Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Young Sheldon season 6, episode 5.While Young Sheldon season 6 has not yet depicted the tragic death of Sheldon’s father George Sr, the show did hint at this plot development with a seemingly benign line from Missy. The characters seen in Young Sheldon are not identical to their counterparts in The Big Bang Theory, but there is a good reason for this inconsistency. The death of Sheldon’s father George Sr affects everyone from George Jr to Meemaw to Mary, meaning their characters are all different by the time the action of The Big Bang Theory begins.
While Young Sheldon season 6’s Mary Cooper is starting to lighten up and discover the joys of romance novels, sex, and drinking since she was exiled from her church, The Big Bang Theory has already proven that her newly laid-back attitude is undone by her husband’s untimely death. The sitcom spinoff already hinted at this event with one line from Young Sheldon season 6, episode 5 “A Resident Advisor and the Word Sketchy.” When George Sr and Mary were exchanging sweet nothings over breakfast, Missy was perturbed by their change in behavior and asked if one of the pair was dying. The line was tragic in retrospect, despite the characters not realizing it at the time, because of George Sr's inevitable fate.
How Young Sheldon Foreshadowed George Sr’s Death
Missy assumed one of her parents must be seriously ill if the pair were open to kissing each other in front of their daughter. Technically, George Sr’s Young Sheldon death is due to occur sometime around season 6, so Missy's guess is not far wrong. However, the cause of the duo’s renewed intimacy has more to do with Mary loosening up than any awareness of George Sr’s limited time. George Sr and Mary have no clue that George Sr is so close to his death (which, according to The Big Bang Theory’s version of events, occurs when Sheldon is around 12 or 13). As such, they have no way of knowing how right Missy’s assumption is.
Why Young Sheldon Season 6’s Hint Was So Tragic
Missy’s throwaway line wasn’t a serious inquiry, with her character mostly trying to shame her parents out of their newfound intimacy since it made her uncomfortable, and, with Sheldon and Georgie nowhere to be seen, she was the only one affected by it. However, by bringing up the impending event, Young Sheldon season 6 reminded viewers that Georgie’s attempts to woo Mandy, Mary and George Sr’s renewed interest in each other and even Missy’s own character arc are all soon to be derailed by this tragedy. What makes this moment so sad was the fact that Missy couldn’t imagine her parents getting intimate unless circumstances were drastic.
For a long time, it seemed as though Young Sheldon was going to make Mary and George’s marriage gradually worse to take the sting out of George Sr’s death. However, Young Sheldon reversed this approach, reuniting the pair repeatedly in season 6 and making George Sr’s upcoming passing much sadder in the process. If the pair were distant and engaged in extramarital affairs when George died, then the event might have been less brutal but, instead, Young Sheldon season 6 cut this dark plot in favor of making Mary and George Sr closer than ever. As a result, Missy’s sudden reminder of George Sr’s sad fate was a dark bit of foreshadowing from Young Sheldon.
Young Sheldon season 6 airs Thursdays on CBS.