'The Big Bang Theory' Season 11, Episode 23 Recap: Jerry O'Connell Appears as Adult Georgie

Since The Big Bang Theory's first season, Sheldon Cooper's older brother Georgie has only been mentioned on screen. We've seen his mom, his twin sister, and his Mee-Maw in the present day...but no Georgie. That all changed, though, in "The Sibling Realignment" with the absolutely perfect casting of Jerry O'Connell.

Because of Young Sheldon, we've gotten to know teenage Georgie—and see the dysfunctional, if not typical, relationship between him and Sheldon. Ever wonder how two people from the same parents can be so different? Yeah, that's Sheldon and Georgie.

At the start of the episode, Mary Cooper tells Sheldon she won't attend his wedding to Amy unless he invites his brother. (Yikes.) Sheldon doesn't want to because, according to him, Georgie tormented him his entire childhood. Mary could care less, though: These are her sons, and Georgie should be at Sheldon's wedding. One problem: Georgie wants no contact from his younger sibling. His voicemail literally says that if it's Sheldon calling, he can dial "1-800-Suck-It." For Sheldon, the only thing left to do is grab Leonard and board a flight to Texas to ask Georgie in person.

Georgie—who goes by George now—operates a successful tire business, Dr. Tire, and still sports a mullet and a deep Texas twang. He may not have the highest (or even a mediocre) IQ, but he's worked hard and made a name for himself. And when Sheldon and Leonard arrive, the tension is palpable. The siblings pick right up where they left off 10 years ago—whoever said time heals all wounds didn't know what they were talking about.

Georgie says he'd rather swallow a pregnant wildcat and crap out a litter of kittens than go to Sheldon's wedding. Um, if Georgie really feels that way, I wouldn't want him at the wedding either. But...that means not having Mary in attendance, so Sheldon is stuck.

Sheldon returns to the hotel and calls his mother to tell her what happened. Despite being the one to cause all this trouble in the first place, Mary tells Sheldon she doesn't want to be in the middle of her sons' issues and they need to figure it out themselves. Sheldon then questions whether he needs his mother at his wedding at all. ("I've got Amy now, and she can do everything and more than a mom can." Uh, OK, then.)

Sheldon tells Leonard stories about how Georgie terrorized him as a kid, even throwing away his Halloween costume one year and sitting on his head while watching Star Trek. Leonard empathizes and says he'll try to talk some sense into Georgie. I would have driven straight to the airport and boarded the next flight back to California, but that's just me.

Over at Dr. Tire, Leonard appeals to Georgie by telling him that he gets Sheldon wasn't the easiest brother. Still, it wasn't easy for Sheldon with Georgie picking on him all the time. Georgie is confused. ("Is that what he told you? I always looked out for him. I drove him everywhere. I apologized to people when he was rude.") Leonard understands because he's done plenty of the same for Sheldon over the years as well. Georgie asks Leonard if Sheldon has ever thanked him for everything he's done, and Leonard admits not so much. Yep, Georgie's words have struck a chord.

But Georgie isn't done. He continues: "Do you know how I got the money to open my first store? I busted my ass for it, because all the extra money we had had to go to Sheldon. So he could go to college and study in Germany. And you know what he's never said to me? (Thank you). And after all my sacrifices, guess which kid my mom is most proud of?"

Leonard understands and tells Georgie that if it makes him feel better, his own mother is most proud of Sheldon too. Oof.

Leonard brings Georgie back to the hotel room and tells Sheldon to apologize to his brother. Sheldon is aghast. "I have nothing to apologize for," he says. "[Plus] I don't appreciate what you're putting mom through."

"What would you know about putting mom through?" Georgie counters. "You're never home. You went away to college after dad died. Who do you think took care of everything?" Sheldon says Mom, of course. "[But] Mom was a mess," Georgie says. "Missy was a dumb teenager. I had to look after both of them."

Sheldon says if their mother was that upset, she would have told him, but Georgie says it was the opposite. If anything, she was always trying to protect him. Sheldon still doesn't understand why Georgie didn't at least tell him what was going on, but Georgie says it was because he was protecting him as well. "You're my baby brother, Sheldon. I know life's been hard for you, but that doesn't mean it's been easy for the rest of us."

Sheldon begins to realize just how immune he was to the difficult times at home after their father died. "I suppose I didn't think about how it was for everyone else," he says. (Whoa. Stop the presses, people. Sheldon is acknowledging—again—feelings other than his own.)

Georgie is understanding and tells Sheldon that it's alright; he knows Sheldon wasn't aware of how hard things were. Sheldon apologizes, and Georgie accepts. Then, Sheldon tells him it would mean a lot to have his big brother at the wedding. "I wouldn't miss it," Georgie says.

Had this exchange happened at any other time in Big Bang's run, it probably wouldn't have carried the same weight that it does now. But thanks to Young Sheldon, seeing Georgie and Sheldon as kids made it all the more monumental.

Damn, Big Bang. You're saving the best for last this season, aren't you?