After spending seven years rehabilitating George’s image, Meemaw ultimately completed Young Sheldon‘s The Big Bang Theory retcon. Years before the idea of a Sheldon origins story came about, the socially-inept genius’ family was already established in the Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady-created sitcom. While Mary debuted early on and continued to visit Pasadena throughout The Big Bang Theory‘s 12-season run, Georgie and Missy had more limited involvement. Meemaw, on the other hand, only had one cameo. This left George as the only Cooper family member who never physically appeared because he was long dead by then.
While George never got the chance to meet Sheldon’s friends in The Big Bang Theory, there was no shortage of stories about him in the flagship series. This helped the franchise establish an image for the character, although not a good one. According to Sheldon and backed up by Mary, George was a no-good father who did nothing but drink and lounge around. This version of the Cooper patriarch went unchallenged for years until its spinoff debuted in 2017. By the time Young Sheldon ended, he was fully rehabilitated, with the retcon properly capped off by Meemaw of all people.
Amid the chaos of George’s death, the Young Sheldon finale is still able to shed light on the most destructive character exit in the show.
Meemaw’s Funeral Speech Finishes Young Sheldon’s Rehabilitation Of George’s Image
Young Sheldon’s Retconning Of George’s Image Finished In Time For His Funeral
When George died in Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12, “A Little Snip and Teaching Old Dogs,” Meemaw was with Missy and Mary to receive the devastating news from his co-workers. From there, she became a pillar of the family as they navigated the aftermath of the tragedy. So much so that she even took over Mary’s eulogy during George’s funeral after Sheldon’s mom broke down in the middle of her emotional farewell speech. Annie Potts had a lot of great moments throughout all seven seasons of the show, but this was arguably her best.
So for Meemaw to openly talk about how she genuinely felt about George was a testament to how good of a man he really was.
Aside from the perfect balance of drama and comedy, Meemaw’s tribute completed the rehabilitation of George’s image. When Young Sheldon started, it was clear that she really didn’t like him. Considering the beginning of his and Mary’s marriage, it was understandable for Connie Tucker to still harbor some grudge about him accidentally getting her daughter pregnant. The prequel played with their contentious relationship multiple times, even pitting them against each other for the brisket recipe. So for Meemaw to openly talk about how she genuinely felt about George was a testament to how good of a man he really was.
How Young Sheldon Gradually Fixed George & Meemaw’s Relationship
Meemaw & George Had A Contentious Relationship At The Start Of Young Sheldon
During the first few seasons of Young Sheldon, Georgie and Meemaw bickered all the time. While the majority of them were seemingly done as a joke, some comments made were hurtful to each other. Further proof that their relationship really had foundational cracks was George’s heartbreaking confession about being forced to move across his mother-in-law just for his wife to be happy in the Young Sheldon season 4 finale. Over time, The Big Bang Theory prequel gradually mended their relationship. Oddly, even when George and Mary were in their biggest fights, Meemaw never pushed her daughter to leave her husband.
Meemaw tragically losing her house and having to spend more time with the Coopers at the beginning of Young Sheldon season 7 somehow brought her closer to her son-in-law. On the flip side, George was likely very grateful for how much Connie helped Georgie and Mandy when their unexpected pregnancy broke out. While The Big Bang Theory only highlighted Sheldon’s close relationship with his maternal grandmother, Young Sheldon showed that Mary’s mother loved all of her grandchildren dearly. Through the family’s ups and downs, George and Meemaw learned to appreciate each other.
Revord and Jordan have reunited for the first time since the prequel’s end, and I’m reminded of how unnecessary Young Sheldon’s cancelation was.
Meemaw Was Young Sheldon Finale’s Best Character
Annie Potts Was Brilliant As Connie Tucker In The Final Two Episodes Of Young Sheldon
All members of the Cooper family were properly utilized in the Young Sheldon finale — at least during its first half, which was George’s funeral. Aside from the writing of what’s arguably the best episode in The Big Bang Theory franchise, all members of the cast were also incredible in their final days as their respective characters. That said, among everyone, Potts’ Meemaw was the best. While she, too, was devastated over the death of George, she did everything she could to stay strong for Mary and the kids. They may have never survived the ordeal without her.
Given Potts’ final Young Sheldon performance, it’s a disappointment that Meemaw won’t be back fo r Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage .
More impressively, Meemaw did all of this without losing her sense of humor. She helped balance the drama and comedy in the last two episodes of Young Sheldon. As great as she was delivering her punch lines, it was also gut-wrenching for her to practically beg the twins to get baptized for their mother. Given Potts’ final Young Sheldon performance, it’s a disappointment that Meemaw won’t be back for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
