Season 3 Episode 14: The Bracket Discussion
So it was called The Bracket after all and not The Final Four. Whatever you call it, it was a great episode. Barney episodes are few and far between but they’re always extra awesome. While we might never have found out who the girl was or why she was sabotaging Barney (two mystery girls? This IS turning into the sitcom version of Lost) we did get some quality Lily/Barney time, more hints at a Barney Robin hook-up, and a window into the disturbing mind and capabilities of the Barnicle.
what was good
First, it’s great to see a Barney episode. The only thing better is when we see a Barney and Lily episode. Their chemistry is great. Lily is funniest when she’s being a kindergarten teacher to the rest of the gang and she’s also the only woman that Barney treats with respect which leads to a good dynamic between them.
Robin’s plan is hilarious. “Then I come in looking hot as all hell.” She’s so cocky, I love it. Still looking extra hot btw. While we’re on the subject, are the writers just messing with us? For two weeks in a row we’ve gotten allusions to a Barney/Robin hookup. Even though it was all a ruse, whatever Barney whispered to Robin seemed to work a little bit.
It was great seeing the creators take a chance at making fun of the kind of girls who sleep with the Barney’s of the world and how they really aren’t always as victimized as it may seem. That first girl who said it was all her fault? The one who bit a cop and ended up in jail? If she looked familiar it’s because she was the girl Barney banged in L.A.M.E.’s soon-to-be Dowisetrepla apartment. Then Dawn Olivieri made a web site, but we’ll get to that later.
what was bad
It had kind of a non-ending. We never figured out who the girl was and while Barney found a kind side, his problem wasn’t really resolved. Plus, it’s always frustrating to be handed yet another cliff hanger.
I also felt like the last couple weeks have been light on Marshall but next week seems to be a L.A.M.E.-centric episode so I’ll finally be gratified.
favorite moments
If you remember, in The Yips Barney made an allusion that he’s slept with Madeline Albright. In the barrage of girls last night (which was the same 6 or 7 repeated, I’ll make an animated gif tonight) was this photo:
Brilliant.
Marshall and Ted stealing Lily’s chalkboard. How exactly would you take that on the Subway?
“I haven’t made some list of all the girl’s I’ve slept with”
“I have a list. It’s my marriage certificate” *High Five*
All of the tricks referenced that Barney has used to get girls range from genius to terrifying. While I can’t remember them all, my favorites were:
- “It has to be the ‘12 hours to live’ girl. She bought tickets to Paris.”
“Yeah, but she only bought him a one way ticket.” - The Evil Twin. “I slept with her twice, once as Barney and once as Larney” Then the girl calls him Larney before she chokes him.
- Leaving a woman in the woods and stealing her truck? That’s pretty bad.
- I think I sold a woman. I didn’t speak the language but I shook his hand, he handed me the keys to a Mercedes and I left her.
“She was blonde, had boobs, looked trashy”
“Did she have dead eyes and crippling lack of self confidence? That’s all of them!”
“Have you ever fallen asleep while eating ribs?” Robin does giggle when she lies.
By far the funniest thing in the episode, and the best episode cap ever in the series, was the Doogie Howser throw back when we saw Barney writing in his blog. That was awesome.
barney’s vocab word of the week
Not a vocab word, but a web site:
Very Trogdor, no?
Ted Mosby is a jerk? (That site is wonderful. “Great News: Ted is a friggin PORN STAR!!!” At least Hammond Druthers’ sketch was used for something. I love this show.)
Listen to the whole song on the home page. It’s worth it.
closing
If I didn’t know better I’d say that the girl sabotaging Barney tonight was Stella. She had found out that Barney treated Abby poorly and was looking for revenge. That would explain the ominous “more about that later” cliffhanger as well as be an in for Stella to be the mom. I know Chalke can’t make it back to the show, but damn it, it’s a good idea. I guess she wouldn’t have time to stalk him and warn other girls because of her daughter anyway. Update: Some people think the mystery girl is actually Abby, which makes sense since Lily and Robin were the only ones who didn’t visit the office last week.
Who do you guys think the mystery girl is? What effect wiill it have on everyone later?
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Blake | April 1, 2008 @ 12:11 am
Don’t really know what you think about spoilers on the internet (if you believe them or not) but if you do then this would suggest that Stella (Sarah Chalke) is coming back for another episode: http://www.spoilerfix.com/himym.php
Again, not sure if you believe that sort of stuff but thought you might like to see that. Its in the episode airing April 14 titled the Simmons Reports (as of now)
Nicole | April 1, 2008 @ 12:11 am
Hi-
Just wondering if anyone knows where to get the cream colored coat Lily was wearing while searching for the “mystery” girl. Super cute!
Thanks!
jingspiral | April 1, 2008 @ 1:22 am
It was Doogie Howser theme melody in the ending, was’t it?
AF | April 1, 2008 @ 1:25 am
I’m still squeeing from all the Barny and Robin chemistry!
Craig Thomas and Carter Bay rock my socks. Keep the episodes coming, guys!
I loved Marshall’s marriage license line and the Barney the Bastard Game was hilarious.
Sure, the cliff hanger ending was frustrating but they sort of made up for it with the Doogie Howser throwback.
AF | April 1, 2008 @ 1:28 am
Okay….
Does anyone else think it’s a little insane that Zip, Zip, Zip from Season 1 is #14 in the lineup?
It’s like a celebration of Barney/Robin even if it doesn’t quite work for Season 2.
Mike | April 1, 2008 @ 1:51 am
has anybody else listened to the 20 minute song on tedmosbyisajerk.com? its the most ridiculous/awesome thing i’ve ever heard, and at the very end, theres a clip of someone saying something backwards. i haven’t had the time to figure out what they’re saying, has anyone else figured it out?
Heather | April 1, 2008 @ 2:23 am
Hey, did anyone notice that in the flashing faces when Barney is thinking back that a man’s face appears? We played it back but our DVR would not stop on the face. Does anyone know who it is?
blarg | April 1, 2008 @ 2:59 am
wow great episode.
to what heather was saying about the flashing faces, I dont think there was a man in there. I went back and from what I can tell, they are all women, some more attracting than others, but all women none the less. i think here is the one that made you think it was a man
http://img145.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=32684_barney_122_674lo.JPG
someone else can go back and get screen caps of all the girls it flashes through, but I actually think it repeats a handful of the same girls
-blarg
Courtney | April 1, 2008 @ 3:03 am
Great episode. BTW if you look closely at the Bracket, The girl Ted get’s to help him with the Rain Dance makes the elite 8. Penelope is her name
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 4:43 am
hmm, she obviously didn’t hate Barney all that much to help him out.
and it was the same handful of women over and over again, and Madeline Albright. god, this show even does callbacks to jokes in less than a second!
Crumb | April 1, 2008 @ 6:22 am
First of all : great episode with the best. ending. ever.
I’m actually glad we got a cliffhanger; Barney getting a story longer than one episode can only be good (or so I hope).
Now, the mystery girl… Abby maybe. I’d go for a whole new character though, or someone we saw only a second.
Anyway you never know with that show…
Also, more Barney/Robin hints ? Awesome.
Marcy | April 1, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Great episode! Especially Barney´s honest apology to the girl he didn´t actually have sex with was fantastic. He is seized with remorse after all. It´s just a different kind of remorse than you would expect.
The Barney/ Lily dynamic was hilarious and I just loved the part when Ted and Marshall stole the black board.
By the way, did anyone notice that this episoe brought back the question if Barney is able to drive a car? “Arrivederci, Fiero” gives us a clear no, but last night´s episode contradicted this as we see (o.k. hear) Barney drive away with Holly´s truck. In “Come on” Penelope states that she and Barney had sex in his car twice (could it even be the car he stole from Holly?), so…
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 7:37 am
i find it amazing that Barney is able to remember every girl he has slept with. He’s truly saddened when he thinks that he sexed a girl and didn’t remember what he did to her. At least he’s original, lest there be overlapping sexcuses.
I mean, he said it himself. These women must mean something if he scrapbooks his sexins. He could be normal, and just list them, but he puts effort into it.
I can’t tell if I’m impressed, saddened, or disturbed.
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 7:43 am
and you know, off topic, im rewatching old episodes, and I can’t tell if Robin and Ted were good together. In alternating episodes, the story is that Ted was bad in bed, then he wasn’t. He was “literally” mindblowing, then he wasn’t. They spent alot of days in bed, then not. He was the Ted Mosby who didn’t know what he was doing, then he was (as were all Ted mosbys).
In “How I Met Everyone Else”, Robin equates the relationship at its end as mostly sex, and that she just lied there. Yet, they seem to keep sexing each other.
What gives. Scherbatsky? Also, what do you guys think?
I know it’s sorta off kilter to be thinking about fictitious sex lives, but I must.
Ike | April 1, 2008 @ 7:50 am
This episode had some great jokes, and I’d love to be able to see all those faces in the flash (Madeline Albright, classic). Marshall’s marriage certificate line was the best. We def need more Marshall. The ending was so funny, Doogie. The cliffhanger kind of ticked me off, but it was a good episode otherwise.
As far as driving I hope they address it, I wish someone would ask Barney in a situation like that, “I thought you couldn’t drive”. And he’d have a great reply like “Having sex in the backseat of someone elses Fiero doesn’t require me driving it.” or in tonights case a cut away to Barney in the passenger seat with some other hot hippie woman driving him off. Bays, Thomas, and the writers usually don’t mess up so hopefully they get to address this soon.
Jez | April 1, 2008 @ 8:23 am
quite a few plot holes in this episode….
1. barney cant drive, but is said to have driven a van….
2. he keeps referring to his list. refer back to episode 4 in season 3.
B: “c’mon dude you’ve seen my list.”
T: “first of all i didnt ask to see that list, i’m still horrified”
also check back episode 21 of season 2…..” dude i’m not going to count how many pages my list is. i’m not gross”
for some reason he denies having a list….
but those holes aside, i think we have met the culprit before. i have a few theories….but nothing firm ….ARRGHHH!
but if i had to guess i’d say it is abby!…leaves it open for britney to come back and increase ratings if required…..
i doubt it can be anymore obvious that barney and robin are gonna hook up…
a good episode, but i loved last week’s episode more….
JD | April 1, 2008 @ 10:37 am
Updated with photos.
Good comments all. @Courtney, nice catch on noticing Penelope. I always liked her.
I think all the “plot holes” with Barney’s driving can be explained by the scene in Arrivederci, Fiero as Barney learning to drive. It happened a long time ago (like all the car stories) and before that Barney couldn’t drive. After that, he could drive and any in-car nookie he got happened after that.
I also think the list he’s referred to in past episodes is his list of things to accomplish (such as the vehicles which you can have sex in or on) and not a list of girls he’s slept with. The difference is subtle, but for someone like Barney makes it all OK.
Regarding the hidden message at the end of the song, Wendy the Waitress is the Mother
AF | April 1, 2008 @ 10:48 am
I don’t think the mystery girl is Abby.
Here’s why:
She wanted to have sex with Barney. “If it’s fixed, can we have sex on it and then go shopping?”
Barney didn’t even really need to try with her, which from what we’ve seen, most of the girls he takes home with him have been drinking or they’re vulnerable in some way. But, Abby was a sexually interested in him to begin with. She swallowed the line but reeled him in instead.
Dave | April 1, 2008 @ 11:00 am
Oh yeah, Robin kept her end of the deal. She was most definitely looking hot. And whatever it was that Barney whispered to her did the trick – she is seeing him differently now. That scene was the beginning of the Barnacle’s conquest of Mt. Scherbatsky.
BTW, did you catch that Barney used the number 83 again?
Liz | April 1, 2008 @ 11:30 am
I don’t think the girl is Abby because they would have to have Britney on again and being the saboteur seems to be beyond her acting abilities.
I loved Marshall and Lily’s high five – it reminded me of the one in the bathroom in Zip, Zip, Zip. I thought the Doogie tag was pretty brilliant. This show is at its best when all five characters are interacting.
The song on the website is hilarious and scary.
Elizabeth | April 1, 2008 @ 11:30 am
I agree, I don’t think it’s going to be Abby. Who did Barney sleep with on St. Patrick’s Day? Maybe this girl is out there saying mean things, and finding her leads Ted to the Mother!
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 11:55 am
if they’re gonna stick to it, the mystery girl didn’t sound like Abby or Stella or anyone else we’ve met, I don’t think.
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 11:58 am
If that list thing is true, it’d be weirder that Ted seems to feign knowing about the list.
JD | April 1, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
You don’t have a list of things to accomplish that you share with your guy friends? I know my friends and I do. It’s not depraved like Barney’s but then again I’d never sell a girl for a Mercedes or pretend to own Google (well, maybe I’d pretend to own Google.)
Geri | April 1, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Wow…I was chomping at the bit to discuss this episode this morning! This has been my favorite episode in a long while. And let me preface my thoughts by saying “TED…..GET A DAMN HAIR CUT ALREADY!!!!”
First of all – the Doogie ending was classic! That used to be my favorite show as a kid (yeah i’m that old! ha ha) and as soon as I heard the first cheesy strains of the tune – I knew what was going down. I think I laughed so hard the neighbors might have called the police!
If you check out Barney’s Blog he kindly gives us instructions on how to put together our own “Scrapbook” and refers to the #83 again.
There was some amazing interaction between the characters this episode. The Barney/Robin flirting was fun and i’m curious as to whether NPH was actually given dialogue to whisper into Cobie’s ear – or if he just said something random. Ahhh little TV secrets we shall never know! That scene definitely made me crave another episode where Barney and Ted “bro out” but maybe, possibly more. I think it may be coming. Notice that Robin was the one who guessed Barney’s lie to the girl in the museum correctly and was noticeably impressed by Barney’s scrapbook.
I think some of the best one liners happened in this episode courtesy of Marshall and Ted during the “final four” scene:
B: “Okay, we’re down to the final 4 people, come on, dig deep.”
M: “I’m tired and sad”
B: “Mosby?”
T: “I wanna call my mom, just tell her I love her”
Also later on in McLaren’s when the gang is trying to set up the mystery girl and Marshall and Ted are sitting at the table. Marshall’s trying to pretend to have a conversation with Ted:
M: “Words…here are words” whispers to Ted “Why is this so hard?” then starts laughing awkwardly out loud “Laughter!”
I went back and re-watched the episode and I have to give Bays and Thomas big props for making this mystery girl as hard to figure out as the mother. I noticed on the first watch last night, that the majority of the girls in the bar that night were blonde and most of them had wavy hair. That’s all we can see of this girl when she sits down to talk to Lily. The only other noticeable thing was that she was wearing a beige coat. So I went back to look again and there’s only one blonde that you would notice at the beginning of that scene, before Barney leaves the table. She walks by as Lily and Barney are talking and was wearing a blue shirt, but has straight hair so no dice! ha ha!
Another thing that stood out to me was that Anna, who Barney whittled down into the final four, wasn’t a blonde, so they should have known it wasn’t her. I’m surprised that people aren’t trying to say, after this episode, that Barney’s mystery blonde is “the mom”.
Overall – best episode this season i think.
Geri | April 1, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
Oops! In reference to this line in my above posting:
>That scene definitely made me crave another episode where Barney and Ted “bro out” but maybe, possibly more.
I SWEAR I meant to say Robin NOT Ted!!!! ha ha!
DHMBIB | April 1, 2008 @ 12:38 pm
Yes, this episode was (high-pitched singing voice)AWE-SOME!(/high-pitched singing voice)
Don’t have the DVDs in front of me right now to cite specifics, but WRT the questions about Barney’s ability to drive:
1) Check out “Arrivederci, Fiero” (2.17), and check the “flashback” scene in which Ted is teaching Barney to drive. Each of the flashbacks begins with the odometer reading superimposed on the screen. I don’t recall what the reading was, but that should give you an idea of how “long ago” that was, relative to the fact that the Fiero was a hair shy of 200K when it died. There may also be dialogue there along the lines of “it was last year…”
2) Recall that in “Moving Day” (2.18), which followed “Fiero”, Barney steals Ted’s moving van and uses it for his “bachelor pad” behind McClaren’s.
Great site, JD.
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
so I feel bad that Barney sullied Ted’s good name. Why didn’t Lily stop Barney from standing on the chair and badmouthing Ted?
Faye | April 1, 2008 @ 1:40 pm
I reallyliked this episode and every little part of it seemed ace! I loved Lilys “Not a Plastic Bag” bag at the start. I also thought that before we found out that the girl was in fact Robins Friend that she looked quite like the girl from “World Greatest Couple” in the gold dress that says she loves Barney but leaves when Lily walks in, if not then the girl that Marshal chats up at the sudents bar [The one with twins] but then again they don’t sleep with Barney do they because Lily walks in although they may have “done it” the night before. But I deffo think that she looks like the “Worlds Greatest Couple” girl!
Love your site BTW!
Marina | April 1, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
I am also dying to know where Lily’s coat is from. She dresses WAY too nice for a kindergarten teacher… just imagine all the play-doh and paint she must get covered in!
Awesome episode. I loved the Doogie Howser ending best of all!
Marcy | April 1, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
@Geri: Barney´s mystery woman the mom? Mhm… Looking at the fact how Ted and Barney were not able to “share” a girl in “Little Boys” I think it would not really work out
Imagine Ted being haunted by little Barneys sitting on the shoulders of his wife. Mhm…
Geri | April 1, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
@ Marcy: I agree with you. I don’t think Ted would ever be able to share a woman with Barney (knowingly at least).
@Elizabeth: It’s a definite possibility that looking for Barney’s mystery woman could lead Ted to the mother, but I don’t think they’re quite ready to do that to us just yet. Wasn’t the show picked up for the fall sched?
Jon T. | April 1, 2008 @ 4:23 pm
There’s so much from this episode to get into, but I really think it’s possible that the mystery girl is Sarah, the Rockette, from ‘Moving Day.’ Same style hair as the mystery girl.
Just a thought.
john d'arc | April 1, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
She wouldn’t be that angry. She seemed to enjoy being with barney in his truck house.
She got her revenge and went home safely.
Chappa | April 1, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Maybe we are thinking about this wrong. What if the woman is someone who WANTS Barney all to herself? Like Shannon for the mysterious past of the Barnacle
Viridis | April 2, 2008 @ 12:25 am
Wasn’t Anna a kickboxing instructor? I had hoped to see a bit of that kickboxing side. Alas …
toomuchfreetime | April 2, 2008 @ 2:27 am
The bracket idea was AWESOME. I noticed in the village region both Wendy and Madeline were listed…
I hope they put up a picture of the entire bracket I would love to go back and see what he did to people
rey | April 2, 2008 @ 3:26 am
here’s a thought…
what if the girl who is going around town is someone barney HASNT SLEPT WITH?
Maybe he ruined what could have been a great night for someone?
the description of blond, and boobs – mary the paralegal?
just a thought
Marcy | April 2, 2008 @ 6:39 am
@rey: Could very well be. A girl that lost her best friend to Barney on a very important night (say, a post break up night)? A girl Barney didn´t WANT to sleep with (remember, in one episode Barney is shown to loose interest in a girl as soon as she tells him that she just turned 30). Or maybe a very good friend or sibling of one of the wronged women who, unlike the “victim” thinks revenge is necessary?
But if it IS a girl he has slept with, what could he have possibly done to make her this upset? One thing that pops up in my mind (even though I don´t even believe it myself) is that Barney accidentaly and unknowingly fatherd a child, but I suppose the girl would rather sue him for a lot of money than follow him around town to ruin his conquests.
By the way, did anyone else wonder how the girl Barney sold didn´t end up in the final four? I mean, HE SOLD HER!
Jez | April 2, 2008 @ 6:46 am
epiphany!…remember that girl from the Swarley episode? the one that wanted the 3some with the teddy bear…..how about her for the mystery girl!
Chrissy | April 2, 2008 @ 9:50 am
Does anybody know the song they played while showing Lily’s scrapbook?
Jacen | April 2, 2008 @ 9:57 am
My thoughts are this is all set up by Robin. Either because she likes him, OR she just likes messing with him. Robin’s friend at the end is in Fact the girl warning all the other girls, just at the request of Robin, not out of her own experience with Barney.
I think this would be a nice twist…
john d'arc | April 3, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
freezeframe the scrapbook, and you can see it’s just a book of headshots.
certainly nothing dirty here.
Faye | April 5, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
I think that Marshal’s hair is worse than Ted’s! I Love Ted’s, although I am starting to think it makes him look older!
And Carter Bays, One of the producer of HIMYM, has said that they’d love to have Britney [Abbie] back.
“A recent report claimed that show chiefs are keen for Spears to reprise her role as receptionist Abby on the programme.
“We always said, ‘You know, if her character pops, we’ll bring her back,’” Bays told the Associated Press. “I thought she was great. I was very proud of that episode.”
Asked about what it was like to have Britney on set, he explained: “It was totally weird. I think we have a very, like, kind of Midwestern homey vibe here on the show, and it was strange to suddenly have helicopters circling.”
On the likelihood of Spears returning, he said: “I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that.” ” Source = Digital Spy
darlingchaos | December 28, 2008 @ 6:44 am
Neil definitely did not stick to the dialogue, if any was even given to him. On the blooper reel you can see Cobie crack up at least twice, and on the commentary he mentioned that most of what he said was EXTREMELY innapropriate and supplied by fellow castmembers. Something about a sushi-bar, I recall.
Celebrity News Aggregator | February 4, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
What else is there to say? I kinda like Sarah