Disaster Averted
Encyclopedia
"Disaster Averted" is the ninth episode of the seventh season
of the CBS
sitcom
How I Met Your Mother
, and the 145th episode overall. It aired on November 7, 2011.
has grown tired of his Ducky Tie
and makes up a fake story in order to hide the fact that he has thrown the tie away. However, it is foiled when Lily
enters the bar holding the tie she found in the garbage.
While at the bar, Kevin notices a sign out the front of MacLaren's saying "No boogie boarding", which leads the gang to tell him the story of what happened to them during Hurricane Irene
. Ted
had planned to have his friends ride out the hurricane in his house out of the city, but Barney convinces them to stay in his house, much to Ted's chagrin, saying that the storm is nothing to worry about. Lily and Barney eventually get calls from their parents asking if they are all right, and Robin
grows jealous because her father has not called her. When she denies this, Barney fake calls Robin as her dad to prove her jealousy. Ted tells Barney he can't come to his house, as he found a girl in the hallway and said she could take Barney's place, causing everyone to fight over who gets to go or stay. Ted finally says that he is going to go by himself. Marshall
turns on the TV just in time to call Ted back to hear Mayor Bloomberg
's speech saying that the evacuation time has passed and that everyone must go inside and wait out the storm.
Marshall had no health insurance during that time because of his unemployment. He was seeing death everywhere and refused to go alone anywhere without Lily because he thought he would be attacked by a bear. Lily had complained that he is not giving her enough alone time and that all she wants to do is sit in the bath and read a book. That night, Marshall poured Lily a bath and told her to have a little alone time. Lily said she wanted Marshall to stay and they ended up conceiving their baby boy in Barney's bathroom.
Meanwhile in the present, Barney offers to let Marshall deliver his final remaining slap in their Slap Bet
in return for being allowed to take the Ducky Tie
off. Kevin then points out that since Barney had not complained about the Ducky Tie in weeks, there must be an agenda to Barney's offer. Kevin hypothesizes that he has to impress someone and deduces that Barney is going to meet Nora's parents, which Barney reveals happens in two days. Lily and Marshall agree that Barney can take off the tie but he must gain an extra 3 slaps to his already existing final slap. Marshall delivers two of the slaps, with two still remaining.
In the end, it is shown that the gang had gone out after the end of the hurricane and played around in the rain, which led to Marshall going boogie boarding and eventually crashing through MacLarens' front windows, thus the warning sign against boogie boarding. Robin and Barney decide to share a cab home and they reminisce about the moment after Marshall's accident when they had almost kissed but Robin's dad had called her. They make fun of what could have happened and eventually end up kissing.
.
Angel Cohn of Television Without Pity gave the episode a B+.
How I Met Your Mother (season 7)
The seventh season of the American television comedy series How I Met Your Mother was announced in March 2011, along with confirmation of an eighth season, and premiered on September 19, 2011 with two episodes airing back-to-back.-Main cast:...
of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, and the 145th episode overall. It aired on November 7, 2011.
Plot
BarneyBarney Stinson
Barnabas "Barney" Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. The character has been extremely well received by critics and has been credited for much of the show's success...
has grown tired of his Ducky Tie
Ducky Tie
"Ducky Tie" is the third episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 139th episode overall. It aired on September 26, 2011.-Plot:...
and makes up a fake story in order to hide the fact that he has thrown the tie away. However, it is foiled when Lily
Lily Aldrin
Lillian "Lily" Aldrin is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is the wife of Marshall Eriksen and the best friend of Robin Scherbatsky...
enters the bar holding the tie she found in the garbage.
While at the bar, Kevin notices a sign out the front of MacLaren's saying "No boogie boarding", which leads the gang to tell him the story of what happened to them during Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
. Ted
Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
had planned to have his friends ride out the hurricane in his house out of the city, but Barney convinces them to stay in his house, much to Ted's chagrin, saying that the storm is nothing to worry about. Lily and Barney eventually get calls from their parents asking if they are all right, and Robin
Robin Scherbatsky
Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.- Early life :...
grows jealous because her father has not called her. When she denies this, Barney fake calls Robin as her dad to prove her jealousy. Ted tells Barney he can't come to his house, as he found a girl in the hallway and said she could take Barney's place, causing everyone to fight over who gets to go or stay. Ted finally says that he is going to go by himself. Marshall
Marshall Eriksen
Marshall Eriksen is a fictional character in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and portrayed by Jason Segel.-Character profile:Marshall is an easy-going, naive optimist from St. Cloud, Minnesota...
turns on the TV just in time to call Ted back to hear Mayor Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
's speech saying that the evacuation time has passed and that everyone must go inside and wait out the storm.
Marshall had no health insurance during that time because of his unemployment. He was seeing death everywhere and refused to go alone anywhere without Lily because he thought he would be attacked by a bear. Lily had complained that he is not giving her enough alone time and that all she wants to do is sit in the bath and read a book. That night, Marshall poured Lily a bath and told her to have a little alone time. Lily said she wanted Marshall to stay and they ended up conceiving their baby boy in Barney's bathroom.
Meanwhile in the present, Barney offers to let Marshall deliver his final remaining slap in their Slap Bet
Slap Bet
"Slap Bet" is the 9th episode in season 2 of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 20, 2006. This episode was originally titled "Robin Sparkles."- Plot :...
in return for being allowed to take the Ducky Tie
Ducky Tie
"Ducky Tie" is the third episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 139th episode overall. It aired on September 26, 2011.-Plot:...
off. Kevin then points out that since Barney had not complained about the Ducky Tie in weeks, there must be an agenda to Barney's offer. Kevin hypothesizes that he has to impress someone and deduces that Barney is going to meet Nora's parents, which Barney reveals happens in two days. Lily and Marshall agree that Barney can take off the tie but he must gain an extra 3 slaps to his already existing final slap. Marshall delivers two of the slaps, with two still remaining.
In the end, it is shown that the gang had gone out after the end of the hurricane and played around in the rain, which led to Marshall going boogie boarding and eventually crashing through MacLarens' front windows, thus the warning sign against boogie boarding. Robin and Barney decide to share a cab home and they reminisce about the moment after Marshall's accident when they had almost kissed but Robin's dad had called her. They make fun of what could have happened and eventually end up kissing.
Continuity
- This episode references two bets Barney had lost: the Slap BetSlap Bet"Slap Bet" is the 9th episode in season 2 of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 20, 2006. This episode was originally titled "Robin Sparkles."- Plot :...
and the Ducky TieDucky Tie"Ducky Tie" is the third episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 139th episode overall. It aired on September 26, 2011.-Plot:...
. - Ted uses the phrase "therapisted" and "boy scouted", Marshall often uses the phrase "lawyered".
- The flashbacks during Hurricane IreneHurricane Irene (2011)Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
occur in August 2011, before the events of "Challenge AcceptedChallenge Accepted"Challenge Accepted" is the twenty fourth and final episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 136th episode overall. It aired on May 16, 2011.-Plot:...
", the Season 6 finale, where Lily discovers she is pregnant (most of the events depicted in "Challenge Accepted" occur in September 2011). Here the viewers learn that the baby was conceived in Barney's bathroom.
Barney's blog
Barney pens down a list of reasons to have sex. This list is presumably in addition to the list of reasons to have sex as made in the entry coinciding with The Naked ManThe Naked Man (How I Met Your Mother)
"The Naked Man" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 73rd overall. It aired on November 24, 2008.-Plot:...
.
Cultural references
- Barney says, "I'm going to like the way I look. I guarantee it." This is a reference to Men's WearhouseMen's WearhouseMen's Wearhouse is a men's dress apparel retailer in the United States. The company is based in the Westchase area of Houston, Texas, and it is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange...
. - The chase sequence at the start of the episode is a parody of the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. - This episode uses a clip of the actual speech given by New York City Mayor Michael BloombergMichael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
during Hurricane Irene. - Several references are made to Memoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II...
, the audiobook that Ted plays in the car. - Lily refers to Marshall's mood as being like "a really clingy Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
." In the next shot, Marshall is shown standing near a carving of a ravenThe Raven"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
.
Critical response
The AV Club's Donna Bowman graded the episode at A-, stating that it had several of the same elements that made the Ducky Tie a wonderful episode: "constantly interrupted storytelling, callbackariffic structuring, fleet pacing, machine-gun dialogue, and a dollop of sweetness at the end."Angel Cohn of Television Without Pity gave the episode a B+.