History TheBigBangTheory / SeasonEight

* LockedInARoom: Sheldon and Raj spend much of "The Expedition Approximation" down on a steam tunnel under the university to practice for when they have to do dark matter experiments on an abandoned mine.

** "The Fortification Implementation" brings up the time Howard threw the first pitch at the Angels game (this season's "The First Pitch Insuficiency") and the time Howard had a robot arm [[ADateWithRosiePalms pleasure him]] (Season Four's "The Robotic Manipulation"). There's even a CallBack to one of the latter episode's lines ("Because that's all you needed, right?").

* HotScientist: Bernadette is offered to appear in a magazine promoting beautiful scientists. It goes south when Amy's complaining to the magazine over the sexist overtones gets the article pulled. Which makes Bernadette mad enough to insult Amy over her looks. But both forget about it when they have to rescue the guys from Dr. Lorvis [[spoiler:& he's on the make with Amy.]]

* SexyWhateverOutfit: In "The Graduation Deterioration", Penny gets Leonard a cap and gown for his commencement speech, but the store only had the "sexy graduate" costume with the short skirt gown.

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: According to Howard in "The Graduation Deterioration," it's "those who call tech support, and those who laugh at those who call tech support."

* RealityEnsues: You might be a former child prodigy who has a dozen degrees to your name and has written numerous well-respected scholarly papers, but you still can't barge into George Lucas' private studio area without getting arrested. Just ask Sheldon.
** The escape room game in "The Intimacy Acceleration". Designed for a group of normal people, The four certified geniuses complete the $200 game in six minutes.

* WikiWalk: In "The Focus Attenuation", the boys try to come up with new inventions, but keep getting sidetracked watching movies and looking up random stuff on the internet.

---->'''Sheldon''': ... (turns his [[Literature/LordOfTheRings Gollum figure]] towards him) Well, Gollum... you're an expert on rings... (pulls out [[spoiler:an engagement ring from this desk drawer]]) [[spoiler:What do I do with this one?]]

Sheldon returns from riding the rails having never left any train station. Leonard and Penny plan their wedding and Raj comes to realize his girlfriend Emily has a very dark sense of humor. Bernadette discovers she was the bully at her job. Howard's mother dies and he later meets his half-brother.

* OperatorFromIndia: Spoofed on "The Graduation Deterioration" when Howard calls tech support, complaining that it'll probably be some foreigner with the same manual he has. Then Raj's phone rings. It's actually his father calling at coincidentally the same time.

!! Tropes in Series/TheBigBangTheory'' Season Eight

* ClosetGeek: Played with in "The Skywalker Incursion". Penny is dismayed that she knows so much about ''Series/DoctorWho'', but freely admits to liking ''Series/GameOfThrones'' because of the violence and dragons.
** Sex and dragons. "It's got dragons and people doing it"

* WikiWalk: In "The Focus Attenuation", the boys try to come up with new inventions, but keep getting sidetracked watching movies and looking up random stuff on the internet.
* YouLookFamiliar: In ''The Intimacy Application'', the hostess who shows Emily, Raj, Amy and Leonard into the "[[TheCrystalMaze escape room]]" (where they have to solve a puzzle to get out) appeared in an earlier series[[note]] Series three episode three, ''The Gothowitz Deviation''[[/note]] as one of two Goth girls picked up by Raj and Howard.[[note]] For real TBBT nerds: She was Bethany, played by Molly Morgan[[/note]]

* PinkElephants: In "The Anxiety Optimization", a sleep-deprived Sheldon sees the man sitting next to him on a bus as an armadillo.

* ClosetGeek: Played with in "The Skywalker Incursion". Penny is dismayed that she knows so much about ''Franchise/DoctorWho'', but freely admits to liking ''Series/GameOfThrones'' because of the violence and dragons.

* HotScientist: Bernadette is offered to appear in a magazine promoting beautiful scientists. But behind her back, Amy declines on Bernadette's unauthorized behalf, citing feminist reasons &/or personal insecurity over her own looks. Bernadette is pissed. But both forget about it when they have to rescue the guys from Dr. Lorvis [[spoiler:& he's on the make with Amy.]]

** Creator/NathanFillion in "The Comic Book Store Regeneration", eating at a cafe when Leonard and Raj approach him for a photo. He at first pretends to be someone else but eventually relents (although at the end it's left unclear whether it really was Fillion or not).

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''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Season Eight

!!Tropes:

* CelebrityParadox: Sheldon mentions to Amy his desire to start watching ''Series/TheFlash2014'', which was starting to wrap up its first season at the time. One of the characters on that show, Cisco, [[MutuallyFictional can be seen wearing a "Bazinga" t-shirt]].

* TheChrisCarterEffect: Discussed in "Commitment Determination," when Amy gets upset that the big thing on Sheldon's mind is whether or not he should start watching the Series/TheFlash2014 (as opposed to their make-out session they were currently engaged in). He argues that it's difficult for him to make such an important commitment to a show knowing it could last years, it's not a matter of catching up on a single season. Leonard agrees, saying that ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' almost killed him and Sheldon ranted that they spent [[ForegoneConclusion 10 years watching a guy everyone knows can fly NOT fly]].

** In "The Commitment Determination", Sheldon is about to ask Amy something on the fifth anniversary of when they first met. Again, the implication is that he's about to propose, so when he asks instead whether he should commit to watching ''Series/TheFlash2014'', Amy has enough and [[spoiler:calls for a break in their relationship.]] [[spoiler:After she ends the Skype call [[SubvertedTrope Sheldon pulls out an engagement ring]].

** In "The Commitment Determination", Sheldon is about to ask Amy something on the fifth anniversary of when they first met. Again, the implication is that he's about to propose, so when he asks instead whether he should commit to watching ''Series/TheFlash2014'', Amy has enough and [[spoiler:calls for a break in their relationship. After she ends the Skype call [[SubvertedTrope Sheldon pulls out an engagement ring]].

** In "The Commitment Determination", Sheldon is about to ask Amy something on the fifth anniversary of when they first met. Again, the implication is that he's about to propose, so when he asks instead whether he should commit to watching ''Series/TheFlash2014'', Amy has enough and [[spoiler:calls for a break in their relationship. What's worse is that Sheldon ''[[SubvertedTrope was]]'' eventually going to propose]].