While Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 could undo a major off-screen tragedy from The Big Bang Theory, this would mean setting up another sad twist instead. From Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s title onward, the Young Sheldon spinoff was always going to be working in two directions at once. The show needed to sew together the continuities of its two predecessors, taking the ending of Young Sheldon and grafting it to the beginning of The Big Bang Theory.
In Young Sheldon’s finale, Mandy and Georgie were happily married and raising their first child together. In The Big Bang Theory season 11, episode 23, “The Sibling Realignment,” Georgie referenced his “Ex-wife” in passing. Similarly, Dale and Meemaw were seemingly in a stable romantic relationship when Young Sheldon ended, but Craig T Nelson’s character was never even referenced off-screen in The Big Bang Theory. Thus, it falls on Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage to explain these discrepancies.
Meemaw and Dale Could Break Up In Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 2
Dale Temporarily Dumped Meemaw In Season 1
Even though Meemaw predicted Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s backstory way back in Young Sheldon season 1 when she said Georgie would never graduate high school, the supporting character herself has still become something of an issue for Young Sheldon’s spinoff. It was easy to integrate Mary Cooper into Georgie and Mandy’s story since Georgie maintains a close relationship with both her and his sister, Missy. He tearfully promised his father that he would take care of them at George Sr.’s funeral, so their continued presence in the show is justified.
In contrast, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s Meemaw story is trickier. Meemaw was a wild-hearted, free-spirited rebel throughout Young Sheldon’s seven seasons, and her blatant disregard for the law eventually resulted in her arrest shortly before the series finale. This experience appeared to humble Meemaw, and she seemed ready to renounce her love of crime, stop running illegal gambling scams, and lead a steady, sedate life with Dale by the time the spinoff ended.
A Breakup Would Explain Dale’s Absence from The Big Bang Theory
Meemaw’s Love Interest Wasn’t Addressed In The Original Show
When Dale went unmentioned in The Big Bang Theory, viewers could reasonably assume the worst about the character’s fate. It seemed obvious that Dale had died before the original show began, but now Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 could offer an alternative explanation for Dale’s absence from The Big Bang Theory. Since Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has a different tone from Young Sheldon, owing to its laugh track and multicam setup, the show can treat dramatic events like breakups more lightly than its comparatively self-serious predecessor.
There is plentiful foreshadowing of Dale and Meemaw’s breakup, as Dale has already threatened to dump Meemaw over her gambling ring in season 1, episode 14, “A Sportsbook and a Breakup.”
Thus, Dale and Meemaw could break up for good in season 2, thus explaining his absence from The Big Bang Theory without requiring his canonical death. There is plentiful foreshadowing for this twist, as Dale has already threatened to dump Meemaw over her gambling ring in season 1, episode 14, “A Sportsbook and a Breakup.” Since Meemaw still hasn’t given up on the scam that caused their breakup, it would make perfect sense for the pair to part ways now.
The Big Bang Theory’s Dale Absence Seemed Tragic
Meemaw’s Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Love Interest Could Have Died Between Shows
Dale’s off-screen death before The Big Bang Theory began seemed like an obvious foregone conclusion, since he is older than Meemaw and Meemaw was significantly older by the time the original show took place. However, Young Sheldon’s spinoff can make this twist less tragic and more surprising with a breakup. While a comeback from another Young Sheldon character would elevate Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 2 even further, Dale’s decision to leave Meemaw behind would be a welcome surprise.
It is believable that Meemaw would be interested in a romantic partner who is willing to go along with her schemes, but this doesn’t challenge her to change or grow, and it makes Dale a deathly dull figure.
Dale comes across as something of a doormat in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage season 1, and his inactivity and passivity make it tough to care about his fate. It is believable that Meemaw would be interested in a romantic partner who is willing to go along with her schemes, but this doesn’t challenge her to change or grow, and it makes Dale a deathly dull figure. Nelson’s deadpan charm elevates the character, but there is only so much that even the sitcom veteran can do to redeem a character who seems averse to any meaningful conflict.
