Third Wheel
Encyclopedia
"Third Wheel" is the third episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
and 47th overall. It originally aired on October 8, 2007.
calls Barney
from the bathroom in MacLaren's to explain that he is about to "go for the belt", which Barney cannot believe. Half an hour previously we see Barney and Marshall
playing tennis on the Nintendo Wii
and Ted, 'suited up' and about to leave, tries to get them to come with him. Engrossed in their game, Barney and Marshall say they will follow shortly.
Robin
and Lily
are also dressed up; Lily explains she got the boots Robin is wearing in a shoe sale "footwear feeding frenzy", but after asking if the boots are a bit high for her dress, Robin explains her new 'no shave' policy, which Barney ridicules.
Ted calls Barney from the bar, but the guys can't make it down due to their tennis tournament. Ted then runs into Trudy from "The Pineapple Incident
" and, while chatting, Trudy's competitive sorority sister
Rachel appears and joins in.
Ted calls Barney again to explain the situation that's arising and to ask which girl he should go for. Lily takes Barney's phone and tells Ted she will come down to see and let him know, but when she arrives she says that both are giving him the green light. Meanwhile, Robin is on a date with a British
surgeon
and flirting to comical proportions, but then she calls Lily and tells her to bring a razor, as she is about to break her 'no shave' policy.
Rachel and Trudy insinuate to Ted about their plans for a threesome
(or as Ted puts it, "tricycle") and Ted explains to Lily and Marshall about the ongoing competition between himself and Barney for 'the belt', a replica wrestling
belt that Barney bought some time ago, which would be awarded to the first one to pull off 'the tricycle'. Marshall is upset he wasn't included in the tricycle competition and tries to convince everyone he could win, while Rachel, Trudy and Ted decide to head up to the apartment.
Robin calls Lily again to ask for a razor but Lily cannot leave the apartment due to Ted's situation, and so Robin is forced to pay $
50 to a waitress at the restaurant to get her a razor from a nearby pharmacy
.
Ted tells Barney, Lily & Marshall that he is bringing the girls upstairs, so they hide in Ted's room. Ted goes to hang up the girls' coats but runs into the rest of the gang in his room, where Barney attempts to sabotage Ted's plans and insists that the belt is his birth-right.
Barney tells the story of how he almost "rode the tricycle" the year before, but a spilled glass of red wine scuppered his chances. As Ted protests about Barney's interference, Lily takes a closer look at the girls and recognises Rachel from the earlier shoe sale incident as the girl who snatched a pair of boots from Lily's grasp.
On Robin's date, the waitress gives Robin a razor but without any shaving cream
, and so she is forced to improvise in the bathroom with some butter
. She slips and knocks herself out on the bathroom floor, leaving her date waiting outside.
As Rachel and Trudy attempt to step things up with Ted, he suffers an attack of nerves and tries to end things abruptly. When he confronts the gang in his bedroom, Barney defends Ted's actions by explaining that this problem is not uncommon and is actually what ended his "tricycle" efforts the previous year; the nerves provoked him to deliberately spill the wine and run out.
Seeing the opportunity Ted has, Barney decides to coach him into winning the belt and tells Ted to open proceedings with a foot massage and then use "the mortality angle", but by the time he leaves the bedroom the girls appear to be gone. When he hears giggling coming from Lily and Marshall's room, Ted peers in then enters with a smile on his face.
Cutting to the next day in the bar, Barney, Ted, Lily and Marshall are discussing the night, and Barney demands to know what happened. Ted will not divulge any information (even when physically offered the belt), which annoys Barney to no end.
The final scene recaps events at the restaurant the previous night, where Robin's date asks the waitress to check if Robin is still in the bathroom. Peering in to see Robin sprawled, semi-conscious on the floor, she tells him no one is in there and the window is open. Seizing the moment, the waitress then leaves with Robin's date and Robin finally comes out of the bathroom to try and salvage the night, only to note that her head is bleeding, before collapsing 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 47th overall. It originally aired on October 8, 2007.
Plot
TedTed 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...
calls 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...
from the bathroom in MacLaren's to explain that he is about to "go for the belt", which Barney cannot believe. Half an hour previously we see Barney and 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...
playing tennis on the Nintendo Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Ted, 'suited up' and about to leave, tries to get them to come with him. Engrossed in their game, Barney and Marshall say they will follow shortly.
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 :...
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...
are also dressed up; Lily explains she got the boots Robin is wearing in a shoe sale "footwear feeding frenzy", but after asking if the boots are a bit high for her dress, Robin explains her new 'no shave' policy, which Barney ridicules.
Ted calls Barney from the bar, but the guys can't make it down due to their tennis tournament. Ted then runs into Trudy from "The Pineapple Incident
The Pineapple Incident
"The Pineapple Incident" is the 10th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 28, 2005...
" and, while chatting, Trudy's competitive sorority sister
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
Rachel appears and joins in.
Ted calls Barney again to explain the situation that's arising and to ask which girl he should go for. Lily takes Barney's phone and tells Ted she will come down to see and let him know, but when she arrives she says that both are giving him the green light. Meanwhile, Robin is on a date with a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and flirting to comical proportions, but then she calls Lily and tells her to bring a razor, as she is about to break her 'no shave' policy.
Rachel and Trudy insinuate to Ted about their plans for a threesome
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
(or as Ted puts it, "tricycle") and Ted explains to Lily and Marshall about the ongoing competition between himself and Barney for 'the belt', a replica wrestling
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
belt that Barney bought some time ago, which would be awarded to the first one to pull off 'the tricycle'. Marshall is upset he wasn't included in the tricycle competition and tries to convince everyone he could win, while Rachel, Trudy and Ted decide to head up to the apartment.
Robin calls Lily again to ask for a razor but Lily cannot leave the apartment due to Ted's situation, and so Robin is forced to pay $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50 to a waitress at the restaurant to get her a razor from a nearby pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
.
Ted tells Barney, Lily & Marshall that he is bringing the girls upstairs, so they hide in Ted's room. Ted goes to hang up the girls' coats but runs into the rest of the gang in his room, where Barney attempts to sabotage Ted's plans and insists that the belt is his birth-right.
Barney tells the story of how he almost "rode the tricycle" the year before, but a spilled glass of red wine scuppered his chances. As Ted protests about Barney's interference, Lily takes a closer look at the girls and recognises Rachel from the earlier shoe sale incident as the girl who snatched a pair of boots from Lily's grasp.
On Robin's date, the waitress gives Robin a razor but without any shaving cream
Shaving cream
Shaving cream is a substance that is applied to the face or wherever else hair grows, to provide lubrication and avoid razor burn during shaving. Shaving cream is often bought in a spray can, but can also be purchased in tubs or tubes. Shaving cream in a can is commonly dispensed as a foam or a gel...
, and so she is forced to improvise in the bathroom with some butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
. She slips and knocks herself out on the bathroom floor, leaving her date waiting outside.
As Rachel and Trudy attempt to step things up with Ted, he suffers an attack of nerves and tries to end things abruptly. When he confronts the gang in his bedroom, Barney defends Ted's actions by explaining that this problem is not uncommon and is actually what ended his "tricycle" efforts the previous year; the nerves provoked him to deliberately spill the wine and run out.
Seeing the opportunity Ted has, Barney decides to coach him into winning the belt and tells Ted to open proceedings with a foot massage and then use "the mortality angle", but by the time he leaves the bedroom the girls appear to be gone. When he hears giggling coming from Lily and Marshall's room, Ted peers in then enters with a smile on his face.
Cutting to the next day in the bar, Barney, Ted, Lily and Marshall are discussing the night, and Barney demands to know what happened. Ted will not divulge any information (even when physically offered the belt), which annoys Barney to no end.
The final scene recaps events at the restaurant the previous night, where Robin's date asks the waitress to check if Robin is still in the bathroom. Peering in to see Robin sprawled, semi-conscious on the floor, she tells him no one is in there and the window is open. Seizing the moment, the waitress then leaves with Robin's date and Robin finally comes out of the bathroom to try and salvage the night, only to note that her head is bleeding, before collapsing again.
Music
- "Passenger Side" by WilcoWilcoWilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
- BachBạchBạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
- Air on a G String.- The music that is playing in the background at the restaurant during Robin's date is the same music that Ted's blue instrument string quartet played in the first season finale.
Continuity
- When Ted first meets Trudy in McLaren's, this episode flashes back to "about two years ago" during "The Pineapple IncidentThe Pineapple Incident"The Pineapple Incident" is the 10th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 28, 2005...
", showing Ted making out with Trudy and holding that mysterious pineapple. - In "Brunch", Ted states that Barney always uses 83 percent when he makes up a statistic. Barney asks if the total age of the participants in the tricycle is under 83.
- Barney says that he's never "ridden the tricycle", but he tells Robin in "Bachelor Party" that he's been in a "ten-way".
- First reference to Lily's love of British accents. This is later seen in the episodes "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:...
" and "Robots Versus WrestlersRobots Versus Wrestlers"Robots Versus Wrestlers " is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 110th episode overall. It aired on May 10, 2010.- Plot :...
".
Cultural references
- After showing Ted "The Belt", Barney gives himself a crown for sleeping with one of the cast members from Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. - "The Belt" is represented by a replica of the Winged Eagle design wrestling championship belt from 1988–98, from the WWF ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
.
Critical response
- Donna Bowman of The AV Club rated the episode A-
- IGN gave the episode a rating of 8.3 out of 10. The review also mentions the extended scene that was posted on the official site, which was improvised by the actors after Ted says, "see you on the other side".