Young Sheldon is a wholesome family sitcom/drama based in East Texas, with conflict provided by Sheldon’s being such a misfit with respect to his family. Despite it being a prequel, it can stand alone. A friend of mine – in his nineties – was telling our reading group about this great new sitcom he had just discovered: Young Sheldon! My nonagenarian friend was a little disappointed to learn that the rest of us already knew about the show.
Before you continue, let me warn the following paragraphs contain a few spoilers. However, Young Sheldon is not really about dramatic plot twists. It is about making you laugh or touching your heart or making you think, so reading this review should not harm your enjoyment of the show. Many, coming from The Big Bang Theory, already know where the show has to be headed.
The Characters
Sheldon Lee Cooper is the title character and the star. The young version is played by Iain Armitage. Armitage does a good job with simulating the mannerisms that Jim Parsons brought to The Big Bang Theory. Iain is an amazingly gifted actor with a huge range of abilities, so much so that they have a couple of episodes where Armitage takes a drama class and displays his singing and dancing abilities. Armitage does a great job with the Sheldon role, with all the science and the awkward attitude that we see in The Big Bang Theory.
Note Jim Parsons, Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, does voice over bits, putting events in perspective.
Mary Cooper is Sheldon’s mother and is the other character with a significant role in The Big Bang Theory (recurring, however, not starring). The younger version is played by Zoe Perry, who is the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays the older Mary Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Mary Cooper adores all her children but has a special bond with Sheldon. Because he’s so unusual, he doesn't always fit in, which makes him need her more.
George Cooper, Senior, is Sheldon’s father. As this character was dead throughout The Big Bang Theory, there was no older version to emulate, so Lance Barber makes it his own. He manages to bring a lot of warmth and tolerance to the role of father and high school football coach as he deals with a religious wife – Mary was not like that when they married, but became more devout later – and the inexplicably brilliant son and the two more ordinary kids. He’s there for everyone, but it takes its toll, and he indulges in beer and food as his escape.
Mee-Maw, Sheldon’s grandmother, is played by Annie Potts. Mee-Maw had only one appearance in The Big Bang Theory, so Annie Potts could make the character her own. Mee-Maw is practical and fun and not a religious goody-goody like her daughter. She’s a widow, and there are hints that her husband may be the source of Sheldon’s brilliance. Moreover, she lives across the street from the Coopers, which makes it easy to have her around all the time. She enjoys gambling, and is such an attractive older woman that she gets plenty of offers from several older men.
George Cooper, Junior, called Georgie, is Sheldon’s older brother, played by Montana Jordan. The character has only a couple of appearances in The Big Bang Theory, but Montana Jordan is close enough in mannerisms and deeds, although the Young Sheldon version of Georgie is a bit softer than The Big Bang Theory version. Georgie is hard working but not interested in school and he drops out – in many ways he’s the exact opposite of Sheldon. He also gets a woman pregnant and becomes a dad at eighteen.
Missy Cooper, Sheldon’s twin sister, is played by Raegan Revord. Again, Missy Cooper had only a couple of appearances in The Big Bang Theory. Raegan Revord makes the character her own, and Sheldon and Missy are closer in Young Sheldon than they are in The Big Bang Theory. For example, Sheldon and Missy share a room for the first few seasons, something to which I related. Even though my twin brother and I had our own rooms from age eight on, we still slept in the same room so we could talk at night, until we were 11 and moved to a different house. It’s just what many twins do.
Pluses
Young Sheldon deals with the conflict of a fundamentalist Christian versus a scientific atheist. Mary Cooper’s faith is important to the character, but it is ridiculed less in Young Sheldon than it was in The Big Bang Theory. Although she’s as devout as ever, in Young Sheldon, there’s more nuance. Sometimes her faith is a source of strength; sometimes a source of community; sometimes a source of condemnation. And sometimes it is a source of income.
Young Sheldon celebrates family. Although the characters are all different – and Sheldon, with his genius, is super different – they support each other. They often make sacrifices (Sheldon probably makes the least, but he does help out, such as doing his parents' taxes). Georgie gets a girl pregnant, and although their church snubs them, the Coopers end up adoring the little baby.
In the penultimate episode of the series, George Cooper dies, I really liked how this was handled. We had hints earlier that he could be in trouble – he has had heart attacks – but Young Sheldon has the sense not to show the actual death. Instead, George goes to work one ordinary morning and then later that day, the high school principal and the other football coach come to deliver the appalling news.
It's really entertaining and wholesome.
Minuses
Alas, Young Sheldon could not make the actors playing the Cooper siblings as tall as the actors in The Big Bang Theory.
The show is set in the late 20th century. Some of the humor is also retro, especially in the early seasons. George Cooper is overweight, and Mee-Maw does a lot of body shaming that is not considered appropriate today.
The writers took many liberties with respect to how universities actually function.
Quotes
Mary: All right, Tam. I decided I was gonna make you a real Texas dinner: bar-b-que chicken and brisket.
Tam: Thank you.
Mary: Well, I figured you were probably tired of stuff wigglin' around on your plate. OK, let's say Grace. Now, Tam, when I say 'Jesus', feel free to say the word 'Buddha' in your head.
Tam: I'm actually Catholic.
Mary: Oh. Well, that's too bad.
Pastor Jeff: Sometimes people say to me, "Pastor Jeff, how do you know there's a God?" And I say "It's simple math. God either exists or he doesn't." So let's be cynical. Worst-case scenario, there's a 50-50 chance, And I like those odds.
Sheldon: [raising his hand] That's wrong.
Mary: [sotto voce] Shelly, put your hand down.[to Pastor Jeff] Sorry, Please continue. …
Pastor Jeff: So, you were saying?
Sheldon: You've confused possibilities with probabilities. According to your analogy, when I go home I might find a million dollars on my bed or I might not. In what universe is that 50-50?
Sheldon: [Sheldon and Meemaw are playing poker] I bet a nickel.
Meemaw: Hang on there a minute, moon pie. I want to teach you somethin'. Look at your cards [holds up hand mirror] and then look in the mirror.
Sheldon: Hey, I'm smiling.
Meemaw: Uh-huh, and what does that tell me about your cards?
Sheldon: That I like them?
Meemaw: Attaboy. Now... look at my face. Tell me what you see.
Sheldon: That you're old.
Meemaw: It's a good thing I love you. I'm gonna look at my cards again. [Frowns]
Sheldon: You're unhappy.
Meemaw: Which means...
Sheldon: You don't have good cards.
Meemaw: So... I'm gonna see your nickel and raise you a quarter.
Sheldon: Quarter?
Meemaw: You can fold.
Sheldon: No, I have good cards, you have bad cards. I'm in. Nines and fives.
Meemaw: Mm, that's too bad. Three queens. You lose.
Sheldon: What? But you weren't happy.
Meemaw: I made you think I was unhappy.
Sheldon: But that's lying. You lied to your moon pie.
Meemaw: I bluffed my moon pie.
Sheldon: Do people know about this?
Meemaw: Sheldon, what's on a person's face is not always what's in their heart.
Sheldon: Well, this changes everything. How do you know who to trust?
Meemaw: You don't. That's what makes life interesting.
Sheldon: [v.o] Meemaw liked to teach me things that kept me awake at night.
Mary Cooper: What's going on?
Coach Wayne Wilkins: Mary, we got some bad news.
Mary Cooper: Where's George?
Principal Petersen: I'm so sorry. He had a heart attack.
Missy Cooper: He's okay, right?
Principal Petersen: He's gone.
Overall Rating
A wholesome family sitcom, worth a watch when you want to relax. I was able to catch the entire last season while on some long flights on Singapore Airlines, and it was just perfect for getting me through those hours. Three and a half out of four moon pies.
Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.
TBBT is right up there among my favorite shows of all time. I watch it over and over again, especially when I need to belly laugh or feel that all is right with the world.
ReplyDeleteI hesitated to watch Young Sheldon because I just couldn't believe it would be as good. I turned it on one day "just to see" and ended up binging through it in record time. Although there is a great deal of retcon between the two shows, it never bothered me all that much.
The last scene of the season two finale is one of the best pieces of television I have ever seen. The first time I saw it, I cried. A lot. I have watched that episode and that scene more times than I care to admit. I still always cry during the last minute.
Fun fact. The theme song of this show is sung by Steve Burns, the host of Blues Clues. Burns also guest stars as a comic book store owner
ReplyDeleteVictoria, because of your review, I gave Young Sheldon a try. And you're right. It's good, and I'm enjoying it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMeemaw is without a doubt my favorite character, although I like all of them. I was surprised by how much I grew to like Georgie. I might even check out his new sitcom.
DeleteThough it never achieved the pop culture status if its parent series, when it comes to storytelling, characterization and heart, Young Sheldon leaves Big Bang Theory in the dust.
ReplyDeleteCharacters who existed mainly as caricatures in Big Bang Theory (whether through their portrayals or through Sheldon's descriptions) become real, well-rounded human beings. At times this can seem like a continuity problem, but it works if you view the BBT characters as having been kicked around by life a lot more, and Sheldon's descriptions as coming from him being an unreliable narrator who either didn't understand them or is choosing to focus on the negative as a defense mechanism.
For example, Missy in Young Sheldon is quick-witted, street-smart, and at times uncannily perceptive, but Sheldon's narrow focus on academic achievement causes him to dismiss those and perceive her as unintelligent. George in Young Sheldon does drink a lot but is never violent or abusive and genuinely seems to be doing his best, but it's not hard to imagine that Sheldon — not being equipped to emotionally process the loss of his dad — would choose to exaggerate the negatives in his mind. (His presence as a narrator in Young Sheldon suggests that, with Amy's help, he has gotten over some of this and is now able to view his family a little more objectively.)
The characters feel real and they are treated with respect by the writers. The humor comes from the situations, not from taking a stereotypical characteristic (Leonard is neurotic, Raj is from India, Bernadette is tiny but mean, Howard is a momma's boy who embodies every problematic Jewish stereotype ever invented) and using that to turn them into a punchline. Yes, Mary is an inflexible fundamentalist, but we can see that that's part of how she copes with life — plus she will always put her family above the dogma, even if she has to be reminded to once in a while, and we see her struggle with her faith in a very realistic way.
IMO, where the series really shines is in the way it portrays the relationship between Sheldon and Missy. The central tension at the heart of their relationship is that what Missy craves more than anything else is connection to other people — especially her twin brother, and the fact that Sheldon has not yet learned how to connect with somebody that way is a source of constant disappointment that must, to her, feel like a very personal rejection. We see Sheldon portrayed as having few friends, but it's actually Missy who struggles the most with loneliness. George has Wayne and his other teaching buddies, Mary has the church, Sheldon has science, and Georgie is just exceptionally emotionally self-sufficient, but Missy is an island. It's presumably intentional that we never see the oft-mentioned Heather B. and Heather M. — her friendship with them is surface-level and limited to school, and we get the feeling that Billy Sparks is the closest thing she has to a real friend. If she felt truly connected, she wouldn't be so excited at the prospect of moving to Houston.
Most of the series' tearjerker moments have to do with the relationship between the twins. Missy lying awake talking to the absent Sheldon during his brief stint at boarding school — as well as her unbridled joy when he returns, a stark contrast from her usual carefully-maintained, too-cool-for-school cynicism. The hug at the end of "A High-Pitched Buzz and Training Wheels." Sheldon's graduation speech, one of the few times he's able to reciprocate Missy's efforts to connect with him. Sheldon stubbornly following Missy on her misadventures, insisting that it's only because he believes in following rules. The mechanism they rig up so they can talk at night after they move into separate rooms (leading to one of the series' most heartbreaking scenes when she gets so mad that she cuts him off).
I'm a sucker for a well-written sibling relationship, and this one ranks right up there with Buffy and Dawn as one of the best. And it's emblematic of a show whose writers seem to truly LIKE the characters they have created.
Just picked a random place to start rewatching and realized this is possibly the series' most perfectly representative Sheldon and Missy moment:
DeleteMissy: "I get it."
Sheldon: "What do you get?"
Missy: "Why you don't want to go to college."
Sheldon: "I doubt that you do."
Missy: "You're scared everything's gonna be different and it'll be hard, and you're gonna miss the way that it was."
Sheldon: "How do you know that?"
Missy: "Cause that's how I feel."
Sheldon: "You're scared?"
Missy: "Yeah."
Sheldon: "So what do we do?"
Missy: "I guess be scared and do it anyway."
Sheldon: "Hm. It's comforting to know that you feel the same way that I do."
Missy: "That's why I said it, dumbass."
T'Cael Zaanidor Kilyle, thanks for your comments. (We read them all.) You made a lot of very good points here.
DeleteI actually did finish all of Young Sheldon and I liked that it was different than TBBT, that it was its own self. The ending was exceptionally touching, and I was really glad that Victoria took the trouble to review the series because I might not have tried it at all.