s recollections of his family (and the character of Mary) on “Big Bang Theory” were always more cartoonish than as portrayed on “Young Sheldon.” I know some people disagree with this, but “Big Bang” ended years ago. I don’t care if the “Young Sheldon” storylines match it perfectly. (Heck, we could just say there was some kind of time-travel paradox that changed the past, like in virtually every superhero and sci-fi franchise — I’m sure Sheldon would enjoy that.)
We can’t say that, because that’s not a thing.
Have you never actually seen a superhero or sci-fi franchise? Or heard a joke?
I recently watched the whole series of Big Bang Theory and I knew they would whitewash Sheldon’s history on the spin-off. Cowards! I didn’t expect them to get hardcore on a network sitcom but it could’ve had some edge like Married with Children, or heck, the dad could’ve been an aloof grump like the dad on The Goldbergs. But nah they took the wimpy way out!
I understand it’s a prequel show, but I never watched TBBT and would be happy with YS going it’s own way. I don’t want to have George cheat or die.
Me too. I would catch a random YS episode in the middle of the night and would find myself laughing, so I finally binged the series on hbo last summer. I’ve tried to do the same with BBT but I find Sheldon more frustrating annoying while young Sheldon is a funny slightly naive kid. Plus, I love Annie as Connie, she’s definitely the best.
It’s easy enough for them to keep Sheldon walking in on his dad and another woman but him misinterpreting it since he was 13 and now has the benefit of hindsight/wisdom that he didn’t have at that age or during his TBBT days.
The main problem with George’s “affair” (which may or may not be what Sheldon saw,, there are plenty of ways for Sheldon to have been mistaken) is that it’s soon followed by his death. Which leads to an even bigger question: Should the show continue past that point?
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If they do wind up following TBBT canon, even if they tweak the truth of some of it, George’s death is what truly fractures the remaining family. Having seen and experienced what can happen to a famly dealing with grief following a major loss, I can say it would be a very dark turn for the show and likely not very entertaining.
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I personally feel that the show should end following George’s death, with Sheldon leaving Texas for higher education. We’ll have seen the majority of Sheldon’s life-shaping experiences by then, Iain Armitage is growing up fast, and the show would practically be rebooted after that event, anyway.
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And maybe we don’t even have to SEE George’s death, maybe it can happen off-screen, the next-to-last episode, before something of a time jump for the series finale. Maybe that would keep the show from ending on a completely down note.
I agree with this. I’ve often wondered once he passes how they’ll continue the show. With the cast aging they can’t go on much longer if they’re sticking with the original ages from BBT.
This is Sheldon Cooper. Just because he told someone his father died, doesn’t mean he did. Sheldon is quite capable of shutting down further conversation about his father by telling everyone he died. He might never have spoken to him again, even though everyone else moved on amicably with lives together. Sheldon holds grudges. But I can even see a scenario where years later George Sr whilst taking a drink from a freshly opened bottle asks Sheldon if he still tells people he’s dead.
If George Sr. was still alive, someone from his family would have mentioned it in passing during TBBT. Meemaw would’ve “slipped.” Georgie alone wouldn’t have explained his grudge against Sheldon as he did. Mary would’ve used it against him to make a point, even if everyone had agreed to some weird kind of mutual gaslighting to keep Sheldon happy. “Dead” and “dead to me” are two different things that would be incredibly difficult to force an entire family to claim are one and the same. You can retcon what Sheldon thought he saw into a misunderstanding, but death is death.
NICE!