Since the Young Sheldon series finale aired almost a month ago, it has remained on my mind. While it delivered some of the series' best emotional moments, it missed the mark in other aspects.
Perhaps that's just an example of the series being a victim of circumstance. After all, Young Sheldon is a 30-minute single-camera sitcom. Even with its double-episode finale slot, only so much ground could be covered.
But at the same time, several storylines had to be wrapped up. The Cooper family had to deal with the funeral of George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber) and Sheldon (Iain Armitage) is on his way to Caltech. Additionally, they had to set up the upcoming spin-off series, Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage.
To that end, the Young Sheldon series finale failed. While it did give its title character and his on-screen father a proper send-off, the rest of the ensemble is left in the shadows.
An unbalanced finale
The first episode in the two-part Young Sheldon finale depicts the funeral of George Sr. It's an emotional episode and is the most well-rounded episode of the series.
The second half of the finale focused on the aftermath of George's death. Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) takes the death especially hard. Given her strong faith, it's hard to see her struggle with her anger towards both her late husband and God alike.
But aside from Mary and Sheldon, the finale doesn't focus on anyone else. Sure, MeeMaw (Annie Potts) shares tender moments with her daughter, but it's far from a proper send-off for one of the series' best characters. Dale (Craig T. Nelson) is similarly delegated to the background.
The argument that the Young Sheldon finale focuses on its title character can be made. That is a fair point, but it's not just the Coopers who endeared themselves to viewers during the seven-season run. Plus, Young Sheldon became more about the Coopers than just Sheldon as it went on. Armitage was like a supporting character in his own series in the last couple of seasons.
Characters like Dale are delegated to supporting players while Paige (Mckenna Grace) isn't even seen or mentioned. It is a true bummer.
The ending also comes so abruptly. The moment shared between Sheldon and Missy (Raegan Revord) is so tender, albeit too short. As twins, they have had their fair share of battles in the series.
In the last two seasons, though, their relationship got rocky. Seeing more than a couple of scenes between the two, especially as Sheldon heads off to Caltech.
What about the spin-off?
More importantly, the Young Sheldon finale doesn't set up Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage. Georgie (Montana Jordan) does step up as the man of the house, but it appears Chuck Lorre is waiting until his spin-off to fully show him stepping up to the plate in the wake of his father's death.
Mandy (Emily Osment) is pushed to the side in the finale. She became an integral part of the Young Sheldon cast since being introduced. However, she and the entire McAllister family should have been featured more.
I imagine this was done to drive interest in the upcoming Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage series. But assuming that every Young Sheldon fan will tune into the spin-off is a big bet.
No Big Bang Theory connection
Yes, I know Young Sheldon ends with the title character going to Caltech. But seeing a younger version of Leonard or any of the Big Bang Theory crew felt like a no-brainer.
Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik did return as Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory. It was nice to get closure on Sheldon finally writing his memoir. Still, it was surprising that Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), or Howard (Simon Helberg) weren't seen in the present day.
It's unclear if a Big Bang Theory revival is ever coming — Parsons' recent comments suggest it won't. So, it would have been a nice treat to get some kind of follow-up on the characters.
Young Sheldon's finale still has its moments
But despite its flaws, the Young Sheldon finale is still a good ending to the sitcom. It did a wonderful job of closing out Sheldon and Mary's arcs.
The funeral episode is also so well done. Chuck Lorre and Co. found the perfect balance of emotional and comedic bits. Sitcoms aren't known for their award-winning performances, but Young Sheldon's cast provided those all around.
Zoe Perry is the MVP of the finale. The character of Mary Cooper is generally restrained, but Perry stretches out her range with this performance. The anger beneath the surface helps explain why the Mary Cooper fans meet in The Big Bang Theory is different from Young Sheldon's.
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