Young Sheldon Explains Why George Really Cheated
During Sheldon and his father’s talk in Young Sheldon season 5, George subtly explains why he cheated on Mary – a moment referenced throughout TBBT.
While George’s affair has not been shown directly on Young Sheldon, there are subtle hints and allusions to his behavior and the impact it has on his family.
Warning! Contains spoilers for Young Sheldon season 6!
George (Lance Barber) subtly explains the reason for cheating on his wife in Young Sheldon season 5, but season 6 has left viewers wondering exactly when George cheated on Mary as The Big Bang Theory established. Out of all the bad things Sheldon and Mary said on TBBT about George, Sheldon’s confession about catching his father having sex with a different woman was arguably the worst. Since then, viewers have been waiting for Young Sheldon to reveal what really happened, and answer the question of did Sheldon’s dad cheat. After years of skirting around it, the spin-off has finally started to lay the groundwork for the moment when the Young Sheldon dad cheats.
By the end of season 6, however, a certain conversation left viewer wondering if George had already cheated on Mary. The Young Sheldon dad cheats scandal is discussed openly in TBBT, and the spinoff does an excellent job of making sure that Sheldon’s father lives up to his reputation, despite sometimes being depicted as caring. Now that Young Sheldon season 6 is over, and the show is approaching the inevitable events of George’s affair and death, showrunners are finally getting to the details behind why the adult Sheldon Cooper has the compulsion to knock three times, the answer to does George cheat on Mary, and George’s justification for his adultery.
Young Sheldon Season 5 Explains Why George Cheats On Mary
Sheldon’s Dad Cheating Went On In The Background
Young Sheldon season 5 was particularly active in setting up when the Young Sheldon dad cheats and confirms that George did cheat on Mary. His budding relationship and obvious attraction towards his newly single neighbor, Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman), appears to be the beginning of his unfaithfulness. While the pair technically haven’t done anything wrong, George seems well aware of his temptations. In Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8, Sheldon has a conversation with his dad about how East Texas Tech’s president bluffed about the existence of a so-called Grand Chancellor who oversees the school’s operations.
Attempting to make the experience a learning lesson, Young Sheldon’s George says that there are some instances where lying is acceptable, including when one wants to spare another’s feelings when the truth surely hurts. But this still doesn’t explain why George cheats on Mary, but it does show how he rationalizes his lapses in loyalty.
Considering Young Sheldon’s George admits that he’s unhappy with his life, this could be interpreted as him justifying being unfaithful to his family, but it was also seen as proof by many that George did cheat on Mary by this point.
Considering Young Sheldon’s George admits that he’s unhappy with his life, this could be interpreted as him justifying being unfaithful to his family, but it was also seen as proof by many that George did cheat on Mary by this point. Since his big fight with Mary (Zoe Perry) in the Young Sheldon season 4 finale, the issue has never been discussed again. George doesn’t want to hurt his wife and kids by suggesting a divorce, despite his personal feelings.
However, he also can’t stand being miserable, which could also point to the fact that George had already cheated on Mary by season 5, with the affair a longstanding thing rather than a one-off incident interrupted by Sheldon. Instead of being truthful about what he’s going through, George ultimately decides to privately address his woes by finding solace in the company of another woman. The reason Young Sheldon hasn’t shown it directly is that Sheldon is still the audience’s primary window into the Cooper home, and since Sheldon wasn’t aware of it, the showrunners have been able to keep George’s affair ticking along in the background through many hints and allusions.
Obviously, this is still the wrong way to approach the matter. Despite his clear distress, George’s affair can’t be justified by Mary’s flaws. However, having this mentality implies that he believes lying, in general, can be rationalized. Whether George’s affair has something to do with his attraction to Brenda (and her proposition) is uncertain, though highly likely, in Young Sheldon.
How Young Sheldon Set Up George’s Affair
George has already been lying about his relationship with his neighbor for a while in Young Sheldon, suggesting that George did cheat on Mary. He has refused to divulge what exactly happened between him and Brenda the night they met at the local pub. That night, Brenda propositioned George Cooper Sr. in Young Sheldon season 5, episode 1. After their night out, she suggests that they go back to her place because her kids are spending time with their estranged father.
Had Young Sheldon’s George not experienced a medical emergency at that very moment, he would likely have gone home with his neighbor due to growing tensions within his household. In addition, life for Sheldon’s father spiraled as Young Sheldon season 5 showed the effects of George losing his job — something discussed in The Big Bang Theory. Considering that the Cooper family patriarch fell on hard times, coupled with the fact that he and Brenda’s flirtatious relationship is only heating up, it seemed like George’s affair was imminent.
As The Big Bang Theory spinoff series continues after season 6, audiences will inevitably get to see everything that the adult Sheldon and Mary revealed about the Cooper patriarch within the confines of the parent show. Young Sheldon’s George is going through changes that clearly mark his downward arc, starting with his health crisis, his job out the window, and ultimately ending with George’s affair. With Young Sheldon season 5 featuring the pair spending way too much time with each other, and season 6 putting further constraints on George’s marriage, perhaps the sitcom can finally make strides in terms of advancing what seems like a budding affair involving the couple.
How George’s Affair Impacts Young Sheldon’s Story
Sheldon’s Dad’s Infidelity Has Lingered Over The Spinoff
George’s affair may be happening offscreen, and TBBT confirmed that George did cheat on Mary, but its effects are certainly causing him to spiral more into the character described in The Big Bang Theory. George Sr.’s burgeoning secret is just now starting to affect the family as a whole, and it may have more significant implications on the community featured in Young Sheldon. Season 5, episode 2 kicks off with Meemaw spying on Sheldon’s father in an attempt to figure out what his secret is. She starts asking around the bar about the night previously when Brenda first propositioned George, but he ended up having a heart attack.
The cheating storyline in season 5 moves away for a brief time to cover Georgie’s arc. However, the slow descent into an affair picks back up again in Young Sheldon season 5, episode 9, when George starts fixing things around Brenda’s house. Things really get complicated in episode 22, when Mary finds a job at a bowling alley, working alongside Brenda Sparks, a job she eventually quits when things come to a head, and she demands to know if Brenda had an affair with George.
Clues to his TBBT characterization start taking effect towards the end of the season when he quits his job, and rather than finding a new one, he drinks and mopes around the house while Mary hits the pavement. Things will only be complicated further in Sheldon’s family since Brenda is so intertwined with their lives. So, while George Sr.’s affair hasn’t happened onscreen in Young Sheldon, season 7 is sure to bring the cheating scandal out into the open, creating a bombshell revelation for the Cooper family and finally proving that George did cheat on Mary.
How Georges Cheating Got Exposed In Young Sheldon Season 6
The Affair Was Revealed Through Subtled Dialogue
While The Big Bang Theory confirms multiple times that George did cheat on Mary, season 6 of Young Sheldon has come and gone, the affair has yet to be seen on the screen. That doesn’t mean that George Cooper cheating hasn’t happened. However, a conversation between Mary and Brenda hinted that Brenda might not have been his mistress. In the Young Sheldon episode “German Folk Song and An Actual Adult,” things reach a boiling point between Mary and Brenda, and the former quits her bowling alley job and storms out, with Brenda following her. Mary accuses Brenda of cheating with George, but Brenda tells her side of the story.
The two reconcile, and based on Brenda’s reaction, she may not be George’s mistress — unless she was lying to Mary to smooth things over. However, the topic of extramarital relations is starting to be discussed between Mary and George. When Mandy gives birth in “A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being,” both Brenda and Pastor Rob happen to show up at the hospital, causing Mary and George to both ask one another if they’re having affairs. It’s worth mentioning that Pastor Rob’s relationship with Mary is being used by Young Sheldon as almost an excuse for the fact that George did cheat on Mary at some point.
The Big Bang Theory established that George did cheat on Mary, but Young Sheldon is severely confusing the issue. The only other things that are pointing to a possible affair are subtle hints of George’s behavior. “Little Green Men and A Fella’s Marriage Proposal,” sees George almost non-existent and has no account for his whereabouts, proving that he could be out and about with his mistress. He also is much more tired than usual when watching TV with Sheldon, another hint that George could be drained from keeping his affair a secret. He’s also not driving Missy to school, a mystery that Young Sheldon has set up but hasn’t solved.
