The Young Sheldon finale features a cameo from Jim Parsons as Sheldon from the future, and he accidentally exposes Mary’s behavior while looking back at his childhood. Despite long outgrowing its original premise as the boy genius’ origins story, Young Sheldon still wraps up once his time in Texas ends. Aside from dealing with the aftermath of George’s unexpected death, the special capper also features the first and only appearance of Parsons, who reprises adult Sheldon writing his memoir. This effectively explains why he has been narrating certain experiences living in Medford.

Parsons’ Young Sheldon finale cameo is a great way to wrap up Sheldon’s 17-year arc on TV. It brings the character full circle, as he contemplates the impact of his family in his eventual life. The cameo also effectively resolves the plot inconsistencies created by his more critical stories about George in The Big Bang Theory, as he remembers his dad more fondly. While his relationship with his father is used as a parallel to his dynamic with his own son, Parsons’ adult Sheldon also briefly talks about his mother. Unfortunately, it results in a negative realization about Mary.

Parsons’ Sheldon Says Mary Did Everything For Him In The Young Sheldon Finale

Mary’s Dedication To Sheldon Came At The Expense Of Her Other Kids

In the final moments of the Young Sheldon finale, Mayim Bialik’s Amy learns that Sheldon went through with his baptism to appease his grieving mother on the heels of George’s death. Sheldon’s tone becomes more somber and wistful, saying that he did it for her because Mary “did everything she could for me.” This revelation is meant to be touching, and a testament to her love for him. Indirectly, however, it exposes Mary’s hypocrisy when it comes to dealing with her kids. While she really did everything she could with Sheldon, it was at the expense of her other children.

Long before the final season of Young Sheldon, Mary’s bias towards Sheldon had long been well-documented. It was evident in The Big Bang Theory, so the prequel leaned on it. However, with Georgie and Missy in the picture, the negative impact of Mary’s favoritism became apparent. It was at the root of Missy’s grudge against her mother, and hence why she had a special bond with her dad. What makes this worse is that, before adult Sheldon talks about how much Mary sacrificed for him, Mary can’t even try to console Missy as she struggles with her grief.

Why Sheldon Is Really Mary’s Favorite Child

Sheldon And Mary’s Close Bond Was First Established In The Big Bang Theory

Neither The Big Bang Theory nor Young Sheldon explicitly revealed why Mary really favored Sheldon. That being said, there were some possible reasons for this. Firstly, Sheldon may have reminded her of her own father. Despite not appearing in the spinoff, it was revealed The Big Bang Theory, Pop-pop was also a highly intelligent man and was the first one to encourage Sheldon to pursue science. Secondly, Mary’s protective instincts may have kicked off after realizing that Sheldon has poor social skills, which was established in the very first episode of Young Sheldon.