Although the moment almost arrived too late, Young Sheldon season 7 finally fixed George Sr. and Meemaw’s relationship before The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff said goodbye to its supporting star. Young Sheldon’s George Sr. death was always guaranteed to be tragic. The Big Bang Theory’s creator Chuck Lorre even admitted as much in his vanity card at the end of Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12, “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture.” There, he said that, when the original show’s creators decided Sheldon’s father died during his adolescence, they didn’t know they would come to love George Sr.
All of Young Sheldon’s cast of characters are likable, but George Sr.’s canonical fate made him a particularly poignant figure. Viewers knew he wouldn’t get to see Sheldon and Missy’s weddings or Cece growing up, which made his everyday adventures bittersweet. After Young Sheldon’s season 6 finale, it was hard for George Sr.’s storylines not to feel tinged with sadness when the audience knew how soon his demise would arrive. This made the decision to fix George Sr. and Meemaw’s Young Sheldon relationship at the last possible moment a particularly sweet one that improved the show’s dynamic.
Meemaw Complimented George Sr In Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 12
Meemaw Told George Sr His Job Offer Was Exciting
Early in “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture,” George Sr. informed the Cooper family that he was taking a job with Rice University. Meemaw admitted that this job was impressive and congratulated George Sr., which is by far the nicest interaction the pair shared in season 7. When they last spoke, Meemaw was strong-arming George Sr. into sweet-talking her parole officer and then berating him when his attempts failed. Before that, she was insulting his weight, and, an episode earlier, he was laughing upon finding out that she had been arrested. Their relationship had been testy at best.
While Meemaw and George Sr. always had their differences, season 7 leaned into the meaner side of their dynamic. Luckily, Young Sheldon’s version of Meemaw seemingly took the advice of her parole officer Rhonda to heart. Her compliments to George Sr. were sincere and sweet, and they made his announcement a rare nice moment during the family dinner. With Georgie asking whether Rice-A-Roni had offered his father a job and Sheldon storming off to his room in protest of the move the role required, Meemaw’s unexpected sincerity was arguably the family’s best reaction outside of Mary’s unwavering support.
Young Sheldon Season 7 Fixed Meemaw and George Sr’s Relationship At The Last Second
The Pair Fought Only Two Episodes Earlier
In “A Fancy Article and a Scholarship for a Baby,” Meemaw insulted George Sr.’s eating habits, leading George Sr. to defend his fitness. This conversation proved horribly prescient when he died of a sudden heart attack only weeks later. As such, the pair’s conciliatory exchange was perfectly timed in “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture.” George Sr.’s Young Sheldon death remained heartbreaking, but it was nice to know that he and Meemaw parted on good terms. This made Young Sheldon’s saddest moment a bit more bearable in The Big Bang Theory’s surprisingly moving spinoff.
