The “Young Sheldon” series finale devastated fans, as the Cooper family had to say goodbye to George Sr. (Lance Barber) once and for all. George’s death was the “Young Sheldon” moment everyone was dreading from the start, but at least it created a heartfelt moment between the titular character (Iain Armitage) and his mom, Mary (Zoe Perry), that exemplifies long-term storytelling at its finest.
On the finale, Sheldon agrees to get baptized because he knows it’s important to his very religious mother. During their emotional exchange, he says, “I don’t [believe in God], but I believe in you.” This is a callback to a scene from the pilot episode where he agrees to go to church with Mary after saying “I believe in mom,” despite being pretty open about the fact he doesn’t subscribe to the notion of a higher power.
The finale reminds viewers that Sheldon has always been willing to put his mother first, even at the expense of his own beliefs. Furthermore, the callback was intentional on the part of the show’s creators, who explained how it connects to the Big Bang Theory franchise in a significant way.
The callback is a full-circle moment on Young Sheldon
The “Young Sheldon” finale is the beginning of Mary’s journey toward becoming the ultra-religious figure we meet on “The Big Bang Theory.” While she’s always been devoted to God, she becomes more hardcore about it later in life. Season 7’s callback to the pilot was created to illustrate that character development.
While speaking to Variety, executive producer Steve Holland explained that the Cooper family matriarch was always going to throw herself into the church more after her husband’s death. With Sheldon going to college afterward, she needed him to get baptized for her own peace of mind, especially with him set to go into the world on his own. Furthermore, the mother-son exchange was a cool Easter egg to include, with Holland noting that it brought everything together full-circle. “It felt like it gave you a moment at the end where Sheldon could echo the pilot or the early episodes where he said, “I don’t believe in God, but I do believe in you.” Amen to that.
Sadly, “Young Sheldon” marks the end of shows about this particular character. Jim Parsons has ruled out a Sheldon Cooper sequel series, which is devastating, as the finale gives us a taste of what his life is like in the present day. Still, it’s better to leave viewers wanting more, right?