Although Young Sheldon’s series finale wrapped up most of The Big Bang Theory spinoff’s lingering plot threads fairly well, I’m annoyed that one pivotal storyline was effectively dropped. Young Sheldon’s cast of characters were thinly sketched in The Big Bang Theory, but the spinoff did an impressive job of expanding their world and making the Cooper family a more believable, empathetic bunch. The existence of Young Sheldon’s upcoming spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage proves that the series managed to make supporting characters who barely appeared in The Big Bang Theory into compelling protagonists in their own right.

However, this doesn’t mean that Young Sheldon’s series finale was perfect. Although Young Sheldon improved Meemaw’s story before wrapping up, the show never fully explained how the carefree rebel of the spinoff became the more sedate Meemaw seen in The Big Bang Theory. Similarly, although viewers got a glimpse of Sheldon’s later life in the final episode, his relationship with Missy was left disappointingly unresolved. Any long-running series is bound to have a few loose ends that the finale fails to fix, but I was still disappointed when season 7 simply ignored one of the show’s best plots.

Young Sheldon’s Ending Proved Brenda and Pastor Rob Never Really Mattered

The Series Finale Barely Featured Season 6’s Big Villains

I don’t think Young Sheldon really cared about Brenda and Pastor Rob but, after all the stress they put me through in season 6, I certainly did. Pastor Rob and Brenda were not villains in the traditional sense in that they were never openly antagonistic toward the Coopers, unlike Pastor Jeff. However, they both represented the biggest existential threats to George Sr. and Mary’s marital bliss throughout season 6. For a long time, it looked like Brenda and Pastor Rob were set up to start affairs with George Sr and Mary respectively. Then this storyline came to nothing and was forgotten.

I wasn’t shocked when George Sr. didn’t cheat on Mary with Brenda. Young Sheldon was a warm family comedy and that twist would have made its likable everyman hero a much more morally ambiguous figure. However, for all of The Big Bang Theory plot holes Young Sheldon fixed in its final outing, the show never justified Brenda and Pastor Rob’s outsized roles in the series. Instead of incorporating them into the cast as regular fixtures, Young Sheldon effectively admitted Brenda and Pastor Rob were always a pair of red herrings by simply dropping them after George Sr. and Mary’s confrontation.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Forgot George Sr. and Mary’s Marital Problems

Sheldon’s Trip To Germany Seemingly Solved The Couple’s Troubles

In season 6, episode 14, “A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being,” Brenda, Pastor Rob, George Sr, and Mary all finally ended up in the same place at the same time. Sparks flew, and harsh words were exchanged as Mary and George Sr. both admitted they almost cheated with Pastor Rob and Brenda respectively. Since the church was a huge part of the family’s life and Brenda was their next-door neighbor, it would have been fair to assume that the fallout from this showdown would impact season 7. Instead, the duo were all but dropped afterward.

Pastor Jeff’s presence throughout season 7 made Pastor Rob’s absence even more noticeable, especially when Sheldon’s baptism for Mary in Young Sheldon’s finale would have been an obvious chance to bring the character back. Brenda’s fate was arguably worse and certainly stranger, as she remained a mainstay but only had superficial interactions with the show’s heroes. I couldn’t believe season 7 would bring Brenda back for a few background gags but never mention her closeness with George Sr, particularly when Mary was spending months in Europe with Sheldon. It was as if season 6’s story never happened.

George Sr. and Mary’s Happiness Made Young Sheldon’s Big Death Even Sadder

Sheldon’s Father Died Soon After His Marriage Stabilized

I was surprised when Brenda and George Sr. never mentioned their flirtations and even more surprised when Pastor Rob didn’t even appear in season 7. However, this wasn’t the only way that the outing failed to do season 6’s story justice. I couldn’t believe how much better Mary and George Sr’s marriage appeared to be in season 7, and I thought this twist was bizarrely mean-spirited given Young Sheldon’s big death. Viewers knew that the moment was coming, so making Mary and George Sr.’s relationship happier and more stable before his untimely death felt needlessly cruel.

It sounds ironic to say that more bickering would have been a relief, but Young Sheldon spent the preceding season teasing not one, but two affairs by the unhappy couple. The revelation that Mary and George Sr. were not only okay but happier than ever was a brutal twist given the events of the final episodes. I’m not sure why fixing George Sr. and Mary’s marriage before killing him off felt like a good idea, but it ended up making Pastor Rob and Brenda’s roles in the series feel utterly redundant. In retrospect, season 6’s most dramatic storylines were superfluous.

Brenda and Pastor Rob’s Reduced Roles Highlighted Young Sheldon’s Season 7 Flaw

The Big Bang Theory’s Spinoff Rushed Its Conclusion

Young Sheldon season 7 was shorter thanks to 2023’s industry strikes, but most other sitcoms on television faced the same issue in 20224. This alone can’t account for the show’s failure to wrap up Brenda and Pastor Rob’s storyline beyond Brenda’s brief flirtation at George Sr.’s funeral. I was impressed by Young Sheldon’s most ambitious episode, which proved that the show’s final outings were not on autopilot and had plenty of ideas. It is a shame that, when it came to season 6’s story, Young Sheldon opted to simply drop its most inconvenient characters and forget their roles.

Missy having a party at Billy’s house in season 7 was a perfect culmination of everything that frustrated me about this season. This subplot would have worked fine in season 5, but Missy was angry at Brenda in season 6, and she had a tearful conversation with her father about her rebellious behavior and lying in season 6’s finale. Both of these plot strands were forgotten for this outing, resulting in a plot that didn’t fit within the show’s universe. This shortcoming meant Young Sheldon’s final season couldn’t end The Big Bang Theory spinoff’s story perfectly.