- A VHS tape from Sheldon's past inspires him and Amy not to give up when they're still feeling down about their theory being disproven. Bernadette turns into a pageant mom when she tries to help Howard with his Magic Castle audition.
- Amy, and especially Sheldon, are still reeling from learning that their theory on super asymmetry, which Sheldon at least believed was his path to a Nobel, had long ago been disproven and thus will not be his path to a Nobel. As such, Sheldon begins to question what were all his natural instincts which scares Amy as she believes it will only be a matter of time before he starts to question their relationship and marriage. While all their friends try to avoid setting off any triggers to make the situation worse, Leonard believes that two people who Sheldon admires most in the world may be able to help him, one being Beverly and the other being who Sheldon truly believes is the smartest person in the world. It may be some associated items that may help Sheldon the most. Meanwhile, Bernadette learns that Howard had once contemplated auditioning to be a member of the Magic Castle as the Great Howdini, he never went through with it believing he didn't quite have the right stuff to be in the big leagues. Bernadette vows to help Howard achieve this long put aside dream, perhaps with a little ulterior motive on her part and a unique perspective.—Huggo
- While preparing for everybody's dinner in Apartment 4A, Leonard and Penny review a list of topics that are verboten since Sheldon is still upset about his Super-Asymmetry theory being disproved. Symmetry. Asymmetry. The Simpsons. Simba from "The Lion King". Cymbals. Russians; the country, the Russian dressing or Russian Roulette or "Rocky IV" where he fought a Russian fighter. Or science, success, failure or Nobel Prizes. Sheldon and Amy join them. Amy asks what they are doing and Bernadette replies, "Nothing." Sheldon explains that that is where his career is going and he runs out followed by Amy.
Early in the morning, Amy doesn't find Sheldon next to her in bed. He's up in the living room eating, reading, watching TV and listening to the radio trying to reevaluate every opinion he ever had since he was wrong about super-asymmetry. Sheldon tries both asparagus and jazz music and still doesn't like either.
Penny gets up in the morning, finding Leonard having chicken fried steak for breakfast. Leonard explains that she knew he was a bad boy when she married him. Amy, still in her robe, comes in and is worried about Sheldon. Penny tells her to make him a cup of tea, but Sheldon now considers that "leaf soup". Since Sheldon is now reevaluating everything, Amy is worrying what will happen when his reevaluation reaches her. Leonard suggests an old VHS video tape of the one person he really respects, himself. Sheldon gave it to Leonard years ago in case of an emergency.
At the Wolowitzes, Bernadette finds Howard working with a VHS player so that he can loan it to Amy. His test tape is supposed to be an old copy of "Jeopardy" recorded for his mother; however, Bernadette figures that it's probably porn. Instead they find a young Howard performing magic as the "Great Howdini". He had been practicing his magic so that he could audition for the Magic Castle in LA. Howard never went through with it because he didn't think he was good enough. Bernadette wants him to keep trying.
Amy walks into Apartment 4B with the VHS player and the tape. Sheldon has reached his podcast show and is now calling it "Fine with Flags." She shows her husband the tape of his childhood emergency pep talk. He claims that he was saving that for when they stop making "Star Wars" movies, but that is highly unlikely now. Eleven year old Sheldon appears, greets himself and tells him that he must be at a point in his future life when he is questioning everything. First young Sheldon asks adult Sheldon to give him the code word so that in the future he knows that he is not an impostor. "Robot monkey butler". His younger self then tells older Sheldon to never forget no matter how bad things seem... Static on the TV and then a high school football game appears. His father must have recorded over the pep talk with one of his football games. Sheldon wants a time machine to go back and tell his younger self that he should just give up since nothing works out the way you want it.
Howard comes into the living room and finds that Bernadette had all his magic tricks from the garage set out. She wants the "Great Howdini" to be a member of the Magic Castle. She can help him with all her beauty pageant experience. Bernadette is going to be a great pageant mom for him like her mother was.
Leonard and Penny contact Leonard's mother Beverly (Christine Baranski). Leonard asks for some professional advice that she is not interested in giving until she learns that Sheldon needs her help. Penny tells her that since his research paper was disproved, Sheldon was sad, angry and generally broken. Beverly replies that Sheldon is grieving over the loss of his paper just like someone having lost a loved one.
Bernadette has Raj over to watch the new performance that she has developed for Howard. Raj knows that he can help since he has seen every episode of "America's Got Talent" and knows talent. Bernadette announces "The Great Howdini" who comes down the stairs singing "Magic to Do" from "Pippin" in a sequin jacket and sporting a high bouffant hairdo. Next he throws glitter in Raj's face.
Back at Sheldon and Amy's, the Hofstadter's visit to cheer up Sheldon and act on Beverly's advice. Things were going better only because Sheldon was lying face down. Sheldon doesn't want their help. The only person who can help him was erased. Leonard and Penny want Sheldon to symbolically bury his paper and say a few words over it. Amy suggests they bury in the park; however, Sheldon wants to give it a Viking funeral. Instead of going to a lake and shooting the funeral boat with a flaming arrow. The bathtub will suffice followed by a cold Yoo-Hoo. In the bathroom, Sheldon explains that their theory was more than a scientific endeavor, it was a new and beautiful way to describe the universe and a universe that he wanted to live in. Placing the paper in a pan, they set it on fire.
Howard is suffering from glitter up his nose. Bernadette plans to take the day off and help Howard run through his act. She wants to do everything her way since she is the pageant mother and the victory is hers! He decides to have an act that is more "magic" than "pageant".
Now Sheldon wakes up and finds Amy not in bed. His wife is in the living room watching his father's football game on the old VHS tape to find if any of young Sheldon's speech survived. Sheldon's dad then appears giving his team a half-time pep talk. He tells the team that they're not going to win this game, but that that does not make them losers. They can learn from failure as much as they can learn from success. Sheldon then considers that he is not that much different from his father. Amy then adds that from one viewpoint he and his father's lives are symmetrical and from another viewpoint they are asymmetrical. She postulates that what if symmetry and asymmetry are observer relative in their theory? That would mean that the Russian paper would be right, but from only one perspective. Sheldon gets excited and tells Amy that they have a paper to fix! She runs off to get her laptop. Sheldon turns to the TV and thanks his dad.
At the Magic Castle, the Great Howdini is performing his magic act. He borrows an expensive wrist watch from one of the judges, smashes it; and abracadabra the watch is still smashed and the magic doesn't work.
Title reference: Old VHS tapes surfacing from Sheldon's and Howard's pasts.
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