The Rough Patch
"The Rough Patch" | |
---|---|
How I Met Your Mother episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 7 |
Directed by | Pamela Fryman |
Written by | Chris Harris |
Production code | 5ALH07 |
Original air date | November 9, 2009 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Rough Patch" is the seventh episode of the
Plot
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (May 2014) |
At MacLaren's, Marshall watches Barney eat an entire plate of ribs and asks him directly if he is happy. Not giving a proper answer, Barney describes his relationship in a depressing manner, convincing Marshall that he is unhappy. He and Ted ask Lily to help break up Barney and Robin, given her experience in plotting breakups.[1] Since Lily has reformed her ways, Ted plans a repeat of what broke up his relationship with Robin, involving champagne and a wedding ring.[2] Much to their surprise, the plan results in the couple mutually surrendering to the idea of matrimony, and after they announce it in the bar, Lily agrees to break them up properly.
Lily has a plan to remind the couple of their four biggest arguments: dirty dishes,
The gang stakes out the location in a rented station wagon. Marshall is annoyed at Ted for being too cheap to rent a proper stake-out van, Thicke and Meg arrive and apparently know each other, and Lily was unable to find a Stormtrooper and instead finds a man dressed as the robot from Lost in Space, as she thinks Stormtroopers are also robots. As they argue over the station wagon and a pizza delivery, Barney and Robin look right in their direction. Ted and Marshall think their cover is blown, but Lily executes the plan anyway. As the plan unfolds, they notice that neither Barney nor Robin are angry or arguing, and they kiss each other before leaving the diner.
In MacLaren's the gang share a beer with Thicke and the pizza delivery boy, and Robin stops by and explains that she and Barney have broken up. What the gang thought was Robin and Barney looking at them was really the couple aghast at their own reflections. The realization makes them examine their relationship and they agree that "two awesomes cancel each other out", making them less than they want to be, so they break up. Barney laments that they will not be able to go back to being friends, but Robin tells him not think of it as a break-up but as getting back together as friends. They quickly avoid all of Lily's traps and kiss each other goodbye. Although Robin says it might take Barney a while to recover from the breakup, he appears as his old self, catching enticing glances from most of the women in the bar and declaring "Daddy's home".
Before he leaves, Thicke reveals that he and Robin starred in a short-lived Canadian variety show. Barney runs off to find the footage.
Critical response
Reviewer Scott Tobias from The A.V. Club, though skeptical of fat suits for what he describes as the Norbit Rule, felt it was worth it thanks to the "I'm my own wingman tonight" quip, and thought everything Alan Thicke related was funny. He is disappointed to see the show retreat back to where it was before but accepts Barney and Robin are not same characters unless independent. He gives the episode a rating of A− describing it as a near-classic.[4]
Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 7.8 out of 10.[5]
Joel Keller of
Eric Hochberger of TV Critic really enjoyed the ArchiSEXture idea.[7]
References
- ^ "The Front Porch". How I Met Your Mother. Season 4. Episode 17. March 16, 2009. CBS.
- ^ "Something Blue". How I Met Your Mother. Season 2. Episode 22. March 14, 2007. CBS.
- Bagpipes". How I Met Your Mother. Season 5. Episode 6. November 2, 2009. CBS.
- ^ Scott Tobias (November 9, 2009). "Rough Patch". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- News Corporation. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- TV Squad. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the originalon January 29, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ^ Eric Hochberger (November 10, 2009). "How I Met Your Mother Review: "The Rough Patch"". TV Critic. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
External links
- "The Rough Patch" at IMDb
- The Rough Patch at TVGuide.com