A Young Sheldon Speech About George Is Hard To Watch
Season 7's "Funeral" is by far the saddest episode of "Young Sheldon." The aptly titled thirteenth installment of the series' final season centers around the Cooper family as they come together with their friends and neighbors to memorialize George (Lance Barber). Although "The Big Bang Theory" fans always knew this storyline was coming ("Young Sheldon" bosses have had George's death planned out since Season 1), it doesn't make it any less of an emotional blow.
First to speak at George's funeral is Georgie (Montana Jordan), who shares how grateful he is to his dad for always supporting him unconditionally. George's wife Mary (Zoe Perry) then takes her turn, but she breaks down sobbing midway through her eulogy, so her mom Connie (Annie Potts) takes over. Viewers who thought the episode couldn't get any more affecting after Mary's emotional speech were sorely mistaken; watching Connie pay tribute to George is truly hard to watch.
Connie famously disapproves of George in "Young Sheldon," calling him out for being a bad father, husband, and son-in-law over the years. While it was clear to viewers that she is overly critical at times, there are very few tender moments between the two, and it genuinely seems like she's not his biggest fan. However, at the funeral, she shares her true feelings about George — and it is heartbreaking. Fighting back tears, Connie says, "I wasn't always a big supporter of George and Mary being an item ... [but] George only had eyes for Mary ... and over the years, he surely earned my respect. He was a good man and I will always be proud to call him my son." Pass the tissues, please.
Sheldon's tribute to George is another emotional blow for Young Sheldon fans
Other people speak at the funeral, including Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby), who leads the service, along with George's friends and colleagues, Principal Petersen (Rex Linn) and Coach Wilkins (Doc Farrow). This leads to Sheldon (Iain Armitage) closing out the service with an incredibly moving tribute to his dad.
"So many times that I didn't notice my father. I hope he knew how much I loved him," he says, concluding his speech. For someone who struggles to communicate his feelings, he says all the right things — but there's a tragic twist to Sheldon's eulogy for his father: he doesn't actually speak. He never leaves his seat or stands at the podium. Viewers are hit with a huge emotional blow when this is revealed, and the episode cuts to Jim Parsons' voiceover, where he admits he wishes he said those things, but didn't.
However, Parsons' voiceover does fill a huge "Big Bang Theory" plot hole. Fans know there's a disparity between the way adult Sheldon describes his dad and the way he's portrayed by Lance Barber in "Young Sheldon." But now he seems to acknowledge that he knows his depictions of his father were unfair and that it was actually due to his inability to process his grief about his dad's death until years after it happened. "For a long time, I focused on my father's shortcomings. Now that I'm his age and have kids of my own, I realize he was just a person doing the best he could, and he did a lot," adult Sheldon says, his words the ultimate tribute to George. "I didn't say it at his funeral, but I can say it now: I loved my father. I will miss him forever."