15. "Brunch"
Over brunch with Ted’s parents, unresolved tensions come to light, in 3 separate parts of the story, including Barney’s antics with Ted’s dad, Lily and Marshall’s reconciliation of sorts, and a revelation of divorce. It’s quite a nice mix of stories but after the events of previous episodes, Lily and Marshall’s story felt forced, and as always, Barney stole the show
14. "The Burning Beekeeper"
Much like Brunch above, this is the story of a chaotic scene at a party, the build up to which is revealed through individual stories. Perhaps this episode should be higher on the list, but the individual stories were all so over the top, and I don’t really like the character of Lily’s dad, who is a lazy stereotype played without imagination.
13. "Bad News"
The main gimmick in this episode is an idea borrowed from the film “Murder by Numbers” in which numbers randomly placed in the background sequentially count down throughout the episode. It’s a nice idea and it gave the episode a thrust which it otherwise wouldn’t have had, but the numbers were generally too obvious and ended up a little distracting. Subtlety would have gone a long way here
12. "Trilogy Time"
A flashback/forward episode in which we trace the gang’s tradition of watching the Star Wars Trilogy every three years, and predicting what their lives will be like in the future, starting with the year 2000. With each flashback 2003,2006 and 2009, we see how the characters have changed, and how their predictions were shaped by who they were at that point in their lives. Since some of these flashbacks also fall within the run of the show itself, the writers also get to have a little fun. A simple idea but it works very well.
11. "Lucky Penny"
This reminds of Malcolm in the Middle’s season 2 opener “Traffic Jam” in which Hal obsesses how a few minor differences in the moments leading up to a traffic jam could have led to him being in an accident. The same idea applies here, as Ted and Robin try to work back through all the minor little things in their day, which have led to him being late for a potentially life-changing flight. Again, a simple little idea but executed well, and with a healthy dollop of comedy.
10. "Disaster Averted"
Not exactly a concept episode, but close enough. This one uses a story framed in the past, coupled with flashbacks to what happened during Hurricane Irene. Since this falls within the run of the show, we essentially get an ‘in-between-sode” from a few seasons earlier.
9. "Three Days of Snow"
Another nice idea plays out in this episode, which involves three separate stories on what you initially think is the same day of a particularly bad snow storm. Only at the end do we see that they are actually set on sequential days, and the final act where Marshall meets Lily at the airport is as sweet as anything the show has managed. Ted hitting on a cute Star Wars fan and running a fake bar ‘Puzzles’ with Barney is another highlight in a very funny episode.
8. "The Playbook"
Barney episodes are often the best simply because he’s one of the most fun characters. This one sees him orchestrating a very elaborate plan to pick up a girl at the bar, the details of which are constantly changing so that the viewer never realises what’s going on until the very end. As usual, Barney ends up playing everyone. Classic
7. "The Bracket"
With a mystery woman sabotaging Barney’s pickup attempts, a sports-style bracket is created to whittle down the list of suspects. What’s great about this one is the number of ex-girlfriends we’ve seen previously on the show, cropping up again here. Great continuity aside, it’s also very funny, as most Barney episodes are, and the final reveal is unexpected
6. "Subway Wars"
A surprisingly exciting episode, this one features a race to get to a restaurant, as different members of the gang all believe they know the fastest modes of transport in New York. The race element is like a competition and you end up rooting for different people as things progress. It’s also nice to see Ranjit again. The final scene with Ted and Barney is also surprisingly sweet
5. "Perfect Week"
Imagined from the point of view of Barney talking to a talk show host, this is the story of the Barney trying to get 7 girls over 7 nights aka the Perfect Week. His antics end up distracting the rest of the gang from the personal problems they have going on, and in the end, everyone is cheering him on. Pure fantasy, but a great combination of character, setup, and one liners.
4. "Third Wheel"
This episode is essentially Ted and Barney recapping what happened when both of them tried to have a threesome on the same night, cutting back and forth between the two stories. The story itself is simple enough, but it provides for a lot of comedy, and a surprising amount of characterisation for both leads, and a commendably open ending. The inclusion on a WWE championship wrestling belt and Trudy from "The Pineapple Incident" (below), sweeten things even further
3. "The Platinum Rule"
This is classic HIMYM in every sense. With Ted thinking about dating Stella, his tattoo removal doctor, Barney explains that you should never try to form a relationship with someone you see regularly. It splits the gang up into 3 groups who tell intercut stories, about attempts over successive years to defy the rule, each in turn ending in failure. The brilliance is how well crafter a theory it becomes, using so many differing stories to build the case. I also quite like Wendy the waitress (from Barney’s tale) so that’s a plus.
2. "Ted Mosby: Architect"
Another episode that pulls the wool over the viewer’s eyes, it basically has Robin drive Ted away, and then spend the night investigating what seems like a stream of debauchery on his part, seen through ‘imagined’ flashbacks. It’s only at the end that we see the truth of what happened, and how Barney used Ted’s name and job to get laid. Barney’s form letter at the end is priceless
1. "The Pineapple Incident"
This episode has the highest ratings of the show so far, and for good reason. It’s awesome! Essentially Ted drinks too much, and wakes up in bed next to a mystery girl. Various members of the group, crudely made signs, and obscure voicemails all slowly piece together the mystery of what happened last night. Very Very Very funny.
