The How I Met Your Mother Blog

“See what I got going on here? They’re turkeys, but they’re also hands. Because, later, we’re going to eat turkey, and then I’m going to slap you in your face.”

Bear with me folks, this is going to be a long one. Tonight’s episode not only reaffirmed why I love the show but told a touching story of the enduring power of friendship. It also continued the tension between Ted and Robin that started in Dowisetrepla. It was also the best episode of not just this season but quite possibly the entire series. It was so good because, like all the best episodes of this series, it not only was hilarious and full of memorable quotes, but it had a ton of dramatic characterization. I’m too effusive to hold back so don’t read on if you haven’t seen the episode, spoilers follow.

The A plot this week proved Robin and Ted still have amazing chemistry. (Was it the A plot? They were both awesome.) Even when they aren’t getting along. This episode also rewarded long time viewers by setting up the scene in Robin’s apartment with the exact same pacing as when Ted came over to make juice in “Nothing Good Happens After 2am”. The awkward food preparation, the tangible sexual tension, the eventual giving in to carnal desires, and the inevitable negative outcome. Additionally, I think the table Barney crashed through way have been the same rickety table that we first saw in “The Duel”.

Last week I worried about Robin dating a man in his forties and wondered why he had a ‘young Bob’ alter ego in the episode. It was handled hilariously as Ted sees only the flaws in the men Robin dates. Ted’s ribbing on him was also classic. Instead of “your momma’s so fat…” we got “the only reason I’m jealous of Bob is because…”

• “We can only talk about the first Thanksgiving but he was actually there.”
• “I heard Noah gave him shotgun on the ark.”
• “I’m just an architect, but he discovered fire. How am I supposed to compete with that?”

It felt like a lot happened in this episode. There seemed to be a lot of distinct acts across the whole 3o minutes. Much more than some other episodes we’ve seen this year. This episode also referenced much more character history.

Ted and Robin are becoming very similar:

• Robin is now full of “cool pie facts” where last year Ted was full of “Empire State Building Fun Facts”
• “General Knowledge”, “Corporal Punishment”, “Colonel Stuck-in-my-teeth”, “Major Pay-raise”, “Major Cleanup”, “General Idea”.
• This time last season, the plot centered around how private a person Robin was. Tonight, Robin ran to tell Lily just as fast as Ted ran to tell Marshall and Barney that they’d slept together.
• They were both seated on the couch with lighters.

What Was Good

• Lily bringing the frozen turkey to the bar
• Marshall’s use of “Slap” i.e. “Slapsgiving”, “Slapsgiving Day Parade”, “The Slapatizers”, “The time-slap continuum.”
• “Real Thanksgiving” vs. American Thanksgiving
• Barney dressed as Borat for Halloween
• Our continual education about Canada
• Marshall sleep eating
• Barney’s quick-thinking use of Ted’s phone call at the bar.
• More of Robin’s cute PJs. It just proves that under her sarcastic Canadian exterior she’s a softy.
• Robin is really funny now. They may still make fun of her Canada jokes but she’s come a long way. I loved her dry responses to Lily: “You are correct sir”, “That is a truth fact”, “Ka-Blammo”
• More of the intimate details Robin knows about Ted’s childhood. “You’re like the crappy kid in little league that knows he’s not gonna make contact so he just ‘opps, I got hit by the pitch, better take my base’.”, “That was you in little league wasn’t it?”, “My on-base-percentage was off the charts.”
• We got to see Barney squirm. “My suits are wearing me. You’re allowed to slap my face sir but you are not allowed to slap my mind. Good day!”
• Marshall’s toast shows that he’s really a caring husband.
• The first song that really stood out to me this season was tonight during their dinner. I think it was show-favorite The 88 but I’m not sure. Maybe it is time to update the music page!
• Bob was waiving his cell phone during Marshall’s song as opposed to Ted and Robin using lighters. That goes along with how “young” Bob acts. It’s little details like this that make the show so good.
• Speaking of which, holy crap, Marshall’s song. Wow, that beat Robin Sparkles. I’m going to make an mp3 of that and post it here. I want that to be my ringtone. I was on the floor when Barney started “singing” backup. The rest of the cast was laughing too, something else this show does that I love.

What Was Bad

• Nothing that I can think of.

Favorite Moments

“I can totally see she has a pierce…Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan is my favorite of all the bonds.”
“The Canadian Thanksgiving celebrates Martin Frobisher’s valiant, yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to find the Northwest Passage”
“You showed your hand.”, “And Thursday, at 3:01pm, your face is going to show your hand.”
“Did you know some mushrooms are carnivorous…probably..not.”
“What the hell kind of Thanksgiving is this anyway?”, “Most Thanksgivings.”
“Friendship is an involuntary reflex, it just happens, you can’t help it.”

Barney’s Vocab Word of the Week

Skank-tron - Not used by Barney, but rather by Ted to describe Barney’s girlfriends.

Plus we got a new “five” — the “relapse five”. That’s where we high five, then it’s awkward for a little bit, then it’s awkward again.

Was it just me or did Robin look really pretty in this episode? Like, prettier than usual.

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