It's moments before Barney's wedding. He's got the jitters over whether he picked the right woman for his bride, and as a result whether the wedding will be a disaster. Ted and Barney reminisce about Ted's friend Punchy's recent wedding, which they declare was the worst wedding ever. There were several possible lead ups to the disaster of Punchy's wedding. One possible cause might have been Ted feeling insecure both about his non-married status compared to all his high school friends in attendance, and them waiting for the screw-up that was supposed to be Ted's toast. His past toasts were now legendary because of video posts by Punchy on the Internet. Another possible cause of the disaster might have been Barney trying to test his pick-up plays on unsuspecting women at the reception, while he lied about a series of telephone calls he made. And yet another possible cause might have been what Robin decided about telling or not telling Barney that she still had feelings for him. But Ted ... Written by Huggo

Immediately after his drunken spree at Punchy's wedding, Marshall learns that he is one step away from landing his dream job working in environmental lawyer Garrison Cootes' law firm. That last step is for them to do a background check to make sure that there are no unseemly skeletons in his closet. Feeling that that drunken spree may have cost him the job and thus vowing never to get drunk again, Marshall does his own Internet search to find any of those skeletons. He finds one video, posted by a college colleague named Pete Durkenson, of Marshall doing a supposed fraternity prank called Beercules. Believing that video could cost him his dream job, Marshall tries to track down Pete to get him to remove the video. Finding a seemingly still immature Pete may get Marshall into even more trouble. Meanwhile, Nora finally agrees to meet with Barney, who tries to do whatever he can to make her believe he's a changed man, even if it takes a marathon in an all-night diner. And Ted decides to ... Written by Huggo

The five friends are having dinner at Shinjitsu, a Japanese teppanyaki. It's Marshall's favorite restaurant, while Barney hates it there. Two topics of conversation emerge for the evening. The first is if Barney can perform a prescribed series of teppanyaki chef moves, which ends up being a bet between Barney and Marshall/Lily. If Barney wins the bet, he can touch Lily's now emerged ample pregnancy breasts. If Barney loses the bet, he has to wear Marshall's rubber ducky emblazoned tie for one year, the tie which he thinks is hideous. After they make the bet, Marshall and Lily have to figure out if Barney is hustling them - as it begins to look like Barney maneuvered their way to the restaurant without initially looking like he did - since Barney winning the bet could perhaps be their worst nightmare. The second is Ted's recent encounter with ex-girlfriend Victoria, who was the dessert caterer at the architect's ball. Their meeting ignited old feelings between the two, some good and ... Written by Huggo

Robin is attending court ordered therapy sessions stemming from an incident where she assaulted someone. The assault had something to do with her feelings for Barney, and not being able to deal emotionally with watching Barney court Nora, especially in the public and over-the-top manner he was doing it. As Robin tells the story, which includes her helping Barney as a friend erase the many loose hanging scams to pick up women so that Nora will think him a changed man, Robin's therapist, Kevin, gets more and more exasperated by the long winded nature of Robin's story. Part of that exasperation comes from what he sees as a tangent to the story he wants and needs to hear, but that Robin swears is cogent to the assault charge. That tangent concerns Ted inserting himself into Lily's pregnancy, as he has always seen himself, Marshall and Lily as an unbreakable threesome, like three peas in a pod. As Ted especially had issues with advice doled out by Dr. Sonya - Lily's somewhat ... Written by Huggo

Despite their therapy going well, Kevin announces to Robin that he is quitting being her therapist since he is moving to Alaska. Robin soon learns that that story is a lie. He quit being her therapist since he was attracted to her. Learning that information, she admits her feelings for him in a roundabout way, and they eventually begin to date. They have to decide whether they can get over the issues that they spoke of in therapy, and get over the unethical nature of their relationship, especially as everyone reminds them of how unethical it is. Marshall, now in his dream job of working for famed environmental lawyer Garrison Cootes, may now believe that the job is not as much of a dream as he imagined it would be. Cootes seems to be letting major polluters off the hook by accepting less than sizable settlements. Cootes and the rest of the staff seem elated by these meager settlements. When Marshall learns the reason why, he has to decide what to do with the information. Ted is taking... Written by Huggo

With the Internet and smart phones pervading his and his friends' lives, doing an online search of people just met, especially dates and potential dates, is the norm for Ted. Although it was originally Barney and Robin who did this searching for him, the background searches have saved him a lot of grief in the past in uncovering skeletons which are automatic deal breakers for a relationship. Ted decides to go back to the twentieth century after he agrees to a date with Janet McIntyre, a woman he has just met and with who he has a date. They made a pact not to do an Internet search of the other before their first date to allow that date to be one of true exploration. But Ted making this agreement doesn't stop Robin and Barney from doing the Internet search on Ted's behalf. When they find some juicy information about Janet while Ted is already on his date with her, they decide to text Ted on his smart phone with the information. Ted has to decide if he'll look at what Robin, Barney and ... Written by Huggo

After Barney's brother James meets Nora for the first time, he admits that he doesn't like Nora with Barney if only because her behavior is too reminiscent of their mother, Loretta. Kevin, in turn, states that it's not too unusual for people to end up with someone like their parent. That comment makes for a very uncomfortable romantic night for Marshall and Lily, the former whose discomfort is taken one step further. If Barney knew about James and Kevin's comments, his night may also be particularly spoiled as tonight is the night that he and Nora are going to make love for the first time. But other things may ruin their potential first time. Meanwhile, Kevin and Ted have to come to an understanding about the other's relationship with Robin. Written by Huggo

Ted, who came across the costume in a costume rental shop and discovered its rental records, finally tracks down the potential woman of his dreams that he met at a Halloween party ten years ago. He coined that woman the Slutty Pumpkin because of the costume. She is Naomi, and once Ted tracks her down, he finds that she is as beautiful as he remembers and she is as eager to hook up with him as he is with her. After ten years of anticipation however, Ted finds that something isn't quite right with their relationship, but he's willing to endure those problems after ten years of waiting. But one can only endure so much. How will Naomi feel if and when Ted tells her things aren't working? Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily are dreading receiving yet another used gift from Lily's grandparents - previous gifts which included things like a lawnmower - that they just can't use in their life in the city. What Lily's grandparents give them this time is another in that vein but slightly grander: ... Written by Huggo

A question by Kevin about the origins of a No Boogie-boarding sign outside MacLaren's makes the gang reminisce about Hurricane Irene which hit New York in the summer of 2011 and which was the impetus to the incident that prompted the sign to be erected. Safety conscious Ted wanted to leave the city before the approaching hurricane. While Barney, Lily and Robin thought that Ted was overreacting, Marshall, who was between jobs and had just lost his medical insurance until his new job started in two weeks, was suffering from hypochondria and wanted to leave. But telephone calls from various parents, news of the strength of the hurricane as it got closer and closer to New York, and interpersonal relationships between the five at that time made them continually change their individual minds about whether to go or stay. Meanwhile, Barney is at a point of doing whatever he can to get out of wearing the ducky tie. He thinks he has a way to convince Marshall to let him get out of wearing the... Written by Huggo

In the sober light of day after Barney and Robin's romantic liaison, they have to decide if the night together meant anything beyond a roll in the sack. Regardless, they have to decide what to do about it with regard to their respective relationships with Nora and Kevin. Things are made more difficult when the four are supposed to be attending a social work function on a harbor cruise, which means that they are are captive together for the evening. Barney and Robin know that they have to be on the same page about what to do, but that may be easier said than done. Meanwhile, Ted has bought tickets to a groovapalooza concert for himself, Marshall and Lily. As is their regular concert routine, Ted also buys some weed for them to smoke at the concert. However, pregnant Lily doesn't think that either she or Marshall should get high in her state. When Marshall can't resist, he and Ted go on a stoned journey of discovery through the arena in search of some nachos for a hungry Lily. Their ... Written by Huggo

As Lily's grandparents gave her and Marshall title to their house to do whatever they want, they have decided to sell it as a house on Long Island has little appeal to them, that is until they see how their real estate agent has elegantly furnished the house to show it and after they go back to their own apartment, which now seems really small in comparison. They break the news of their plan to move to Long Island by telling their friends that they are going to host Thanksgiving dinner at the house, and never leave. Robin in particular tries to talk them out of making the move, she who has more motives in wanting them to stay close to her in the city than usual. Meanwhile, both Barney and Ted are feeling like it has been a bad year for them with regard to their female relationships, Barney with the break-up with Nora and not getting Robin, while Ted had the bad issues with Zoey, Victoria and the Slutty Pumpkin. Rather than play for the other team together (which they do contemplate)... Written by Huggo

Child-hating Robin is dismayed at being pregnant, but is mildly surprised at Barney's reaction when she tells him that he's the father. Beyond how this situation will affect Robin's relationship with Kevin, they both go through a roller coaster of emotions about being potential parents based on encounters with other people, Barney's with his old pre-Ted wing man, Insane Duane, and Robin's with Lily's gynecologist Dr. Sonya, who provides her with some additional news about her situation. Ted, who can tell that something is bothering Robin, tries, against her wishes, to cheer her up without knowing the entire situation. Meanwhile, Marshall is determined to have the best Christmas light display ever in the tri-state area. He gets a taste of what it's going to be like to be a father when he gets help putting up the display from a neighborhood teenager named Scott. Written by Huggo

On January 1, 2012, Marshall heads back to St. Cloud, Minnesota to spend the day alone with his father to keep on with a tradition between the two: hold a tailgate party while watching the Vikings/Bears game. Marshall resists any change to what he sees as that tradition, which may not be easy due to the activity happening around him. Regardless, Marshall has come to tell his father of the exploits of his and Lily's and their friends' New Year's Eve celebrations. Marshall and Lily discussed whether or not they should tell Lily's father about her pregnancy. Lily had up to this point resisted the idea of telling him if only not wanting to be disappointed by him yet again. Kevin tried to convince Robin that she should try and get a job working in front of the camera once again. Their New Year's Eve celebration alone together took an unexpected turn when Robin got a telephone call from an inebriated on-air Sandy Rivers, who needed her help with his New Year's Eve live national broadcast. ... Written by Huggo

Lily and Marshall have now officially moved to Long Island, which brings about many issues. For Lily and Marshall, they receive an unexpected and somewhat unwanted house guest: Mickey. Mickey, who grew up in that house, believes he is helping Lily and Marshall by pointing out what they can and cannot do with every aspect of the house. Lily/Marshall and Mickey come to a stalemate when they negotiate Mickey's living arrangement versus his help in fixing the broken fuse which has resulted in the house being in total darkness. At MacLaren's, Ted, Barney and Robin are lamenting the empty half a booth where Lily and Marshall generally sat, and which will now be emptier than usual. However, Barney comes to the realization that Lily was generally the boss of their group, and thus now he plans on taking over. That leads to an evening which has them finding unexpected surrogates for Lily and Marshall. And Robin and Kevin are still at the stage in their relationship where they want to prove to ... Written by Huggo

Since Marshall had been busy with work, a stressed Lily singlehandedly planned their housewarming party, and was worried that it was going to be a disaster. Her premonition came true. Over a five minute period during the party, a series of events that took place simultaneously in the living room, dining room and kitchen resulted in what to the untrained eye looked like a confusing mess if knowledge of only what was happening in one of those three rooms was known, but made total sense when viewed from all three rooms combined. Some of the issues and topics of conversation that led to the disaster included Robin's confrontational nature versus Ted's non-confrontational nature, Marshall pondering whether he should refuse boss Garrison Cootes' demand that they return to work in the middle of the party, Mickey's new beekeeping hobby, what happened to a plate of vegan spring rolls, why Lily didn't want anyone to eat the block of Gouda that Marshall served, and Barney's even more than usual ... Written by Huggo

Marshall and Lily and Robin and Kevin having been double dating. Robin and Kevin have had to endure watching Marshall and Lily fight all the time, while they say that they don't fight. Regardless, Kevin decides that he wants to move to the next step with Robin: he asks her to marry him. After thinking about the proposal, Robin thinks she knows how she will answer, but first she needs to clear the air which may change the picture entirely. Meanwhile, despite Barney having a sure thing, he acts as wing man for Ted. Quinn, the wing girl of Ted's prey for the evening, ends up being wise to Barney's manipulative ways. For missing out on his sure thing, Barney believes that Ted owes him one. What Barney wants as his payment, after hearing about it from Marshall and Lily, is for him and Ted to take the drunk train i.e. the last train out to Long Island where everyone inebriated is willing to go to bed with anyone else on board. The drunk train experience doesn't end up being what either ... Written by Huggo

In the aftermath of Robin's break-up with Kevin and Ted's resulting confession to her that he is still in love with her, Robin has much time to think about Ted's admission as she is heading off on a business trip to Moscow. Robin leaves Ted with something to think about: a kiss and a vow to talk about their situation when she returns. But when Ted turns to Marshall and subsequently Lily for advice, Marshall offers words of hope and Lily offer a declaration that he and Robin were never meant to be together. Based on something that Barney discovers under Marshall and Lily's bed, Ted comes to realize why Marshall and Lily so often take different sides on an issue. Before Robin returns, Ted believes he knows what her answer is going to be. When Robin returns and does give Ted her answer, Marshall and Lily have differing opinions on whether her answer is definitive. Meanwhile, Barney searches high and low through Marshall and Lily's house for a videotape of them having sex, which Lily ... Written by Huggo

After his encounter with Quinn, Barney becomes infatuated with her. When he finds out that she works as a stripper in his favorite strip club, that infatuation doesn't stop. As he tries to persuade her to go out with him, Quinn has her own agenda. Meanwhile, as Robin has moved out of Ted's apartment after Marshall told her that staying would only hurt Ted in the long run, Ted tries to move on by figuring out something useful to do with Robin's old bedroom. Robin, not knowing where to go, is temporarily staying with Marshall and Lily in their Long Island house. Robin's stay may be longer than she first anticipated if only because Marshall and Lily, who have settled into suburban bliss, won't let her leave. As Robin tries to maneuver her way out of their house and back into the city, she learns why Marshall and Lily are so desperate for her to stay. Ted may provide the solution for Marshall and Lily's problem and well as his own. Written by Huggo

Before Barney's friends meet Quinn for the first time, Barney swears Ted to a broath (short for bro oath) that he won't tell them what Quinn does for a living. Concerned for Barney's welfare as he seems to be blinded by Quinn's manipulative ways, Ted quickly tells the others about her profession. However they are more concerned about that possible manipulation and want to judge Quinn on whether she is good for Barney. They quickly come to the conclusion after meeting her that she is continuing her manipulative ways. They are even more concerned when Barney tells them that Quinn and he are planning on living together. So, the gang decide to have one of their old fashioned interventions, or what Marshall has renamed for this special occasion a Quinntervention. Will Barney side with his longtime friends or his new love? Beyond what they feel about her, the one thing that homeless Ted and homeless Robin like is her rent controlled apartment which will be available once she moves in with ... Written by Huggo

Quinn has moved in with Barney, but not all is all right with the living arrangement as Barney doesn't yet feel like he can be himself around Quinn in all its good and bad, which is manifested in part by his evening ritual just outside his apartment building. He decides to take refuge at Ted's new apartment. As Marshall is also there, Ted suggests that they make the evening their boys only triennial viewing of the Star Wars (1977) trilogy, this triennial event which began in 2000 when Ted and Marshall were still at Wesleyan. Although the trilogy is the centerpiece of the get together, it has historically been more about where their life is at that the present time, predicting what their lives will be like in three years time at their next viewing, and reflecting on why their prediction from three years ago went so awry. In most respects, the 2003, 2006 and 2009 events were remarkably similar, but many current issues make the 2012 event a bit different. Written by Huggo

For the first time in quite some time, Ted is living by himself, and he begins to relish the fact that his apartment is his castle where he can do as he pleases without having to answer to anyone but himself. Ted's peace is shattered by Barney, who, despite feeling that he is in love with Quinn and enjoying telling everyone that he is dating a stripper, wants to hang out with Ted in bro mode every night to make each - wait for it - legendary. Meanwhile, Lily has had another of her sex dreams which did not involve Marshall. Marshall doesn't mind Lily having these dreams as she always tells him about them afterward. But this time, Lily won't tell him about it. Marshall surmises that it's because she dreamed about one of their friends. He'll know who it is when Lily blushes in front of that person the bright vermilion color she blushed when she first uncomfortably tried to skirt Marshall's questioning to her about the dream. And Robin is lamenting the fact that despite being an on-air ... Written by Huggo

Ted still isn't ready to see Robin. To help Ted get over her, Barney persuades him to try online dating, even down to picking the women Ted should date. But when Ted goes on these dates, he sees only one thing: Robin. He has to figure out if that actually means that he is still in love with her despite needing to get over her. Meanwhile, Barney himself has gotten to the point of being jealous of all the men Quinn meets professionally. As much as he likes certain parts of her being a stripper, he does whatever he can to persuade her to quit and find another job. And although it is still five weeks until Lily's due date, Marshall is treating the time like the baby has already arrived, which is driving Lily crazy and making both a little sleep deprived. Lily has her own plan of getting Marshall back into the here and now. Written by Huggo

Lily has gone into labor, and Marshall is no where in sight. As Lily is feeling the physical pain associated with the contractions, she requires the assistance of Ted and Robin to keep her mind on other things by telling her stories of their past, whether she's heard the stories before or not. One of the longer but simpler stories involves the mysterious door at MacLaren's which one by one each walks through to experience the wonder on the other side. But as she makes it into the delivery room about to give birth, Marshall is still no where to be seen, although someone in her life is there, he who she may not want to see at this specific time. Meanwhile, a drunk Marshall is stranded in Atlantic City with Barney. They try one tactic after another to make their way back to New York City, most of those tactics surrounding the motorcycle to be won through one of the slot machines. As they eventually do manage to secure transportation, their ultimate destination is outside of their control... Written by Huggo

As Lily and Marshall become a threesome with the arrival into the world of Marvin Wait-For-It Eriksen, Ted, Robin and Barney review the status of their lives at this present time. Ted and Robin come to an understanding about their relationship. Robin believes that Ted has always chased after the wrong girl, with the exception of one, who she encourages Ted to go after. But Ted will have to make one further decision based on the status of that woman's own life at this time. And Barney is afraid that running away to Atlantic City has led to the end of his and Quinn's relationship. Their relationship is able to survive this incident, so much so that they decide to take their first vacation together to Hawaii. But they have some problems getting through airport security because of the magician's box Barney has in his carry-on, the secret to which he refuses to divulge except to a fellow magician. The secret of the magician's box will lead indirectly to Barney's life with who will become ... Written by Huggo