Double Date (How I Met Your Mother)

"Double Date"
How I Met Your Mother episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 2
Directed by	Pamela Fryman
Written by	Matt Kuhn
Production code	5AlH02
Original air date	September 28, 2009
Guest stars
Alyssa Smith (April) Lindsay Sloane (Jen) Clyde Tull (Minister Giles) Rizwan Manji (Dr. Vikash) Molly Prather (Judy)
Season 5 episodes
Definitions Double Date Robin 101 The Sexless Innkeeper Duel Citizenship Bagpipes The Rough Patch The Playbook Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap The Window Last Cigarette Ever Girls Versus Suits Jenkins Perfect Week Rabbit or Duck Hooked Of Course Say Cheese Zoo or False Home Wreckers Twin Beds Robots Versus Wrestlers The Wedding Bride Doppelgangers

"Double Date" is the second episode of season 5 of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 90th episode overall. It originally aired on September 28, 2009.

Plot

Future Ted describes a date he went on in 2009, and the screen quickly changes to show a side-by-side shot of him preparing in 2009 and 2002. It turns out that Ted is about to go on a blind date with Jen, a woman he went on another blind date with in 2002.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang grapples with relationship questions. Though Barney claims to have tickets to a Chewbacca exhibit, which Marshall is genuinely excited about, they instead head to the Lusty Leopard strip bar, where Marshall is uncomfortable because he considers fantasies cheating. He explains to Barney that every time he wants to fantasize, he must create an elaborate scenario where Lily must die of a terminal illness. While they discuss this, Jasmine — a stripper who looks exactly like Lily — appears on stage, exciting Barney to no end.

After going to exactly the same restaurant and exchanging the same dialogue, including a pun that Jen describes as "really bad", Ted and Jen realize they are repeating their blind date from seven years ago. They remember that the date was horrible, from Ted's snobbish behavior to Jen's obsession with her cats and her ex-boyfriend. Frightened by the prospect of having to date everyone in New York again, they decide to retrace their steps to find the mistakes of the first date.

Barney and Marshall return to MacLaren's and tell them about Lily's doppelgänger. It is also revealed that the gang has seen two other doppelgängers; a butch "Lesbian Robin", and "Mustache Marshall", Hispanic lawyer Señor Justicia. Lily is excited about the find, but Robin gets mad about Barney going to a strip club. He makes Marshall tell Lily about his death fantasies that he uses to justify thinking about other women.

Learning new things about themselves on the first date, Ted and Jen head to MacLaren's, where the gang is there to help them retrace the events of the 2002 date. Jen reveals that she thought Ted was checking out a woman at the bar, when Ted and Barney were really looking at "Mustache Marshall". Ted and Jen head up to the roof, and after they share a kiss they suddenly realize why they never had another date: Ted never called her. Ted apologizes for his blunder and both ponder what would have happened had they got together.

Lily tells Marshall she's fine with him thinking about other women, at least as long as she's alive in the fantasy. She takes Marshall back to the strip club to fantasize about her doppelgänger to get over his discomfort. Barney and Robin go too, where everyone recognizes him, stoking Robin's anger. She tells Barney how uncomfortable the thought of him going to a strip club makes her, but he ignores her. Lily is so enthralled by her stripper twin that she and Marshall get a private dance. Robin wants to have a serious talk about the relationship, but Barney remains oblivious.

Before Ted and Jen can kiss again on the roof, he stops and realizes that their quirks are part of who they are and that they should hold out for someone who'll not just tolerate them, but like them. Future Ted then tells his kids that when he told a pun to their mother on their first date, she laughed (almost completely sincerely).

Back at the strip club, Marshall comments to Lily that Jasmine is having trouble on stage. When "Lily" responds with a thick accent and cigarette in hand, "Jasmine" falls on stage and he goes to help her.

Music

• "Rewind" by Goldspot
• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is the ringtone on Jen's phone, only the music is made up of cats meows.^[1]

Continuity

• The flashbacks to 2002 show Ted's goatee, which is shown when Barney met Ted ("Pilot" and "How I Met Everyone Else").
• "Stripper Lily" was the third doppelgänger they've met. Previously they met "Lesbian Robin" and "Mustache Marshall". Future Ted says that by the following summer they would find the remaining two doppelgängers. In "Robots Versus Wrestlers", Barney, Lily, and Marshall see Mexican Wrestler Ted. Barney's doppelgänger appears in season 6 episode 13 "Bad News".
• Robin was not present in the flashback sequence when the blind date meets Ted's friends, because he only met her in 2005 and the date took place in 2002.
• Lily's hiccup problem present in Marshall's fantasy was previously shown in "Old King Clancy".

Cultural references

• Barney uses a Star Wars exhibition about the character Chewbacca to trick Marshall and Ted into going out for the night.^[1] Marshall asks if the original Chewbacca would be there Barney says Peter Mayhew will be there 'In the fur'
• Marshall mentions he'd like an "English to Wookiee" dictionary.
• One of Jen's cats is named "Tabagail Adams." This is a reference both to a tabby cat and to Abigail Adams.

Production

This episode was originally planned for season 4 but was shelved due to the complicated dual timeline. At the time the show had not yet been renewed for a fifth season.^[2]

Critical response

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club rated the episode with a grade A-.^[1]

Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 7.5 out of 10. He criticized the episode for its portrayal of Robin as a jealous girlfriend, although he praised the episode for the editing and character appropriate way Ted behaved on his double date.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Donna Bowman (2009-09-28). "How I Met Your Mother: Double Date". The AV Club. The Onion. http://www.avclub.com/articles/double-date,33460/. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
2. ^ Maureen Ryan (2009-04-10). "How 'How I Met Your Mother' dealt with 2 pregnant stars, and what's coming next on the comedy". Chicago Tribune. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/04/how-i-met-your-mother-cbs-alyson-hannigan.html. Retrieved 2010-04-12. 
3. ^ Brian Zoromski (2009-09-29). "How I Met Your Mother: Double Date Review. A third doppelganger and a trip to the Chewbacca Star Wars exhibit.". IGN (News Corporation). http://tv.ign.com/articles/102/1029397p1.html. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 

External links

• Double Date (How I Met Your Mother) at the Internet Movie Database
• Double Date (How I Met Your Mother) at TV.com