(Whispers to Howard)
Howard: You're right. But Penny and I are just friends. Excuse me, I'm getting a text message completely unrelated to this magic trick. Get another deck and I'll do the trick with that. He can sleep with whoever he wants. Howard: A magician never reveals his secrets. Howard: I thought you had more important things to think about. Howard: Want me to tell you how to do it? Howard: Yeah, I was talking to Raj. Leonard: All right, well, anyway, Darwin observed that when two groups of finches competed over the same food source, eventually one of them would evolve a different beak shape so they could feed on something else. Leonard: And she likes you. Leonard: Is the autumn cruel for letting the flowers die, or is that just nature's way? Leonard: Uh, Penny, there's something I have to tell you. Look at Leonard in his fancy-ass grownup clothes. New contacts. Now shuffle the cards. Penny (knocking on window): Hi! Penny: He was gonna throw it in the washing machine with his Spiderman underwear. Penny: I'm not going out with him. Penny: Leonard, I get it. Penny: Then no. Penny: Uh, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Penny: What? Priya: And? Priya: It's a little weird, your ex-girlfriend hanging out here all the time. Priya: Leonard, I'm not breaking up with you. Priya: Leonard, it is a source of great pain to me and my family that my brother has that outfit in his wardrobe. Priya: Was she upset? Priya: You need to cut the cord with Penny. Raj, take a card. Raj: Beefaroni and a show? Raj: Is the trick making him disappear? Raj: These cards have barcodes on them. Raj: You ever gonna tell him? Scene: The apartment
Howard: And was your card the jack of diamonds? Sheldon: All right. Sheldon: And is this my card? Sheldon: Figure out the magic trick yet? Sheldon: I think I figured out Wolowitz's magic trick, and I need you to pick a card. Sheldon: I'm measuring residual heat levels on the playing cards to determine which one's been touched. Sheldon: Not knowing is part of the fun. Sheldon: That does it. Way to go, Priya. What happened with the contacts?
Plan: A: new clothes; Q: What does Priya buy Leonard? A: comfort; Q: What does Leonard take in the fact that he tried to tell Penny to stay away from him? A: sex; Q: What does Priya tell Leonard to break all contact with Penny during? A: the right message; Q: What does Penny not get? A: Later Penny; Q: Who interrupts Leonard's date with Priya? A: Howard; Q: Who does Sheldon ask to perform the trick on him? A: a volunteer; Q: Who picks a card in the trick? A: even Penny; Q: Who was able to figure out the card trick? A: a barcode reader; Q: What does Sheldon use to try to recreate the card trick? A: Howard, Raj and Penny on Sheldon; Q: Who played a prank on Sheldon? A: a peek; Q: What does Raj get on Sheldon's card? A: hand signals; Q: What did Raj use to tell Howard the right answer? Summary: Priya has begun to dominate in her relationship with Leonard, buying him new clothes (which Leonard is not comfortable with). She also feels threatened by Leonard continuing to hang out with Penny, even though they have broken up, so during sex, she tells him to break all contact with Penny. Leonard initially hesitates, but still tries to tell Penny to stay away from him, albeit indirectly. Penny does not get the right message, but Leonard takes comfort in the fact that he tried. Later Penny interrupts Leonard's date with Priya and is completely oblivious to what is going on. Leonard once again indirectly tries to tell Penny to stay away from him, but this time Penny gets the message and realizing that Priya was behind this, decides to break all contact with Leonard. Meanwhile, Howard shows Sheldon, Raj and Penny a card trick in which a volunteer picks a card and after shuffling the deck, Howard tells the volunteer his/her card. Raj and Penny both try out the trick and are amazed by it. Though at first his attitude is dismissive, Sheldon eventually becomes obsessed with discovering the trick's secret, as even Penny could figure it out. He goes to the extent of using a barcode reader in order to recreate the trick. It is then revealed (to the audience) that the card trick is just a prank played by Howard, Raj and Penny on Sheldon. Raj and Penny willingly pretended that Howard was successful, knowing fully well that Sheldon would go nuts trying to figure out the trick's secret. When Sheldon wants Howard to perform the trick on him in the end, Raj manages to get a peek on Sheldon's card and uses hand signals to tell Howard the right answer. Sheldon is puzzled once more, still not knowing that he had been pranked all along, while Howard and Raj both laugh gleefully.