Good Job, Chuck Lorre: The Highest Rated Young Sheldon Episode is Also its Most Memorable
SUMMARY
- Funeral explores Sheldon’s inner turmoil and regret over his last moments with his father, George, offering a raw portrayal of grief and loss. The episode stands out for its sensitive handling of these themes.
- The funeral scene highlights the different perspectives of the Cooper family, from Georgie’s heartfelt memories to Connie’s humorous yet touching reflections, creating a well-rounded portrait of George’s impact on his loved ones.
- As Sheldon imagines alternate realities of what he could have said to his father, the episode underscores his emotional growth and maturity, providing a poignant conclusion to his complicated relationship with George.
Though Chuck Lorre has worked on numerous projects over the years, his contribution to The Big Bang Theory franchise is easily one of the most iconic. For one, the work he did on Young Sheldon, TBBT‘s prequel series, has been deemed beyond epic by the fans of the saga, weighing perfectly between the hilariously entertaining and emotionally captivating elements.
Talking about the said hit sitcom, nearly all of its 141 episodes – spread over the course of seven years – are as good as the others, with very few earning fans’ criticism. Among them all, there’s one episode in particular that is not only the highest-rated episode of them all but is even pretty much the series’ most memorable episode: The one right before the series finale, Funeral.
Funeral is Young Sheldon‘s Highest-Rated and Most Memorable Episode
While the series kicked off with critical enthusiasm that eventually converted it into one of the best pieces from creator of all time, it wasn’t until the very last season of the lore that fans genuinely experienced Lorre’s undeniable excellence. Not only did season 7 hold an incredibly emotionally resonating theme, but it also served as one of the best seasons of the show.
Nearing the end was an even more fruitful treat as the remaining few episodes continued to make the series as memorable as ever. Among these last few shots, one episode, in particular, seems to have caught fans’ attention the most: Funeral. The second-to-last episode of the final season, this one held some really painful details for the Cooper family, especially from Sheldon’s perspective.
For one, it featured the family preparing for George Cooper’s funeral, expressing their heartbreak in different ways. But the real attention was on Sheldon who imagined all the alternate timelines where there were many things he could have said to his dad the last time he left for work, rather than keeping silent and ignoring him as he usually did.
Then there was the funeral scene itself, which featured multiple different characters delivering eulogies for the late, beloved George Cooper. While Georgie reflected on how his father always stood by him irrespective of how he behaved, Connie (Annie Potts) made humorous references to her daughter’s husband’s eating and drinking habits.
At the same time, Connie further went on to admit that, despite her initial reservations about him and disapproval of her daughter’s decision to pursue a relationship with him, she grew to love George as a son. In the meanwhile, Mary tearfully vented her anger about her husband leaving behind the family. Then came the star of the show, Sheldon’s turn.
Finally, the young Cooper visualized himself presenting a powerfully moving speech on everything he wished he could have said had he known his father was about to leave the world for good, once and for all. Skipping to the present, the adult Sheldon, now comfortable saying what he wanted to say in the past, narrated that he loved his father and would always miss him.
Needless to say, this episode of the seventh season, which was followed by the series finale, Memoir,… with it ranking top on the show’s highest-rated episodes. And, of course, why not? This episode held all the depth and emotionally compelling themes that could serve as the perfect semi-final for the saga.
Funeral is Rated 9.4 Out of 10 – Young Sheldon‘s Highest-Rated Episode
As memorable as Funeral was, fans didn’t hesitate to express that Chuck Lorre actually did a beyond-tremendous job with the series, especially with this one particular episode. This is evident from the episode’s rating on… which currently stands at 9.4 stars out of 10, making the thirteenth episode of season seven the highest-rated episode of the entire series.
That said, as the said episode showed Sheldon…while grappling with newfound responsibilities and emotional turmoil following George’s death, it also had fans navigating through their reviews on the same. After all, it is the most top-rated episode of the entire star-studded fan-favorite sitcom.
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On… alone, while some fans express that this episode featured the ‘best description of grief and loss I have ever seen,’ some others emphasized how they have ‘never been so emotional in my life,’ and that this was, quite literally, ‘the hardest episode to watch in my history of watching TV series.’ All of these serve as testimonies to the said episode’s sheer excellence.
Well, for what it’s worth, as amusing as it is, it is also equally unsurprising. After all, it’s Chuck Lorre who tamed these episodes, so what else could fans expect?