The Most Cruel Thing Sheldon Has Ever Done on The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory isn't always the most empathetic sitcom character, given that he doesn't really understand social etiquette. But throughout the show's twelve-season run, he's done a few terrible things.
He once tricked Leonard, his best friend, into wearing an itchy sweater to make him understand what Sheldon's obsessions are like: having an itch in the brain. He was cruel to Amy after their breakup. He went behind Howard and Leonard's backs to continue working on a project based on Howard's design and Leonard's idea.
But fans have decided that the cruelest thing Sheldon ever did was refuse to talk to his brother George for a decade.
George tormented Sheldon in their youth. This was touched upon in the prequel series, Young Sheldon, and mentioned often in the main show.
The feud was so pervasive that the boys ' mother had to intervene in Season 11.
The season follows Sheldon and Amy preparing for marriage. George is, of course, not invited. But Sheldon receives a call from his mother saying she will refuse to join Sheldon at his wedding if Sheldon's brother isn't there. Sheldon promptly leaves for Texas, taking Leonard along for the ride.
Sheldon meets George, ready to make amends. George, however, is not so ready. He's furious that Sheldon ignored him for ten years and now expects him to drop everything according to his whims. George knows that the only reason Sheldon is inviting him is for his mother's sake.
Leonard later meets George without Sheldon. The two bond over their similarities as George explains his intentions as a child. He looked after Sheldon, explained his condition, and apologized in the wake of Sheldon's rudeness, not unlike Leonard. Despite all of this, Sheldon was the pride of their family. His family gave their last dollar for him to go to college and start his academic career, while George was forced to work hard to open his own tire store.
A now empathetic Leonard brings George back to the hotel room, where Sheldon and George hash it out. George explains how hard life was for the family after their father's death, but Sheldon wasn't around for it.
Now emotional, Sheldon asks George, with all sincerity, to join him at the wedding – not for the sake of his mother, but because he wants him there. George readily agrees.
After all the cruel things Sheldon had done to his friends, rejecting the brother who protected him throughout their childhood may have been the worst.
But, like all sitcoms, it ultimately resolved with a happy ending.