Mystery vs. History

"Mystery vs. History"
How I Met Your Mother episode
Episode no.	Season 7 Episode 6
Directed by	Pamela Fryman
Written by	Jamie Rhonheimer
Production code	7ALH06
Original air date	October 17, 2011 (2011-10-17)
Guest stars
Kal Penn (Kevin) Ray Wise (Robin Sr) Amber Stevens (Janet) Eleanor Seigler (Mia) Rachel Sterling (Paula)
Season 7 episodes
The Best Man The Naked Truth Ducky Tie The Stinson Missile Crisis Field Trip Mystery vs. History Noretta The Slutty Pumpkin Returns Disaster Averted Tick, Tick, Tick... The Rebound Girl Queen of the Furrow

"Mystery vs. History" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 142nd episode overall. It aired on October 17, 2011.^[1]

Plot

When Ted decides to date a woman named Janet MacIntyre without researching her, Barney and Robin attempt to intervene by researching Janet for him, which he insists that they do not. Ted explains to Kevin that Robin and Barney have researched many of the women he dated in the past and ruined the relationships by revealing unappealing background information on them. Before his date with Janet, he makes a deal with her that they will not research each other on the Internet, which she agrees to.

In the meantime, Marshall and Lily recruit Barney, Robin, and Kevin to help paint the room for their baby. Though they have obtained the information on the sex of their baby, they choose not to open the envelope containing the information so that the baby's sex will be a surprise when it is born. Barney disagrees with their decision and tries to convince them to open the envelope, arguing that there are advantages to knowing what the child's sex will be. When everyone begins arguing about whether "mystery" is better, Kevin calls them out on their behavior. He admits that while he did not want to analyze them, he has noticed that everyone in their group is unreasonably close and have been meddling too much in each other's lives. While Kevin's assessment appears to be true, it causes a rift between him and Robin, which he attempts to make up for by offering to paint the rest of the room by himself.

During the painting session, Barney and Robin have insisted on continuing their research on Janet for Ted. Through their research, they learn a number of startling things about Janet which they attempt to share with Ted. Marshall eventually allows Barney to learn the sex of the baby if he does not tell him and Lily, but Barney eventually convinces them to look, only to rip the card in half and refuse to give the half with the information back to Lily and Marshall. Barney agrees to give it to them if they look at what he and Robin have learned about Janet. When Marshall gets the card, he and Lily are unable to firmly decide if they want to know, and Marshall ends up throwing the card out the window for the sake of "mystery."

Meanwhile, Ted is having trouble conversing with Janet without the use of the Internet during their date. Despite initial attempts to resist everyone's insistence that he should look her up on the Internet, he gives in and learns that she is extremely accomplished. Ted becomes nervous and Janet leaves him, recognizing that his sudden change in behavior means that he has learned about all her achievements and he has become intimidated like everyone else who dates her. After he rejoins his friends, Ted tells them that he regrets giving in and that he would rather have "mystery" over "history" for his future dates. When Ted puts his foot up on a stool, Marshall notices that the card he threw on the window had stuck to Ted's shoe; he and Lily learn that their baby will be a boy.

Continuity

• Barney is still wearing the Ducky Tie in this episode, continuing his bet with Marshall and Lily. In all the flashbacks that take place before the events of "Ducky Tie", he is shown wearing one of his normal ties.
• Ted mentions his parents' divorce, which happened in "Brunch."
• Robin started dating Kevin in "Field Trip."
• "Last Cigarette Ever" previously revealed that Lily and Marshall have a son.
• Barney exclaims, "They're six minutes into the date; Ted's probably already told her that he loves her!" This references Ted and Robin's first date in "Pilot," as well as Ted's reputation of moving too quickly with women he is interested in, and also "The Mosby," a term coined in "The Leap."
• Robin's flashback to her fourteenth birthday references her father raising her as a boy, first revealed in "Happily Ever After." Two years later, she "moved in with her mother, grew her hair out, and became a teen pop star in Canada" (first mentioned in "Slap Bet").
• The song "Murder Train" by the Foreskins, which is first referenced in "Sandcastles in the Sand," makes a return in this episode. The flashbacks used in the song detail all physical altercations shown in the series so far, including all four "slap bet" slaps, Ted's low blow from "The Goat and Marshall's fight with his brothers from "The Fight".

Barney's blog

Barney lists some tips on how to dress a baby.^[2]

Cultural References

• The opening is a spoof on the opening credits of another CBS program, Person of Interest.
• In the opening spoof, "Alicia P." is shown to have Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby) as one of her favorite actors.
• Throughout the episode, the cast members proclaim that they just "gots to know," in reference to Dirty Harry.
• The credits in Barney's presentation show that it was directed by McG.
• The movie Annie Hall and its director Woody Allen are mentioned several times by Ted, Janet and Robin.
• When teasing Marshall and Lily, Barney says, "Twins was the feel-good movie of 1988."
• Lily reveals that when she gets lonely while waiting for Marshall to come back, she will watch Survivor without him.

Reception

Donna Bowman of the AV Club gave the episode a B+,^[3] whereas Chris O'Hara of TV Fanatic gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Shows A-Z - how i met your mother on cbs". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/how-i-met-your-mother/listings/. Retrieved October 6, 2011. 
2. ^ http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/barneys_blog/70512/
3. ^ "Review of "Mystery vs. History" at AV CLUB". AV Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/mystery-vs-history,63482/. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 
4. ^ "Review of "Mystery vs. History" at TV FANATIC". TV Fanatic. http://www.tvfanatic.com/2011/10/how-i-met-your-mother-review-mystery-vs-history/. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 

External links

• Promotional Photos for the episode Mystery vs. History at CBS Express