What If Mary Died? Young Sheldon Theory Teases Even More Devastating Finale

Summary

• The final season of Young Sheldon did justice to the canonical events of TBBT.
• However, fans have speculated what would have happened if another character in the family had died.
• It would have had a much more traumatic effect on the Cooper family.

With the end of Season 7, Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Steve Holland were able to do justice not only to Young Sheldon, but to The Big Bang Theory as a whole by sticking to canonical events and providing a sense of closure. We were shown that Young Sheldon was not just a gimmicky sitcom, but a deep family drama.

Of course, the big event that had to happen sooner or later was the death of George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber). But now that the show is over, why not speculate on what twist the plot might have taken had it strayed from TBBT canon? So fans have come up with a theory about what would have happened if not George, but Mary (Zoe Perry) had died suddenly. The plot could have taken the characters to much darker places.

How Did George's Death Affect the Whole Family?

Just as we were beginning to hope that the writers would retcon George's death (or move it to off-screen events), the grisly reality set in. Just as he received a dream offer from Rice University, the Cooper family patriarch suddenly died prematurely of a heart attack, shocking the audience.

Mary lost the love of her life, the partner with whom, despite all the stumbles, they were best friends, a pillar for each other. Missy has lost the closest person in her life, to whom she was not afraid to reveal her own fears and worries. And, of course, it traumatized Sheldon forever, as he spent the rest of his life thinking about how much he had not told the man he truly loved.

What Would Have Happened If Mary Had Died?

But despite such a devastating loss in the lives of Sheldon and his loved ones, George remained a role model and family fixture even after his death. However, fans have proposed a theory that would prove far more devastating to the entire Cooper family — Mary's death.

There is no doubt that George's death was an insurmountable trauma, but if it had been Mary who died, it would not only have been traumatic for the characters, but perhaps a far more tragic fate for each of them.

George, for example, would not have been able to cope with the death of his wife. Although he does become close to another woman, Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman), over the course of the series, it's unlikely that he would have been able to move on with his life so easily. Sheldon's now non-canon reference to his father being a heavy drinker would likely have come into play here — most likely the loss of his lover would have caused him to drink.

This would have been a major trauma for Missy. Although she was much closer to George than to Mary, there is no denying that Missy loved her mother and always needed her attention and care, which was more the case with Sheldon.

Most likely, the girl would have grieved over the fact that she never managed to bond with her mother, and that could have led her to some very dark places, considering she wasn't the easiest teenager to deal with.

And of course, the tragedy would have meant that Sheldon might have no future at all. Let's face it, Shelly is a special needs child, and when such children are left without a caretaker, the chance of them fitting into society becomes almost impossible. Besides, Mary has often helped him in social situations; in fact, it was thanks to her that he got into CalTec, stayed with Amy, and started his happy family.

Source: Reddit.