George’s funeral in Young Sheldon season 7 involved various characters that were close to the Coopers throughout the Big Bang Theory spinoff, but the absence of a character in particular made sure that one of Young Sheldon’s most annoying mysteries remained as such. Young Sheldon season 7 including George’s death ensured that its final episodes celebrated the Cooper patriarch, and it could not be more visible than from those in attendance at his funeral, including George’s coworkers and friends Coach Wilkins and Principal Petersen. Even those not necessarily the closest to him and the Coopers attended, including Dale’s ex-wife, June.
While plenty of characters that were more or less important in the Coopers’ lives attended the funeral, even ending up bonding like Mr. Givens and Brenda Sparks, there were some notable absences. It would have been very difficult for Young Sheldon to include all key characters that ever interacted with George and the Coopers, but the absence of one family in particular clashed with what they went through with the Coopers, even just a few months before George’s death. In addition to remembering and honoring George, their presence could have solved a frustrating, longstanding mystery regarding a Young Sheldon character.
Mary’s appearances in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage past the pilot aren’t confirmed, risking to invalidate a key Georgie story introduced in TBBT.
Paige (& Her Family) Miss George’s Young Sheldon Funeral
Their Shared Past Would Have Justified Paige’s Family’s Attendance To George’s Funeral
Despite Paige’s bond with Sheldon and Missy, Paige and her family miss George’s funeral. Paige’s presence in Young Sheldon became trickier as she and Sheldon kept meeting, given that their connection, despite their different attitudes, still meant Sheldon had known someone as clever as him, contrasting his Big Bang Theory origin story that saw him as a misunderstood kid that stood out in East Texas. Young Sheldon coming after Big Bang Theory makes Paige’s absence from the original show inevitable, but that doesn’t mean Paige’s story should be left hanging, and her appearance at George’s funeral would have avoided that.
The part Paige played in Young Sheldon season 6’s Missy storyline as she indulged Missy’s worst impulses also made their families unintentionally close, relatively near in time to when George’s death happened. Missy acting out was after all a big part of Young Sheldon season 6’s second half, and her and Paige’s joyride forced Linda, George and Mary to drive to Louisiana together to pick them up. It would have made sense for Paige’s family to be at the funeral, even considering how Linda and Barry bonded with Mary and George as parents of geniuses when they first met.
Why Young Sheldon Never Brought Back Paige In Season 7
McKenna Grace Was Too Busy When Young Sheldon Season 7 Was In Production
Paige’s last appearance in Young Sheldon was in season 6, episode 16 when she and Missy ran away from home. The closure such a development gave to Paige’s story arc is yet another dark omen about Paige’s future, as throughout Young Sheldon’s later seasons, Paige was going through a rough patch, viewing her being a genius as a burden, unlike Sheldon.
Executive producer Steve Holland explained why Paige didn’t return in Young Sheldon season 7, citing McKenna Grace’s work commitments as the reason why Paige couldn’t return, especially with season 7 being a shortened season. Young Sheldon season 7’s length also influenced why her arc wasn’t revisited, as Paige was always viewed as a parallel and mirror image of Sheldon, and that aspect of Paige’s story was indeed concluded with Young Sheldon season 6. Still, seeing Paige’s story only in comparison to Sheldon’s does a disservice to a character many Young Sheldon viewers cherished, making her story all the more frustrating.
