Although the scene was brief, Young Sheldon’s two-part finale featured a sweet reunion that made Meemaw’s fate before The Big Bang Theory a little less sad. Young Sheldon’s cast of characters were mentioned in The Big Bang Theory, but only Sheldon’s family were seen onscreen in the earlier show. Supporting characters like Dr. Linkletter, Dr. Sturgis, or Sheldon’s formative rival/ friend/ crush Paige all went unmentioned in The Big Bang Theory, despite the major impact on his childhood and adolescence. Meanwhile, his family acted very differently in the spinoff. Fortunately, Young Sheldon’s series finale explained this discrepancy.
Young Sheldon‘s two-part series finale focused on the funeral of Sheldon’s father, George Sr., before flashing forward into the future and giving viewers a glimpse of Sheldon’s life as a father. The finale left some lingering questions, but it also justified a few major differences between The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff prequel. Mary’s Big Bang Theory character changes and Meemaw’s part in them make more sense after the ending, while Georgie’s bitter resentment toward Sheldon also feels more justified after his speech at the funeral. Similarly, one brief scene concluded a largely forgotten subplot perfectly.
Young Sheldon’s Series Finale Reunited Sturgis And Meemaw
George Sr.’s Funeral Proved The Couple Are Still Friends
The duo spent three seasons rarely interacting, so their reunion at George Sr.’s funeral was a relief.
In season 7, episode 13, “Funeral,” Dr. Sturgis and Meemaw reunited at George Sr.’s funeral and exchanged pleasantries, proving that there was no lingering bad blood between the pair. Sturgis and Sheldon’s grandmother dated throughout much of seasons 1 and 2 before breaking up in season 3. Theirs was a serious relationship and, before Meemaw began dating Dale, was arguably Connie’s closest romantic relationship since her husband died. Although Young Sheldon’s finale didn’t explain Meemaw’s character change, the two-part special did prove that she and Sturgis were now civil and Meemaw’s struggles with their breakup were over.
Throughout seasons 3 and 4, Sturgis and Meemaw both struggled with the end of their romantic relationship. Sturgis experienced severe stress near the end of season 2, resulting in him attending a psychiatric institution during a period of mental ill health. Due to this, Sturgis broke up with Meemaw and encouraged her to date other people. Meemaw was initially hurt by this and, although the pair did manage to maintain a friendship, her eventual relationship with Dale drove a wedge between them. The duo spent three seasons rarely interacting, so their reunion at George Sr.’s funeral was a relief.
Sturgis And Meemaw’s Breakup Was One Of Young Sheldon’s Saddest Stories
Sturgis’s Breakdown Ended Their Relationship Early
While the jokes about George Sr. at his funeral might have been moving, Sturgis and Meemaw’s reunion was the most unexpectedly poignant moment in Young Sheldon’s series finale. Their relationship and its breakdown was one of the show’s saddest stories ever, especially since Sturgis and Meemaw seemed perfect for each other. The outgoing, carefree Meemaw was surprised by how much she fell for the shy, studious Sturgis, and their early courtship provided seasons 1 and 2 with some of their sweetest subplots. When the couple broke up, season 3’s subsequent storyline took both characters to some dark places.
When Meemaw began dating Dale, her friendship with Sturgis soured until the two characters were rarely seen onscreen together.
Meemaw couldn’t handle being broken up with, even though Sturgis wanted the best for her, and Sturgis wasn’t in a place to rekindle their relationship. When Meemaw began dating Dale, her friendship with Sturgis soured until the two characters were rarely seen onscreen together. Meemaw struggled with Dale throughout seasons 6 and 7 but, although Sheldon still worked with her ex at the university, it was clear that there was no chance of a reconciliation. Young Sheldon season 7’s George Sr. stories, along with Meemaw’s arrest, meant the spinoff had no time to focus on her relationship problems.
Young Sheldon’s Finale Proved Meemaw Wasn’t Unhappy
Sheldon’s Grandmother Seems Content With Dale
Considering how much colder Meemaw acted in The Big Bang Theory and how much she struggled with Mary’s zealotry in the finale, it was nice to know that Meemaw was happy in her romantic relationship with Dale. Meemaw seemed somewhat resigned to life with Dale earlier in season 7 after her arrest and the shutdown of her gambling room deprived her of her zest for life. It looked like Meemaw was ready to settle for less and this was a sad twist, even if it did technically justify the character’s more sedate persona in the earlier show.
In contrast, Meemaw exchanging kind words with Sturgis proved she was content in the finale, despite her later arguments with Mary. Meemaw’s parole officer, Rhonda, led her to improve her behavior a few episodes earlier, and she expressed her love for Dale in the same outing. Although her life wasn’t perfect, it also wasn’t a disaster. If anything, it was hard to work out just why The Big Bang Theory’s version of Meemaw was so different from her Young Sheldon counterpart when, despite the tragedy of George Sr.’s death, her character stayed relatively stable.
