Young Sheldon Undid A Season 6 Plot Twist Without Explanation (But TBBT Shows Why)

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Young Sheldon season 7, episode 5.

Although Young Sheldon season 7 had to undo one season 6 plot twist for The Big Bang Theory’s story, the spinoff could have explained this a little more thoroughly. Although Young Sheldon doesn’t always stick to the canon of The Big Bang Theory, the prequel has done a lot to set up the sitcom’s story. Everything from Sheldon’s iconic Flash t-shirt to his insistence on his “Spot” on the couch has been explained and justified in the spinoff. Ever since Young Sheldon’s season 6 finale, the show’s attempts to establish The Big Bang Theory’s world have become more concentrated.

There are only 14 episodes in Young Sheldon season 7, meaning the series has limited screen time to compress a lot of plotting. Young Sheldon’s entire cast of characters needs to change before The Big Bang Theory takes place, with George Sr dying, Georgie getting married and divorced, Mary growing bitter, and Meemaw losing her rebellious streak. However, this doesn’t excuse the choppy, over-eager plotting of some season 7 outings. In the show’s haste to get Mary back into church, Young Sheldon season 7 failed to explain how Pastor Jeff managed to convince her to return after her excommunication.

Young Sheldon Brought Mary Back To Pastor Jeff’s Church

Pastor Jeff’s willingness to welcome Mary back went unexplained

In Young Sheldon season 6, Mary was fired from Pastor Jeff’s church because Georgie and Mandy had a child out of wedlock. This led to a crisis of faith for her as she struggled to find purpose without the church. However, Young Sheldon season 7’s Mary and George Sr story saw this conflict tidily resolve itself without any explanation. When Mary gave a sizable donation to a megachurch con artist, George Sr. visited Pastor Jeff and asked if she could be welcomed back into the congregation. Bizarrely, Pastor Jeff immediately told George Sr that Mary was always welcome.

Season 6, episode 5, “A Frankenstein’s Monster and a Crazy Church Guy,” never explained when Pastor Jeff had a change of heart or how this happened. Instead, George Sr was simply informed that Mary could come back to church any time and the episode ended with the family once again attending a service. This was necessary for The Big Bang Theory since that earlier series depicted Mary as a devout churchgoer, which would be impossible if she was excommunicated from the church. However, it was under-explained and, as a result, wasted what could have been a sweet moment of reconciliation.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Needed Mary’s Return To Church

The older Mary was devoutly religious in The Big Bang Theory

Pastor Jeff owes Mary an apology, but Young Sheldon is unlikely to depict the supporting star resolving his differences with Mary now that she is conveniently back in his flock. Young Sheldon season 7’s upcoming George Sr death means that Mary will soon rely on her faith more than ever, which is why the spinoff needed to get her back into church before this tragedy occurs. However, this could have been achieved with Pastor Jeff apologizing to Mary. Instead, Young Sheldon’s atypically cynical story saw the religious leader learn nothing as the show set up The Big Bang Theory’s story.