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Big Days
HIMYM episode 6x01 (113)
BigDays1
First aired:
September 20, 2010
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
Carter Bays

Craig Thomas

Barney's Blog

Images (41)

When Ted and Barney argue about who has "dibs" on a hot girl, Ted realizes that she is there with Cindy, a girl he dated whose roommate is his future wife. Meanwhile, Robin is heartbroken over Don, and Marshall can't keep quiet about his desire to start a family.


Recap[]

Future Ted tells his kids that there are two big days in any love story: the day you meet the girl of your dreams and the day you marry her. "A little ways down the road", Ted is shown sitting in a church courtyard. Marshall sits down beside him, and they share a beer. Marshall asks Ted if he's nervous, but Ted denies it, claiming he's simply worried about whether it'll rain. Marshall then points out that Ted's been peeling the label off his beer bottle, a nervous habit of his.

BigDays3

Ted eyes the girl at the bar.

In the present day, Ted is sitting in MacLaren's, grading papers, again peeling the label off his beer. Barney sits down across from him, lamenting that "the season of exposed skin is over", and it'll be another eight months before girls begin wearing sundresses again. He then notices that Ted has been peeling off his beer label, and asks him what he's nervous about. Ted reveals that he's been thinking about trying to talk to the beautiful blonde girl at the bar. Barney attempts to "solve" his problem, by calling dibs. They begin arguing over the girl and about the legality of dibs, with Ted threatening to take Barney to court, prompting Barney to call dibs on having Marshall as his lawyer. He then asks where Marshall's been. It's revealed that Marshall and Lily recently decided to start a family, and tonight is their first attempt. Marshall is getting ready to leave his office, while Lily is setting the mood at their apartment.

Ted decides to ignore Barney's dibs, and talks to the girl regardless. Barney then paints a scenario where Ted and the girl get married, and at their wedding Barney reveals that he had dibs on her. Everyone is shocked, Lily faints, and the girl, upon realizing Barney had dibs, slaps Ted and proceeds to make out with Barney on the table. Ted concedes, allowing Barney to have his shot, as Robin enters.

BigDays10

Robin hasn't handled her breakup well.

Since her breakup with Don, Robin has not been taking care of herself. Her clothes are dirty, her hair unkempt; she is and she looks very much worse for wear. Barney jokes about her appearance, while Ted tells him to cut her some slack, since she's still dealing with her breakup. It's revealed that a few months earlier, Robin told Ted that she knows herself pretty well, and that some time over the next few months, she was going to try and sleep with him again, and that he should try and say no. He agrees, but she reminds him how difficult it may be. Two weeks later, she tries, but as she was just crying on the couch, covered in junk food and tissues, Ted finds it easy to turn her down.

Back to the present, Marshall and Lily enter MacLaren's, and Ted asks if she's pregnant yet. They say no, and explain why: Marshall's dad, Marvin Eriksen Sr., sent them a bassinet, and Lily is upset that Marshall told his father they were trying to have a baby.

As Marshall and Lily move to a different booth to continue fighting, Ted offers to buy Barney's dibs, for $20. Barney accepts, but as he attempts to walk over to the girl, Cindy arrives and greets the girl. Ted quickly sits back down and tries to hide himself, explaining that he and Cindy used to date, and it ended on bad terms. Ted then remembers that although he never met Cindy's roommate, from what he knows about her she could be the one, and that this girl could be the roommate.

On the other side of the bar, Lily questions Marshall about who else he's told, and it's revealed that his entire office knows. Lily complains that Marvin is too involved in their lives, and it's shown that he called her to try to force Lily to adopt Marshall's last name, gave her advice on her fights with Marshall, and even advised her to put pickles on her sandwich. Lily wants Marshall to lie to his father and tell him they're not having a baby, but Marshall refuses.

Barney tells Robin that she's down talking the guy now flirting with the girl at the bar because she's jealous; she's lost "it", while the girl at the bar still has "it." He tells her she's passed her "hotness expiration date", and she leaves.

Marshall and Lily are still arguing, and Marshall asks when he can tell his father about the baby. Lily thinks they should tell him after their baby is born, which causes Marshall to reveal that he planned to have his mom and dad come live with them after their baby was born. Lily was unaware of this, and they keep arguing. Marshall walks out of the bar, yelling. In doing so, Cindy spots Ted, and they go off to speak to one another in private.

BigDays30

Robin shows she can still look good, and still has "it".

As he leaves, Lily sits down and asks Barney if her belief that Marshall calls his dad too often is unjustified. Barney tells her she shouldn't ask his opinion, because if he had his dad's number he would always be on the phone with him. Robin then enters the bar, cleaned up, wearing makeup, and wearing a sundress. Within fourteen seconds, a man comes over. She begins celebrating, having proved Barney wrong that she's "still got it." She sits at the booth after sending the guy away, and starts eating again.

Cindy apologizes to Ted for her cold demeanor after their break up, and asks if she can do anything for him. Ted suggests introducing him to her friend at the bar. She tells him to "come say goodbye" before he leaves.

Lily follows Marshall out of the bar. It seems like they're about to start arguing again, when Marshall gets a call from his dad, asking him how everything went. Marshall ends the call, realizing that Lily was right; his dad is too involved in their life. He apologizes, and Lily explains why she didn't want him telling anyone; she doesn't want all this pressure to have a baby, because if something goes wrong or she can't get pregnant, she'll feel she's let Marshall (and everyone he's told) down. Marshall tells her she could never disappoint him, no matter what happens, and the two make up.

Back at MacLaren's, Ted is finally prepared to go speak to the girl at the bar. However, as he approaches, Cindy and the girl start to kiss. Future Ted narrates that that girl wasn't their mother; she ended up being someone else's mother--in fact, they both did, and a clip is shown of Cindy and the other woman with their daughter.

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Ted is summoned by Lily to enter the church.

At this point, it is revealed that Ted will meet his future wife at a wedding. Ted and Marshall are again shown sitting in the courtyard. Ted explains that he is nervous, because he's the best man, and has to give a wedding toast. Lily comes out, summoning the best man, Ted. It begins to rain, and as Ted and Marshall enter the church, Ted laments that he didn't bring an umbrella.

In the present day, Marshall is on the street, going against Lily's wishes and telling about thirty people about their pregnancy attempts and that it's taking longer than they thought it would.

Continuity[]

  • Lily's strained relationship with Marshall's family is brought up again, and was first noted in Belly Full of Turkey.
  • Marvin Sr. is seen calling Lily to discuss her having not taken Marshall's surname. In Belly Full of Turkey, she told Marshall's family she wasn't going to, and then asked Marshall if it bothered him in Something Blue.
  • Barney's father issues are referenced, and were previously brought up in Showdown.
  • Ted mentions the yellow umbrella, which Future Ted said was central to how he met the Mother in Wait For It.
  • In the flashforward, Marshall figures out that Ted is nervous when he sees him peel the label off his beer, as does Barney in the present day. In Dowisetrepla, Ted points out that Lily does the same thing with water bottles when she is feeling guilty.
  • Ted cuts Barney off before he delivers another fake history lesson, this time about the invention of "the dib" by Sir Walter Dibs aboard the SS Dib in the 1880s.
  • Ted and Barney have called dibs on women previously, such as on two college girls in Three Days of Snow.
  • Barney and Ted perform a "high six", but are immediately embarrassed.
  • Marshall demonstrated his inability to make logical arguments against Lily previously in Bagpipes.
  • In Last Cigarette Ever, Future Ted says Lily quit smoking the day she started trying to get pregnant, presumably in addition to cutting out alcohol, caffeine and sugar.
  • Ted gets worried about how Cindy will behave with him due to the events of Girls Versus Suits, where Future Ted reveals that Cindy's roommate is his future wife.
  • Ted sees the Mother's foot while leaving her and Cindy's apartment in Girls Versus Suits, causing him to try to see the girl at the bar's ankle.
  • While Marshall is walking out of his office past his cheering coworkers at GNB, one of them calls out "Sink that putt, Big Fudge!" Marshall reveals that Big Fudge is his skee ball alias in Jenkins.
  • Lily previously mentioned Marshall's unusual closeness with his family in Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap.
  • After Barney says that he would be Ted's best man at his wedding, Ted replies that Marshall probably would be. Barney loudly repeats "As your best man..."
  • Marshall mentions he believes in aliens, and his beliefs in the paranormal have been demonstrated in previous episodes, such as The Pineapple Incident, Columns and No Tomorrow.

Future References (Contains Spoilers)[]

  • In Architect of Destruction, Ted again has a crush on a girl for an entire episode, before discovering that she's unavailable, as he falls for Zoey, then realizes that she's married.
  • Robin continues being depressed over her break-up with Don in Unfinished and Subway Wars, and gets over it by the end of the latter, where she starts dating Max.
  • Marshall tells Lily that he needs to be able to share important news with his dad, and in Bad News, he mentions that he always wants to call his dad immediately when he has good news, but doesn't like to when he has bad news.
  • Barney eventually meets his father in Legendaddy, and their issues appear to be resolved following the events of Hopeless.
  • Barney's theory about women wearing sundresses is referenced in Challenge Accepted, where he sees Nora in a sundress and says he thought it was too late for them.
  • Future Ted reveals that he met the Mother at a wedding. Barney and Robin are revealed to be the groom and bride, in Challenge Accepted and The Magician's Code - Part Two, respectively. Thus, this is the first episode to flash forward to Barney and Robin's wedding, specifically to events that occur during The End of the Aisle.
  • Future Ted mentions that Cindy and her girlfriend would go on to adopt a baby girl, and are shown to have done so by Band or DJ?
  • Cindy realized she might be lesbian after kissing the Mother following her break-up with Ted, as seen in How Your Mother Met Me.
  • In Landmarks, Ted quotes the poem "Ozymandias" while looking up at the Arcadian on the eve of the meeting with the Landmarks Preservation Commission ("Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"). In both the flash-forward and when the episode returns to the present, Ted is peeling the label off of Ozymandias brand beer.
  • Barney wanting something/someone he cannot have is an important aspect of his personality, notably in Twin Beds.
  • The "Robin Takes the Cake" story in Bedtime Stories may be set while Robin is a slob after breaking up with Don.

Gallery[]

Main article: Big Days (gallery)
For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category:Big Days images.

Memorable Quotes[]

Marshall: Beer be with you.
Ted: And also with you. This is what church's been missing. Dude, you've fixed church!
Marshall: Yeah, you're welcome, God.

Barney: It's a sad day in New York, Ted, a sad day indeed. You know what I saw on my way in here? A girl in a sweater. And you know what that means: the season of exposed skin is over, exactly! Gone are the tank-tops, Ted. Gone are the cute little skirts. Gone are the sundresses - the sundresses, Ted! I don't think I can make it another eight months with no sundresses.
Ted: Barney, I really - I have to grade these papers.
Barney: I'm sorry, I'll let you work... But first, a riddle. What piece of women's attire, most stokes a man's desire?
Ted: A sundress.
Barney: Correct! What light weight outfit, pink or white, makes the front of my slacks abnormally tight?
Ted: I really have to get this done.
Barney: Of course, of course. Sundress, by the way.

Barney: Tell me. What flowing cotton frock...
Ted: Okay, I'll tell you. Just, there's a- there's a girl sitting at the bar. Don't look!
Barney: I want to see a pretty girl.
Ted: Okay, you can look. Just-just-just be cool for once.
Barney: I'll be cool.

Barney: Robin, girls are like cartons of milk. Each one has a hotness expiration date, and you have hit yours. I'm not saying the occasional guy won't still open the fridge, pick you up, give a sniff, shrug, and take a sip anyway, but it's all downhill from here.

Lily: Barney, am I crazy? Marshall talks to his dad way too much, right?
Barney: You don't want my opinion on that.
Lily: Why not?
Barney: If I had my dad's number, I would never not be on the phone with him.
Lily: Wow, Barney, that was really...
Barney: Whoa, hottie with a body!
Lily: ...brief.

Barney: (Robin enters at bar in a sundress) You saucy little minx. You sundressed up.
Random guy: Hi.
Robin: Fourteen seconds, fourteen seconds and some dingdong is stepping up, thinking he can get some of this broke off. I still got it. (slapping her ass) All right, buddy, you proved my point. Now scram. Nice belt, by the way.
Barney: Robin, you do look super hot.
Robin: Oh, do I?
Barney: Yeah, you do.
Robin: Thanks.
Barney compliments Robin after she was a mess after she break ups with Don.

Marshall: Hey! How was your day? Don't answer. No time. Bedroom. No, no. No time. Floor. No, no time. Against this wall!
Lily: Marshall, whoa! Wait. A big package just arrived.
Marshall: Yeah, it did.
Lily: No, no. It's a real package from your dad.
Marshall: Well, that's a little weird, but yeah, it is.
Lily: Marshall, look!
Marshall: A bassinet? Oh, my. He must've made it in his wood shop. Wasn't that sweet of him? Lil? Isn't that sweet? Lily?
Lily: You told your dad we're trying to have a baby?
Marshall: Of course I did. I tell my dad everything. My dad is my best friend.

Marshall: Lily, we have been looking forward to this magical, special night for two weeks now. And, sweetie, during that time, I have been - How do I put this delicately? Saving all my love for you.
Lily: I have read 11 books on conception. I have cut out alcohol, caffeine and sugar. I take my temperature every hour. But good for you for not playing with yourself!

Lily: You know what, Marshall? Why don't you have a baby with your dad?
Marshall: Oh, okay, Lily. Why don't you have a baby with your butt? What? I can't think straight! Why do you have to wear that shirt? This is not how I thought this night was going to go!

Notes and Trivia[]

Goofs and Errors[]

  • When Marshall and Lily are arguing at a separate table (starting around 13:30), Marshall starts out holding an iPhone 4. In a later shot he is holding an iPhone 3G, and then for the rest of the episode he is again holding an iPhone 4.
  • When Lily sits down at the booth after Marshall storms out you can see Robin's purse lying on the table in front of Barney, but when Robin arrives at the bar in a sundress you can see her holding the same purse in her hands.

Allusions and Outside References[]

Music[]

Other Notes[]

  • This episode is when Ted is first seen wearing a lilac on the suit he wears to this wedding. A lilac is the flower he gives to The Mother the very moment they meet.
    • Except he did not give her a flower in the finale episode. 
  • "A little ways down the road" may have inadvertently referred to the fact that the producers were unsure when the wedding would be set or when the series would ultimately wind down.  It would imply that the production team would cast most of the wedding as close to the end of the series as possible.  
  • Not counting the flashbacks, the entire episode takes place inside and outside of MacLaren's on a single night.
  • This episode contains audio commentary by creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.  It is available on the Season 6 DVD.  

Guests[]

Podcast[]

Podcast_-_How_I_Met_Your_Mother_-_Big_Days

Podcast - How I Met Your Mother - Big Days

Podcast for the episode

This is the first episode to have edition of the podcast as companion. It features an interview with Carter Bays, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.

Reception[]

  • This episode premiered to 8.78 million viewers.[1]
  • Donna Bowman at the A.V. Club gave the episode a B+.[2]
  • DeAnn Welker at Television Without Pity gave the episode a B+.[3]
  • Robert Canning at IGN gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10.[4]
  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 8 out of 10 stars. "...the answer to everything is 'sundress'."

References[]

See also[]

External links[]


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