Sheldon’s journey in Young Sheldon has been filled with ups and downs, but he hasn’t always learned from his experiences. As the origin story of the beloved character from The Big Bang Theory, the spin-off explores Sheldon Cooper’s life as a boy genius growing up in Medford, Texas. Despite the challenges he faced and the support of his family, Sheldon often found himself feeling alone and isolated. However, while he struggled to learn and grow, those around him had their own lessons to teach.
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Initially, Young Sheldon focused primarily on developing Sheldon’s story, relegating the rest of his family to supporting characters. However, as the show progressed, CBS realized the appeal of the Cooper family and started giving them more attention. In the sixth season of Young Sheldon, the family’s narratives became more interesting than Sheldon’s. While the boy genius still had some compelling story arcs, it seemed that the showrunners were unsure of how to handle his character as he transitioned into adolescence. As Sheldon became more annoying and difficult, it became evident that he hadn’t learned many important life lessons from his past experiences.
One key lesson Sheldon didn’t learn was how to collaborate effectively. Throughout his life, Sheldon prided himself on his intellect and often preferred to work on projects alone. In The Big Bang Theory, his friendship with Leonard, Howard, and Raj served as automatic collaborators, but he rarely worked with anyone else and did so reluctantly. In Young Sheldon, we see numerous instances where he had to rely on others for projects, yet he failed to understand the true power and benefits of collaboration.
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Another lesson Sheldon didn’t grasp was the difficulties of being alone. Despite his tendency to act like he preferred solitude, it became clear in both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon that he actually needed people around him. While he complained about sharing a room with his sister, Missy, he later realized that he enjoyed having her presence. However, Sheldon continued to push people away, often by being insufferable. He failed to learn from the struggles of others, such as Paige, a fellow prodigy in Young Sheldon who faced challenges without a solid support system. Sheldon’s behavior towards his family in Young Sheldon and his friends in The Big Bang Theory often bordered on being mean-spirited and repulsive.
Additionally, Sheldon didn’t learn to appreciate his father, George, and all that he did for the family. In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon described his dad as drunk and negligent, and later revealed a shocking incident of infidelity. However, Sheldon failed to fully acknowledge his father’s positive attributes, such as holding his hand during his first plane ride and working tirelessly to provide for the family. This lack of appreciation remained consistent throughout both series.
Another lesson that eluded Sheldon was that running away never solves problems. In Young Sheldon, his sister Missy rebelled and attempted to run away from home. Although she was eventually brought back and the situation resolved, Sheldon didn’t seem to learn from her failed attempt. Surprisingly, he himself resorted to the same tactic in The Big Bang Theory, despite it not being his usual style and despite witnessing the ineffectiveness of Missy’s own escapade.
Dealing with failure was another challenge for Sheldon. With his exceptional intellect, he often believed he could succeed at anything. However, when he faced a major setback in his bid for the Nobel Prize in Physics in The Big Bang Theory, he struggled to cope with failure. Ironically, in Young Sheldon’s sixth season, we learned that he had experienced a similar failure in his childhood when his controversial grant database project didn’t succeed. Despite this earlier setback, Sheldon still hadn’t learned healthy ways to handle failure.
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Lastly, Sheldon didn’t fully value his twin sister, Missy, and all that she had done for him. Although Missy had limited appearances in The Big Bang Theory, she made a strong impression and was portrayed as patient and understanding towards Sheldon. He often sought her emotional advice and guidance. However, Sheldon rarely showed genuine appreciation for her contributions. In both series, he was critical of her and disregarded her when he didn’t need anything from her. As the story progresses, there may be opportunities for Sheldon to recognize and make amends for his attitude towards Missy.
In conclusion, while Sheldon faced numerous challenges and had a supportive family, he didn’t always learn from his experiences in Young Sheldon. He struggled with collaboration, failed to understand the importance of a support system, didn’t appreciate his father’s efforts, relied on ineffective strategies like running away, struggled with failure, and didn’t fully value his twin sister. These lessons present opportunities for growth and development as the series continues.
