Right Place Right Time
Encyclopedia
"Right Place, Right Time" is the 22nd episode of the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother
and 86th overall. It aired on May 4, 2009.
) describes to his children a day near the beginning of his struggling solo architecture career, where a set of circumstances began his journey to meet their mother. The cold open
shows Ted
walking down his street with a yellow umbrella, stopping at a newsstand, giving some cash to a homeless man, and stopping at a crosswalk before a woman's hand reaches over and touches his shoulder.
Going backwards, Future Ted describes his desperation when he began doing solo architect work. Ted takes a job from a chain restaurant company to design a building shaped like a Stetson hat. When he complains to Robin
about his lack of inspiration, she tells him to get out of the house and clear his head. He agrees to go out for a bagel, and Robin tells him to take an umbrella because her station's clown weatherman said it would rain. As he comes down the steps, he turns right, but then turns left.
Ted explains that a few days ago, Robin vomited into a local woman's silk purse on her show because of food poisoning she got from one of Ted's favorite restaurants, Schlegel's Bagels. Ted turns the other way outside his apartment to go to his second favorite bagel place.
At MacLaren's, Barney
shows Ted his copy of "Bro's Life", and notes that he will be going out with a supermodel featured in the issue (Petra Petrova). Barney declares that he is about to meet his goal of having sex with 200 women. He credits the number to an argument he had back in junior high. A bully named Matthew Panning taunted the young Barney, saying he had been with "a hundred girls," and Barney retorted that he would be with 200 women some day.
Unfortunately, as Robin checks over his list, she notices he has listed a woman twice, leaving Barney at woman number 198, not 199. He runs to his gym and sleeps with a female bodybuilder to get him up to 199, but when he returns to the bar, Robin tells him that the list uses a number twice, so the bodybuilder was actually number 200. Ted stops at the newsstand to check out the bodybuilding magazine "Muscle Sexxy" that Barney's number 200 is featured in.
During the discussion of Barney's 200 sexual conquests (which most of the other characters cite as "too many"), Marshall
takes the conversation as an opportunity to take out some professionally-made charts, showing Barney's low "batting average" noting that only 1.2 percent of the women he approaches actually sleep with him. This leads into Marshall's addiction to the charts that the GNB graphics department make up for him, including a list of presidents' last names by order of innuendo and a Venn diagram
based on Simon and Garfunkel
's "Cecilia
." Eventually, the gang pulls out the Intervention banner
, causing Marshall to pull out a chart to refute their claims of sagging interest in the charts. After the intervention, Marshall discovers the gang threw away all his charts, including the ones necessary for an important meeting on tax shelter
s.
Ted agrees to retrieve the charts, but finds them in the possession of an eccentric homeless man called Milt (Dan Castellaneta
), who agrees to sell them for one million dollars. Ted negotiates to pay him on a dollar-a-day basis. After stopping at the newsstand, Ted crosses the street to give the man a dollar, and continues down the street to a crosswalk. As he waits he is tapped on the shoulder by a woman's hand. Future Ted talks about how fate is a funny thing, and that has control over your life, which is scary, but also beautiful, and that if anything had happened differently, the children wouldn't be there. He says that if he knew where all those circumstances were leading him, he would have gone back and thanked everyone involved, and in a montage Ted imagines going back and hugging everyone in the episode. The camera then turns to reveal that Stella is the woman behind Ted at the crosswalk.
Afterwards, Barney is at the bar, sitting with a grown-up Matthew Panning, gloating over his success. Panning is amazed that Barney has spent his adult life outdoing a lie he told in middle school, but after he leaves, Barney tears up the list, stating that he wonders what he'll do next. He then turns to see Robin at the bar.
alongside the creators of How I Met Your Mother Craig Thomas and Carter Bays. In this episode, Harris used a bit originally written for Letterman's "Charts and Graphs" section that was never used.
rated the episode with a grade B+.
Michelle Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 8.5 out of 10.
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 86th overall. It aired on May 4, 2009.
Plot
Future Ted (Bob SagetBob Saget
Robert Lane "Bob" Saget is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Although he is best known for his roles as Danny Tanner in Full House, host of America's Funniest Home Videos and Future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Saget is also known outside of television for his blue...
) describes to his children a day near the beginning of his struggling solo architecture career, where a set of circumstances began his journey to meet their mother. The cold open
Cold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
shows 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...
walking down his street with a yellow umbrella, stopping at a newsstand, giving some cash to a homeless man, and stopping at a crosswalk before a woman's hand reaches over and touches his shoulder.
Going backwards, Future Ted describes his desperation when he began doing solo architect work. Ted takes a job from a chain restaurant company to design a building shaped like a Stetson hat. When he complains to 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 :...
about his lack of inspiration, she tells him to get out of the house and clear his head. He agrees to go out for a bagel, and Robin tells him to take an umbrella because her station's clown weatherman said it would rain. As he comes down the steps, he turns right, but then turns left.
Ted explains that a few days ago, Robin vomited into a local woman's silk purse on her show because of food poisoning she got from one of Ted's favorite restaurants, Schlegel's Bagels. Ted turns the other way outside his apartment to go to his second favorite bagel place.
At MacLaren's, 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...
shows Ted his copy of "Bro's Life", and notes that he will be going out with a supermodel featured in the issue (Petra Petrova). Barney declares that he is about to meet his goal of having sex with 200 women. He credits the number to an argument he had back in junior high. A bully named Matthew Panning taunted the young Barney, saying he had been with "a hundred girls," and Barney retorted that he would be with 200 women some day.
Unfortunately, as Robin checks over his list, she notices he has listed a woman twice, leaving Barney at woman number 198, not 199. He runs to his gym and sleeps with a female bodybuilder to get him up to 199, but when he returns to the bar, Robin tells him that the list uses a number twice, so the bodybuilder was actually number 200. Ted stops at the newsstand to check out the bodybuilding magazine "Muscle Sexxy" that Barney's number 200 is featured in.
During the discussion of Barney's 200 sexual conquests (which most of the other characters cite as "too many"), 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...
takes the conversation as an opportunity to take out some professionally-made charts, showing Barney's low "batting average" noting that only 1.2 percent of the women he approaches actually sleep with him. This leads into Marshall's addiction to the charts that the GNB graphics department make up for him, including a list of presidents' last names by order of innuendo and a Venn diagram
Venn diagram
Venn diagrams or set diagrams are diagrams that show all possible logical relations between a finite collection of sets . Venn diagrams were conceived around 1880 by John Venn...
based on Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
's "Cecilia
Cecilia (song)
"Cecilia" is a song written by US musician Paul Simon. It was first recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. When released as a single, it reached #4 in the US charts...
." Eventually, the gang pulls out the Intervention banner
Intervention (How I Met Your Mother)
"Intervention" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 68th overall. It originally aired on October 13, 2008.-Plot:...
, causing Marshall to pull out a chart to refute their claims of sagging interest in the charts. After the intervention, Marshall discovers the gang threw away all his charts, including the ones necessary for an important meeting on tax shelter
Tax shelter
Tax shelters are any method of reducing taxable income resulting in a reduction of the payments to tax collecting entities, including state and federal governments...
s.
Ted agrees to retrieve the charts, but finds them in the possession of an eccentric homeless man called Milt (Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
), who agrees to sell them for one million dollars. Ted negotiates to pay him on a dollar-a-day basis. After stopping at the newsstand, Ted crosses the street to give the man a dollar, and continues down the street to a crosswalk. As he waits he is tapped on the shoulder by a woman's hand. Future Ted talks about how fate is a funny thing, and that has control over your life, which is scary, but also beautiful, and that if anything had happened differently, the children wouldn't be there. He says that if he knew where all those circumstances were leading him, he would have gone back and thanked everyone involved, and in a montage Ted imagines going back and hugging everyone in the episode. The camera then turns to reveal that Stella is the woman behind Ted at the crosswalk.
Afterwards, Barney is at the bar, sitting with a grown-up Matthew Panning, gloating over his success. Panning is amazed that Barney has spent his adult life outdoing a lie he told in middle school, but after he leaves, Barney tears up the list, stating that he wonders what he'll do next. He then turns to see Robin at the bar.
Continuity
- Throughout the episode, Ted carries the yellow umbrella that first appeared in "Wait for ItWait for It"Wait for It" is the first episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 45th episode overall. It originally aired on September 24, 2007.- Plot :...
" and was described as part of the "short story" of how Ted met the mother of his children. Ted found the yellow umbrella in "No Tomorrow" in a Saint Patrick's Day party, which was also attended by the mother of Ted's children. - The intervention for Marshall's charts uses the "INTERVENTION" banner first seen in "InterventionIntervention (How I Met Your Mother)"Intervention" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 68th overall. It originally aired on October 13, 2008.-Plot:...
". - When Marshall is missing his charts, he stalls for time by talking about the oddities of the names of different fish, referring back to his "Fish List" stand-up comedy routine in "Old King ClancyOld King Clancy"Old King Clancy" is the 18th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 82nd overall. It originally aired on March 23, 2009.- Plot :...
". - Barney shows Ted the list of the 199 girls he has slept with, but in "The BracketThe Bracket"The Bracket" is the 14th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 58th overall. It originally aired on March 31, 2008.-Plot:...
" he berates Ted, saying "Ted, I would never demean the women I've slept with by putting their names on some tawdry list". - Robin uses her phrase "but...umm" while reading Barney's list, as seen in "JenkinsJenkins (How I Met Your Mother)"Jenkins" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 101st episode overall. It originally aired on January 18, 2010...
".
- Barney opens the Bro's life magazine to page 83 - he always uses the number 83.
- The sign for MacLaren's Pub is missing during the episode.
- On Marshall's pie chart on bars, Walleye Saloon from "Little MinnesotaLittle Minnesota"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.- Plot :...
" is not on the chart. - Marshall's figures are false because he estimated the sexual activity of Barney at 16 years. We know that his sexual life began at 23 and he reached 200 partners near to 33. This means he only had 10 years of sexual activity and he could only have 10400 partners through these years. His success rate would be 1.9%.
- This episode is the second and so far last instance of one of the five principal cast members failing to appear in an episode: Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
was absent due to her real-life pregnancy.
Cultural references
- On one of Marshall's diagrams, he points out, that on the one side are "people who are breaking my heart" and on the other "who are shaking [his] confidence daily". "And in the middle: Cecilia". This clearly is a reference to Simon and GarfunkelSimon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
s Cecilia. Since the songs first lines are: "Cecilia, you're breaking my heart / You're shaking my confidence daily". - On one of Marshall's other diagrams, it shows his favorite bars. The Top 2 are MacLaren’s (30%) and McGee’s (28%). McGee’s is the bar on which MacLaren’s is based and it is on 55th Street in New York. More real bars are mentioned: "P & G" bar (27%), "White Horse TavernWhite Horse Tavern (New York City)The White Horse Tavern, located in New York City's borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is known for its 1950s and 1960s Bohemian culture. It is one of the few major gathering-places for writers and artists from this period in Greenwich Village that remains open...
" (12%) and "King Cole BarKing Cole BarThe King Cole Bar is an upscale cocktail lounge in The St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.Many mixologists believe the Bloody Mary made its first U.S. appearance in the King Cole Bar. The drink was then called "The Red Snapper," after originally being invented by Fernand Petiot at Harry's New...
" (3%). - Barney argues you can't have "too much of a good thing" and references Steve Gutenberg and the Police Academy films as an example.
- Marshall notes that Barney's success rate with women is lower than the batting average of Jim AbbottJim AbbottJames Anthony Abbott is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played despite having been born without a right hand. He played for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999.He graduated from Flint Central High School and...
a baseball player (and, as Marshall stressed, a pitcher) born without a right hand. - The opening monologue of Future Ted makes use of the Chaos TheoryChaos theoryChaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
principle known as the Butterfly EffectButterfly effectIn chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state...
. - Matthew Panning mentions that, as a child, he had lied about having a pet EwokEwokEwoks originate from the Star Wars films. In the series, they are a species of teddy-bear-like hunter-gatherers that inhabit the forest moon of Endor. The Ewoks live in various tree-huts and primitive dwellings. They first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
. This refers to the creatures from Return of the Jedi.
Production
Writer Chris Harris used to work on Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
alongside the creators of How I Met Your Mother Craig Thomas and Carter Bays. In this episode, Harris used a bit originally written for Letterman's "Charts and Graphs" section that was never used.
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 8.5 out of 10.