Iain Armitage and Wallace Shawn reunite months after Sheldon and Dr. Sturgis missed saying goodbye to each other in the Young Sheldon finale. George’s unexpected death was the launchpad for The Big Bang Theory prequel’s ending, with his funeral taking over the first half of the show’s swan song. However, once the Coopers were finally able to say goodbye to their patriarch, the Young Sheldon finale shifted its focus to wrapping up Sheldon’s childhood in Texas. Sadly, it missed a couple of important players in the boy genius’ life, including his best mentor.
New images shared by Armitage on his official X account reveal that he recently reunited with Dr. Sturgis actor Wallace Shawn in New York. In the caption, Armitage writes that he and Shawn got together for dinner and took a photo to send to Ed Begley Jr., who played Dr. Linkletter in Young Sheldon. In The Big Bang Theory prequel, Dr. Sturgis and Dr. Linkletter acted as Sheldon’s two mentors, although the former was truly his very first adviser.
What A Dr. Sturgis Farewell Scene Would Have Meant To The Young Sheldon Finale
Young Sheldon Could Have Given Sheldon & Dr. Sturgis A Final Scene Together
Because Young Sheldon was canceled during a shortened year, Chuck Lorre and his writers had very limited time to wrap up everything before they ran out of time. That included retconning George’s cheating scandal, setting up and executing his death, launching Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, and wrapping Sheldon’s arc in Texas. Because of this, it’s somehow understandable that Young Sheldon didn’t get to give Dr. Sturgis and Sheldon a moment to say goodbye.
However, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to include. It could have been a final conversation where Sheldon thanked his mentor for everything. Young Sheldon already skipped Sheldon’s graduation, but seeing Dr. Sturgis seek his prodigy out as he packed up his room would have been an acceptable way to wrap up their story. Doing so would have given Shawn’s character a fitting ending that he deserved.
Our Take On Young Sheldon’s Failure To Give Dr. Sturgis His Due
Dr. Sturgis Deserved More
The introduction of Dr. Sturgis in Young Sheldon was part of learning the character’s origins, particularly how he got into his field in The Big Bang Theory. In the earliest seasons of the show, Shawn’s character encouraged the boy genius to pursue applied physics, making Sheldon’s failure to acknowledge his contributions during his Nobel Prize in Physics acceptance speech problematic. I was hoping that Young Sheldon would rectify that, but clearly, the prequel also failed to do so.
Sadly, Dr. Sturgis is just going to be among the characters that The Big Bang Theory franchise failed to give a proper send-off to.
Now that Young Sheldon has ended and Sheldon’s TV streak has come to an end, there’s barely any chance to give Dr. Sturgis the credit he deserves for shaping Sheldon’s future. He could return in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, but the spinoff sequel is no longer about Sheldon, which means it would be difficult to wrap up their story in a project that is about something else. Sadly, Dr. Sturgis is just going to be among the characters that The Big Bang Theory franchise failed to give a proper send-off to.
