Young Sheldon Theory: Paige's Absence from TBBT Has a Heartbreakingly Simple Explanation

Summary

• Paige Swanson is one of the prominent Young Sheldon characters that Sheldon never mentions on TBBT.
• The character's peculiarities may have something to do with this.
• Dr. Cooper may not mention his childhood friends for a disturbing reason.

Since its premiere in 2017, Young Sheldon has stirred up a lot of controversy in the fandom of its parent series, The Big Bang Theory. The spin-off, which centers on Dr. Sheldon Cooper's childhood in Medford, Texas (a fictional town, by the way), gave us a glimpse into the fan-favorite character's early life, his family, and the events that shaped him as a person.

But while the prequel is exciting and one of the most popular comedies on television right now, the show is pretty inconsistent when it comes to the TBBT canon.

This season, George's non-existent cheating on Mary arc was a hot topic, as The Big Bang Theory fans didn't appreciate that the man wasn't unfaithful to his wife, despite TBBT Sheldon's beliefs. Still, it can be explained, unlike other major plot holes such as the complete and utter absence of some prominent YS supporting characters from the lore of the main series.

For example, Dr. Sturgis is never mentioned in the original sitcom, even though Shelly considers him a friend, and Paige Swanson, the boy's nemesis/friend, is also completely absent from TBBT. And it seems there's a reason for that.

Social Ineptitude

Every TBBT fan knows that Sheldon is no genius when it comes to social interactions, courtesy, and relationships in general. It takes him almost the entire twelve seasons of the hit CBS sitcom to start treating Leonard and other gang members as friends and not just some other people in his life. Arguably, Amy should be credited with teaching him to do this, which means that before her, Sheldon didn't really care about the people he considered his friends.

Young Sheldon has many examples. From the aforementioned Dr. Sturgis to Tam, Shelly's only school friend, to Paige. Given that she was the only person in the boy's life who could relate to his struggles as a genius, it's especially disturbing that he never mentions her on TBBT. Why is that?

Not Important Enough

The answer could be painfully simple. The Big Bang Theory Sheldon simply does not know what has happened to Paige since their last meeting, which as of Episode 9, Season 7 of Young Sheldon was in Season 6, because he does not care to know.

There are all kinds of theories about Paige's post-Young Sheldon future, one of them involving suicide, but we may never know what happened to her because Shelly doesn't care. To him, she's just a person he crossed paths with. And unlike the audience, he doesn't think much about her.

Hopefully, we'll catch a glimpse of Paige in Season 7 of Young Sheldon. Episode 10 will premiere on May 2.