Warning! Spoilers ahead for Young Sheldon season 5, episode 16.
CBS' Young Sheldon reveals how Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard's (Johnny Galecki) story on The Big Bang Theory should've realistically ended. As The Big Bang Theory's primary couple, it was clear from the get-go that the pair would eventually start a relationship. While the attraction started as one-sided from Leonard's point of view, Penny ultimately realized that she was also in love with him. But despite having dated many years before getting married, The Big Bang Theory's final season revealed that they never really talked about certain aspects of their future, most notably whether or not they both wanted kids.
Penny and Leonard's dating years were tumultuous. They broke a couple of times before they decided, haphazardly, to get married. It was evident, however, that they loved each other dearly. In fact, they had become so comfortable with each other that for a while after tying the knot, The Big Bang Theory barely put any focus on their relationship. While this was frustrating for some viewers, others liked that their paring was solid enough that they didn't have any major issues. No major issues, that is, until the sitcom's final year when it was revealed that they had different ideas of what their future would look like.
Leonard was set on having kids, but Penny was skeptical. The conflict became the Hofsadters' arc on The Big Bang Theory's final season. Unfortunately, while it was a compelling narrative, the sitcom didn't properly address the difference in opinion of the pair and just revealed last-minute that they were expecting their first child. What was more surprising was that Penny was suddenly okay with it. Realistically, however, Leonard and Penny's story should've ended like Meemaw (Annie Potts) and Dale's (Craig T. Nelson) on Young Sheldon season 5. Similar to the Hofstatders, the couple wants different things in life. While Dale wants to finally slow down and retire, Meemaw is keener in continuing to live an adventurous life. They couldn't come up with a compromise so Dale decided it was best for them to split up.
Granted that the chances of The Big Bang Theory breaking up the Hofstadters in its final season was slim to none, the fact of the matter is, Penny and Leonard's ending felt forced and unearned. Like Meemaw, who has a thriving business on Young Sheldon with her laundromat/gambling den, Penny was only starting to establish herself in the pharmaceutical industry as a medical representative. Understandably, she was afraid that getting pregnant at that point in time would've hindered her efforts in advancing in her career. Long-time fans of The Big Bang Theory know that she struggled before as an aspiring actress, working odd jobs to make end meets. So her fears of having kids made sense. But instead of Penny and Leonard actively finding a way to resolve their differences, they went on without really tackling it head-on, so it's difficult to believe that Penny was suddenly okay with being pregnant.
For what it's worth, Penny and Leonard's final The Big Bang Theory story was actually interesting. Breaking up Leonard and Penny the way Dale and Meemaw did on Young Sheldon wasn't the only way to fix their issue. CBS could've shown the pair actually sitting down and actively finding a compromise; perhaps it could've even dropped hints that Penny was gradually changing her mind about the matter. Unfortunately, the sitcom focused more on Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy's (Mayim Bialik) Nobel Prize bid.
Young Sheldon season 5 airs Thursdays on CBS.
