Recap / The Big Bang Theory S 10 E 22 The Cognition Regeneration

Plot

Leonard isn't thrilled when Penny is offered a job by her ex-boyfriend Zack. Meanwhile, after losing a multi-player video game, Sheldon fears that his cognitive abilities are declining, so he begins to do "super aging", a process where performing difficult mental tasks improves the structure of one's brain.

Tropes:

• The Bus Came Back: Penny's ex Zack reappears, now married to a wealthy woman.
• Daydream Surprise: In The Stinger, Sheldon is walking on stilts, as he was trying to do earlier in the episode. Then he wakes up.
• Irony: Amy asks Sheldon if he's mad at her for calling him a quitter. Sheldon says that he was, but he quit worrying about it. He then lampshades it, saying "The irony is not lost on me".
• Ventriloquism: It is revealed that Bernadette was a ventriloquist during her youth as a beauty pageant contestant; Howard discovers this after visiting Bernadette's mom to find out what embarrassing hobbies she had as a kid (in response to Bernadette mocking him for juggling).
• Working with the Ex: Discussed throughout the episode. Penny is unhappy with her current job, but Leonard thinks that working with her ex-boyfriend would be weird.
  Leonard: Don't you think it might be a little weird to work with someone you used to date?
  Penny: You work with Sheldon. You tell me.
  (Beat)
  Leonard: Yeah... it's weird!