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For the tie seen in this episode, see Ducky Tie (object).
ā€œDucky Tieā€
HIMYM episode 7x03 (139)
TheDuckyTiePromo1
First aired:
September 26, 2011
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
Carter Bays
Craig Thomas
Barney's Blog

Images (17)

After Ted runs into an old girlfriend, he tries to make amends with her since he cheated during their relationship. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily make a bet with Barney that could force him to wear Marshall's ducky tie.


Recap[]

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Marshall has acquired a new tie with a duck pattern, which Barney hates because he finds the design unstylish. Now that Lily is pregnant, her breasts have gotten bigger, so Barney wants to see them; of course both Lily and Marshall refuse. The group decides to go to Shinjitsu, a teppanyaki restaurant, where Barney insults the cooking style, claiming he can do all the techniques the chef can do with ease. Marshall becomes angry and challenges Barney to do every technique, and if he succeeds, he will gain permission to touch Lily's breasts. If Barney fails, he must wear Marshall's ducky tie for one year.

Barney scares Marshall and Lily throughout dinner with suggestions that he is as adept at cooking as he claims. When he offers to call off the bet if he is allowed to see Lily's breasts for 30 seconds in the alley, they accept until Marshall realizes that Barney has been conditioning Marshall to associate Barney's sneezing with the desire to go to "Shinjitsu" as part of a future scheme to use Marshall if Barney wanted something from him. Lily and Marshall are confident they have won the bet until after dinner, when Barney easily executes all but one of the cooking techniques. In desperation, Lily flashes Barney, which distracts him and prevents him succeeding at the final cooking technique, catching a shrimp in his pocket. When the group returns to MacLaren's, Barney reluctantly begins wearing the ducky tie.

Meanwhile, during dinner, Ted relays the story of what happened when he ran into Victoria again at the Architects' Ball in The Naked Truth. Ted makes a long-awaited apology for cheating on her, which Victoria accepts though she is no longer angry. Seeing Robin, she thinks that they are still together, but Ted tells her that they dated for a year but are just friends now. She is surprised to learn that Ted does not find it strange that he, Robin, and Barney hang out every night, despite the fact that both Ted and Barney dated and broke up with Robin. When Ted offers to help Victoria wash the dishes at her bakery, he learns that she is engaged to Klaus, a classmate from Germany, and becomes upset when he learns that she had gotten together with him a day and half after she and Ted broke up. They wind up arguing, but begin reminiscing their time together after Ted reveals he deeply regretted cheating on her and they had loved one another; they find themselves sharing a kiss.

Dt4

Future Ted states that Victoria had been right. They just didn't know it at that time.

Despite the kiss, Victoria realizes she wants to be with Klaus and leaves to meet him for a trip in the Hamptons. Though he concludes the story there with his friends, Future Ted reveals that he had asked Victoria what she imagined their lives would be like had they stayed together. Victoria had responded that Ted's relationships over the past six years have failed because of Robin, telling him that she is a bigger part of his life than he realizes. She also tells him that the three of them (Ted, Barney and Robin) just hanging out as friends doesn't work. Though Ted had not believed Victoria at the time, Future Ted reveals that she had been right. He just didn't know it at the time.

Continuity[]

  • Ted says "Just... O.K.?"
  • Ted's story about reconnecting with Victoria occurs immediately after The Naked Truth.
  • Ted and Victoria recount how they met at The Wedding of Stuart and Claudia in Drumroll, Please, finding Barney's tape and playing Marshgammon in Game Night, and saying goodbye as she left for Germany for a Cupcake fellowship.
  • Victoria learns that Ted had feelings for Robin in Game Night.
  • Robin nervously blurts out that she stole Ted from Victoria, referring to the events of Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M., and her and Ted getting together in Come Onā€‹.
  • Ted figures out that Victoria started dating Klaus a few days after they broke up in Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.
  • Like Stella in Shelter Island and Don in Twin Beds, Victoria points out that it is "weird" for a couple (let alone two) to continue hanging out after breaking up. Ted and Robin agree in Dowisetreplaā€‹.
  • Barney's obsession with (and schemes for) seeing Lily naked is mentioned in many episodes, such as Bad Newsā€‹. He has been attracted to her body since the night they met in 2001, as shown in How I Met Everyone Elseā€‹.
  • Barney's difficulty eating with chopsticks, as shown in The Mermaid Theory and other episodes, is part of his long-term scheme; as soon as he starts revealing it, he has no trouble with the utensil.
  • The Exploding Meatball Subā€‹ depicts Barney executing another long-term scheme, this one over ten years and involving $30,000 in expenses.
  • Barney claims that the ducky tie makes him feel ill. Similar examples are in Sorry, Bro and The Naked Manā€‹.
  • When Ted asks the gang to guess which girl from his past he ran into, their guesses include:
    How_I_Met_Your_Mother_-_Ducky_Tie_(Deleted_Scene)

    How I Met Your Mother - Ducky Tie (Deleted Scene)

    The gang recount each of Ted's girlfriends in a deleted scene from the episode

  • Lily says "You sonuvabitch."
  • The song "Bang Bang Bangity Bang" appears, and was made up by Marshall in Of Course.
  • The gang visits Shinjitsu during a flashback in Say Cheese.
  • Future Ted promises to explain the significance of the ducky tie when Ted and Barney discuss it in the flashforward in The Best Manā€‹.

Future References (Contains Spoilers)[]

  • After losing the bet to Marshall, Barney continues to wear the ducky tie until Disaster Averted, where Marshall agrees to let him take it off in exchange for three more Slap Bet slaps.
  • Victoria reveals that Klaus is planning on proposing to her. She leaves Klaus at the altar for Ted, as seen in The Magician's Code - Part Two and Farhampton, and the two continue to date until they break up again in The Autumn of Break-Ups.
  • Future Ted admits that Victoria's advice to Ted before she boards the bus was correct. Last Forever - Part One depicts Robin, Ted, and Barney no longer hanging out with each other, and Last Forever - Part Two depicts Robin's importance to Ted.

Gallery[]

For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category:The Ducky Tie images.

Memorable Quotes[]

Ted: Oh, guess who I ran into [at the Architect's Ball]. A girl from my past. Any guesses?
Lily: Stella.
Barney: Zoey.
Marshall: Karen?
Lily: The girl who beat you up.
Barney: The girl who ruined a photo with Slash!
Marshall: The girl who made you get the butterfly tattoo?
Ted: You make it sound like I dated a series of Stieg Larsson novels.

Robin: Lily, are you really suggesting that Barney spent six months commuting back and forth to Hoboken, to learn a signature cooking style of a restaurant he doesn't even like, so he can win a bet he hasn't even made yet? Yeah, the whole thing stinks.

Lily: I am going to have to walk this earth knowing that Barney has touched my boobs.
Robin: Yeah it stays with you. His email reminders don't help.

Ted: Perhaps I need to be a little more specific. I met this girl at a wedding. We were together for a while, but then she moved to Germany. We decided to try long distance, but it didn't work because I cheated on her with someone at this very table.
All: Victoria.
Ted: Victoria! She catered dessert for the Architects' Ball.
Marshall: Wow. I mean, what's it been, like, what, six years?
Robin: Yeah, it's so funny how the past you know, you think you're doing fine, but you know, because true love... My God, Lily! What on Earth is going on with your cans?
Lily: Oh, these old things? I got my pregnancy boobs! I'm in that sweet spot where the chestal area knows I'm pregnant, but hasn't told the downstairs neighbors.
Barney: Well, what are you waiting for, Lil? Bust 'em out! Make 'em dance! No! Let your boobies show! ā™Ŗ
Marshall: Okay, I'm sorry, pal, but the party in my wife's sweater is a private event, and I'm the bouncer.
Robin: Dude, I think they's the bouncers.
Marshall: Okay, can we stop talking about my wife's breasts, please? Ted ran into Victoria!

Ted: Jesus, Lily. It's like you have a butt on your chest.

Ted: Oh, guess who's here? Robin. Oh.
Victoria: I'm really happy for you guys. You look cute together.
Ted: Oh, no, no, we're not together. I mean, we-we dated for, like, a year. But now we're just friends. It's not weird.
Victoria: No, no. Why would that be weird? I mean, if you hung out every day, that would...
Ted: We do.
Victoria: ..still not be weird. I've never known anybody that hangs out with their ex every day.
Ted: Well, Barney does.
Victoria: Really? Who's Barney's ex-girlfriend?
Ted: Robin.
Victoria: Your Robin?
Ted: Mine and Barney's.
Victoria: You don't all three hang out together?
Ted: All the time.
Victoria: And we have weird.

Lily: Okay, Barney, you want to make this real? Let's make this real. Terms: If you can do all that stuff that Marshall just listed off, I will let you touch one boob.
Barney: Both boobs.
Lily: Just one.
Barney: Touch and squeeze.
Lily: Just touch.
Barney: Touch and motorboat.
Lily: Just touch.
Barney: Honka honka?
Marshall: Barney.
Lily: Just touch.
Barney: Just touch. For one hour.
Lily: For one second...Thirty seconds, one boob.
Barney: Four minutes, both boobs, three squeezes.
Lily: One minute, both boobs, one squeeze.
Barney: Deal!
Lily: But if you can't do everything and I mean everything, then you have to wear Marshall's ducky tie for one year.
Both: Ooh Deal.

Future Ted: Kids, there was one part I left out.
Victoria: Good-bye, Ted.
Ted: Okay, yes. What's the answer?
Victoria: There is a reason that it didn't work out between you and me, but it's not Germany. And I'm willing to bet it's the same reason none of your other relationships in the last six years have lasted either. It's Robin.
Ted: No.
Victoria: Yes. She is so much bigger in your world than you realize. And this thing that you're all doing, you and Barney and Robin, where the three of you hang out at the bar night in, night out, like you're all just buddies? That doesn't work. Trust me.
Ted: You-You've got it all wrong.
Victoria: I'm right about this. Good-bye, Ted.
Future Ted: And sure enough, she was right. It didn't work; we just didn't realize it yet.

Notes and Trivia[]

Goofs and Errors[]

  • Takumi's name tag disappears as he starts his performance.
  • A small tag appears and disappears under the hem of Victoria's dress when she boards the Hampton Jitney; presumably a prop identifier.

Allusions and Outside References[]

  • The gang's descriptions of many of Ted's ex-girlfriends, which usually start with "the girl who..." makes Ted think he dated "a series of Stieg Larsson novels," referring to the Millennium series.
  • Barney's first joke about the ducky tie is a pun based on the name of the children's game Duck, Duck, Goose. He immediately follows it up with several mentions of hashtags.
  • Barney sings "let your boobies show" to the melody of the line "Let my people go" from the song Go Down Moses.
  • Ted and Victoria's banter in her bakery about how she was "close with Klaus from her class" is reminiscent of many Seinfeld word plays.
  • Right before the title sequence, Ted mentions Lily's breasts again. Immediately following this, Barney begins making Dr. Zoidberg's iconic whooping from Futurama.

Music[]

Other Notes[]

  • Ted tells the story of seeing Victoria similarly to the way he told the story of meeting Victoria in Drumroll, Please, with flashbacks and frequent interruptions.
  • Victoria explaining how she met Klaus is similar to the gang choosing a bar in Hopeless, with ambiguously pronounced and thus vastly repeated words.
  • Barney says "shashin okurimasu" in the alley. "Shashin" translates to photograph and "okurimasu" translates to send. But his sentence is slightly incorrect. The correct Japanese phrase is "shashin o okurimasu."
  • In Japanese, the name of the restaurant, "Shinjitsu", means "truth."

Guests[]

Podcast[]

How_I_Met_Your_Mother_-_Ducky_Tie_Podcast

How I Met Your Mother - Ducky Tie Podcast

Podcast for the episode

Featuring an interview with Ashley Williams.

Reception[]

  • The episode received 10.556 million viewers. [1]
  • Todd VanDerWerff of the AV Club rated the episode at A-. [2]
  • Robert Canning from IGN graded the episode 8.5 out of 10. [3]
  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 10 out of 10 stars. "...Victoria and the Ducky Tie show up together!"

References[]

External Links[]


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Ducky Tie
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