Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 7, episode 4.
George’s infamous cheating scandal story from The Big Bang Theory finally happened in Young Sheldon season 7, and not everyone is happy about it. The origins of Sheldon’s three-knock habit came with a bigger revelation — George was unfaithful to Mary. The boy genius apparently walked in on his dad having intimate relations with another woman, and they ended up never talking about it. For years, Young Sheldon danced around the plot, but in its last season, it finally addressed it.
As seen in Young Sheldon season 7, episode 4, “Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker,” Sheldon does catch his dad in an awkward position, but what he missed in his The Big Bang Theory story is that George is with Mary and not another woman when this happened. Unfortunately, the retcon is met divisively as seen in the tweets below:
One fan questions the point of building up George’s cheating subplot only for Young Sheldon to retcon it with Mary’s involvement.
Another fan is on the opposite side of the spectrum, however, rejoicing that George’s name is finally cleared about the cheating allegations.
Echoing the positive sentiment, one fan thanks the writers for not ruining George’s character in Young Sheldon.
A different viewer isn’t a fan of Young Sheldon changing the context around Sheldon’s traumatic experience and making it more comedic.
Hoping that it’s not all there is more to be revealed about George’s cheating plot, a fan says that the way Young Sheldon handles it is disappointing.
Understandably, another fan was worried that the claimed affair would ruin George’s character, but luckily, Young Sheldon found a way around it.
Others, however, are peeved because how Young Sheldon depicts George’s cheating scandal doesn’t live up to the incident’s impact on Sheldon’s life.
That sentiment is echoed by another fan, claiming that Young Sheldon‘s way of handling George’s infidelity arc is a cop-out.
Why Young Sheldon Had To Retcon George’s TBBT Cheating Scandal Story
Criticized for years, it’s no secret that Young Sheldon has a lax approach when dealing with continuity. It regularly contradicted The Big Bang Theory’s canon, creating countless plot holes throughout its run. Because of this, the prequel ignoring George’s cheating scandal would have not been that big of a crime, especially since his depiction in the prequel is significantly different from his image in the main show. Deciding to tackle it during Young Sheldon‘s shortened final season was a bold move. Considering the circumstances, there was very little chance that the offshoot would have maintained Sheldon’s recollection of the events.
Sticking to Sheldon’s version of the story means ruining George’s character beyond repair. As seen in some of the tweets above, some fans are relieved that Young Sheldon opted to maintain the image he has in the prequel — a flawed but devoted family man. Executing his supposed affair this late would significantly change the trajectory of the series, particularly his impending death. George’s time with the family is already limited. If Young Sheldon went ahead with his cheating scandal, it would rob the show of the opportunity to pair him up with Sheldon for a final emotional arc.
George’s Cheating Story In Young Sheldon Season 7 Explained & How It Changes The Big Bang Theory
Young Sheldon season 7, episode 4 finally tackles Sheldon’s infamous George cheating story from The Big Bang Theory, but with some clarifications.
Previously, Young Sheldon deviating from The Big Bang Theory canon effectively created plot inconsistencies. This time, however, the writers found a loophole to maintain the established The Big Bang Theory canon without totally breaking it. Sheldon’s three-knock origin story still stands despite Young Sheldon clearing George’s name. All in all, it’s a great development for both shows.
Young Sheldon
A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up.
- Cast
- Jim Parsons , Iain Armitage , Annie Potts , Emily Osment
- Release Date
- September 25, 2017
- Seasons
- 6
- Network
- CBS
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Writers
- Chuck Lorre
