This week’s episode “Ducky Tie” is a fun fast paced episode that returns us to the type of How I Met Your Mother storytelling that reminds us of the borderline insanity that we love so much about the group. The two main story arcs this week involve a wager involving Lilly’s pregnancy boobs, and the story of what happened after the Architecture Gala between Ted and Victoria.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good betting match between Marshal and Barney, the most famous of which was the still ongoing slap bet (one slap remains). In tonight’s bet, we find that Marshal has brought the gang to his favorite Japanese restaurant Shinjitzu, much to the protests of Barney. Though his constant berating of the chef, Marshal challenges Barney saying he could never cook in the same style as the chef. Never one to back down from a challenge, Barney accepts, with the terms of a victory giving him 60 seconds of hand on Lilly’s boob, verses wearing Marshall’s ducky tie for the next year. The terms agreement between Lilly and Marshall is some of the best and fastest dialogue shown off in some time on the show.
After the wager, we get some absolutely brilliant moves by Barney as his devilish plan comes to fruition. Always the strategist when it involves boobs (especially Lilly’s boobs), Barney has already planned out multiple contingencies to ensure he’s hedged all his bets. From spending years forcibly associating sneezing with going to the restaurant in Marshall’s mind, to spending months studying the art of Habachi grilling to guarantee that no matter what, he will win. It almost pans out as well, narrowly winning a victory by forcing Lilly to almost accept a alternative resolution. In the end though, despite his great skills, he was no match for the distraction of a Lilly double boob flash. While he might have seen the goods, the payment will be wearing the tie he hates for the next year. I hope the writers will stick to this, and ensure he wears this in every episode from here on out.
Meanwhile, the dinner itself serves as a conversation backdrop between Ted and the gang as he discusses the evening after the gala. It turns out, Ted, remorseful for what he has done, attempts to pay six years of penance by helping her wash her bakery dishes before she leaves for the Hamptons. Of course, in usual devious Ted fashion, he pours on the charm in the sleigh hopes that he might get back together with her. In the end, she reveals she’s about to be engaged, though with the man she met up with right after she broke up with Ted, and after a bit of a heart to heart talk, and a stolen kiss, she runs off and leaves Ted behind again, and for good.
Overall, the storyline asks a lot of questions we might as young adults ask. All of us have a lot of “what ifs” in life, especially when it comes to relationships. Many of us might think about how life might be different if we made a different choice, or took a different path. Like many of the best episodes, Ted’s self reflection on these questions is what makes the show so good. Six years is a long time to hold that type of what ifs, something that some of us can relate to.
Other Observations
- Various girls Ted’s dated
- The girl who beat you up
- The girl who made you get a butterfly tattoo
- The girl who messed up your picture with slash.
- “The chestal area knows I’m pregnant, but they haven’t told the downstairs neighbors.”
- Did anyone think Barney would last 10 seconds?
- Weirdness of hanging out with their ex every day.
- Doing the dishes, cleaning the oven. Yeah totally a porno.
- “I bet Ted showed Victoria the shrimp in his pocket.”
- The cat cups they drink out of are awesome.
Barneyisms
- Tie slams
- Duck duck gross
- We’re gonna duck out
- Sorry to leave you with the bill
- It’s gonna be a GoodYear.
- Coming down with a marlardy?
- Hashtags
- #burn
- #ducktieslams
- #stinsonrocks
- #yourtieisstilldumb
- #refill
- Barney feigns his inability to eat Japanese food.
- Barney has been using mind games on Marshal for years to associate sneezing with Shinjitzu.
- Barney used Marshall’s apartment to have a bouncy house with bikini girls
- Barney sends emails to Robin to remind her he touched her boobs
