We're Not from Here
Encyclopedia
"We're Not From Here" is the 2nd episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
and 46th overall. It originally aired on October 1, 2007.
by insisting he will not die before writing it, forcing Marshall to knock on wood
, throw salt over his left shoulder, and spin around three times, before leaving.
Older Ted narrates that Robin needed time away following their break-up and we see her on vacation with Gael, saying she felt up-tight in New York. Back in the bar she claims to be a different person, but Barney says Robin is still the same, adding that she will realize this and dump Gael soon. When Gael joins them, the gang use big words in order to continue their conversation without letting on, which makes Gael asks if they are talking about baseball
.
Marshall writes his letter to Lily, pouring his heart (and tears) out over many pages. Once finished, he decides to read Lily's letter to him and is angry to discover it is not as heart-felt as his.
At the bar, Gael is surrounded by women while Ted and Barney lament how easy it is for Gael to get girls simply by being from out of town. This gives them the idea to pose as tourists outside MacLaren's and they strike up a conversation with two passing girls. The girls agree to show the guys around the following day and Barney suggests they meet up outside MacLaren's but the girls think it's a lame bar. Ted tries to defend his favourite watering hole, without revealing he is a New Yorker.
Inside, Lily asks Robin how things are going with Gael and Robin reveals she has become annoyed doing things at home that she loved on holiday, such as being hand-fed her food by Gael (dropping spaghetti
on her sofa) and him sweeping the table clear to make love (breaking her laptop
). Robin says she won't complain and go with the flow but when she is in the shower later, a strange Australia
n backpacker
(Damon Gameau
) uses her toilet. Robin goes to speak to Gael but discovers he has invited more backpackers to stay with them.
Marshall starts an argument with Lily over her loveless letter. They exchange a quick hug after Lily mentions this is their first fight as a married couple before Marshall continues to storm out.
The girls (Colleen and Lindsay) take Ted and Barney to a potato
restaurant. When the girls go to the bathroom, Ted says they have met the "two lamest New Yorkers of all time", but Barney convinces Ted to continue with the plan and the girls decide to take Ted and Barney to a friend's party.
Robin reveals she ate a marijuana
-laced Blueberry muffin one of the backpackers had baked, causing her to say some inappropriate things on the air. She tries to lay some ground-rules but the group are watching the television and so Robin decides to lie down as she is still "pretty baked".
Ted, Barney, Colleen and Lindsay are in a cab on their way to the party. Ted questions where they are going and is terrified to learn they are heading for the South Bronx. His fears are confirmed as they end up giving descriptions to the police of three guys who have apparently mugged
them.
Marshall quizzes Lily over why she couldn't write a love letter like he did and Lily states it is because she cannot bear to think about not being with him, and that he would just open the letter and read it as soon as she has finished writing anyway. Marshall promises he won't, so Lily agrees to write her letter, but Marshall asks her to make the letter dirty and slip in some polaroids
too.
Back on the street, Ted and Barney are invited back to the girls' place but Ted finally snaps when he finds out the girls are actually from New Jersey
. Ted chastises the girls about not being from New York and derides New Jersey. He tells them to go home, which they do getting a lift from the cops. Ted and Barney try to get the same courtesy but the police officer refuses by stating he is "Newark
, born and raised".
Robin is woken by the sound of bongo drum
s and confronts 'vacation Robin' in the living room who tells her that she has lost her way since coming home. Robin retorts by saying that her vacation self is boring, lame, and getting sand everywhere. As the two are about to kiss, Robin is really woken by drums and finds the group of travelers playing in the living room. She finally gets rid of them by brandishing her gun but the shouting wakes Gael and Robin tells him they have to break up.
Barney toasts the return of the real Robin while she mentions that 'vacation Robin' popped up in her dreams again and they went all the way as "that chick knows what I like", naturally intriguing Barney.
Lily finishes her letter and makes Marshall swear not to read it until she is dead. Older Ted narrates that he kept his promise until November 2029 when an older, balding Marshall opens the letter (implying that Lily has died) to find Lily's words telling him he is busted. Marshall calls Lily, older and very much alive, into his office and they argue. Marshall says Lily also broke her promise as there are no naked pictures in the envelope for him so Lily says she will take some photos but Marshall doesn't want ones of her now.
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 46th overall. It originally aired on October 1, 2007.
Plot
Lily & Marshall explain they are writing their 'death folders' containing useful information should either of them die and a letter to one another, but Marshall tells Ted and Barney that he forgot to write his letter. Ted and Barney play on Marshall's superstitious natureSuperstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
by insisting he will not die before writing it, forcing Marshall to knock on wood
Knocking on wood
Knocking on wood, or to touch wood refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore of literally touching/knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favourable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death.*In some countries,...
, throw salt over his left shoulder, and spin around three times, before leaving.
Older Ted narrates that Robin needed time away following their break-up and we see her on vacation with Gael, saying she felt up-tight in New York. Back in the bar she claims to be a different person, but Barney says Robin is still the same, adding that she will realize this and dump Gael soon. When Gael joins them, the gang use big words in order to continue their conversation without letting on, which makes Gael asks if they are talking about baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
.
Marshall writes his letter to Lily, pouring his heart (and tears) out over many pages. Once finished, he decides to read Lily's letter to him and is angry to discover it is not as heart-felt as his.
At the bar, Gael is surrounded by women while Ted and Barney lament how easy it is for Gael to get girls simply by being from out of town. This gives them the idea to pose as tourists outside MacLaren's and they strike up a conversation with two passing girls. The girls agree to show the guys around the following day and Barney suggests they meet up outside MacLaren's but the girls think it's a lame bar. Ted tries to defend his favourite watering hole, without revealing he is a New Yorker.
Inside, Lily asks Robin how things are going with Gael and Robin reveals she has become annoyed doing things at home that she loved on holiday, such as being hand-fed her food by Gael (dropping spaghetti
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour...
on her sofa) and him sweeping the table clear to make love (breaking her laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
). Robin says she won't complain and go with the flow but when she is in the shower later, a strange Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n backpacker
Backpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
(Damon Gameau
Damon Gameau
Damon Gameau is an Australian television and film actor, who has appeared in the Australian series Love My Way, and in a small role in the US series How I Met Your Mother, as well as the 2002 Australian film The Tracker....
) uses her toilet. Robin goes to speak to Gael but discovers he has invited more backpackers to stay with them.
Marshall starts an argument with Lily over her loveless letter. They exchange a quick hug after Lily mentions this is their first fight as a married couple before Marshall continues to storm out.
The girls (Colleen and Lindsay) take Ted and Barney to a potato
Baked potato
A baked potato, or jacket potato, is the edible result of baking a potato. When well cooked, a baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. It may be served with fillings and condiments such as butter, cheese or ham....
restaurant. When the girls go to the bathroom, Ted says they have met the "two lamest New Yorkers of all time", but Barney convinces Ted to continue with the plan and the girls decide to take Ted and Barney to a friend's party.
Robin reveals she ate a marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
-laced Blueberry muffin one of the backpackers had baked, causing her to say some inappropriate things on the air. She tries to lay some ground-rules but the group are watching the television and so Robin decides to lie down as she is still "pretty baked".
Ted, Barney, Colleen and Lindsay are in a cab on their way to the party. Ted questions where they are going and is terrified to learn they are heading for the South Bronx. His fears are confirmed as they end up giving descriptions to the police of three guys who have apparently mugged
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
them.
Marshall quizzes Lily over why she couldn't write a love letter like he did and Lily states it is because she cannot bear to think about not being with him, and that he would just open the letter and read it as soon as she has finished writing anyway. Marshall promises he won't, so Lily agrees to write her letter, but Marshall asks her to make the letter dirty and slip in some polaroids
Instant film
Instant film is a type of photographic film first introduced by Polaroid that is designed to be used in an instant camera...
too.
Back on the street, Ted and Barney are invited back to the girls' place but Ted finally snaps when he finds out the girls are actually from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Ted chastises the girls about not being from New York and derides New Jersey. He tells them to go home, which they do getting a lift from the cops. Ted and Barney try to get the same courtesy but the police officer refuses by stating he is "Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, born and raised".
Robin is woken by the sound of bongo drum
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
s and confronts 'vacation Robin' in the living room who tells her that she has lost her way since coming home. Robin retorts by saying that her vacation self is boring, lame, and getting sand everywhere. As the two are about to kiss, Robin is really woken by drums and finds the group of travelers playing in the living room. She finally gets rid of them by brandishing her gun but the shouting wakes Gael and Robin tells him they have to break up.
Barney toasts the return of the real Robin while she mentions that 'vacation Robin' popped up in her dreams again and they went all the way as "that chick knows what I like", naturally intriguing Barney.
Lily finishes her letter and makes Marshall swear not to read it until she is dead. Older Ted narrates that he kept his promise until November 2029 when an older, balding Marshall opens the letter (implying that Lily has died) to find Lily's words telling him he is busted. Marshall calls Lily, older and very much alive, into his office and they argue. Marshall says Lily also broke her promise as there are no naked pictures in the envelope for him so Lily says she will take some photos but Marshall doesn't want ones of her now.
Continuity
- In the flash forward to 2029 Marshall has a newspaper clip in his office with the caption "NYC Lawyer Captures Nessie", an allusion to his obsession with the Loch Ness MonsterLoch Ness MonsterThe Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
. - Ted strongly dislikes New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, even refusing to go there to have sex. Ted's dislike of New Jersey is explored further in the season 4 episode I Heart NJI Heart NJ"I Heart NJ" is the third episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 67th overall. It originally aired on October 6, 2008.- Plot :...
. - In the episode 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:...
, Marshall opens Lilly's Letter to Ted, which is a reference to his opening of the letter in her "death folder."
Continuity Error
- Lily's statement that the argument about the letters in their "death folders" is their first fight as a married couple is consistent with all (canonical) episodes of the series, however, it is contradicted by an apocryphal scene. In "Lily and Marshall's Honeymoon Videos," (shown first at http://www.marshallandlilywedding.com/ and later compiled on the Season 3 DVD) Lily and Marshall are seen fighting several times due to situations revolving around their honeymoon plans in Scotland and Marshall's obsession with forgoing these plans to remain at Loch Ness to keep a lookout for NessieLoch Ness MonsterThe Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
. Since the honeymoon took place immediately after the wedding reception in "Something Blue," and the events in "We're Not From Here" take place well after their return to New York, chronologically the arguments in Scotland would qualify as their first fight as a married couple, or at least predate the argument over the letters.
Cultural references
- When Robin brandishes her gun in front of the backpackersBackpacking (travel)Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
, one of them yells, "Michael Moore was so right about Americans!" He is referencing the 2002 documentary Bowling For ColumbineBowling for ColumbineBowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, directed, produced, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns...
directed by Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
which focused on gun crime in America. The character of Robin is actually Canadian.
Critical response
- Donna Bowman of The AV Club rated the episode C.
- Staci Krause of IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode 5.9 out of 10. This episode received the lowest rating from IGN from all of season 3.