Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Young Sheldon finale.

Producer Steve Holland defends Mary and Missy’s divisive Young Sheldon finale fates. In its final hour, the family comedy/drama ties up major narrative threads, tackling the aftermath of George’s unexpected death, followed by setting up the future for Sheldon, who officially moves to Pasadena, California by the end of the show. While the spinoff left the boy genius at the beginning of his The Big Bang Theory journey, other members of his family’s futures were left uncertain. Understandably, this didn’t sit well with some avid viewers of the series.

Two of the biggest controversial character endings in Young Sheldon are Missy and Mary’s. The family comedy/drama ended without giving the mother and daughter a proper ending. When asked about it in a new interview with TV Line, Holland justifies their fates by saying that both had realistic Young Sheldon finale fates. Read his full quote below:

“To me, it doesn’t feel like a dark place to leave her. It feels real. She’s still grieving the death of George and she has turned to religion. She says ‘Jesus is helping me through it,’ and I don’t think that that’s a depressing place to leave her. We don’t leave her bouncing back from the death of [her husband], but that also just didn’t feel real to us.”

We know from Big Bang that she goes off the rails a little bit in the wake of George’s death, so it’s hinting at that future for Missy but also trying not to leave her in such a dark place that it’s just depressing. She’s obviously angry, and she’s grieving, and that also felt real, but we didn’t want to leave her in a really grim place at the end of this show” — hence Missy’s final interaction with Sheldon before he leaves to start his new life in Pasadena, Calif.

Will Mary And Missy Return In The Young Sheldon Sequel Series

Georgie And Mandy’s First Marriage Is The Perfect Opportunity To Finish Missy And Mary’s Story.

The Big Bang Theory spinoff has become the number 1 comedy on TV, with the series regularly topping charts. Young Sheldon wrapping up was because of the established canon. It long had a pre-determined end once Sheldon moved to California for his post-graduate studies, which was the natural endpoint of the project. Unfortunately, because of its shortened run, the writers either had to rush some storylines or drop others altogether. Since Sheldon is its titular character, there was a substantial amount of screen time devoted to him, leaving Missy and Mary with underwhelming send-offs.

There is still a way to address the characters’ unfinished storylines. After the Young Sheldon finale, it will technically continue with Georgie and Mandy’s spinoff series, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage. Thus far, neither Zoe Perry nor Raegan Revord is confirmed to appear, but it won’t be difficult to bring them both in, even as recurring guest stars, since The Big Bang Theory canon mandates that Georgie remain in contact with his mom and sister. While the offshoot’s storytelling focus won’t be on them, it’s still an easy way to address the criticisms about Mary and Missy’s ending.

Filming for the Young Sheldon follow-up series won’t start until this summer, so the writers still have time to incorporate both Mary and Missy into its storytelling. Considering the established chemistry of Revord and Perry with Montana Jordan and Emily Osment, bringing them in would be beneficial in making sure that the couple is surrounded by a solid ensemble. If not, then Missy and Mary’s fates will be two of the biggest misses of an otherwise great Young Sheldon finale.

Source: TV Line