The How I Met Your Mother Blog

This Moday’s episode is titled “The Final Four” (or maybe “The Bracket”, depending on where you look) and, much like the super bowl episode last year, uses a current sporting event as its focus. But in classic How I Met Your Mother fashion, basketball teams won’t be the only competitors.

Reader Courtney had this tidbit:

Barney tries to find the mystery woman who’s out to ruin his reputation, by using the NCAA 64 person bracket. An interesting name comes up in the casting info for the episode:

“Anna” Dawn Olivieri.

Thanks to Courtney’s research we know that Dawn first appeared on the show in last season’s episode Ted Mosby, Architect as the girl “Ted” picked up by bragging about “his” job. At the end of the episode Robin and Lily, who think it is a cheating Ted in the apartment with this girl, bust in with the intent to kick her ass. Instead they find Barney tied up in bed and learn he’s used Ted’s name since he’s recently had some bad press on the Internet. In a rush to leave before the girl finishes her shower, Barney leaves a form letter he keeps with him for one night stands. Forgetting Anna’s name he addresses the letter to “resident”. The tag at the end of the episode shows Anna fresh out of the shower reading the letter—in which Barney proclaims to be a ghost who only appears once a year on the date of his death, and that he might one day return provided she keeps her figure—and asking aloud “who’s Barney?”.

The fact that they’ve brought Dawn back is wonderful news. I love how the show makes call backs to not only previous episodes but previous seasons. It’s a real reward for the fans. Who else might we see return from Barney’s past? Are there any other girls we know he’s scorned? Any victims of the lemon law? Could Wendy the Waitress be in the bracket? Tune in Monday to find out.

PS. If Dawn looks familiar to any of you it’s probably because she’s been a model on Deal or No Deal several times.

“The Final Four” (or, “The Bracket”) airs Monday March 3/31 at 8:30 EST on CBS.

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