When Ted attends his mother’s wedding, he is extremely disturbed by her overly affectionate relationship with her fianc, which forces him to think about his own life and make an impulsive decision.
When Marshall gets mugged, Lily decides she wants to get a gun for protection, so Marshall comes up with a convoluted story about the mugging to deter Lily from following through.
When Ted ruins Lily’s birthday dinner celebration by bringing a date, Lily goes to great lengths to keep her out of the traditional photo she takes every year of the gang.
Barney is driven mad by a woman who seems to be following all the rules in a new guide book for single women. In fact, she’s the one who wrote it…
The rest of the gang hopes to make Ted realize he’s being strung along by his latest girlfriend, remembering their own similar situations in the process.
Marshall and Lily set up Ted with one of Barney’s discards from his Super Bowl plea for phone calls as a Valentine’s Day date. Meanwhile, Robin’s invited to a party by a Don, which she suspects is really a date.
When Barney is about to complete the perfect week – landing seven different girls in seven days – the gang roots him on in order to forget about their own miserable week.
When Marshall’s co-worker kisses him, he can’t get Lily to believe it happened. Robin discovers she’s the subject of a drinking game.
Barney chooses between wearing suits and sleeping with a sexy bartender. Meanwhile, Ted gets ever closer to meeting “the mother”.
The gang tries to kick the smoking habit. Meanwhile, Robin deals with her new co-anchor at Channel 1.
Ted’s neighbor Maggie, that he’s wanted to date for years, has finally broken up with her boyfriend, putting her back on the market. A letter written to himself when he was 15 reinforces Marshall’s shame that he’s become a corporate...
On Thanksgiving, Barney’s on high alert after a slap that must be used by sundown is bequeathed to Ted and Robin by Marshall. Meanwhile, Lily’s estranged father suddenly arrives.
Barney dusts off his “playbook” to help him back into the dating scene following his breakup with Robin, incensing Lily in the process.
Ted and Marshall turn to Lily to break up a clearly miserable Barney and Robin after their own plan fails.
Barney convinces Marshall to stand up to Lily’s desire he wash all dirty dishes immediately, getting them into a major fight. Ted and Robin deal with upstairs neighbors continually having sex.
