Most Young Sheldon Fans Missed One Major Cameo At George's Funeral
The two-part finale of "Young Sheldon" is most definitely a tear-jerker. Season 7, Episode 13, "Funeral," chronicles the aftermath of George Cooper's (Lance Barber) tragic and unexpected death, while Episode 14, "Memoir," shows the Coopers trying to move on in the world without him. Thankfully, the emotional fanfare of the extended finale is broken up by a few comedic moments. For example, it reveals why Mary (Laurie Metcalf) is so religious in "The Big Bang Theory" as viewers see her (Zoe Perry) renewed commitment to her faith. This provides the humorous opportunity for fans to watch Sheldon getting baptized while wearing full scuba gear.
There were also a couple of unexpected cameos on the finale. Episode 14 has a secret "Big Bang Theory" cameo with the franchise's science consultant, David Saltzberg, making an appearance at Caltech. There is also a major cameo at George's funeral, which very few fans spotted the first time around.
In a post on her Instagram Story (via ScreenRant), Missy actor Raegan Revord revealed that Lance Barber crashed his own character's funeral. Barber opted to pay tribute to George by appearing as a background character named Georgina. "Fun fact: Lance dressed up as Georgina and attended his [own] funeral," Revord wrote alongside a behind-the-scenes photo of Barber wearing glasses, a white wig styled into a bob, and a purple floral dress. Georgina can be spotted during Georgie's (Montana Jordan) eulogy to his father when the camera pans over the churchgoers. Barber's alter-ego is seated in the second-to-last row, and viewers won't be able to unsee Georgina's appearance once they spot it.
Lance Barber paid tribute to his Young Sheldon character in the best way
Lance Barber always knew his "Young Sheldon" character, George, would die before the show wrapped, and he was fully prepared for that but also grateful he got to stick around for so long. He also felt that having a funeral for George just made sense. "To take the ride with this family and their experience, which we've been doing for seven seasons... why wouldn't we want to join them for this very significant shift in all of their lives?" Barber said to TVLine. And of course, he wanted to be part of this heartbreaking, life-altering event.
To honor his character, alongside attending the funeral as Georgina, Barber also chose to lie in George's casket for the scenes where his family comes up to say goodbye to him. So it really is Barber's head that Mary kisses when she utters her meaningful last words to George. Zoe Perry said having George in the casket was a really effective way to help her convey her character's grief. "When we're shooting something and our producers ask me to go even further into emotion, it's not difficult when I'm talking directly to him," she explained to TVline.
Barber also told the outlet that he had planned to use humor to defuse the intense emotions on the funeral set. He had a fart machine, a fake mustache, and comedy teeth all ready to go, but he found himself unable to pull any pranks when the characters gathered to memorialize George and the cast came together to mourn the end of "Young Sheldon." "I was an absolute mess as soon as it started. ... I didn't do any of my funny little bits because it certainly hit me emotionally," Barber said.