Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 5.
CBS' Young Sheldon hints at the reason why Sheldon is so much worse on The Big Bang Theory. Viewers continue to learn about the socially-inept genius' childhood in Medford, Texas via the spin-off. While Young Sheldon is often criticized for its lax approach to established continuity, it has also revealed new information about Sheldon that allows the audience to understand some of his quirks on The Big Bang Theory.
Young Sheldon season 5 has done a great job strengthening its ties to The Big Bang Theory. The spin-off has brought in both Simon Helberg's Howard and Mayim Bialik's Amy for voice cameos. It has also provided origins stories to Sheldon's penchant for the word "coitus," as well as his hatred for engineers. Young Sheldon's 100th episode may have also given fans a potential explanation as to why the prequel has a tamer version of Sheldon compared to The Big Bang Theory.
In the milestone episode, Sheldon's fellow child prodigy, Paige Swanson (McKenna Grace) reunites with him at East Texas Tech. But unlike the chirpy girl that she originally was, she was clearly in distress after continuously struggling to cope with college. Fans would remember that Paige was doing well until her parents split — something that she blamed herself for. Seeing how much the change in her family dynamic has affected her, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that Sheldon loses all the social and emotional skills he now has in Young Sheldon when Mary (Zoe Perry) and George’s (Lance Barber) marriage falls apart. While Paige reacted to the Swansons' divorce by rebelling, Sheldon could further embrace his inner weirdness to cope.
It is a well-established fact that Sheldon has an odd way of masking his emotions. While he appeared to be arrogant and indifferent on The Big Bang Theory, his misbehaviors weren't intentional. This was one of the reasons why the Pasadena gang was as lenient with him as they were. After catching George having sexual relations with another woman, Sheldon started the habit of knocking thrice. At first, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and the rest didn't think much about it. But, eventually, Sheldon confessed to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) about the heartbreaking reason behind his annoying practice. Perhaps, after Mary and George's relationship starts to deteriorate, Sheldon started to alienate himself as a means to protect himself from getting hurt. He wanted to push people away as a means to test their love for him.
The fact that Sheldon's social life is thriving at East Texas Tech further creates a discrepancy between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory's take on the character. CBS can use Paige's story as a potential explanation for this. Otherwise, this continuity issue will continue to plague the spin-off until it ends.
Young Sheldon season 5 airs Thursdays on CBS.