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{{Matchmaker|infobox}}

==Recap==
[[Robin Scherbatsky|Robin]] reports on a matchmaking service with a 100% track record called [[Love Solutions]]. Robin and [[Barney Stinson|Barney]] recommend [[Ted Mosby|Ted]] try out the service but he is not interested, so Barney tricks Ted into going by telling him that his boat is sinking. [[Ellen Pierce]], the owner of Love Solutions, is unconvinced by Barney but confident she can find a match for Ted - in three days. He is skeptical until Ellen calculates how small the percentage of available women is for him in New York. After not hearing for five days, Ted wants to know what the problem is. Everyone tells him not to "Ted out" about it (overthink something). He returns to Love Solutions, only to find out he cannot be matched to anyone. The closest match compatible with Ted was set up with someone weeks ago. Ellen tells Ted there's no chance for him and sees him out of her office. Ted sneaks back in when she goes to lunch, in order to steal information on his highest percentage match. The [[Sarah O'Brien|woman]] is a dermatologist, so Ted books an appointment with her. He learns she is engaged and will be getting married by the end of the week. He tells her if things change, he'll be available. Later in the week, she calls, and, while Ted thinks things have changed, she merely informs him of something on his back which she spotted after his appointment. He reveals why he booked in with her and she tells him to not believe in matchmaking services. He then returns to Love Solutions, and finds a distraught Ellen. As Ted appears to have no soulmate, the company's 100% success rate is ruined. Ted, however, has hope that he will find his soul mate, and encourages Ellen to keep searching for him (at no extra charge).

Meanwhile, [[Marshall Eriksen|Marshall]] and [[Lily Aldrin|Lily]] have spotted an unusual creature in the apartment. When they first see it, they run away, with Lily believing it to be a {{w|cockroach}} and Marshall believing it to be a {{w|mouse}}. They spot it again, and try to kill it with bug spray and a phone book. They run away again when the phone book starts moving (meaning that the creature isn't dead), but get a good glimpse of the creature. The creature is described as having six legs, antennae, and an exoskeleton, but also has tufts of fur, whiskers, and a tail, and is roughly the size of a potato. Marshall and Lily call it the "[[cockamouse]]". Robin is skeptical of them, but eventually they catch it, and Marshall takes it to the {{w|Columbia University|Columbia University Biology department}}. When Marshall arrives, he finds the "cockamouse" has escaped, and must still be in the apartment. Robin finally sees the creature, and throws a drink at it when the only way she can think of subduing it is by trying to get it drunk. Marshall arrives, grabs it and throws it out of the window. To their surprise, the "cockamouse" can fly. The group watches it fascinated, until it attempts to fly back into the window. They scream and slam it shut, just as the cockamouse hits.

==Continuity==
*Marshall and Robin's respective belief in and skepticism about the paranormal is first established.
*Ted's dedication to finding the right woman.
*Ted's tendency for attempting to interfere with established relationships.
*An elaborate pick-up play from Barney.

==Future References (Contains Spoilers)==
*While Love Solutions is initially unable to find Ted a match, Ellen eventually finds [[Ted's Love Solutions Match|one]] in {{Milk}}.
*Ted mentions his perfect woman can play the bass guitar as well as "any cool Kim from any cool band". In {{Little Boys}}, Ted likes the fact that [[Stacey Gusar|Stacey]], the girl he and Barney are competing over, plays bass in a reggae band, and in {{Girls Versus Suits}}, it is revealed that [[Tracy McConnell|the Mother]] plays bass.
*Marshall and Robin argue about the supernatural again in {{Miracles}}, where the origins of her cynicism are explained. Also, in {{No Tomorrow}}, Lily says she will only believe Marshall about their [[Marshall and Lily's apartment|new apartment]] being haunted if Robin, as a skeptic, confirms it.
*In {{Natural History}}, [[Zoey Pierson|Zoey]] writes an anti-[[Goliath National Bank]] op-ed in {{W|The New York Times}}, which includes an article about the cockamouse. Ted and Zoey find the cockamouse living in [[The Arcadian|the Arcadian]] in {{The Perfect Cocktail}}.
*In {{Tailgate}}, Marshall mentions getting his beliefs about the paranormal from [[Marvin Eriksen Sr.|his father]]. Lily, on the other hand, points out that, unlike Marshall's father, [[Mickey Aldrin|her father]] was never around to teach her anything of the sort growing up. This is despite Lily claiming that she is a "believer" here, and Marshall mentioning that she believes in ghosts in ''Girls Versus Suits''.
*Marshall and Lily would once again encounter the cockamouse in {{Last Forever - Part One}}.

==Gallery==
<gallery type="slideshow" position="center">
Matchmaker.png|Ellen Pierce, creator of Love Solutions.
The Cockamouse.png|The Cockamouse.
Ted meets dr. O'Brian.png|Ted meets the only match Love Solutions found for him.
Trap for the Road Runner.png|Marshall and Lily set a trap for the Cockamouse.
Mouse can fly.png|The Cockamouse hits the apartment's window.
</gallery>
{{for|a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode|:Category:Matchmaker images}}

==Memorable Quotes==

{{Quote|Ted|This isn't hopeless. You're going to find someone for me. |Ellen|No, I won't. You're going to die alone. |Ted|I'm not going to die alone. Look at me. I'm bright, I'm attractive. You just got to get back out there and keep looking. |Ellen| No, you're never going to find anybody. And every year you're just getting older and it's getting harder and harder.
|Ted|You're being ridiculous. I'm going to be up on that wall one of these days. |Ellen|No, you won't! |Ted|Yes, I will! |Ellen|How do you know? |Ted|I don't know, but I believe. Hell, if a cockroach and a mouse can find love in this crazy city, then, damn it, so can I. |Ellen| You're losing me. |Ted|The point is, something good's going to happen to me. Maybe your computer will help, maybe it won't, but it'll happen. |Ellen|So I should keep looking? |Ted|Of course you should. And now, you're going to do it for free.}}

{{Quote|Ted|My God, this is incredible. We're like the same person. Sarah O' Brien loves brunch. She wants to have two children. Her guilty pleasure song is "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Croft. |Barney|Wow, Ted, sounds like you're her perfect woman.}}

{{Quote|Lily|He's a whole new species. The cockamouse. |Marshall| And it's the size of a potato. |Robin| So, what, now it's a cockapotatomouse? |Marshall| Don't make it sound ridiculous. It's a cockamouse.}}

{{Quote|Marshall|For as much as we know about the cockamouse, there are still so much we don't know.
|Robin| Well, we know that there's no such thing as a cockamouse. What we don't know is what you guys have been smoking.}}

{{Quote|Ted|OK, this is getting weird, the similarities go on and on. She hates phonies. I totally hate phonies too. She's a dermatologist. I have skin.
|Barney| You wanna be her boyfriend. She already has a boyfriend. It's uncanny.}}

==Notes and Trivia==
===Goofs and Errors===
*Marshall describes the Cockamouse as being hermaphroditic like a seahorse, but since there are male and female seahorses this statement is not true.
*The maths Ellen does to conclude there are only 8 women for Ted simply makes no sense. She gets to about 100,000 women, then supposedly removing compatible and single lesbians (an exes/relatives) reduces the number to 8. Unless 98% of single woman are lesbians this makes no sense.

===Allusions and Outside References===
*Robin compares "The Cockamouse" to the {{w|Loch Ness monster|Loch Ness monster}}, insulting Marshall in the process. It is shown in later episodes that Lily and Marshall went to {{w|Scotland}} on their honeymoon to hunt for Nessie and that eventually Marshall was the one to capture Nessie in a newspaper clipping from the future.
*Love Solutions, the dating service Ted uses, has many similar characteristics to the matchmaking site {{w|EHarmony|eHarmony}}, as well as other matchmaking sites and local services. In particular, Love Solutions boasts a 100% success rate, which is similar in nature to ''eHarmony'' showing the numerous happy couples.
*When teasing Lily and Marshall about their trap for the cockamouse, Robin says, "You think the Road Runner's gonna fall for it?" referencing the {{w|Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner}} cartoons.
*In discussing strange phenomena, Marshall names the {{w|Bermuda Triangle}}, {{w|Bigfoot}}, {{w|Area 51}}, and {{w|Stonehenge}}.
*Ted is described as looking a bit like {{w|John Cusack}} by a potential date who was a big fan of the film {{w|Say Anything...|Say Anything}}.

===Music===
*{{w|Summer Breeze (song)|Summer Breeze}} - {{w|Seals & Crofts}}
*Parallel or Together? - {{w|Ted Leo and the Pharmacists}}
*{{w|At My Most Beautiful}} - {{w|R.E.M.}}

===Other Notes===
*[[Jason Segel]] claims this to be his favorite episode.
*[[Alyson Hannigan]] revealed that there was one take where the 3 of them (Cobie, Alyson and Jason) were piled on top of each other like dominos when they were at the window and the Cockamouse was heading inside of the apartment.
*Ellen was looking for a match for Ted that is 5 years younger or older than him. [[Tracy McConnell|The Mother]] is 6 years, 4 months, 20 days younger than him.

==Guests==
*{{w|Camryn Manheim}} - [[Ellen Pierce]]
*Beth Lacke - [[Sarah O'Brien]]
*[[Joe Nieves]] - [[Carl MacLaren]]
*Nick Jaine - Sudeep

== Reception ==
* The ''St. Petersburg Comic Review'' gave this episode 7.5 stars out of 10. "The cockamouse makes itself known, 'and it's pissed'."
== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External Links==
*{{At-english-wikipedia|Matchmaker (How I Met Your Mother)}}
*{{At-imdb|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0606108/}}
*{{At-tv-dot-com|http://www.tv.com/shows/how-i-met-your-mother/matchmaker-503652/}}

{{Matchmaker|bottom-nav}}


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