George's Final Young Sheldon Line Makes His Death Even More Heartbreaking
"Young Sheldon" fans will have to endure very emotional scenes in Season 7, Episode 12. "A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture" begins on a happy note with each member of the Cooper family planning for their respective futures. George Sr. (Lance Barber), Mary (Zoe Perry), and Missy (Raegan Revord) are preparing for an exciting move to Houston, while titular genius Sheldon (Iain Armitage) is getting ready to head off to California. Meanwhile, newlyweds Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) are building a life for their daughter CeCe.
However, the episode ends in tragedy when the Coopers get an unexpected knock on the door from George's friends and co-workers, Principal Petersen (Rex Linn) and Coach Wilkins (Doc Farrow). They deliver the sad news that George died instantly from a heart attack at some point after leaving for work that morning. His death is made all the more heartbreaking when you reflect on his last words. As he heads out the door, George casually says, "See y'all later," as he fully expects to reunite with his family later in the day.
Episode 12 puts a big emphasis on the theme of family. With everyone heading off in different directions, Mary organizes for the Coopers to come together for a memorable family portrait — an event that should take place at the end of the episode. However, as "Young Sheldon" viewers know, George is fated to die before Sheldon goes to Caltech, and he doesn't make it back home that day. Despite some heavy foreshadowing throughout the episode, the day isn't really anything out of the ordinary for George. He leaves for work, cup of coffee in hand, all with a cheerful smile on his face. And his final words are nothing more than a simple phrase he's said hundreds of times before.
Young Sheldon has been building up to George's death for years
George's final words may not seem to be anything special, but they were carefully chosen by the "Young Sheldon" bosses who have been planning his death since Season 1. But it's clear from George's last words and his off-screen demise that the sitcom creators wanted the inevitable storyline to be more about the reaction of the Coopers and how they deal with it moving forward than the actual death itself. During an interview with Variety, "Young Sheldon" executive producer Steve Holland confirmed this, saying, "I think it was Chuck [Lorre, executive producer] who said, 'This is mostly a positive, uplifting show. Let's not leave the audience deep in their grief. Let's watch the family start to piece itself back together, and let's end with a little hope.'"
This doesn't mean the two-part finale, coming on May 16, won't be without tears, though. The penultimate episode promises to be the saddest of the season as it will see the characters gather for George's funeral. And a spoiler image released by CBS teases that Sheldon might be the one to give George's eulogy.