Young Sheldon Finale Leaves Fans Asking: What Happened to Paige?
Fans believe that Paige has gone down a dark path. But is that the case?
Summary
- The character played by McKenna, Grace Paige Swanson, never appeared in season 7.
- This hinted at dark events that may have happened in her life.
- However, the showrunner denied such speculations.
While Young Sheldon added greater depth to the title character, it also demonstrated that many of the anecdotes recounted by the adult Sheldon during The Big Bang Theory were in fact wild exaggerations, as Young Sheldon's characters do not actually behave the way he describes them. But in addition to the canonical events Sheldon mentioned, the prequel also introduced some new faces.
One of the most compelling original YS characters was Paige Swanson, portrayed by McKenna Grace. The life of another child prodigy was filled with drama and layers, especially in Season 6. Unfortunately, despite all the speculation prior to the release of Season 7, Paige never made an appearance in the final episodes, but given the writers' clear intention to tie together the events of YS, TBBT, and what followed, fan interest in the character's fate has not waned.
So what could have happened to her through the events of The Big Bang Theory?
Why Didn't Paige Appear in Season 7?
Considering how little time McKenna Grace was given in Season 6, many viewers were worried if the actress would appear in the new season at all. Unfortunately, Paige not only did not appear, but was not even mentioned in the entire fourteen episodes of the final season.
When asked why Paige was not in Season 7, showrunner Steve Holland said the main reason was the busy filming schedule of the actress, who is now in high demand for feature films.
'People online respond to Paige and I think that's because Mckenna is incredible. The downside of Mckenna being incredible is that Mckenna is a movie star and that makes Mckenna very difficult to get.'
However, he also noted that the writers simply didn't feel the need to explore her character any further.
'When we got into this season, especially with it being a shortened season, we never thought that [Paige’s storyline] was an arc that needed more closing than it got. There was a parallel; she was a bit of a mirror image of Sheldon — a different way that Sheldon could have turned out — and I think we saw that play out.'
Indeed, the two are mirror images of each other. However, while Sheldon is constantly supported by teachers and relatives, Paige grew up under the inflated expectations of her parents, who later paid less attention to her accomplishments due to the divorce process. As a result, Paige became less interested in the academic world, fell into bad habits, and even tried to run away with Missy in Season 6.
What Happened to Paige by the Time of TBBT?
In addition, Holland shared his thoughts on Paige's fate throughout the events of the main series.
'I know there are some dark theories about what happened to Paige and why Sheldon doesn't mention her [on Big Bang]. I don't think she's not mentioned because she went down a dark path and is dead in Big Bang Theory. For us, it was just an interesting way to explore another kid who had a similar thing to Sheldon and the different roads that they could take.'
By the way, there was a Big Bang character who bears a strong resemblance to Paige. This is Dr. Leslie Winkle, played by Sara Gilbert, a colleague of the adult Sheldon and Leonard at Caltech. Sheldon considered her a rival, and the two had little respect for each other as scientists.
But back to Paige, let's hope that even if her future does not include academia, she was able to find her place in the world.