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Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.
HIMYM episode 1x18 (18)
Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M
First aired:
April 10, 2006
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
Craig Thomas
Carter Bays

Images (0)

Convinced Victoria is about to dump him, Ted accepts an invitation to a late-night rendezvous with Robin who has a rough day at work. Lily, Barney and Marshall party with Korean Elvis.

Recap[]

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The episode begins with Future Ted telling his children of a saying his mother used and which he agrees with: "Nothing good happens after 2 a.m." He then goes on to say that when Robin, who was feeling depressed and alone, invited him over at 2 a.m. he should have gone directly to bed instead. Earlier in the day, she spoke at Lily's kindergarten class about her career. One of the children asked her about her romantic life and Robin felt threatened when she has to answer that she doesn't have a boyfriend. Then Barney wows the kids with his fire magic. That evening Robin's coworker, Sandy Rivers, told her that they should have sex, making it clear that he has no interest in pursuing a relationship with her. She came home, drank a very large glass of wine, and finally called Ted.

When she calls, Ted is awaiting a phone call from Victoria, who told him they needed to talk. Victoria didn't call when expected and Ted believes it to be an inevitable break-up call, so he agrees to come over, even though he knows that Robin might be asking for more than just a friend. He tries to rationalize the situation on his way to Robin's apartment and he has conversations with his subconscious, which appears as Victoria. He tells Victoria that nothing will happen, but Victoria doesn't believe him. Ted calls Marshall for a second opinion, and Marshall tries to convince him not to go, reminding him of what his mother says. When Marshall's attempts to dissuade Ted do not work, Lily takes the phone and tells Ted that he can't go to Robin's, something will happen because Robin has feelings for Ted. Ted is stunned that Robin likes him and tells Lily that he won't go to Robin's apartment. Lily hangs up the phone thinking that she convinced Ted, but Marshall and Barney both know that Lily just helped convince Ted to go to Robin's. Ted arrives at Robin's and they make awkward small talk about their shared model of cell phone. When Robin asks how his conversation with Victoria went, Ted lies and says that they broke up.

At the karaoke bar, Lily urges Marshall to go home, but Barney decides to prove to Lily and Marshall that good things can happen after 2 a.m. Barney invites a Korean Elvis impersonator to come with the group to MacLaren's. Marshall calls Ted to invite him, and Ted admits to Marshall that he is at Robin's and just lied about breaking up with Victoria. Marshall and Lily convince Ted that he needs to leave before he starts a relationship with Robin while still involved with Victoria. Ted tries to leave, but as he and Robin say good-bye they kiss.

Ted and Robin make out on the couch and Robin asks if they should move into the bedroom. Ted excuses himself and goes to the bathroom to call Victoria. His imaginary Victoria appears and asks him if he really thinks it's a good idea to break up with his girlfriend with the woman who he is about to have sex with in the next room.

While Ted wrestles with his conscience, Marshall and Lily try to head home from MacLaren's, but Barney again pleads with them to stay because they have not done something legendary yet. Korean Elvis also tries to convince them to stay, whispering something into Lily's ear, which causes her to knee him in the groin. After a few seconds of silence, Barney then proclaims that the night has become legendary by asking "Hey you guys, remember the time that Lily kicked Korean Elvis in the nards?".

Back in Robin's bathroom, Ted acknowledges to Victoria that he owes her a real break-up call. But when Victoria asks if Ted is going to go home, he asks if it will really matter if he sleeps with Robin the night before he breaks up with Victoria. He is tired of pretending that he isn't in love with Robin, and he admits that he just wants to get laid. Just as he has convinced himself that sleeping with Robin is OK, Ted realizes that he has Robin's phone. When he emerges from the bathroom, Robin is hanging up his phone (having answered thinking it was hers), having just finished talking with Victoria. Furious that Ted lied to her and was willing to sleep with her while involved with someone else, Robin gives him his phone telling him to call her back.

As Ted heads back to his apartment, he finally calls Victoria and the two break up. Future Ted reminds his kids that nothing good happens after 2 a.m., and says that lying to Robin was the stupidest thing he ever did. Finally, Ted gets home and does what he should have done at the start of the evening... goes to bed, although it's clear neither he nor Robin will be getting any sleep.

Continuity[]

  • When Robin is offered the opportunity to anchor the news in The Wedding, she asks, "What happened to Sandy?" Anchor Sandy Rivers appears in this episode.
  • Barney includes the Liberty Bell incident from Sweet Taste of Liberty as something good that happened after 2 A.M.
  • Barney's magic first appeared in Slutty Pumpkin.
  • Lily does not know what Barney's job is.
  • In Cupcake, Future Ted hints that Ted and Victoria's long-distance relationship will not end well.
  • Some of the events of Robin's day that led to her calling Ted were shown in Life Among the Gorillas.

Future References (Contains Spoilers)[]

  • Robin continues to be angry at Ted in Mary the Paralegal, where Ted also starts getting mad at her. They then reconcile in Best Prom Ever.
  • Robin mentions her rule against dating coworkers in Mary the Paralegal, when she takes Sandy Rivers to the Local Area Media Awards (LAMAs) to make Ted jealous.
  • Ducky Tie dates Ted and Victoria's breakup to April 2006. During that episode, Victoria reveals to Ted that she started dating her fellowship classmate Klaus a day and a half after the break-up, but asserts that Robin, not Klaus, was the reason that her relationship with Ted did not end well.
  • Ted and Victoria get back together in The Magician's Code - Part Two, before breaking up again in The Autumn of Break-Ups, after Ted refuses her ultimatum to marry him only if he stops hanging out with Robin.
  • The "nothing good happens after 2 A.M." rule resurfaces in Unpause, where Marshall and Lily's argument takes a nasty turn, and Lily leaves the Farhampton Inn in the middle of the night. Also, Future Ted reveals that an exception to the rule was the day his son was born.

Gallery[]

For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category:Nothing Good Happens after 2 A.M. images.

Memorable Quotes[]

Ted: I don't even like Robin that way.
Victoria: Then why are you wondering what Robin looks like naked?
Ted: I'm not wondering - Okay, even if I am wondering that, it's only because you put it in my head.
Victoria: Ah, but I am just a manifestation of your subconscious, so actually, you put it in your own head.

Robin: Have you ever had one of those days when nothing at all that monumental happens but by the end of it you have no idea who you are anymore or what the hell you're doing with your life? Did you ever have one of those days?
Ted: Uh... about once a week.
Robin: I'd'know, it was just a rough day and the only person I wanted to see at the end of it was you.

Lily: Okay, it's time for bed.
Barney: What? No. It's 2:30.
Lily: Nothing good ever happens after 2:00 a.m.
Barney: You know, I have found, in my travels... that all the best things in life happen after 2:00 a.m. When I look back at the best stories of my life - the Liberty Bell incident, the little scrape I got in at the Russian Embassy, the almost four-way.
Marshall: You never had a four-way
Barney : I said "almost." All those things happened after 2:00 a.m; because after 2 AM is when things get- audience say it with me- LEGENDARY.

Future Ted: Kids, your grandma always used to say to me, "Nothing good happens after 2:00 a.m.," and she was right. When 2:00 a.m. rolls around, just go home and go to sleep.

Sandy Rivers : We should have sex.
Robin : [Stunned] What?
Sandy Rivers : Why not? We're both available, we're both attractive, we're both good at it. At least, I'm good at it. And even if you're not, don't worry, I'll have a good time either way.

Marshall: [about Robin telling Barney she likes Ted] Wait. So I'm the only one that she didn't tell? She told you and not me?
Barney: Well, I guess I'm just better friends with her than you are.
Marshall: Well, I'm better friends with Ted than you are.
Barney: That is a lie!
Marshall: It is not a lie.[Both Stand up and start simultaneously yelling at each other]
Barney: Okay, that's it! You and me! I'm not afraid of you!
Marshall: I'll show you things you never seen before! I used to box in the Army!
Marshall and Barney fighting about Ted's bestfriend.

Notes and Trivia[]

Goofs and Errors[]

  • When Ted is outside Robin's apartment, the bag he is holding is creased. However, when he goes into her apartment, there are no creases in the bag.
  • Robin says that it is Saturday night, but earlier in the day she is at Lily's kindergarten class.
    • This could have been a weekend event at the elementary school.

Allusions and Outside References[]

  • On the board in the classroom during the career day Barney's career is not listed like the others only reading "Barney (not the purple one)" referring to Barney, the purple dinosaur.

Music[]

Other Notes[]

Guests[]

Reception[]

  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 8.5 out of 10 stars. "Going to Robin's ... to juice (after 2 am)? Yeah, right."

References[]

External links[]


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Life Among the Gorillas
Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.
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Mary the Paralegal
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