Young Sheldon's True Villain Makes Mary's Story Even More Tragic
Season 6 of Young Sheldon revealed the true villain of the CBS series and raised the question of what happens to Mary Cooper between Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory.
Young Sheldon premiered in 2017 and at first was supposed to concentrate on, well, young Sheldon and his childhood journey. However, soon it evolved into a family comedy, and each member of the Cooper family got their own story arc and love of fans. So the main character of the series is without a doubt the Coopers in general.
But the main villain was unclear until season 6 which exposed Mary's church as the primary antagonist of Young Sheldon.
Earlier in the season, Mary Cooper was fired by Pastor Jeff, which made us realize how much the church influenced her. Despite going through a crisis of faith, Mary has become more peaceful and tranquil away from the church. Her husband, George, and mother, Meemaw, both noticed that Mary had become more enjoyable to be around.
Looks like, without the constraints of her church, Mary finally got the freedom to be true to herself, which naturally made her more attentive to others. The relationships in the Cooper family have improved greatly since Mary was fired. She seems to have gotten a drive to be more understanding and supportive of her children and more attentive to her spouse.
At the same time, while Mary was in the church, her piety resulted in many family issues like a strained marital relationship. Season 6 has shown us that it has never been Mary's true nature, but rather convictions imposed by the church.
Now that Mary is free from the imposed rules, her family and the viewers of Young Sheldon can enjoy the new relaxed Cooper matriarch. Unfortunately, we already know that this is not permanent. The Big Bang Theory has shown us that Mary will once again turn her back on her true self and return to her old judgmental ways.
Mary appeared on The Big Bang Theory many times, and each time she used her religious-based opinions as an excuse to judge and shame Sheldon's friends. Mary behaved racist toward Raj, disgraced Penny for her choices, and clashed with Leonard's mother for exclusively believing in science.
Remembering these scenes makes one wonder how the Mary from Young Sheldon season 6 will become the Mary from The Big Bang Theory. Though the sitcom doesn't explain that, it can be assumed that George's inevitable death will bring her back to the church and away from her true self, which makes her arc sad and tragic.