'The Big Bang Theory' Recap: 'The Cognition Regenration'

On this week’s Big Bang Theory, Zack is back!

Penny runs into her old flame, Zack, at bar while out with Bernadette and Amy. Zack casually tells Penny he has a fiancée and he asks about Leonard. He then suggests that they all get together for dinner. When Penny tells Leonard about the invite, he reluctantly agrees. When they show up at the restaurant, they find that Zack is their alone. His fiancée couldn’t make it due to an emergency, but we are unsure of what emergency exactly, because Zack didn’t ask.

At dinner, it comes up that Penny hates her job. This prompts Zack to offer her a sales job with his company that sells menus. On the ride home, Penny and Leonard discuss the job. Penny wants to take it, but Leonard isn’t comfortable with her working with her ex. He then insults Penny by saying that she isn’t being smart about this.

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Penny talks it over with Bernadette while Leonard discusses it with Raj and Howard. Bernadette tells Penny that she would feel uncomfortable with Howard working with an ex. On the guys end, Howard agrees with Leonard and Raj agrees with Penny.

Penny tells Leonard that they need to talk. Leonard tells Penny that she can take the job and he will deal with it. She thinks that he will try to be okay with it, but he will be miserable and that will make her miserable. Then, Penny says she just won’t take the job. Leonard doesn’t like this idea either because he is unhappy and he feels selfish.

In the end, Leonard tells Penny to take the job. Penny calls Zack to accept the offer, but it turns out the offer is no longer on the table. When Zack’s fiancée found out he offered a job to his ex, she threw a shoe at his head. That solves that problem.

In tonight’s sub plot, Sheldon becomes distraught when he struggles to win a game against some kids online. He realizes he isn’t as young as he used to be. He decides he needs to work on his cognitive vitality. In order to do this, he needs to do things that will make his brain uncomfortable.

Raj teaches Sheldon how to make croissants, which he masters.

Then, he turns to Howard for some training in magic. He attempts juggling, but quickly ditches that to move on to riding a unicycle.

In the meantime, as Bernie is tossing all Howard's magic gear off to Sheldon, he turned to Bernie's mom to find out what childhood hobbies she had. He learns Bernadette's secret talent of ventriloquism. She explains that she needed another talent than spreading rumors about other beauty pageant contestants.  Then she introduces Howard to Tammi Jo St. Cloud and proceeds to tease her husband through the doll, which freaked him out.

Back to Sheldon, for whom nothing seems to be working to improve his dexterity, Amy finally gives in and consoles him. She points out that his best years are still ahead of him and that his hard work and research is an accomplishment, even if he never wins a Nobel Prize. Sheldon agrees, but then runs off and locates some stilts.

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