Place Your Bets!

So, in a move that probably had How I Met Your Mother fans smacking their heads in disbelief, Ted announced that he was still in love with Robin. And Robin seems to go with it. But they do discuss this. Ted explains that he and Robin broke up five years ago because they wanted different things when they discussed their futures. But five years later, they are still in the same situation. Ted thinks it’s a sign. Robin’s not sure. But she has time to think—she has to go to Russia with her hated co-worker. She leaves and Ted wonders why he didn’t kiss her. Robin returns, kisses him and tells them they’ll talk about this when she gets back.


Over in Long Island, Marshall receives a phone call from Ted. He asks Marshall to meet him at MacLaren’s. Marshall agrees and tells Lily. They are then surprised to find Barney in their bed. He decided to crash at their house after leaving his drunk train hookup. And since he’s Barney, it’s not surprising he’s there. He then realizes Lily’s not wearing a bra. Marshall and Lily get ready to meet Ted. Lily warns Barney not to go through their things because they do NOT have a sex tape. All Barney hears is “sex tape.”

He calls his cleaning ladies and says that he has a big job for them—someone’s ransacked his friends’ house. And then he begins the ransacking. Instead of a sex tape, he finds a box filled with bets Lily and Marshall have made. Like whether or not Ted will lose his hair. And if he can pull it off. Barney and his maids agree that Ted couldn’t. He finds a bet he has to share with Ted and leaves for MacLaren’s.

At MacLaren’s, Ted confesses his kiss with Robin to Marshall and Lily. They react differently. Marshall cautions Ted to go slow and to make sure he and Robin are on the same page. Lily tells Ted to make some grand gesture to prove his love to Robin. You know, everything that Robin hates. And we learn the reason why—Barney comes in with Lily and Marshall’s Bet Box. Apparently Lily bet Marshall that Robin and Ted will never end up together. Ted is shocked.

So Lily and Marshall explain how the box started. They say it started when they were newlyweds and found they need something to do. But I’m not clear about that—it almost looks like they started before they were married. Anyway, they were trying model airplanes when Ted decided to go skiing. After some beers. And missing the instruction course. When Ted left, Marshall bet Lily he’d break a leg. They ran with it. And continued making bets.

We flashback to when Ted was marrying Stella. Lily asks Marshall to pay up when the two become engaged. He refuses. She asks again as they drive to the wedding (Barney in the back seat bopping to his music). He refuses. She asks as they are sitting at the wedding. He refuses. Then Stella left him for Tony. And they drive back with Marshall looking smug and Lily angry.

Understandably upset, Ted leaves. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily accidentally reveal they have a sex tape. So it’s back to Long Island for Barney. And he finds it. Knowing Ted is the last person to have a VCR (hides her own), he goes to Ted’s apartment. It is there that Ted realizes that Robin is still in love with Barney, which is why it can’t work out between them. Barney denies it but Ted recalls that he found Barney spreading flower petals and candles in Robin’s room. But Barney reveals what we the audience already knew—he was cleaning them up after Robin chose Kal over him.

Their moment is broken when Marshall and Lily rush in. Marshall tries to stop Barney from watching the video by giving him a preview of the whacked out images Marshall will present in it. Including sounds, which Ted confirms will be heard when he exclaims he heard it through the walls and thought it was a dying cat. Lily tries to entice Barney to watch it by giving him a preview except to imagine her not pregnant. But Marshall wins out as Barney destroys Ted’s VCR with the tape inside.

Robin returns from Russia and she has the conversation with Ted. They realize that they would be making a mistake. So they part ways as friends. Marshall and Ted talk about it and Marshall goes to tell Robin something Ted can’t: She needs to move out. Robin realizes this. And so she moves out.

Ted sees this as a good thing. And he tells Marshall this. Future!Ted blathers on about how letting go of Robin allowed him to see the opportunities before him. To reinforce this, he leaves MacLaren’s and it starts to rain. Before him is a sea of yellow umbrellas. Oh please Lord let us meet the mother soon!

Sorry for the outburst. Anyway, it was an interesting episode. I’m glad they didn’t pursue a Robin-Ted repairing. It would be several steps backwards. I’m not sure about the implication that it was Robin that was holding Ted back. I think it was poor writing, but that’s just me. So, writers, let’s start looking for the mother. And let’s not do that slut of the week bit again. Please.

Oh, and in the tag, Lily asks Marshall to pay up and he refuses. No, stop it. We know Robin and Ted do not end up together.