It seems like just yesterday we were watching Marshall (Jason Segel) deliver the 7th slap to Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). But it has been a whole week, so we are treated to another new installment of How I Met Your Mother. This episode is entitled, “Unpause” and involves getting drunk and telling secrets. Sounds like my entire college experience.
The episode begins with a flash forward of Ted (Josh Radnor) and “The Mother” (Cristin Milioti) sitting in bed. The year is 2017 and she is pregnant with the couple’s second child. Ted wanted to take his lovely wife on one more getaway to the Farhampton Inn before the baby is born. Ted rushes her to the hospital after she begins having contractions. Each scene we see of Ted and “The Mother” makes me yearn for the episode that they finally lay eyes on one another. The chemistry between Radnor and Milioti is so strong, you believe Ted and “The Mother” are a perfect couple.
Back to present day, Barney is still feeling the pain from Marshall’s epic slap. In order to conceal the hurt, he has decided to turn to alcohol. Over the years the gang has seen Barney at all levels of drunk: Richard Dawson drunk, Big plans with strangers drunk (with a shout out to Flint, Michigan), Marcel Marceau drunk, and even Jabba drunk. But Barney is now at a new level. He is truth serum drunk. Ted and Robin (Cobie Smulders) take advantage of the situation and get some answers to some of Barney’s biggest secrets.
Ted first asks Barney if he actually slept with Ted’s mom. In baseball reference, it turns out Barney got out trying to make it to second with Ted’s mom. Robin decides to ask the question she has been wondering about all season long. Will there be an actual bear at their wedding instead of a ring bearer. Unfortunately, Barney slips back into Jabba drunk, so they quickly give him another drink.
Ted’s final question is a big one. He wants to know what Barney does for a living. Through the entire 9 seasons, Barney has never admitted to what he actually does. Whenever Barney answered this question in the past he always said, “Please.” It turns out that please stands for Provide Legal Exculpation And Sign Everything. All he has to do is show up to work and sign documents. The one downside is he could be implicated for signing those questionable documents. However, Barney had been working with the Feds this whole time to get his boss in trouble. All because his boss stole his girlfriend. That deserves a high five!
The title of this episode refers to the pause Lily (Alyson Hannigan) put into place when she finally reconciled with Marshall after his long trip to Farhampton. She is aware Marshall took the judgeship without talking to her first. The two still plan to fight but decided to put the fight on hold (or pause), until the gang is done hanging out. Well, it is almost time for bed so the pause will be unpaused tonight! Marshall’s plan is to keep the party going for as long as possible.
Marshall’s idea was working perfectly. Lily has fallen asleep and he had avoided having the fight for another night. Unluckily, Marshall steps on a toy that cause Lily to wake up. Lily can’t believe he would take a job without consulting her while Marshall asserts that they should not have to go to Italy for Lily’s “hobby”. Marshall compares this situation to the time when Lily up and left him to go to San Francisco seven years ago. Lily ends up leaving the hotel very upset. It was really tough watching the happiest couple on television fight, but it needed to be done.
The final scene takes us back to Ted and “The Mother” about to head to the hospital. Ted is carrying his infant daughter, who he mentions is named Penny. Ted said nothing good ever happens after 2 A.M., but that was before his son Luke was born. Next week’s episode is called, “How Your Mother Met Me,” so hopefully this means the two will finally meet and “The Mother” will actually have a name!
P.S. At the very end of the episode, it appears that the ring bearer will in fact be a bear. Only a few months until we see if that is actually true.
[Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty]
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Making the mother exactly like Ted doesn’t create chemistry, it just creates weird. This last season is doa.