Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 5.
Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8 accidentally creates a The Big Bang Theory plot hole. CBS' premier sitcom has been doing a great job building on the narrative of its parent series in its latest season. Just this season alone, Young Sheldon already explained why the adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) really hates engineering and even resolved its oldest The Big Bang Theory plot hole by giving the Cooper twins separate bedrooms. But the prequel has also contradicted the original show in a few ways, including one that questions an early interaction between Sheldon and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) in The Big Bang Theory.
Noticeably, earlier episodes of Young Sheldon season 5 broadened their focus beyond the titular character. The sitcom opted to put the spotlight on other members of the Cooper family. For starters, it lays the groundwork for George's (Lance Barber) future cheating scandal by seeing him growing closer with his newly-single neighbor, Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman). Meanwhile, Missy (Raegan Revord) and Mary's (Zoe Perry) relationship becomes more difficult following an awkward conversation about sex. Finally, Meemaw (Annie Potts) and Georgie (Montana Jordan) team up for their laundry/gambling business. But Sheldon has been gradually retaking the spotlight with the last few episodes of Young Sheldon season 5 focusing on some of his adventures in school.
Amidst the socially-inept genius' latest struggle at East Texas Tech after he was duped by the institution's president, Sheldon found some guidance from his parents. In Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8, "The Grand Chancellor and a Den of Sin," Mary encourages his honest behavior, saying that she hopes her son doesn't become jaded and start lying. George is more realistic, on the other hand; he tells Sheldon the harsh reality that everyone lies, but lying isn't always bad. Sometimes, one lies to protect others from getting hurt by the truth. Sheldon has a difficult time accepting this, which is a big reason why Sheldon's behavior toward his friends in Big Bang Theory was often rude and insensitive to others' feelings. In fact, Leonard had to teach Sheldon the same lesson during the very first year of the geek-centric sitcom.
George's advice in Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8 was the same words of wisdom Leonard shared with Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory season 1, episode 10, "The Loobenfeld Decay." At that point, Sheldon was uncomfortable with the fact that they lied to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) about going to a symposium to get out of watching her sing at a showcase. Considering Sheldon's eidetic memory, not to mention his penchant for sharing about his childhood experiences in Texas, it's odd that he didn't mention that Leonard was repeating the same lesson his dad attempted to teach him when he was 11 years old. The very least Young Sheldon could've done was include adult Sheldon pointing this nifty detail through his narration.
This proves yet again that Sheldon's recollection of his dad in The Big Bang Theory wasn't exactly reliable. Ever since Young Sheldon debuted in 2017, audiences have questioned the sitcom's depiction of George as a decent, even good family man, a stark contrast to how Sheldon remembered him later. George knows this, too, as he often feels under-appreciated at home. Adult Sheldon and Mary (Laurie Metcalf) ragged on him for years in the original sitcom, and since their stories always painted the Cooper patriarch as a bad father, many accepted it as the truth. Yet the prequel spinoff has presented a different, better version of the character with its parent series' depiction of him, with Young Sheldon showing audiences what actually happened during Sheldon's childhood years living with his family in Texas and showing his memory may be selectively faulty when it comes to his dad.
Young Sheldon releases new episodes every Thursday on CBS.