After seven seasons, “Young Sheldon” came to a close in 2024, bringing this chapter of Sheldon Cooper’s (Iain Armitage) story to a sad end — the final few episodes covered the death of Sheldon’s dad and the aftermath of his passing. Those who watched “The Big Bang Theory” knew this was coming, but it still came as a blow to everyone who got to know and love this previously misunderstood character over the years. The whole thing was handled beautifully, with great acting and some memorable lines — some of which actually mean more than viewers may have realized at the time.
Season 7 has several lines with deeper meaning than is initially apparent, and there are many more scattered throughout earlier seasons of “Young Sheldon.” These are especially impactful if you’ve seen “The Big Bang Theory,” with the writers using “Young Sheldon” to fill in some gaps and plug some plot holes, all while subverting viewer expectations: Sheldon always made his dad out to be a real waste of space in the mothership show, but the spin-off confirms that Sheldon is in fact an unreliable narrator in several respects, letting us see with our own eyes that George Cooper (Lance Barber) wasn’t a terrible father at all.
From moments of grim foreshadowing regarding George’s sad death to spot-on predictions about Sheldon’s future as a celebrated theoretical physicist, here are some memorable lines from “Young Sheldon” that are more important than you think.
I think my husband’s having a heart attack.
Starting off “Young Sheldon” with George’s death would have been a surprise move from the creators. They didn’t go down that path, but they teased the fate of Sheldon’s father early on: Mary (Zoe Perry) finds him having a heart attack during Season 1, Episode 3, “Poker, Faith and Eggs.” George finished the episode on the mend, but this line no doubt reminded fans of the Season 7 “The Big Bang Theory” episode “The Thanksgiving Decoupling,” in which Sheldon (Jim Parsons) reveals that his dad died when he was 14-years-old. He doesn’t mention how he died, but Mary’s line in “Young Sheldon” Season 1 hints at the eventual cause of his passing.
This wouldn’t be the last close call for George: He had another heart attack in the Season 5 premiere “One Bad Night and Chaos of Selfish Desires.” His medical emergency occurs while he’s out with neighbor Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman), right as George realizes that he might have romantic feelings for her. It’s another moment that has more meaning if you’ve seen “The Big Bang Theory” — in the Season 10 episode “The Hot Tub Contamination,” Sheldon says that George cheated on Mary and that they didn’t have a chance to talk about it before he died. Ultimately, the second heart attack was just another sad reminder of the future tragedy that would occur in Season 7 of “Young Sheldon.”
I bet when you grow up, you will be surrounded by lots of smart, wonderful friends.
This line is Mary’s prophecy for Sheldon in Season 1, Episode 15, “Dolomite, Apple Slides, and a Mystery Woman.” Sadly, the 9-year-old doesn’t believe that he will ever find the perfect friend group. His doubt is the product of a failed road trip with his friend Tam (Ryan Phuong) and a 17-year-old girl named Libby (Anjelika Washington), Sheldon’s first crush. His excitement over the pending adventure is stifled when Libby reassures Mary that she has babysitting experience. The conversation makes Sheldon feel alone, but Mary tells him about her hopes for his future, a nod to the friend group he’s a part of in “The Big Bang Theory.”
Of course, Sheldon doesn’t agree. He finds making friends almost impossible, and it’s sometimes hard to watch: He plans a Nobel Prize ceremony listening party that no one attends during the Season 2 episode “A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast.” Mary is heartbroken upon seeing those empty seats. However, the episode’s ending reminds us that Mary’s prophecy from Season 1 will come true, as viewers get to see young versions of Leonard (Isaac Harger), Raj (Rishabh Prabhat), Howard (Ethan Reed Stern), Penny (Quinn Aune), Bernadette (Aj Coggeshall), and Amy (Lily Sanfelippo) on screen.
*Knock* Mom? *Knock* Dad?
Sheldon’s signature door knock became a running gag on “The Big Bang Theory.” Sheldon tells Penny in the Season 10 episode “The Hot Tub Contamination” that he knocks three times because he caught his father cheating on his mom when he was still attending college in Texas. “Young Sheldon” revealed that this was a misunderstanding on Sheldon’s part
The “Young Sheldon” Season 7 episode “Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker” is where Sheldon decides that three knocks gives people enough time to get themselves together. However, earlier versions of Sheldon’s signature knock exist. In the Season 4 episode “Graduation,” viewers hear names sandwiched in between Sheldon’s door knocks, and, going back even further, Sheldon knocks with a slight pause before saying “Mom?” in the Season 1 episode “Rockets, Communists, and the Dewey Decimal System.” Mary answers immediately, leaving no time for Sheldon to try again.