Young Sheldon Season 7 Fails Missy Cooper Yet Again And Enough Is Enough
"The Big Bang Theory" spin-off "Young Sheldon" has arguably surpassed the success of its predecessor — but it's also had to deal with some major continuity issues. One of these involves Sheldon's (Ian Armitage) twin sister Missy Cooper (Raegan Revord), who is a far cry from the "dumb as soup" character Courtney Henggeler portrayed on "The Big Bang Theory" Revord's version is easily one of the most likable and entertaining characters on the show. She is properly fleshed out in the prequel and amuses viewers with her sassy and sarcastic dialogue. However, as the show centers around her genius brother, Missy is constantly overlooked and underserved on "Young Sheldon."
It is established early on that Missy feels ignored by her parents and believes that no one is on her team. Despite her obvious wit and emotional intelligence, the focus is always on Sheldon; Missy is often made to feel less-than and is pushed into the background. Enough is enough for Missy in Season 6 and she starts to rebel. "Young Sheldon" finally takes a deeper look into her character, examining why she's acting out and addressing her fraught relationship with her dad George Sr. (Lance Barber), which leads to her apologizing and vowing to do better. This promising development continues into Season 7 and viewers get to see a new side of Missy as she takes charge of the family as they deal with the aftermath of the tornado. But, once Sheldon and Mary (Zoe Perry) return from Germany, Missy is relegated back to the sidelines, and "Young Sheldon" fails her yet again.
Young Sheldon Season 7 pushes Missy to the side again
The tornado, which ravages Medford in the Season 6 finale, has a major impact on Missy. The beginning of Season 7 depicts the aftermath of this shocking event, but with Mary and Sheldon away in Heidelberg, Germany, Missy gets to take on a whole new role. She moves through her rebellious period and makes good on her promise to her dad to do better as she essentially takes charge of the family.
Raegan Revord told TV Insider that Missy "runs such a tight ship" as the acting family matriarch, pulling her dad and brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) into shape while also caring for Mandy (Emily Osment) and baby CeCe. She even supports Dale (Craig T. Nelson) as he navigates his new living situation with Connie (Annie Potts) — a role Revord loved for Missy in Season 7. "She really starts to control the household and it was so much fun to film," the actor admitted. But sadly, Missy's newfound maturity doesn't last.
When Sheldon and Mary return from Germany, she's quickly pushed to the side again. According to executive producer Steve Holland, this was always the plan. "This was her chance to step up. It was also fun for us to write Missy in a different shade ... [but] she starts to realize that being Mom isn't quite as fun as it seemed at first," he explained to TVLine. But to have Missy subsequently go back to the same kind of behavior as Season 6 by lying about her boyfriend Taylor (Enzo De Angelis) and partying with Billy (Wyatt McClure) seems like a major regression for her character.
Missy is rebelling again in Season 7
Missy grows a lot in the early episodes of Season 7 and her empathy shines through in the scenes where she's caring for other members of her family. However, that all seems to be over by Episode 5. During "A Frankenstein's Monster and a Crazy Church Guy," Missy secretly throws a party with Billy, but her role seems more like that of a supporting character who's just there to add another comedic element. "Young Sheldon" clearly doesn't grasp the value that Missy brings, as it fails to follow through on developing her character any further by going back to her rebellion storylines from Season 6.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the way the show is going. On "The Big Bang Theory," adult Georgie (Jerry O'Connell) says Missy acts like a "dumb teenager" when their dad dies, alluding to her continuing unruly behavior. With George Sr.'s death expected to be addressed at the end of Season 7, it seems likely that this is the state "Young Sheldon" is going to leave her character in. But the show is failing Missy by doing this as it completely invalidates the limited progress she has made. What's more, her story arc feels unfinished. If this is where Missy ends up, "Young Sheldon" is leaving her in the same place as when the show began, only five years older.
Missy deserves her own spinoff
Like many fans, Raegan Revord is devastated to see "Young Sheldon" come to an end. Thankfully, the Big Bang Theory franchise will live on thanks to a new spin-off about Georgie and Mandy. But sadly, it won't include Missy, as Revord revealed she wasn't invited to be a part of the upcoming show in a now-deleted Instagram comment. This is another massive blow for the character. Not only is she forgotten by her parents, but Missy has once again been overlooked by the writers. It makes no sense for her not to appear since the spin-off given its premise.
What's more, there's a very big leap to go from where Missy is on "Young Sheldon" Season 7 to the divorced mother-of-two depicted on "The Big Bang Theory." It would make more sense to continue Missy's story and finally give her the attention she deserves — either in the spin-off alongside Georgie or in a show where she takes the lead.
The early episodes of Season 7 prove that Revord is more than capable of stepping up to center stage. "Young Sheldon" could have continued with her taking the lead, even with Sheldon off in California, instead of being canceled. In terms of character development, there's a more mature side of Missy waiting to come out and a Missy-centric show could follow her friendship-turned-romantic relationship with Billy, who is believed to be her first husband. Ultimately, the decision not to include her moving forward is just another example of the way "Young Sheldon" has continually failed Missy.