Young Sheldon is over, and now that we've had time to grieve the powerful scenes detailing the death of George Sr., it's time to reflect on the other wonderful parts of this amazing finale. Iain Armitage has a lot to say about it, and I loved what he said about how this series bridges the gap between it and The Big Bang Theory.
Iain Armitage has said several interesting things about the Young Sheldon finale, including his take on the cancellation. In an interview with the LA Times, the actor mentioned his appreciation of Sheldon's final line delivered upon his arrival at CalTech and how it bridges the gap to The Big Bang Theory so well:
People always pay attention to the final words of a series finale. Sheldon has the final words, as he’s arrived at Caltech, and someone asks if he’s lost. He says, 'No. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.' I think it’s nice because it was definitely an on-the-nose scene, in a way; he’s at Caltech very much setting up what’s to come with The Big Bang. He has a long way to go. There’s an episode of Big Bang, where Leonard’s talking about when he first moved into the apartment and how the elevator broke and Sheldon being so much worse off than now in Big Bang. I like seeing that because it kind of shows that, no, he wasn’t exactly where he needed to be. I think the people that he has with him in Big Bang will really help them out. It’s a really nice line, but he’s definitely got a long way to go.
At the end of Young Sheldon, it's clear the character needs to heal from the loss of his father and prepare to live his life independently. It's through his time at CalTech that he develops some of those vital skills on his path to adulthood, even if he still has some work to do in The Big Bang Theory. Hell, he even has some more growing to do based on the Young Sheldon finale, as the older Jim Parsons reprised the role to show Sheldon is still learning in the future.
The downside of this ending is we presumably won't get to see Sheldon become his adult self anytime soon. Instead, CBS has greenlit a spinoff titled Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which will follow Sheldon's brother and sister-in-law as they navigate their life together with a young child. Based on what we know from The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon wasn't around his brother much during that time, so it would make sense if Iain Armitage didn't show up as the character.
On the flip side, it'll be interesting to see a young talent like Armitage continue to grow in Hollywood and what other roles he'll take on in the coming years. Considering he started this series back when he was only 8 years old, we haven't seen all he's capable of in other roles. I remember liking what little I saw of him in Big Little Lies and eagerly await to see if he can overcome the world seeing him as "Young Sheldon" going forward.
Young Sheldon is finished, but those with a Netflix subscription can watch the bulk of the series right now. It's about as easy of a rewatch as any show that I've seen, so those in need of something to wind down to at the end of the night should give it a try.
