Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 10 E 15 The Locomotion Reverberation

Plot

When Sheldon causes the gyroscope project to slow down, Leonard and Howard try to get them out of their hair, however, they are forced to get his help back when Colonel Williams (Dean Norris), impressed by an off-handed scribble on Sheldon's whiteboard, decides he wants the guidance system smaller than originally agreed upon. Meanwhile, Penny and Amy take Bernadette on a night out while Raj and Stuart babysit.

Tropes:

• 10-Minute Retirement: Sheldon briefly considers quitting physics to become a train engineer.
• Black Bra and Panties: Invoked.
  Penny: You guys ready to get crazy?
  Amy: Well, the bra under here ain't beige.
• Correction Bait: Leonard and Howard need Sheldon back on the project, but Sheldon is too obsessed with trains as a result of the gift Leonard gave him. Leonard decides to put something on the board, pretending it's what they've figured out on their own. According to him, Sheldon won't be able to resist correcting it. Sheldon "corrects" it, but because the thing Leonard drew was a random curlicue resembling Charlie Brown's hair, it doesn't help.
  Sheldon: [After drawing Charlie Brown around the curlicue] Nice try, Blockheads.
• Crazy-Prepared: Leonard had the railway camp tickets for years waiting for an opportunity to use them on Sheldon.
• Daydream Surprise: The Stinger is Sheldon as an engineer wearing just overalls while working on the engine and then pouring water on himself in slow motion, as Amy watches. Cut to Amy dropping Sheldon off at the airport.
• Didn't Think This Through: Penny plans a girls' night out at a nightclub; but she fails to realize that it had been renovated into a bookstore.
• Gone Horribly Right: Sheldon has figured out a way to make the prototype smaller, which would mean extra work for Leonard and Howard. To get them out of their hair, Leonard gives him a certificate for a railroad camp (which set Leonard back $4,000). Unfortunately, Colonel Williams sees Sheldon's work and insists on making the changes, so now they have to get Sheldon back on board. Imagine their surprise when they discover that Sheldon wants to quit physics and be a railroad engineer full time.
• Karma Houdini: Penny selfishly forces Bernadette to take the night off from mothering, leaving Raj and Stuart to handle the task, and doesn't face any repercussions for this. Though she does start to question her own decision when she realizes how far ahead Bernadette is with her house and family.
• Rail Enthusiast: No surprise that Leonard's plan to get Sheldon off their hair is to send him to train camp.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Leonard and Howard hear crackling in Sheldon's apartment, Howard states that if they hear him yell "It's alive!", they're hightailing it.