Young Sheldon Explains Why George Really Cheated

Warning! SPOILERS Young Sheldon season 5

George (Lance Barber) subtly explains the reason for cheating on his wife in Young Sheldon season 5. Following a brief hiatus, The Big Bang Theory spin-off returned with Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8 “The Grand Chancellor and a Den of Sin”, and the series has already been renewed for its 6th season. This time, the show focuses on Sheldon (Iain Armitage) coming to terms with people casually and routinely lying. In relation to this, the episode also gives Young Sheldon‘s  George the perfect opportunity to justify – or, at least, explain – George’s affair. 

From the get-go, The Big Bang Theory depicted the Cooper patriarch as a no-good father, who’s lazy and useless. Both adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and his mother, Mary (Laurie Metcalf), ragged on George every single time they got the chance. However, out of all the bad things the pair said, Sheldon’s confession about catching his father having sex with a different woman was arguably the worst. Since then, fans have been waiting for Young Sheldon to reveal what really happened during this traumatic incident. After years of trying to ignore this specific plotline, the spin-off has finally started to lay the groundwork for the big reveal of George’s affair. 

Young Sheldon‘s George is a hot-button topic in The Big Bang Theory and audiences got to see exactly what they wanted from Lance Barber’s portrayal of George. George’s affair is discussed openly in the series’ parent show and the spinoff does an excellent job of making sure that Sheldon’s father lives up to his reputation, despite sometimes being depicted as a caring parent. Now that Young Sheldon season 5 is approaching the inevitable events of George’s affair and death, show creators are finally getting to the nitty-gritty behind why the adult Sheldon Cooper has the compulsion to knock three times, and George’s justification of why.

Young Sheldon Season 5 Explains Why George Cheats On Mary

Young Sheldon season 5 has been particularly active in setting up George’s affair. His budding relationship and obvious attraction towards his newly single neighbor, Brenda Sparks (Melissa Peterman) appears to be the beginning of his unfaithfulness. While the pair technically haven’t done anything wrong, George seems to be well aware of his temptations. In Young Sheldon season 5, episode 8, Sheldon has a conversation with his dad about how East Texas Tech’s president bluffed about the existence of a so-called Grand Chancellor who oversees the school’s operations. Attempting to make the experience a learning lesson for his son, Young Sheldon‘s George says that there are some instances where lying is acceptable, including when one wants to spare another person’s feelings when the truth surely hurts.

Considering Young Sheldon‘s George admits that he’s unhappy with his life, this could be interpreted as him justifying being unfaithful to his family. Since his big fight with Mary (Zoe Perry) in the Young Sheldon season 4 finale, the issue has never been discussed again. George doesn’t want to hurt his wife and kids by suggesting a divorce despite his personal feelings. However, he also can’t stand being miserable. Instead of being truthful about what he’s going through, he ultimately decides to privately address his woes by finding solace in the company of another woman. Obviously, this is still the wrong way to approach the matter. Cheating is definitively wrong, and George’s affair can’t be justified by Mary’s flaws. However, having this mentality implies that he believes lying, in general, can be rationalized. Whether or not George’s affair has something to do with his attraction to Brenda (and her proposition) is uncertain though highly likely in Young Sheldon.

How Young Sheldon Set Up George’s Affair

For what it’s worth, George has already been lying about his relationship with his neighbor for a while now. He has refused to divulge what exactly happened between him and Brenda the night they met at the local pub. That night Brenda propositioned George Cooper Sr. in Young Sheldon season 5, episode 1. After their night out, she suggests that they go back to her place because her kids are spending time with their estranged father. Had Young Sheldon‘s George not experienced a medical emergency at that very moment, it’s likely that he would’ve gone home with his neighbor due to growing tensions within his household. Too, life for Sheldon’s father is starting to spiral as Young Sheldon season 5 is setting up another dark story in the form of George possibly stealing money from his job; something discussed in The Big Bang Theory. Considering that the Cooper family patriarch is falling on hard times, coupled with the fact that he and Brenda’s flirtatious relationship is only heating up, it seems like George’s affair is imminent.

As The Big Bang Theory spinoff series continues audiences will inevitably get to see everything that the adult Sheldon and Mary revealed about the Cooper patriarch within the confines of the parent show. Young Sheldon‘s George is going through changes that clearly mark his downward arc, starting with his health crisis, his job on the line, and ultimately ending with George’s affair. With Young Sheldon season 5 featuring the pair spending way too much time with each other, perhaps the sitcom can finally make strides in terms of advancing what seems like a budding affair involving the couple. 

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