Diving Deep into Young Sheldon Season 5’s Ending: What Happened and Why It Matters

CBS diversified its storytelling for Young Sheldon season 5, noticeably putting more attention on other members of Sheldon’s family instead of simply tackling the boy genius’ personal dilemmas. The first half of the year was focused on George’s (Lance Barber) almost cheating scandal with Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman) as set up by the Young Sheldon season 4 finale. Eventually, even Mary (Zoe Perry) was tempted to start her own affair with Pastor Rob (Dan Byrd). Meanwhile, Sheldon briefly reunited with Paige (McKenna Grace) and grew to hate engineering, while Missy (Raegan Revord) faced some hurdles at school. Ever since Young Sheldon revealed that Georgie (Montana Jordan) got Mandy (Emily Osment) pregnant, however, the Coopers have been preoccupied with the situation.

In Young Sheldon‘s season 5 finale, the Coopers finally start to get acclimated to the idea that a new baby is coming to their family.  That doesn’t make things any easier for them as they are separately faced with a slew of new problems. Some of these issues are resolved, while others are still waiting for a verdict.

Young Sheldon Finally Introduces Big Bang Theory’s George

For a while now, George’s job in Young Sheldon at Medford High School has been in danger, and in the Young Sheldon season 5 finale, he finally loses it. Instead of being fired, however, and given until the end of the year to find new employment, the Cooper patriarch decides to save face and quit on his own terms. While this saves him his pride, it puts his family in a direr financial situation, as Mary has previously lost her job at church. Despite the clear need for money, George refuses to take on the grocery gig that Mary scores for the both of them, explaining that it’s embarrassing for him. Instead of pulling himself up, he remains cranky and unmotivated, opting to lounge at home and watch TV while waiting for his shift at Ballard which doesn’t really cover all of their bills. This version of Sheldon’s father is reminiscent of the George described in The Big Bang Theory. Considering their situation, it’s possible that he’s only going to get worse from here on out.

Why Mary Starts Working With Brenda (& What It Means)

After getting fired by Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby) and with her husband also losing his primary source of income, Mary is compelled to find new employment very quickly in the Young Sheldon season 5 finale. She realizes, however, that the job market has been more competitive than ever forcing her to reach out to Brenda at the town bowling alley for work. Despite being initially hesitant to accept Sheldon’s mother considering her complicated relationship with George, Brenda ultimately hires Mary after the Cooper matriarch essentially begged her. While Mary thinks of this as a win, she may not know yet what she’s getting herself into given Brenda and George’s mutual attraction in Young Sheldon. Assuming that Mary retains her new job at the bowling alley, then it hints that Young Sheldon season 6 will further delve into Brenda and George’s evolving relationship — something that was sidelined in the second half of season 5.