The Itchy Brain Simulation Season 7, Episode 8 -  Aired November 14, 2013

The Itchy Brain Simulation

When a past mistake of Leonard's comes to light, he's surprised that Sheldon promises not to make a big deal out of it. Sheldon instead makes Leonard walk a mile in his shoes to learn what it feels like to be tormented by trivial matters. Meanwhile, Penny embarrasses Raj when she confronts his ex-girlfriend, Lucy.

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Guest Stars: Kate Micucci as Lucy, Morgan Hewitt as Lizzy

Writers: Steven Molaro (Story), Bill Prady (Story), Jim Reynolds (Story), Eric Kaplan (Teleplay), Steve Holland (Teleplay), Maria Ferrari (Teleplay)

Director: Mark Cendrowski

Viewers: 18.3 million Households Rating: 11.5/19 Adults 18-49 Rating: 5.2/17

Available on iTunes

Episode Notes

  • The title refers to Sheldon's plan to make Leonard understand what it's like in his brain by way of an itchy sweater.

Episode Quotes

Leonard: If I take it off, Sheldon wins.
Penny: Sweetie, every night you don't kill him in his sleep, he wins.

Penny: If you guys were hungry, why didn't you order something at the restaurant?
Bernadette: We did. You never brought it.
Penny: Oh, that's right. Nachos and a turkey club.
Amy: Not even close.
Penny: Well, I was too busy standing up for my friend to worry about your ... I want to say salmon.
Amy: You want to say sorry.

Howard: So you can never take it (the sweater) off?
Leonard: No.
Raj: Not even to sleep?
Leonard: No.
Howard: So you're just an idiot?
Leonard: It's called proving a point.
Howard: Is the point you're an idiot?

Howard: The man impersonating a bear would like you to know that, "Only you can prevent forest fires."
Raj: I don't get it.
Howard: You didn't have Smokey the Bear in India?
Raj: No. Was he anything like Munmun the Mongoose? He taught us not to play with cobras.
Howard: You had to be taught not to play with cobras?
Raj: You had to be taught not to burn down the forest?

Penny: I just wanna check her out because she hurt my friend. My Indian friend. Who's racist now?
Bernadette: You! Because you just called him your Indian friend.
Penny: Yeah, well ... you're short.

News Stories

Title Date Posted
7.08 'The Itchy Brain Simulation' Ratings November 15, 2013

Last night's episode of The Big Bang Theory dominated its time slot and the night, posting week-to-week gains.  Full story

7.08 'The Itchy Brain Simulation' Promo November 10, 2013

The promo for the next episode of The Big Bang Theory, 7.08 "The Itchy Brain Simulation", has been uploaded to the show's official YouTube channel. Check out the video below or head over to YouTube to watch.  Full story

7.08 'The Itchy Brain Simulation' Pictures November 7, 2013

Pictures from next week's episode of The Big Bang Theory, 7.08 "The Itchy Brain Simulation", have been added to our gallery. Kate Micucci returns as Lucy, Raj's ex-girlfriend, in this episode.  Full story

7.08 'The Itchy Brain Simulation' Press Release October 31, 2013

CBS has issued the press release for the November 14 episode of The Big Bang Theory. Kate Micucci, who recently co-wrote the song "If I Didn't Have You (Bernadette's Song)" with her Garfunkel and Oates partner Riki Lindhome, reprises her role as Lucy, Raj's ex-girlfriend, in this episode.  Full story

Recap

Sheldon asks Leonard where the Skee-Ball tickets he collected three years ago are, as he's finally decided what prize he'd like to claim. When Leonard collects a box from the closet, he finds a rental DVD he was supposed to have returned seven years ago. Leonard apologizes to Sheldon and says he'll take care of it, if Sheldon will just stay calm about the matter. Later, Leonard tells Sheldon what it means for him to not freak out about the DVD. Sheldon tells him it's like an itch in his brain that he can't scratch, and that Leonard wouldn't joke about this if he could feel how Sheldon feels about these things. Sheldon tells Leonard he won't pester him about the DVD, if he will wear an uncomfortable sweater, to replicate Sheldon's "brain itch", until the matter is resolved. Sheldon then lets him know the DVD store went out of business.

As Bernadette and Amy try to get Penny to serve their drinks at the Cheesecake Factory, the girls see Lucy, Raj's ex-girlfriend, in the bar. Penny goes over to confront Lucy about dumping Raj the way she did. Back at the apartment, the guys quiz Leonard about his commitment to wear the itchy sweater. After the girls return to Penny's apartment, they're still hungry as Penny never brought them their food. Raj turns up to complain about Penny ruining things for him with Lucy, who he had hoped to get back together with - until Raj receives a text from Lucy asking to meet up.

Leonard arrives at Sheldon's office to let him the store owner died peacefully in his sleep, so there is no one to return the DVD to. With the issue resolved, Leonard takes the sweater off. Howard tells him he could reimburse the store owner's next of kin, which Sheldon likes the sound of, so Leonard is forced to put the itchy sweater back on. Eating dinner with Howard and Bernadette, Raj asks for their advice on how he should act when he sees Lucy the next day.

While Leonard itches and tries to find the next of kin for the DVD store owner, Penny wonders why he doesn't take the sweater off as Sheldon is not even there. Leonard claims there's a principal at stake and if he takes it off, Sheldon wins. Back in the apartment, Sheldon tries to pull a practical joke on Amy with his plastic flower lapel. Meanwhile, Lucy reveals to Raj that she's already seeing somebody. When Raj goes to Penny's to vent, she offers to set him up with somebody at the Cheesecake Factory.

When Leonard returns to the apartment frustrated as the video store owner has no next of kin, Sheldon reveals that he actually took care of the DVD issue seven years ago. He never mentioned it at the time as he thought it could one day be a teachable moment. Later, Raj's mistrust of women scares off the girl Penny set him up with.