While Young Sheldon’s George Sr. fate was already tragic, The Big Bang Theory spinoff’s lone Thanksgiving special made this even worse upon a re-watch. Although Young Sheldon’s series finale was bittersweet, it was not the show’s saddest episode. That honor goes to the penultimate outing, season 7, episode 13, “Funeral.” In Young Sheldon’s most ambitious episode, The Big Bang Theory spinoff delved into Sheldon’s internal world as he replayed his final interaction with his late father on a loop, working out what he should have said to George Sr. before he left for work for the last time.

While The Big Bang Theory’s finale is moving, “Funeral” is uniquely heartbreaking as it depicts the ways that Sheldon’s unique worldview made grief and loss harder for him. Upon a re-watch, there are many episodes of Young Sheldon that are sadder once viewers know how George Sr.’s story ultimately ends. Viewers always knew that George Sr. would die when Sheldon was still a young teen and an early episode of Young Sheldon foreshadowed the possibility of a heart attack taking his life. However, none of this prepared viewers for how strangely tragic Young Sheldon’s only Thanksgiving episode became.

George Gave Up On His Dream Teaching Job In Young Sheldon Season 2 Episode 9

George Sr.’s Lucrative New Job Would Have Meant A Move To Oklahoma

Thanks to the events of season 2, episode 9, “Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero,” George Sr. missed out on his dream coaching job twice. Young Sheldon’s Thanksgiving episode begins with Sheldon selecting a Psychology elective at school and immediately beginning his forensic analysis of his family’s behavioral quirks. This fun project soon turns serious when George Sr. is offered a dream coaching job in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Mary vetoes the move as she feels it would be too hard on the children. The family’s Thanksgiving soon descends into a fight as Mary and George Sr. try to convince the kids.

The fight between the Cooper parents is hard to watch, but it is made much worse by the events of season 7, episode 12.

While many of Young Sheldon’s tragedies took place off-screen, such as George Sr.’s fatal heart attack itself, the show didn’t shy away from the rough realities of family life. The fight between the Cooper parents is hard to watch, but it is made much worse by the events of season 7, episode 12, “A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture.” There, George Sr. learns from his boss that he is soon to be offered a coaching job at Rice University. An equally prestigious and lucrative job with a smaller move, this would be George Sr’s dream come true.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Gave George His Dream Job But He Wasn’t Able To Live It

George Sr.’s Untimely Death Came Soon After This Exciting Offer

This time, Mary is supportive of the move and Sheldon’s forthcoming college career means his misgivings aren’t relevant. However, George Sr. dies suddenly before he can take his dream job, making the events of “Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero” even sadder in retrospect. George Sr. gave up his dream job for the sake of his children and was rewarded with another shot, only to die moments before he could fulfill his dream. Much like Meemaw’s poorly timed George Sr, jokes in the later outing, this Young Sheldon twist makes The Big Bang Theory spinoff’s only Thanksgiving episode unexpectedly tragic.