Warning! The following contains spoilers for Young Sheldon‘s “Funeral,” and “Memoir.” Watch the episodes with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
I thought the tears were over when Young Sheldon featured George Sr.‘s powerful death in the previous episode, but tissues were still needed for the final two episodes. “Funeral” and “Memoir” weren’t just tear-jerkers, however, as the series finale episodes delivered some shocking moments and a potential explanation for inconsistencies with The Big Bang Theory.
George’s funeral played out in the first episode of the hour-long finale, and in the second, we saw the family moving forward weeks after the funeral with a flash-forward featuring Jim Parsons as adult Sheldon and Mayim Bialik as Amy. Turns out there was more that was going on in that “first look” at Parsons and Bialik than we realized, but before we get to that, let’s dive in on the shocking reveal that made my jaw drop.
Sheldon Decided To Get Baptized
Sheldon Cooper’s being an atheist is one of the hallmarks of his character and was a major point of tension with his mother in The Big Bang Theory. Some fans even believed that Mary would turn away from the church thanks to one Young Sheldon storyline, but she returned and when George died, was attending more than ever. It turned out she was having a breakdown because she realized that Sheldon and Missy were not baptized, and she was worried their souls would not get into heaven. As readers might know, Georgie was baptized in an attempt to get a girl to date him in a previous season.
This led to Connie pleading with the siblings to honor their mother’s wishes, to which they initially refused. After seeing their grandmother break down and cry, however, they agreed up until the big day. Missy backed out at the last minute due to anger at Pastor Jeff for mentioning their father. Mary assumed Sheldon would do the same, but he informed her that while he didn’t believe in God, he did believe in her. We then saw Sheldon make his way to the baptismal pool in a wet suit with goggles and a snorkel, as the bacteria risk wouldn’t allow him to do it any other way.
It was a reveal Young Sheldon later showed Amy wasn’t aware of, but she commended him for the act of kindness. Truly an unbelievable moment in the series, honestly, as unbelievable as why Sheldon and Amy finally had sex on The Big Bang Theory.
Sheldon’s Actively Writing The Memoir For The Public Explains Things Excluded From The Big Bang Theory
In the following episode, “Memoir,” we saw a reveal that potentially explained why there are inconsistencies between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory. Adult Sheldon has long been the narrator of the series, but it wasn’t until the final episode that we learned it was because he was typing out these memories for his memoir, which was meant to be released to the public. As such, one could imagine it with the lens that Sheldon is sharing the things he’d want the world to know and excluding the things he doesn’t.
I found this interesting because while it seemed Young Sheldon didn’t follow through with The Big Bang Theory‘s bombshell reveal George Sr. had an affair, I got the feeling, thanks to a brief scene in the finale, that it actually had. When neighbor Brenda Sparks came to the funeral, she appeared very sad, and when Sheldon’s old science teacher, Mr. Givens, asked her if she knew George well, she danced around the question and appeared uncomfortable. To me, it seemed like a wink the affair did happen, but this is just me speculating.
Overall, though, knowing that Sheldon is releasing his memoir to the public makes it understandable why some of the more personal and sad details of his life may be excluded from Young Sheldon. We’re learning the story in the way he wants it to be learned, and while he does have some self-awareness as an adult that he lacked in his younger years, even some uncomfortable bits slide through. Hopefully, the amount of time he focused on Georgie and Mandy’s marriage will not make things awkward for them if they’re not together when the book is released! In all seriousness, this finale was amazing, and I’m so excited for their spinoff.
Young Sheldon is over, but those who missed the finale can check it out on Paramount+. I’d rewatch it again right now, but I fear I have no more happy or sad tears to shed after such a perfect finale.