Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Young Sheldon episode "A New Home And A Traditional Texas Torture." Read at your own risk!
Young Sheldon could only spend so much time setting the stage for Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage before it had to move the story along to the series' most devastating reveal. George Sr. had to die at some point, and the team behind the CBS series chose the end of the two-episode night for it to happen. I wasn't necessarily shocked that it happen, but the moment being so powerful is what completely blindsided me.
Surprisingly, my theories on how Young Sheldon set the stage for George's death didn't pan out. While we don't necessarily know the exact circumstances behind the patriarch's death by the episode's end, there's enough there for me to say it happened in a way that wasn't very sitcomy at all.
How Did Young Sheldon Handle George Sr.'s Death?
George Sr. greeted his family in the kitchen before heading off to the school for work, only waiting long enough to hear Missy didn't need a ride, and get a reminder from Mary not to be late for the family picture at 4:00 p.m. later that day. A flash forward showed the family all in their white shirts and jeans prepping in the living room, waiting on George to show up.
Right on cue, the family was interrupted by a knock at the door, but when Mary opened it, it was George's friends and coworkers, Tom and Wayne. They delivered the news that George had a heart attack, and when Missy asked if he was okay, they revealed that he was "already gone." Mary, Missy, and Connie embraced and cried, while Sheldon slowly sank down into a chair in shock. His father was dead.
What Made Young Sheldon's Death Scene So Powerful
Heart attacks on TV can be a tad melodramatic, but Young Sheldon showed what is often the reality, where the person who dies and the people who are affected are living their day as normal until the world stops when the news comes in. I used to think Jack Pearson's death on This Is Us was the most powerful television death in recent memory, but I think this one has it beat.
We all knew George's death was one of the reasons Young Sheldon was ending in Season 7, but kudos to CBS for keeping this one under wraps for as long as it did. I'm sure there was a lot of temptation to tease a big reveal about this in promos leading up to it, but outside of the fact that I figured something was up with a two-episode week, I didn't see this one coming.
This moment had to be one of the series' most memorable with all the build up, and man, did it deliver. I was afraid the show would go the route of George Sr. cheating on Mary and that somehow leading to his death, but a Season 7 episode sidestepped that uncomfortable reveal from The Big Bang Theory. It's for the best because this was far more powerful, and it gives me hope that maybe Georgie and Mandy's spinoff won't end on such a dark note either.
Fortunately, there's still some Young Sheldon left before it ends on CBS. Tune in for the final two episodes on Thursday, May 16th, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET and be prepared to bring some tissues. You can also revisit this week's episode streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
