Baby Talk (How I Met Your Mother)

"Baby Talk (How I Met Your Mother)"

"Baby Talk" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 115th episode overall. It aired on October 4, 2010.

Plot

Marshall and Lily visit Stuart and Claudia, who are experiencing trouble naming their newborn baby. Lily and Marshall try to come up with baby names on their own - Marshall with boy names, which Lily reject because of her past experiences with troublemaking kindergartener boys, and Lily with girl names, which Marshall rejects as a man knowing that men will objectify her. One of these fantasies of the future includes an old Barney hitting on and subsequently marrying their daughter. Marshall, worried that he might have to raise a daughter, not knowing how to raise her right, consults his father on how to ensure that his child will be male. What he doesn't realize is that Lily has been searching for ways to make sure their child will be female.

Meanwhile, Becky, Robin's new, overly cheery anchor at "Come On, Get Up New York," reveals that she has begun dating Ted. Robin takes issue with Ted dating a girl who uses baby talk, while Ted, Barney, and Marshall defend girls using baby talk as a way for men to feel more manly and protective. Robin states that that would never fly with a man using baby talk, and Barney takes that statement as a challenge. While Barney tries and fails the "baby talk" play, Robin finds out that Ted finds dependent girls attractive and found Robin's own independence and assertiveness during their relationship off-putting. Taken aback by this revelation, Robin goes to Barney to ask his opinion on whether he felt that he was needed by Robin during their relationship, to which he responds that he had loved Robin's independence and thought it was awesome. Robin, gratified by this, points out that there is a crazy woman in his apartment - she turns out to have come by Barney as he was indulging himself in ice cream, and responding to her in a childish manner, immediately seduced Barney. Barney asks for Robin's help to get rid of the woman, and she responds by sauntering into the apartment, casually grabbing Barney's samaurai sword, and heading into Barney's bedroom.

Continuity

• Lily's first appearance in "Pilot" included her arriving at the apartment with a purple painted handprint on her white shirt.
• Robin is complaining about her co-anchor Becky from "Subway Wars"

Cultural References

• Lily's wanting to name her potential future child Tara is a reference to Tara Maclay from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".