‘Young Sheldon’ ending is bittersweet, ties together seven seasons of the Cooper’s life with love and loss

I need to start this off with a very important disclaimer — I have never seen “The Big Bang Theory.”

I, like many others, went through a phase where I watched a lot of TikTok. During my hours of scrolling, mixed in with the many other videos on my feed, were these split-screen videos — half of the screen was taken up by some sort of ASMR video, and the other was filled by various scenes from “Young Sheldon.”

This show is a spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory” that follows a young Sheldon Cooper as he navigates life as a child genius in a religious family in Texas.

I was fascinated by the family dynamic presented in the show. After seeing probably about half of the episodes that had aired at that time exclusively through TikTok, I decided that maybe it was time to actually sit down and watch the entire series in order.

This was around the time that season six was airing; since the episodes are so short in length, it didn’t take me long at all to get caught up. Once I had watched all of the episodes available on streaming, I started tuning in for the live episodes.

I remember the day “Young Sheldon” got renewed for a seventh — but final — season. It was bittersweet. Yes, there would be another season, but that also meant it was ending.

Season seven starts out with Sheldon (Iain Armitage) studying in Germany. His mother, Mary (Zoe Perry) accompanies him on the trip. However, their trip is cut short when they hear that Mary’s mother, Connie (Annie Potts) has lost her home in a tornado.

In the midst of tragedy, the Cooper family comes together to figure out how to continue on with their lives. Not only did this idea of loss, togetherness and family begin the season, it’s also how it ended.

Fans of the show have known from the beginning that a major character death was inevitable in the show, as the death of Sheldon’s father, George (Lance Barber), was previously mentioned in “The Big Bang Theory.” Fans had been dreading it from season one, and knew that season seven was when it would finally happen.

It’s a tragic storyline, especially for a feel-good, family show like “Young Sheldon,” but it was necessary. The show was supposed to be about Sheldon’s life growing up and what made him who he is in “The Big Bang Theory,” and this loss was a very important part of that.

It is done really well. Perry’s performance as Mary is absolutely heartbreaking, and the children, Missy (Raegan Revord), Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Sheldon all have their own unique reactions that really showcase their individual identities and how they handle grief.

As a whole, the season feels extra special. It is still just as heartfelt and fun as the first six, but the writers, cast and crew went in knowing that it was the last, so they made sure to make every moment count. It’s one of the most beautiful endings to a show that I have ever seen.

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The season ended with a two-episode finale, the first being titled “Funeral” and the second “Memoir.” In the final episode, Jim Parsons reprises his role as Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory,” writing a memoir about and reflecting on his childhood.

It was the perfect way to tie the two shows together and give the series the meaningful ending it deserved. A heartfelt season filled with breathtaking performances and touching moments, “Young Sheldon” ended its run with the same theme that made the show so beloved in the first place: family.

Rating: 8/10

powers40@miamioh.edu