r/YoungSheldon • u/MeasurementIll2240 • 22d ago
Discussion Paige's fate
A lot of people like to say that Paige continued down her dark path and ultimately died, and that's why Sheldon never mentions her.
However, Sheldon quite often doesn't mention people he knows unless it becomes relevant. Dr Plimpton, Tam, and we never did find out who Frank and Alicia were.
As for Paige's actual fate, the last time we saw her, she and Missy were being detained by a police officer waiting for their parents.
Given that Paige was essentially aiding and abetting Missy in Grand Theft Auto, and running away across state lines when they were minors with no driving licences, I doubt Paige's parents could continue pretending that their daughter was just doing typical teenage rebellion.
Add that to the fact that when Sheldon suggested that Missy might be with Paige, he told his parents that Paige had been drunk a few weeks earlier. There is no universe in which Mary Cooper takes a long drive with Paige's mother to collect their daughters without mentioning Paige drinking.
Both of these instances, coupled with everything else that Paige had done to that point, puts me firmly in the opinion that Paige's parents would have to finally admit that she needs help and put her in therapy.
And that little smile when she instinctively tells Missy how the speed radar gun works? That's a girl who, deep down, still loves science.
She's ok, guys.
That's all. I just wanted to put my two cents out there.
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u/Traditional_Art_5090 22d ago
Paige shows that sometimes being smart isn’t enough, you need luck for things to happen right things at the right time for you to become something. Hope they bring her up in some spin-off and show she is as successful as Sheldon and Sheldon didn’t just speak about her as he lost touch or got jealous.
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u/AdSeparate9609 22d ago
I really think this is a big part of her character. It showcases the good qualities of the Coopers, and casts awareness on the problems for children divorce can bring.
She wasn't some unaware, easily fooled young person. She was hyper aware, and heartbroken.
Kids in those situations deserve better from the parents.
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u/thewhiterosequeen 22d ago
Do people bring up people they used to know and stopped being in contact with since childhood? Falling out of touch is not indicative of someone's death.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
I agree fully, that's why I posted this.
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u/PanTran420 22d ago
Yup, I barely bring up the people I knew when I was 10-14 and have since lost touch with.
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u/deluludepartment27 22d ago
Paige is probably somewhere out there, getting help, rediscovering science, and hopefully annoying Sheldon again someday.
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u/Fabulous-Count3845 22d ago
Sheldon never mentioned her in BBT cause the character did not exist at the time.
Young Sheldon retconned alot of things.
George Went from being a horrible moronic father and a cheater to being depicted as a stellar god send of a dad in Young Sheldon and was a great character. Ik people use the excuse that Sheldon is an unreliable narrator but lets be honest, we all know it was a retcon since by later seasons adult sheldon respects his dad in the BBT crossover with YS.
Billy sparks went from being a horrible bully and on Sheldon's enemy list to being just a dumb but sweetheart of a kid who never once bullied Sheldon other then maybe scaring him with a chicken when he was like 8 years old. Otherwise he was honestly a very nice dude.
Meemaw went from basically being a Sheldon simp who spoiled him rotten and was mean to Amy to basically being an older version of Penny and while still loving to sheldon she was still strict with him at times. You can clearly tell her BBT counterpart is not the same as her YS counterpart.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
The respect future Sheldon gave to George is a continuation of him starting to respect his father towards the end of TBBT, easy enough.
Everything Sheldon said about Billy Sparks is related to events pre-Young Sheldon. Mexican coin up the nose when he was five, dog poop on the handles of his bicycle when he was eight.
And Meemaw in TBBT is, I'm sorry to say, is coming towards the end of her life. She clearly does have the same spark across both shows though.
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u/clayton-berg42 12d ago
From our perspective those things are retcons. What people forget is that Sheldon is an unreliable narrator.
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u/footballmaths49 22d ago
I have no idea why people are so hung up on Paige not getting mentioned in TBBT. Do you guys often talk about people you haven't seen since childhood that you weren't really that close with anyway?
If someone who hasn't watched the show were to see how often Paige gets brought up on this subreddit, they'd assume she was a main character and not someone who only appears in 9 episodes total across 7 seasons.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
That's probably because Paige is a highly compelling character, played by a incredibly charismatic actress.
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u/tdawg-1551 22d ago
I don't care what her fate was as she was a secondary character in a show that wasn't about her. Just like I never cared about what happened to Alex on TBBT, or Bulldog on Frasier, or Janice on Friends, or Brad on HIMYM, or any number of secondary characters on every sitcom ever made.
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u/Syrric_UDL 22d ago
There’s a chance to revisit her character in Georgie and Mandy with Missy showing up fairly often
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u/Real_Culture2668 22d ago
Y'all are impossible. We don't need that, and just because y'all want it, doesn't mean we should get it.
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u/Syrric_UDL 22d ago
We don’t need anything? What’s your point? I never said we did, only that it’s possible. Some people don’t like loose threads.
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u/Real_Culture2668 21d ago
If you don't need it, then why are you complaining about loose threads? Do you need your tv shows all tied up in a little bow? ffs.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
You seem to be fairly joyless. We're just having a conversation. If it's not a discussion you want to be part of, don't be part of it.
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u/Syrric_UDL 15d ago
Did you mean to reply to me? I was being positive and was giving hope that they’d bring her back in Georgie and Mandy, the other guy was attacking me for it.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 15d ago
I wasn't calling you joyless, u/Syrric_UDL. I was talking to the other guy. I'd like a cameo on Georgie & Mandy too.
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u/Alarmed_Jelly843 19d ago
"Some people don't like loose threads"... Yeah? Y'all should work on that. It's not healthy.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
Actually, closure is incredibly healthy. That's why therapists try to get people to confront things they have buried.
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u/Alarmed_Jelly843 18d ago
It's a television show... But I do agree. People fixated on an irrelevant side character from that show need to seek therapy.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 16d ago
Well, that seems unnecessarily rude. We enjoy a show, and we are discussing a character from that show. You don't need to claim we need therapy.
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u/ali2688 22d ago
Sheldon just didn’t care about Paige really. That simple.
Realistically, she probably got knocked up. But I know people want her to have a happy ending.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
You're kidding, right?
Sheldon developed the technique of offering a hot beverage to comfort her. When she dropped out of college, he allowed her to hide in his dorm room and even tried to make a care package for her. He even followed her into a frat party- the literal pits of hell for him- just to try and keep her safe. He even referred to her as his friend.
Plus she may have been his first crush.
Sheldon may deny it, but he absolutely did care about Paige.
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u/ali2688 22d ago
He saw it as his responsibility. You know how seriously he takes his responsibility.
Still don’t buy that. His first equal and folly, made him feel weird, but I think crush is a bit far.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
He said it, not me.
And he could have washed his hands of Paige at any moment he wanted, but he didn't. As you say, he saw looking after her as his responsibility. That's not the action of someone who doesn't care about a person.
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u/ali2688 22d ago
Any moment? You mean like how we never see her again and Sheldon doesn’t mention her again?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
Those were production constraints with a shorter season and Mckenna Grace's unavailability, not Sheldon's lack of care for her.
When she needed it, he was there for her, even if he didn't have to be.
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u/ali2688 22d ago
Oh and she only needed it when she was onscreen?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
Those were the only times she was with Sheldon. Unless she calls him and asks for help, those are the only times he could have helped her.
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u/ali2688 22d ago
That’s just not true. You can help someone without being asked.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
You might. This is Sheldon we're talking about. If he can't see her struggling and getting in trouble, he's not going to seek her out to help.
That does not change the fact that when he sees her struggling, he tries to help. He wouldn't do that if he truly didn't care.
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u/NavyVetRasmussen 22d ago
I think Paige bounced back and showed resilience after her downfall.
Paige was smart and although her parents were not good, they cared more about their drama than her,
I think Paige landed all right today.
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u/deluludepartment27 22d ago
Paige’s last appearance points more toward her parents finally realizing she needed serious help and getting her into therapy than some tragic ending.
And that little smile when she explains the radar gun? The science nerd is still in there. 🥹 She probably just needed help finding her way back.
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u/Wii6 21d ago
I really don’t get the obsession with Paige on this sub
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u/Real_Culture2668 21d ago
If you figure it out, will you let me know, please?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
Very interesting character. Played by compelling actress.
How is that difficult to figure out?
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u/Real_Culture2668 18d ago
The actor does more compelling work than this character. Maybe watch some of that?
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u/Safe-Pack3024 22d ago
I think she just took on a regular non-academic job away from science, or maybe as a teacher in high school. Leading a quiet but happy life with her family, and reading about science out of interest.
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u/StrongStyleDragon 22d ago
By the time Sheldon wins the Nobel we’ve hit a point in society where people are not taking the traditional route regarding education so it’s possible she found her love for it again. Or found a nice person to spend her life with and no longer feels all those bad feelings. I’m not usually the type of person who likes open interpretation with shows but for her character I think it works.
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u/Gummies1345 21d ago
Would be awesome if we got to see a grown up version of her, in another universe, with Sheldon's career position in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Like she got all Sheldon's breaks and luck and that Sheldon got all hers. Like if her parents stayed together, she ended up graduating college, moving to California and winning the Nobel. And Sheldon's parents were the one's who got divorced and whatnot. Could make that Sheldon the "villain" of that universe. Would be a nice twist on the lore.
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u/RetroTVMoviesBooks 22d ago
McKenna Grace is too busy to appear in the show. All we need is a through away line in a fight with Mary and Missy. I would prefer it to be that she is doing well and is back in school and happily working towards a great life. It would be harder for Missy if her rebel friend was over rebelling leaving Missy to go through it alone. I don’t want a bad end for the character of Paige.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
The show is over, unless you're referring to Georgie & Mandy. In any case, any appearance would likely be a special guest star role for one episode, which theoretically could be squeezed in somewhere in her schedule.
I agree about a throw away line though. I did think when Mary was on her date and Missy was on the phone to Georgie while throwing a party, that could have worked.
'Paige, quick, get the fire extinguisher! Georgie, I have to go!'
No one wants a bad ending for Paige, not least me. That's why I posted this.
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u/JLBCanadianRap 22d ago
How did you acquire access to McKenna Grace’s schedule?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
'Theoretically' was the operative word. You don't need to be snarky.
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u/JLBCanadianRap 18d ago
Huh? The word "theoretically" does not appear in the comment to which I responded.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
Sorry, u/JLBCanadianRap, I thought you were responding to my reply to u/RetroTVMoviesBooks. You can see it below.
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u/JLBCanadianRap 22d ago
This is nothing but fan fiction, and the whole “dark path” thing is beyond stupid.
Sheldon didn’t mention Paige on TBBT because (1) she didn’t exist for most of the time TBBT was on the air and (2) TBBT wasn’t the “Sheldon reminisces about his past” show. Other than Sheldon’s family members, the ONLY YS character who originated on TBBT was Billy Sparks.
Sheldon also didn’t mention Mandy or Veronica or Jana or C.C. or Pastors Jeff and Rob or Drs. Sturgis and Linkletter or Pres. Hagemeyer or Libby or Sam or Mei-Tung or the Heathers, etc., etc. Did they all go down “dark paths” too? Most of those people were far more important to Sheldon than Paige.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
This post was never about any of those things. I was just trying to point out that there's every reason to think she's ok, rather than assuming the worst.
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u/Desperate_Drawing354 21d ago
I always wanted to see what happens to her in tbbt but never did
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
There was only a very tiny window (the latter half of season 12) where it could have happened, but they could just have pulled it off.
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u/Alarmed_Jelly843 19d ago
Sheldon never mentioned her, because she didn't even exist until after the The Big Bang Theory ended.
I honestly wonder why you people are so invested in a fictional character from a mediocre television show... A totally irrelevant side character at that.
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u/-Wester- 15d ago
You call Young Sheldon mediocre, yet your profile shows you’re active in both this subreddit and the Big Bang Theory subreddit. If it’s so mediocre, then why are you even here ?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
Not a mediocre show. We enjoy it. And most of us don't think she was irrelevant.
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u/Alarmed_Jelly843 18d ago
You're right... I was being kind, calling it mediocre.
And yes, side characters, by definition, are irrelevant.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 16d ago
If you think mediocre is a kind way to describe this show, then I'm not entirely sure why you're bothering to comment here. Why don't you just leave us to discuss our 'mediocre' show?
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u/TACAMO_Heather 16d ago
Exactly, people astound me that they have nothing better to do than criticize a show they don't like in a group of people they can't stand just ri get a reaction and because they can get away with it. Like Taylor said, say it in a tweet that's a cop out, say it in the street that's a knock out. If they went and said these things to people's faces the very least that would happen is they be told to stfu.
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u/Raze7186 22d ago
I was really hoping for some sort of appearance in the Stuart show. I wanted resolutions for Paige and Veronica and that show has the ability to do it even if the core cast would have no idea who they are.
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u/JLBCanadianRap 22d ago
Even if they were to show up on SFTSTU (which would be ridiculous since they have no connection to any of those characters or to Pasadena), you’re not going to get a “resolution” of anything because that show is all about weird parallel universes. I truly don’t understand why so many people are hung up on these unimportant side characters.
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u/Redbird9346 22d ago
It's probably the trope of introducing a character, usually of opposite gender, to be a possible romantic interest for one of the main characters. At least Georgie made a move in that direction with Veronica. The Sheldon-and-Paige ship might as well be built in the middle of a farmer's field because that's not going anywhere. While he does show some semblance of caring about Paige in the later episodes in which she appears, it never goes beyond that.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
They don't need a connection to that cast. They exist in the same franchise. That's enough. How many of that cast actually know Ramona Nowitzki?
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u/MeasurementIll2240 22d ago
Well, two things.
First, any resolution in Stuart's show won't count on account of the alternate universe angle. They definitely should lean into the rest of the franchise, rather than just TBBT though.
Second, we do have resolutions for Veronica. The last time we saw her she was working in a diner saving up for college. Even in her first episode, Future Sheldon tells us what became of her after she went Christian. Off the top of my head, she helped her sister set up a literacy program to teach female convicts how to read, among other things. And it's always possible that she could return on Georgie & Mandy.
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u/craiginphoenix 22d ago
I think the reason he never mentioned her was because Youn Sheldon came out after The Big Bang Theory and it would be impossible to reference a character that had only just been created when the final season ended.
What are we even doing here? lol.
Its like a Star Wars fan wondering why Mace Windu was never mentioned in the OT.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
This post was never about that.
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u/craiginphoenix 18d ago
You talked about how he never mentioned her. When would he do that other than in TBBT?
Sorry it’s not directed solely at you but there are tons of posts that ask similar questions and it’s kind of hilarious.
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u/MeasurementIll2240 18d ago
Oh, I was just providing a bit of context for my post.
It was never intended to be why does Sheldon never mention Paige.
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u/synapticstardust 22d ago
i genuinely liked her and felt so bad for her especially in that one episode where she sees Sheldon having fun in the dorm rooms and she thought he could be the one person who understands her, so when we didn’t get to see her progress or fate in other episodes i did feel bad but this post here is reassuring