Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12.

George’s death in Young Sheldon is already heartbreaking, but Missy’s last interaction with him makes it more tragic while also effectively confirming Georgie’s disparaging story about her in The Big Bang Theory. Just when the Coopers are finally getting a few breaks in life after a challenging last couple of years, they are hit with their biggest tragedy thus far — the loss of the family patriarch. While George’s unexpected demise was long established in The Big Bang Theory and was expected to happen when Young Sheldon premiered in 2017, the writers were still able to properly execute his death effectively.

George’s death happened off-screen, following a particularly normal morning in the Cooper household ahead of the finale. While the loss of the character was part of The Big Bang Theory canon, the prequel is known to deviate from it more often than not. That was what happened when Young Sheldon retconned George’s cheating scandal earlier in the year. However, his demise was just far too big to rewrite, and the writers had no choice but to tackle it, especially with George and Mandy’s sequel series called George and Mandy’s First Marriage happening on CBS.

Missy Refuses George’s Offer To Drive Her To School Before His Death

George’s Death Happens On A Normal Day At The Coopers’ Home.

The morning before George’s death in Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12, “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture,” he comes out of the house’s backdoor but not before passing through the kitchen. Everyone is talking about the family picture they are supposed to take that afternoon, so they don’t have any other conversation other than that. George, however, offers to drive Missy to school, but she refuses, saying that she will just catch the bus. Little does she know at that point that she is turning down the chance to spend one final drive with her dad.

Each member of the Cooper family will have their regrets in light of the unexpected death of George in Young Sheldon season 7, episode 12. Sheldon’s grief will revolve around this, as it will be focused on in the upcoming series finale. However, George specifically asking his daughter about that drive to school, which would have given her more time with her dad, would be particularly haunting for Missy, especially considering their close bond. Granted that she is unaware of the tragedy that is about to follow, it wouldn’t help, at least in the immediate aftermath of losing George.

George’s Death Sets Up Georgie’s Insulting Missy Story In TBBT

Missy Will Have A Particularly Difficult Time Getting Over George’s Death.

Young Sheldon doesn’t have enough time to stay with the Coopers as they fully process their grief over the death of George. That being said, adult Georgie’s debut in The Big Bang Theory offered an idea of what life was like for them afterward. Mary being grief-stricken and Sheldon focusing on his studies made sense, considering their respective traits. But Georgie calling Missy a “dumb teenager” was odd. It stood out not just because it was uncharacteristic of him to use strong language to describe his sister, but also because the description didn’t fit Young Sheldon‘s version of her.

Considering the regret that will haunt Missy over her missed time with George, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that rebelling would be her way to cope with the loss. As well-recorded in Young Sheldon, she can be emotionally volatile, and when overwhelmed is prone to doing incredibly foolish things despite normally being a wise teen. To make matters worse, some of Missy’s best moments with George were during their road trips, including him teaching her to drive.