Paige's Story Proves Young Sheldon Can Fix Big Bang Theory Plot Holes
Many found it a little strange that Young Sheldon’s Paige went unmentioned throughout The Big Bang Theory, but the sitcom spinoff’s 100th episode proved that the show can justify this sort of apparent plot hole. Like most spinoffs, Young Sheldon has historically struggled with plot holes. Much like The Conners had to justify Chuck's absence after the character played a major supporting role in Roseanne, Young Sheldon often has to explain why formative figures from the title character’s childhood and adolescence went unmentioned in The Big Bang Theory.
On occasion, these plot holes can easily be excused because of Sheldon’s nature as a character. An exacting and socially awkward figure, Sheldon often doesn’t hold interpersonal relationships in high regard and (particularly in Young Sheldon) isn’t overly concerned about establishing connections with others beyond his personal convenience. As such, it makes sense that The Big Bang Theory’s version of Sheldon forgot a lot of his earlier acquaintances or never felt the need to mention them.
However, it is not so easy to write off all of the spinoff’s The Big Bang Theory plot holes, as Young Sheldon’s Paige saga proves. In earlier Young Sheldon episodes, the very existence of McKenna Grace’s character Paige was inherently a plot hole. Viewers reasonably wondered why the adult Sheldon never mentioned, let alone visited or encountered, his earliest academic rival and frenemy. However, in "Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth" (season 5 episode 17), the revelation that Paige dropped out of college thanks to the pressure of being a wunderkind explains why Sheldon would avoid the subject and why she didn’t remain his professional rival into adulthood, proving Young Sheldon can provide satisfying answers to what can appear to be unfixable plot holes from The Big Bang Theory.
Much like Young Sheldon explains Sheldon’s distrust of Penny earlier in season 5 when the character was outsmarted by a fellow academic, Paige’s unexpected fate makes sense of why Sheldon never mentioned her in The Big Bang Theory. The character, while infamously thin-skinned and competitive, was shrewd or callous enough to not bring up Paige because he likely forgot about their rivalry once it was clear Sheldon had “won.” While the events of “Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth” didn’t make Sheldon out to be a sore winner, they did explain how his rivalry with Paige ended.
Thus, the ending of this rivalry gave Sheldon a reason to forget Paige, much like he often let go of grudges on The Big Bang Theory once it was clear he had come out on top. A lot of Big Bang Theory plots, from Sheldon claiming “his spot” to his distrust of Penny, were rooted in his need to triumph when in conflict. In fairness to Sheldon, the character never rubs his comparative success in Paige’s face (except unintentionally, thanks to the character’s trademark bluntness). However, his choice to further pursue academia where Young Sheldon’s Paige understandably abandoned the pursuit does explain the apparent plot hole of him never mentioning her throughout The Big Bang Theory.