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Weekend at Barney's
HIMYM episode 8x18 (178)
Weekend at Barney's 4
First aired:
February 25, 2013
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
George Sloan
Barney's Blog

Images (10)

When Ted and Jeanette break up, Barney tries to help him land a new girl by using the infamous playbook Robin thought he had destroyed. Meanwhile, at a gallery opening where Lily hopes to make a good impression, Marshall ends up unintentionally getting noticed.


Recap[]

The episode begins with Barney dreaming about one of his plays from The Playbook called "Weekend at Barney's." He wakes up shouting the name of the play which wakes Robin up. He tells her that his plays keep coming to him. Robin tries to put his mind at ease, and tells him that the moment he set his Playbook on fire was the moment she realized that he was someone she could marry. Barney states that he would burn it again, if he could. He says that he could never come up with a play that tops "Weekend at Barney's" and goes back to sleep. He then dreams about "Weekend at Barney's 2" and wakes up shouting its name which wakes up Robin again, who yells at him.

At the bar, Lily tells Robin and Barney that Marshall and her and going to a gallery opening tonight; as The Captain's new art buyer she has to schmooze an artist, Strickland Stevens, so that they can get first dibs on all his paintings. Marshall adds that he will be helping Lily by telling some art-related jokes. Ted then comes and gives Robin his R.S.V.P., and Robin notices that Ted put Jeanette as his plus one to the wedding, and the others are not pleased by this.

Ted goes back to his apartment and sees that it is trashed. He asks Jeanette what happened who tells him that while she was going through his emails, she found one from a woman and trashed his apartment, before she realized that it was a spam email. Ted says that she is insane about him, but Jeanette tells him that she is breaking up with him. He tells this to Marshall and Lily, and Marshall asks him if he was sure if Jeanette was the right girl for him. Ted tells him that although Jeanette was crazy, the sex was great, and tells them he is going to win her back.

While Ted is on the elevator at Jeanette's building, Barney, who is disguised as an old man, stops him. He reminds Ted of his one rule: "New is always better." He says that he will help Ted find a new girl to take to the wedding with help from The Playbook. Ted asks Barney about him burning the Playbook, and Barney tells him that he didn't burn the real one. Barney says that he will be staked out at Ted's apartment and will tell Ted what to say through an earpiece. They run two plays at MacLaren's but neither of them is successful. During the third play, Robin comes to Ted's apartment and sees The Playbook. Before Barney can explain, Robin storms out of the apartment. Barney tells Ted that he has to leave and not to do anything stupid. As Barney goes after Robin, the video feed on the Barney’s monitor shows Jeanette arriving at the bar. She shoves the girl Ted is running the play on and starts making out with him.

Barney apologizes to Robin for keeping the Playbook but says that he couldn't just leave it behind. Robin says that he has to leave it behind. Robin says that she is mad because he lied to her and if they are going to be in a marriage, he can never lie to her. He tells her that lying is what he does best and lies are the reason they are together. But underneath all those lies is the fact that he loves her, and he is not lying when he says that. He starts pulling out some fake bouquets from his coat and wins Robin over by doing this.

Meanwhile, before the gallery opening, Marshall tells Lily that he bought a bag of Skittles to take to the gallery as he is sure that there won't be food there. Future Ted tells his kids that that was the last bag of Skittles their uncle Marshall would ever buy. At the gallery opening, Lily asks him if he will be okay by himself for a few minutes. He tells her that he will be fine, but Lily points out he is sitting on a sculpture. Marshall reassures her by saying he was voted most outgoing in high school and can make friends anywhere. He tells jokes to some guests at the gallery, but they don't get them. Then he realizes he was sitting on another sculpture. He decides not to do anything else that might embarrass Lily, so he will just stand perfectly still for the rest of the night. However, when Strickland asks the guests to have a moment of silence in order to honor his grandmother's memory, who he dedicates the show to, the bag a Skittles Marshall brought to the show breaks resulting in all the Skittles dropping to the floor. Now totally embarrassed, he apologizes to Lily and tells her that he won't tell anymore jokes about TMNT. Strickland overhears this and tells them that he is a huge TMNT fan, and he and Marshall start talking about it. Marshall then introduces Lily to Strickland.

At Ted's apartment, Jeanette finds the Playbook and is enraged. Ted texts Lily and Marshall, who come over. They find him sitting on the sidewalk while Jeanette is throwing all his stuff out the window. She shows Ted the Playbook taped to the fireworks she found in Barney's trunk of supplies for his plays, and tells him that she is going to blow it up. Ted begs her not to do so, as that is Barney's life's work. However, Barney arrives with Robin and tells Jeanette to blow it up. Robin then gives Ted his R.S.V.P. for the wedding and he crosses out Jeanette as his plus-one. He then tells the gang that he is done with dating and is ready to settle down. Future Ted says that for the first time in his life, he really meant in. At that point, Jeanette burns Ted's red cowboy boots and throws them out the window as well. Then the gang start laughing.

Continuity[]

  • The old man costume worn by Barney in this episode was previously worn by him in Good Crazy and Intervention
  • Barney's "Only one rule" was first mentioned in A Change of Heart​​​​​​, and also in his blog entries My One And Only Rule and The Ashtray.
    • The "New is always better" rule was mentioned by Barney in Architect of Destruction.
    • The "you can tell a girl's age by looking at her elbows" theory was first mentioned in No Tomorrow​​​​​.
    • The "Lebanese girl" rule is a reference to Barney's very first scene in the ​Pilot.
  • Jeanette's rampage that culminates in her and Ted breaking up was first seen in Bad Crazy.
  • This is technically the second time The Playbook has been burned. The "Ceremonial Playbook" was originally burned in The Over-Correction.
  • This is also the second time Ted has had issues with a plus-one. The first time was in The Wedding​​​​​​.
  • Ted's red cowboy boots get burned; his red cowboy boots were first introduced in Everything Must Go.
  • Jeanette throws the cuckoo clock out the window that Barney used to make fun of Ted in Bad Crazy.
  • Ted says "I'm gonna win her back" which is one of the "five words every man will eventually say in his life" that Ted talks about in Three Days of Snow​​​​​​.
  • In The Rough Patch​​​​​​, Barney tells Ted in his video message to recreate Weekend at Bernie's if he dies.
  • Ted's dead grandmother was briefly mentioned in Brunch​​​​​​.
  • Ted's code-name on the radio is Neruda. Pablo Neruda has been established as Ted's favorite poet multiple times, starting in The Naked Man​​​​​​.
  • Barney wanted to reunite Genesis in Now We're Even​​​​​​, when he wants to do something awesome every night.
  • Ted holds up a picture of Barack Obama labeled as "Dad." Barney pretends to be Barack Obama Jr. in Robin 101​​​​​​. Another example of his pretending to be black is in The Naked Truth​​​​​.
  • Barney calls Ted "my best bro."
  • Barney uses magic as proof of how "misdirection and deceit are my stock in trade."

Future References (Contains Spoilers)[]

  • Despite telling his friends "No more dating. This time I'm ready to settle down", Ted seeks a weekend hookup at Barney and Robin's wedding in Knight Vision.
  • The gang will lie to Barney about pulling off Weekend at Barney's in Rally.

Gallery[]

For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category: Weekend at Barney's images.

Memorable Quotes[]

Lily: So, there’s this big gallery opening tonight...
Robin: Oh, we’d love to, but we’ve got this, hum…
Barney: Genesis reunion. Madison Square Garden. Front row. It’s gonna be legen…
Lily: I wasn’t inviting you guys.
Barney: Oh, thank God! There is no concert.

Ted: Your wedding response card as promised.
Robin: Why didn’t you just mail it like everybody else?
Ted: Oh, see, that’s sad, Robin. You should be touched that I hand-delivered it. Has social media so eroded our interpersonal relationships that we no longer wish to experience the…
Robin: You wanted to keep the stamp?
Ted: They’re 46 cents now! It’s getting out of hand!

Barney: You're bringing a plus one?
Robin: If you count the voices in her head it's plus five!
Ted has just announced that he intends to bring Jeanette to the wedding as his plus one

Ted: Guys, I’m bringing her and you’re gonna love having her there. Oh, and, hum, by the way, just so this doesn’t turn into an argument later, the dress she’s gonna wear isn’t technically white, it’s eggshell. The shoes are white, though. And the gloves. And the veil. Well, see you guys.

Ted: (after Jeanette has broken up with him) I texted Barney and Robin. I’m sure they’re over the moon that Jeanette is not coming to the wedding.
Lily: Oh no, Ted, no. They’re not gonna be happy about you being sad!

Cut to Barney and Robin, who are jumping on Barney’s bed and opening a bottle of champagne

Robin: They broke up!

Ted: (To Woman) Before I give my best friend this organ, how about... (To Barney, who is talking to him through an earpiece) nope. (Pause) Nope I'm not saying that. (Pause) I did hear you, but I'm not saying that. (Pause) Because I'm not.
Woman: Are you okay?
Ted: (To Woman) One Second. (To Barney) I know you put a lot of work into this. (Pause) I understand that. (Pause) I understand that. (Pause) I understand that. (Long pause) I understand that. (Pause) Look, why can't I just talk to her maybe we'll hit it off... Fine. Copy... that. (To Woman) How about I give you a different organ... my penis.

(Woman throws drink in Ted's face)

Barney: You said it wrong!
Ted: I did not say it wrong!!!
Ted tries to do "The Kidney" and fails

Marshall: How about this one?
Robin: You know what, we'd love to hear it, but we've got that, um that
Barney: Steely Dan, Carnegie Hall, backstage pass. Let's go. We don't want to miss whatever their big song was.

Ted: You are certifiably insane about me. Come here, you knucklehead.

I can't stay mad at you.

Jeanette: Ted, Ted, I'm breaking up with you. You're just so intense, and it's all moving way too fast. Here's your key back.
Ted: I never gave you a key.
Jeanette: And here's your grandmother's ring.
Ted: She was buried wearing this.

Robin: You lied to me. If we're gonna be in a marriage and trust each other, you can't lie to me, ever.
Barney: Really. Well, that's just great, because in case you haven't noticed over these last eight years, lying is what I do best.

Notes and Trivia[]

Goofs and Errors[]

  • After the "TMNT" joke,  Marshall's arm that is holding the Skittles changes to the arm expecting the "slap" and the Skittles bag disappears.
  • Ted is wearing a different shirt as well as other differences in the scene when he says "I'm gonna win her back" compared to when it was foreshadowed in Three Days of Snow. The apartment has Ted's furniture and drafting table in that episode, while the current scene has Lily and Marshall's furniture.
    • It could actually be another scene : Ted could have already told these five words about someone else before saying them again about Jeanette.
  • The picture from Marshall's high school yearbook lists him tying for Most Outgoing in his junior year in 1996. However, it has been previously established multiple times that by 1996, Marshall was already studying at Wesleyan.

Allusions and Outside References[]

Music[]

Other Notes[]

  • When Barney pulls scarves out of his sleeve, a bra appears to be part of the chain.

Barney's list of "one rules" according to Ted:[]

  • You can tell how old a girl is by her elbows.
  • Flaxseed relieves upset stomach.
  • Always have a fake pair of concert tickets in your pocket incase Lily invites you to something stupid.
  • Lebanese girls sprint to third base and then stay there.
  • New is always better.

Guests[]

Podcast[]

Featuring Abby Elliott talking about how similar she is to Jeanette, SNL and growing up as a third generation comedian.

Reception[]

  • The episode was viewed by 8.59 million people[1]
  • Donna Bowman of The AV Club gave the episode an A. She said, "Tonight’s episode is fantastic because it combines some of HIMYM’s best comedy—sturdily constructed but light on its feet, unabashedly gag-centered but never pandering—with a moment that deepens Barney’s humanity without whitewashing his identity. It’s a feat I can’t imagine any other character, any other actor, or any other show pulling off quite as well."[2]
  • Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a 7.9 out of 10. He says that the episode "was another stepping stone [for Barney] to letting go of his womanizing persona." Regarding the Skittles gag, he said, "The best gag by far was the dreaded (and hilarious) Skittle spill. The continuous outpouring of candies in tandem with Jason Segel's unmatched deadpan face elicited one of the biggest laughs from me all season -- maybe in years." [3]
  • Ethan Alter of Television Without Pity gave the episode a D, criticizing the repetition of the "The Playbook being destroyed" story line.[4]
  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 7.5 out of 10 stars. "...Genesis reunion at Madison Square Garden..."

References[]

External Links[]


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