Mary and her family are joined by their closest friends and colleagues for George’s funeral, but one Cooper family member is missing from the event, making the Young Sheldon finale more heartbreaking. Undoubtedly The Big Bang Theory universe’s most emotional offering, the Young Sheldon finale had the challenging task of dealing with the aftermath of George’s fatal heart attack. Appropriately titled “Funeral,” the first half of the series capper focuses on the family as they cope with the loss. George’s service also doubles as a way to bring back as many familiar faces to Young Sheldon before it wraps up.
George’s death was a long time coming in Young Sheldon. Established in The Big Bang Theory, the Cooper patriarch’s demise was looming in the prequel throughout its run. A couple of times in the show, it teased the tragedy happening, but considering how beloved George became, the writers had no choice but to delay it back to the final season, ensuring that Sheldon’s dad would have as much time as he could with the family. However, unlike retconning George’s cheating scandal, Young Sheldon didn’t have any choice but to stick with canon and tackle the end of the character.
George’s Sister Doesn’t Attend His Funeral In The Young Sheldon Finale
Sheldon First Mentioned His Aunt Ruth In The Big Bang Theory.
Considering the limited screen time, some plot points were either dropped or rushed in the final Young Sheldon season. Some notable players didn’t get to return, such as McKenna Grace, resulting in Paige’s fate becoming Young Sheldon’s biggest remaining mystery. Aside from her, however, there’s another character who should have at least attended the funeral: Ruth — George’s sister. Initially established in The Big Bang Theory during one of Sheldon’s rants about his childhood in Texas, Young Sheldon reaffirmed her existence in season 2, when Mary invited Veronica Duncan to stay with them as she dealt with issues at home.
Ruth never made any physical appearance in Young Sheldon, although based on the Cooper kids’ story, she previously stayed with them, and they weren’t particularly happy about it.
Still, since she is George’s sister, she should have made an appearance at his funeral, perhaps even stayed close with Mary and the kids during the crisis. However, there was no trace of her during the service. Ruth also wasn’t mentioned, making her absence much more peculiar. Regardless of where she is based, she should have made the trip to Medford to say goodbye to his brother.
Ruth’s Absence Highlights How Devoted George Was To His Family
George Was Fully Devoted To Mary And The Kids.
George once admitted to Mary that he was miserably unhappy in Young Sheldon. While he didn’t usually talk about his regrets, he cited that he had to sacrifice so much for his wife and the kids. His life revolved around providing for them and making sure that they grew up properly. This was around the time that issues in their marriage were piling up, allowing George to develop a borderline-inappropriate friendship with Brenda Sparks. Subsequently, Mary got too close to Pastor Rob. The Cooper patriarch maintained his dynamic with his next-door neighbor because his loneliness made him crave good company.
Admittedly, George wasn’t a perfect family man, but looking at his life in hindsight, there is no doubt that he loved his wife and kids. While he had his mistakes and trouble connecting to all of them, it’s worth noting that Mary and the children could have also done a better job with their respective relationships with him. Not having his side of his family during his funeral highlights just how isolated George had been from his original family because he was focused on Mary and the kids. At the very least, his wife had Meemaw nearby for personal support.
How Young Sheldon Season 7 Made George’s Death Even More Heartbreaking
George’s Life Was Getting Better After Years Of Struggles Before He Died.
George’s personal life in Young Sheldon wasn’t always focused on. His experiences being a football coach at Medford High School were highlighted during the show’s earliest years, but as Sheldon and Georgie both moved on from the academic institution, George’s stories were mostly about how he fit in with the rest of the Coopers. That all changed, however, in Young Sheldon season 7, when he was finally getting lucky breaks. Not long before his unexpected death, he was offered his dream job to join the coaching staff at Rice. Surprisingly, everyone was supportive of this move for him — even Meemaw.
In the bigger scheme of things, George’s life was also turning for the better in Young Sheldon season 7.
In the bigger scheme of things, George’s life was also turning for the better in Young Sheldon season 7. His marriage with Mary was finally at a great point after several years of turmoil.
Sheldon valued his opinion, as evidenced by relegating duties to sift through all his possible post-grad school options. Missy was no longer in rebellion mode after her emotional apology to him in the Young Sheldon season 6 finale. Meanwhile, Georgie was better connected to him because of the birth of Cece. George’s last conversation with his firstborn was of him indulging Georgie’s aspirations of being wealthy.
The Cooper patriarch was on the cusp of living the life he long waited for. He was happy with the way things were going even before it got even better when he was offered the new coaching opportunity. All these good things that happened to him and his family made his death so much more gut-wrenching, and George’s final Young Sheldon words perfectly highlighted that.