I haven’t seen anyone discuss the possibility that the “hooking up” may have been just a one episode thing and a dirty little secret the two of them will keep until maybe it accidentally gets revealed on a future episode.

Hypothetically, if the group did break up, I’d be shocked if Lily and Robin still saw each other. I realised in the second season (the ‘grinch’ episode), that Lily and Ted go way back, even discounting Marshall.

Don’t know nor think it’d happen, but purely hypothetical, it’d be a Marshall/Lily/Ted group immediately if any conflict were to arise. The history they have together go waaay back.

Sexarchitect… wicked username. Wish I thought of that!

You’re right, Marcy, that Robin and Barney don’t want serious commitment. But even then, they have a different view of interactions. Robin at least wants a monogamous relationship for a time. Her problem is when things get deep, she gets uncomfortable. She prefers keeping men at an arms length, but still not too far apart.

Barney’s philosophy is use and then discard. He has no intention of keeping women at arms-length or any length. The show has made Barney so shallow, I can’t see him with a woman within the span of a month, and if they were going to change him with Robin, they should’ve laid the groundwork much earlier with previous episodes and women (showing him change from his bang-and-dump-in-one-night routine). That’s my issue.

Either he’s going to be regular-Barney with Robin, thereby hurting her and destroying whatever friendship they had, which owuld inevitably infuriate Ted, and be default Marshall and Lily too. Or Barney will change and will show a softer, more romantic side (which would be so off-character). There is an alternative scenario, where Barney and Robin, after getting Ted’s blessing, realise they just can’t do it (ick-factor or whatever). But that would be ripping Friends’ off so much they should get sued (and again, I thought it was pathetic in Friends the whole Joey-Rachel thing).

That’s why I think the show has reached a rock and a hard place location. It’s going to take a legend-wait for it and I hope none of you are lactose intolerant-dary move from Thomas and Bays to get out of this position in a good way (yep, I so did that!).

As for the group breaking up, it would be an intersting scenario, but couldn´t last for more than a few episodes since that would kill the premise of the show. It would be still interesting to see, how this scenario would be played out.

@ sexarchitect: I simply don´t believe Bays and Thomas will really pull a “Frirends”. I´m still very sure that there is a reason for everything they do.

It’ll be interesting to see if the group does break up over this. Marshall/Lily/Ted have been friends since freshman year in college. Barney and Robin came years later. I don’t see Marshall or Lily choosing Barney over Ted. If there is a group break up, I think it’ll initially be along those lines with Lily and Robin still seeing each other.

On Heroes, they only have short snippets about what everyone is doing. And it could be weeks before you see the continuation to one character’s story.

Desperate Housewives also does character centric episodes.

A plots and B plots happen in every show. Some of the ensemble is going to have take a back seat to the front runners.