Game Night

Infobox Television episode


Caption= Playing Marshgammon
Title = Game Night
Series = How I Met Your Mother
Season = 1
Episode = 15
Airdate = February 27, 2006
Production = 1ALH14
Writer = Chris Harris II
Director = Pamela Fryman
Guests = David Henrie (Son), Lyndsy Fonseca (Daughter), Ashley Williams (Victoria), Marshall Manesh (Ranjit), Katie Walder (Shannon), Jason Thornton (Kevin), Michael McNeely (Child), Suzie Plakson (Mrs. Eriksen), Mark Derwin (Businessman)
Episode list =List of How I Met Your Mother episodes
Prev = Zip, Zip, Zip
Next = Cupcake

"Game Night" is the 15^th episode in the first season of the television series "How I Met Your Mother". It originally aired on February 27, 2006.

Plot

Any time Marshall, Lily, Ted, Robin, and Barney hold a game night together, Marshall always wins, no matter what the game is, and the others decide that he should always run game nights. Marshall decides to create his own game, known as Marshgammon, which few people understand (although a player must drink if they ask "What?"). Ted plans to bring Victoria along, and tells Marshall, Lily, and Barney not to scare Victoria off; all reluctantly promise not to try to ruin things, however, they end up trying their hardest. At game night, Marshall uses the game questions to find out more about Victoria, while Lily reveals that someone gave her a videotape to give to Barney, and once Barney figures out who it is, he panics, destroying a tape of Ted's graduation before Lily revealed that she had hidden the real tape. They watch it, and find a longer-haired, hippieish Barney, singing and playing a keyboard. Barney ejects the tape and walks out, and no one can find him.

Later, Barney meets all of them at the bar, and only tells his story once everyone else agrees to tell their embarrassing stories (which are told below). Barney reveals that he once worked in a coffee shop with his girlfriend Shannon. They had planned on going to Nicaragua with the Peace Corps, but Shannon backed out, saying that her father didn't want her to go. Barney came back, and found that she had begun seeing another guy, Greg, who was well off and dressed in suits all the time. Barney made the video and sent it to Shannon, but was humiliated by Greg, and left the coffee shop devastated. Barney then changed his appearance and lifestyle, getting a haircut, wearing suits, and discarding many ideas that he previously held. He then revealed that after he left Ted and Marshall's apartment, he went over to visit Shannon, and talked with her a bit. He found out that Greg since left her, she now had a son, and that her life had also changed a lot. Then, in typical Barney custom, he had sex with her, which he captured on video on his cell phone as proof. He also declared that his life rocked because he had money, suits, lots of one-night stands and didn't have a child to take care of. Barney leaves, and everyone decided that Barney had won game night, since he also had dirt on them now.

Marshall's Embarrassing Story

Marshall went to Lily's kindergarten classroom for a visit, but he had to use the bathroom. He went in, and sat down because "it was a smaller target than what I was used to." Marshall didn't realize that the other classroom used the same bathroom, and after he scared another student, he ran out, but did not pull his pants up. Lily and her class then came in, and saw Marshall lying on the floor with his pants down. Thus, Lily's students call him "Funnybutt" and even draw pictures of him, which even though the one shown later is a stick figure, it is given a noticeable butt.

Robin's Embarrassing Story

Also seen in the episode "Return of the Shirt," Robin falls into a pile of animal droppings after interviewing a gentleman who drove classic horse-drawn buggies. However, Barney, having witnessed the event on live TV, says that he already knows that one, and Robin does not tell another story.

Victoria's Embarrassing Story

Victoria's story involves a game of Truth or Dare, a squeeze bottle of marshmallow ice cream topping, and the hot tub at her grandparent's retirement community. However, older Ted cuts the story off, saying that it is inappropriate and not really all that great, but Marshall then exclaims that it actually is the greatest. Thus, the viewers don't know the story.

Lily's Embarrassing Story

Marshall and Lily had received cookies from Marshall's mother, which apparently contained Mayonnaise. Marshall's mom had called Lily to ask about the cookies, and Lily doesn't tell her how bad they actually were. Lily ends the conversation, but doesn't disconnect the line. Marshall walks in, and Marshall and Lily discuss how nasty Marshall's mom's cookies are, saying that they wished they had a dog to feed them to. They then engage in floor sex, since they had the whole apartment to themselves at that time, and when Lily realizes that the floors is cold, she tells Marshall to "grab the afghan your mom made for us." Marshall's mom, on the line the entire time, heard everything (and is even shown with scared looks on her face), which was embarrassing for both Marshall and Lily.

Ted's Embarrassing Story (or The Story of the Re-Return)

Ted tries to get away with telling a story known as the "Green Testicle story," which happened during college; however, Barney wants Ted to tell the story of the Re-Return because Ted told Barney not to ruin his relationship with Victoria. Thus, Ted is forced to tell the story, which happened right after the Pilot episode. He had gone back to the bar with Barney, Marshall, Lily, and Ranjit (the cab-driver) to have some drinks after Ted's date with Robin. Ted gets drunk, and decides to go up to Robin's apartment so that he can kiss her. However, when he gets up there, he throws up on her customized Scherbatsky doormat, and then runs. Robin comes to the door, and finds her doormat ruined, but has no clue Ted did it. However, since Robin hears the story, she now knows. This also causes an awkward situation, since Ted had not told Victoria he used to like Robin. However, it satisfies Barney, since it allows Barney to try to embarrass Ted in front of Victoria.

Notes

* The origin of Barney's "Suit up!" catchphrase is revealed to be a flyer advertising a sale on suits.
* Barney's use of catchphrases "legendary" and "peace out, hombre!" come from Shannon and Greg respectively.

Cultural references

* In the game night flashbacks, the group plays gin rummy, Yahtzee, and poker.
* Marshall's game "Marshgammon" contains elements of Candy Land, I Never, Pictionary, poker, Twister, and Taboo.
* Barney's transformation, in particular the shot of Barney tilting upward in a barber's chair, is a reference to "" and Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader.
*When Barney first flashes back, he is finishing Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me" on the coffeehouse piano. On the DVD, all traces of the song are edited out, presumably for licensing reasons.
* The watch Barney puts on in the 'Suiting Up' flashback is a Tag Heuer.

Continuity

* Katie Walder (Shannon) also played a character of the same name in a 2000 episode of All My Children
* In "Drumroll, Please" Barney lies to a bridesmaid about joining the Peace Corps, and this episode reveals that at one time Barney did, in fact, plan to join the Peace Corps.
* When Lily is on the phone with Marshall's mom, she is disgusted to find out that the cookies Marshall's mom sent contain mayonnaise. The episode "Belly Full of Turkey" establishes The Eriksens' love of mayonnaise when Marshall's mom gives Lily a salad recipe that calls for 16 cups of mayo.
* After Ted tells his Story of The Re-Return, Marshall calls him on the claim that he made in "The Pineapple Incident" that he has been "vomit-free since '93."

Barney's Blog

*In an update to his blog, Barney pitches his ideas for events to improve the Winter Olympics, such as Hot Tubbing and Figure Rating [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/barneys_blog/02_23.shtml .]
*In another update, inspired by his "reconnection" with Shannon, Barney lists several things that, although enjoyable in the 90's, suck now. This includes the Toronto Blue Jays, Vanilla Ice, Furbies, although Saved by the Bell is still awesome [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/barneys_blog/02_28.shtml .]
**Barney lists the American Pie films list as something the was good in the 90's but sucks now, specifically noting the "One time at Band Camp" line becoming used in pop-culture. HIMYM star, Alyson Hannigan was in the first 3 American Pie films, and it was her character who spawned that line.

Errors

* During the first Barney flashback, when Barney walks from the piano to Shannon he is wearing a white beaded necklace. After Shannon says that joining the Peace Corps will be legendary, Barney is no longer wearing the necklace. When Shannon walks away, the necklace reappears.

Recurring elements introduced in this episode

* Marshall is unbeatable at games

External links

* " [http://www.tv.com/how-i-met-your-mother/game-night/episode/617765/summary.html Game Night] " at TV.com
* " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0606107/ Game Night] " at IMDb