Little Minnesota
Encyclopedia
"Little Minnesota" is the 11th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
and 75th overall. It originally aired on December 15, 2008.
enters MacLaren's wearing an unseasonal t-shirt and explains to Ted
that the cold weather doesn't affect her because she's from Canada
. Marshall
agrees and compares New York
in winter to a spring day in Minnesota
, except for all the taxis, skyscrapers and non-white people. Upon returning from the bar Ted explains that his sister Heather (Erin Cahill
) has arrived in New York and is planning to move there. He explains to the group that Heather is something of a screw up and expresses his doubt that she will ever actually move there, telling them of the time she sold his possessions to buy tickets and travel to a Nine Inch Nails
concert in Spain
. When Barney
calls, he ignores it, and Lily
explains that he has been keeping Heather and Barney apart for all the years she has been visiting New York.
Heather arrives and the group discovers Barney waiting for them at Ted's apartment with a rented swivel chair he brought for the occasion and a glass of brandy. Because of her inability to keep secrets, Lily admits tipping off Barney of Heather's arrival and reveals Robin's Christmas gift for Ted.
Barney is hurt that Ted tried to keep him away from Heather and explains that he never intended to act on all the inappropriate jokes he made. Ted explains that he does not trust Heather or Barney, though he eventually relents and invites Barney to dinner with them on Sunday.
Robin is homesick, and so Marshall takes her to the Walleye
Saloon, a Minnesota-themed bar that he goes to when he misses his family. Unfortunately she likes it so much that she ends up pretending to be from Bemidji Minnesota to befriend the bar patrons, much to Marshall's frustration. His frustration grows when she claims his story about the 1999 NFC Championship game as her own and boils over after she beats his high score on the Fisherman's Quest video game, at which point he unmasks Robin as a Canadian.
Over dinner, Heather and Ted discuss her decision to move to New York to work in finance and she asks him to co-sign the lease of an apartment she found. However, his lack of faith in her proves an obstacle. Frustrated with Ted's insensitivity, Heather and Barney stage a fake sexual encounter after their interview at Goliath National Bank and ensures that Lily walks in on them, knowing that she won't be able to keep it a secret from Ted.
Heather and Barney persist in taunting Ted until he confronts them at MacLaren's, claiming that Heather has never taken responsibility for herself. Barney explains the plan to the surprised Ted and Lily, at the same time revealing that he kissed Ted's mother. Heather storms out to find a hotel, denouncing Ted for refusing to accept that she has grown up.
Eventually Ted makes up with Heather and co-signs her lease, telling her he wants to get to know the new her. Marshall apologizes to Robin for outing
her as a Canadian, and reassures her that despite her lack of job or boyfriend she still belongs in New York with her friends. To help ease her Christmas homesickness he takes her to a Canadian-themed bar, the Hoser Hut, capped off with a crowd-pleasing karaoke
rendition of Robin's teenage hit "Let's Go to the Mall
".
" by Crash Test Dummies
, sung by a man in the Canadian bar karaoke.
rated the episode with a grade B-.
Michelle Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9.8 out of 10, saying Barney steals the show once again.
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 75th overall. It originally aired on December 15, 2008.
Plot
RobinRobin 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 :...
enters MacLaren's wearing an unseasonal t-shirt and explains to 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...
that the cold weather doesn't affect her because she's from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. 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...
agrees and compares New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in winter to a spring day in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, except for all the taxis, skyscrapers and non-white people. Upon returning from the bar Ted explains that his sister Heather (Erin Cahill
Erin Cahill
Erin Jessica Cahill , is an actress best known for her role as Jen Scotts on the television series Power Rangers: Time Force. Appeared at Power Morphicon 2010 in Pasadena, CA....
) has arrived in New York and is planning to move there. He explains to the group that Heather is something of a screw up and expresses his doubt that she will ever actually move there, telling them of the time she sold his possessions to buy tickets and travel to a Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
concert in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. When Barney
Barney 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...
calls, he ignores it, and 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...
explains that he has been keeping Heather and Barney apart for all the years she has been visiting New York.
Heather arrives and the group discovers Barney waiting for them at Ted's apartment with a rented swivel chair he brought for the occasion and a glass of brandy. Because of her inability to keep secrets, Lily admits tipping off Barney of Heather's arrival and reveals Robin's Christmas gift for Ted.
Barney is hurt that Ted tried to keep him away from Heather and explains that he never intended to act on all the inappropriate jokes he made. Ted explains that he does not trust Heather or Barney, though he eventually relents and invites Barney to dinner with them on Sunday.
Robin is homesick, and so Marshall takes her to the Walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
Saloon, a Minnesota-themed bar that he goes to when he misses his family. Unfortunately she likes it so much that she ends up pretending to be from Bemidji Minnesota to befriend the bar patrons, much to Marshall's frustration. His frustration grows when she claims his story about the 1999 NFC Championship game as her own and boils over after she beats his high score on the Fisherman's Quest video game, at which point he unmasks Robin as a Canadian.
Over dinner, Heather and Ted discuss her decision to move to New York to work in finance and she asks him to co-sign the lease of an apartment she found. However, his lack of faith in her proves an obstacle. Frustrated with Ted's insensitivity, Heather and Barney stage a fake sexual encounter after their interview at Goliath National Bank and ensures that Lily walks in on them, knowing that she won't be able to keep it a secret from Ted.
Heather and Barney persist in taunting Ted until he confronts them at MacLaren's, claiming that Heather has never taken responsibility for herself. Barney explains the plan to the surprised Ted and Lily, at the same time revealing that he kissed Ted's mother. Heather storms out to find a hotel, denouncing Ted for refusing to accept that she has grown up.
Eventually Ted makes up with Heather and co-signs her lease, telling her he wants to get to know the new her. Marshall apologizes to Robin for outing
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
her as a Canadian, and reassures her that despite her lack of job or boyfriend she still belongs in New York with her friends. To help ease her Christmas homesickness he takes her to a Canadian-themed bar, the Hoser Hut, capped off with a crowd-pleasing karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
rendition of Robin's teenage hit "Let's Go to the Mall
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 :...
".
Music
"Mmm Mmm Mmm MmmMmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is a single by the Canadian folk-rock group Crash Test Dummies, featured on their 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet.-CD maxi:# "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" — 3:53# "Here I Stand Before Me" — 3:07...
" by Crash Test Dummies
Crash Test Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
, sung by a man in the Canadian bar karaoke.
Continuity
- Previously Barney did not know how to drive. Barney reveals to Ted that he kissed his mom when he drove her to the airport, which he further explains and exaggerates in the season 5 episode "Home WreckersHome Wreckers"Home Wreckers" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 108th episode overall. It aired on April 19, 2010.- Plot :...
". - In the last scene when Marshall is performing Karaoke the song he is singing is "Let's go to the Mall" by Robin Sparkles.
- Some of the extras in the Walleye Saloon scenes wear custom-made Vikings jerseysJersey (clothing)A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
that have last names of people connected with the show. When Robin and Marshall first enter the bar, two men wear jerseys with the surnames Bays and Thomas (show creators/writers Carter BaysCarter BaysCarter Bays is an American television writer. Along with writing partner Craig Thomas, he is best known as creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He has 70 episodes of the show under his belt from 2005-2009, and has been nominated for six primetime Emmy...
and Craig ThomasCraig Thomas (screenwriter)Craig Thomas is an American television writer, he, along with writing partner Carter Bays, has written episodes of American Dad!, Oliver Beene, Quintuplets and the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which they created in 2005. He has been nominated for six primetime Emmy Awards...
). Bud, the waiter/bartender, wears a jersey with the name 'Tatham' (series writer Chuck Tatham, who also wrote the episode) and the jersey of a female extra during Robin's narration scene has the name 'Smulders' (Cobie SmuldersCobie SmuldersJacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders is a Canadian actress and former model, known for her role as Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:...
). Smulders' own jersey has the name 'Fryman' (director Pamela FrymanPamela FrymanPamela Fryman is an American sitcom director and producer.-Career:Fryman got her first job on The John Davidson Show as an assistant to the talent coordinator, and went on to be a booth production assistant and secretary on Santa Barbara, eventually moving up to Assistant Director , and...
). - Marshall wears a number 70 Vikings jersey. Number 70 was worn by Jim Marshall and has been retired by the Vikings.
- In a flashback scene in "Duel Citizenship", Robin was seen to also wear inappropriate clothes for cold weather.
- Marshall is very good at games (previously shown in "Game NightGame Night"Game Night" is the 15th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on February 27, 2006.- Plot :...
", among others) and holds the high score on "Fisherman's Quest". He reveals himself as a sore loser when Robin beats him, and then again in "The Front PorchThe Front Porch"The Front Porch" is the 17th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 81st overall. It originally aired on March 16, 2009.-Plot:...
".
Cultural references
- Marshall's story of the NFC Championship loss and the placard at the bar represented the impact of the debacle on Minnesotans. Robin fails to identify Gary Anderson as the kicker, claiming it was RashadAhmad RashadAhmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals...
TarkentonFran TarkentonFrancis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
. - When Robin is playing the fishing game, one of the people in the bar says "We have a possible gill screen coming up." This is a reference to a kill screenKill screenA kill screen is a stage or level in a video game that stops the player's progress due to a programming error or design oversight. Rather than "ending" in a traditional sense, the game will crash, freeze, or behave so erratically that further play is impossible.Video games, like any other computer...
, a game-ending bug in some arcade games, including Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, with a similar line featuring prominently in the documentary film King of Kong. - After Ted asks if there are no black people in Minnesota, Marshall replies with "not when Prince is on tour", a reference to Chris Rock's Black People VS Niggaz (Bring the Pain)
- The way that everyone in the Walleye Saloon yells out the names of people entering the bar is reminiscent of the way Norm was greeted on CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
rated the episode with a grade B-.
Michelle Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9.8 out of 10, saying Barney steals the show once again.