A hero’s victory is best measured by how much suffering they’re forced to endure, and in the case of Georgie, his victory has no choice but to be vast. It’s a dark time for the Cooper clan; Georgie’s father, George Sr. (Lance Barber) has died from a heart attack, sending mother Mary (Zoe Perry) to find an over-abundance of solace in her Christian faith. Further fracturing the Coopers is Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) departure to Caltech, leaving Georgie’s younger sister Missy (Raegan Revord) to start her first year of high school essentially alone in an empty house. Fans of The Big Bang Theory know that Georgie stays to help his family through their difficult times, but it’s hard to imagine that the new father has enough bandwidth to give his mother and sister the assistance they need.
Georgie has — within an incredibly brief window of time — lost the support system of his mother and father, and his new environment is not exactly a source of comfort. The first episode of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage sees the young father receive hostility from his recently acquired mother-in-law, even as he makes her breakfast. Attempts at befriending a new co-worker, Ruben (Jessie Prez), lead to accusations Georgie doesn’t deserve the job he has. Only his father-in-law, Jim, sees the potential in Georgie, speaking for the audience with words of encouragement. Much like longtime viewers of Young Sheldon, Jim has noticed Georgie’s humble and sweet-natured integrity.
Georgie’s Growth Wasn’t Overnight, but It Was Fast
There are hints of Georgie’s noble character throughout the run of Young Sheldon, as he was always a child forced to grow up too fast. The stress of having a gifted child in Sheldon required a deeper amount of attention from parents, George and Mary, and often, young Georgie acted as a surrogate parent to his siblings. It was Georgie who counseled Missy about first dates or attempted to give Sheldon real-world coping skills. He was even a caretaker to his mother by bringing her soup after a fight with George (it didn’t matter if the soup was edible). Georgie had always taken responsibility for his family, even going as far as driving his brother and sister to the hospital to visit their dad when he didn’t have a license and could barely see over the wheel.
A defining moment in his life was Georgie dropping out of high school to work full-time. On surface level, it appeared an impulsive decision, but it was Georgie learning how he best works in the world – finding the skills that make him special. It may not have been the academic way, or more pointedly, the Sheldon way, but it’s Georgie taking on the world on his terms. By the time he finds out he’s going to be a father, Georgie is already an adult in a teenager’s body. But while an adult is riddled with doubt, or scars from dreams that didn’t materialize, George has the kind of optimism that comes from being young enough only to see the possibilities that lie ahead.
