Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 1 recap: The calm after the storm

It’s a bittersweet moment for Young Sheldon to be entering its final season – but as far as Season 7 Episode 1 is concerned, fans are in for a bumpy finish.

The first 20 minutes – unbelievably peppered with three ad breaks, if you watched on CBS – of Young Sheldon Season 7 have officially aired, leaving a further 13 episodes until the show’s end.

At the end of Season 6, the Cooper family faced a crisis of new proportions, with a catastrophic tornado making its way to Medford. At the same time, Mary and Sheldon begin their journey overseas, blissfully unaware of how much danger the rest might be in.

Now that fans have some solid answers in the aftermath, here’s a full recap of exactly what went down in Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 1.

Missy takes control of the Coopers

As the first teasers and preview images suggested, Season 7 is set to mark a complete transformation for Missy. Feeling alienated and overlooked in previous episodes, she took to lashing out in Season 6, even going as far as to steal a car with Paige to try and drive to Florida.

In the Season 7 premiere, Missy becomes the rock of the Cooper family, whipping the household into shape while Mary is away. She oversees who will be taking what bedroom after Meemaw moves in, and establishes plans to get back on their feet the day after the tornado. Still, this doesn’t mean her feisty attitude has completely gone away, hauling Dale over the coals for his inappropriate joke to Meemaw – and trying coffee for the first time.

George, Georgie, and Mandy all recognize Mary’s spirit in Missy, even though Missy is quick to shut those comments down. Fans have commented that Sheldon’s sister has been wasted in Seasons 5 and 6 for being exactly that, with Season 7 already looking promising for things to change.

Meemaw and Dale hit the rocks

CBS

Meemaw comes off the worst in the aftermath of the Medford tornado, completely losing her house. Boyfriend Dale sees this as the perfect opportunity to get her to move in with him, though she isn’t as keen to do so. After finding out Meemaw – a.k.a Connie – didn’t take out a tornado policy in her house insurance, Dale laughs at her, prompting Meemaw to move in with the rest of her family.

Dale goes over to the house to apologize, and after making another ill-advised dig, all appears to be well between the two. It’s not all bad news for Meemaw though, as her ever-growing gambling empire at the back of the laundrette remains untouched. As the residents of Medford recover from the disaster, their appetite for casino life only seems to grow – surely meaning that more drama is in Meemaw’s immediate future.

Pastor Jeff has guilt in his conscience

CBS

Pastor Jeff also plays a big part in Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 1 after he finds around $1200 in cash after the tornado. He and wife Robin conclude that the money most likely came from Meemaw’s illegal casino, with Robin suggesting that the Christian thing to do would be to put the immoral money to good use. As a result, the pair buy a 27-inch television, with George noticing while Jeff takes the cardboard out to the trash.

However, this luxury buy doesn’t last long, with Pastor Jeff turning up on the Cooper’s porch with the TV in tow. He states that he no longer wants a guilty conscience and that the TV is theirs, meaning the entire family are left in awe of the state-of-the-art technology now taking pride of place in their living room. George asks no questions while taking it in, and we don’t blame him.

Sheldon and Mary settle into German life

CBS

Meanwhile, Sheldon and Mary are officially making their start in Germany, with Sheldon feeling as though he has finally found his home in a place with zero humor and face-value living. However, Mary goes into meltdown once she learns of the extent of the tornado’s damage, immediately trying to rearrange the pair’s return flights for that evening. After telling Sheldon, he refuses to leave, but Mary says he has no choice.

After further arguments, the pair phone Meemaw, who tells them not to come home – although Mary lies to Sheldon about her response. Grandmother and grandson wear her down in order to get to the truth, resulting in Sheldon settling into college life and Mary consoling herself in a local bar with a beer. Her consoling is a little too successful, returning to Sheldon’s halls of residence completely drunk, embarrassing her son by being loud and overly physical.

Find the full release schedule for Young Sheldon Season 7 here.