Disaster Averted

"Disaster Averted"

"Disaster Averted" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 145th episode overall. It aired on November 7, 2011.

Plot

Barney has grown tired of his Ducky Tie and makes up a fake story in order to hide the fact that he has thrown the tie away. However, it is foiled when Lily enters the bar holding the tie.

While at the bar, Kevin notices a sign out the front of MacLaren's saying "No boogie boarding", which leads the gang to tell him the story of what happened to them during Hurricane Irene. Ted had planned to have his friends ride out the hurricane in his house out of the city, but Barney convinces them to stay in his house, much to Ted's chagrin, saying that the storm is nothing to worry about. Lily and Barney eventually get calls from their parents asking if they are all right, and Robin grows jealous because her father has not called her. When she denies this, Barney fake calls Robin as her dad to prove her jealousy. Ted tells Barney he can't come to his house, as he found a girl in the hallway and said she could take Barney's place, causing everyone to fight over who gets to go or stay. Ted finally says that he is going to go by himself. Marshall turns on the TV just in time to call Ted back to hear Mayor Bloomberg's speech saying that the evacuation time has passed and that everyone must go inside and wait out the storm.

Marshall had no health insurance during that time because of his unemployment. He was seeing death everywhere and refused to go alone anywhere without Lily because he thought he would be attacked by a bear. Lily had complained that he is not giving her enough alone time and that all she wants to do is sit in the bath and read a book. That night, Marshall poured Lily a bath and told her to have a little alone time. Lily said she wanted Marshall to stay and they ended up conceiving their baby boy in Barney's bathroom.

Meanwhile at the bar, Kevin has pointed out that since Barney had not complained about the Ducky Tie in weeks, there must be an agenda to Barney's offer of letting Marshall slapping him in return for being allowed to take the tie off. Kevin hypothesizes that he has to impress someone and deduces that Barney is going to meet Nora's parents, which Barney reveals happens in two days. Lily and Marshall agree that Barney can take off the tie but he must gain an extra 3 slaps to his already existing final slap. Marshall delivers two of the slaps, with two still remaining.

In the end, it is shown that the gang had gone out after the end of the hurricane and played around in the rain, which led to Marshall going boogie boarding and eventually crashing through MacLarens' front windows, thus the warning sign against boogie boarding. Robin and Barney decide to share a cab home and they reminisce about the moment after Marshall's accident when they had almost kissed but Robin's dad had called her. They make fun of what could have happened and eventually end up kissing.

Continuity

• In the episode Slap Bet, Barney loses a bet involving Robin's past. Lily, the designated "Slap Bet Commissioner", gives Marshall the option of 10 immediate slaps or 5 to be doled out anytime "from now till eternity", pending Barney's preference. Barney chose the five, which, by the time of this episode, four have been given. However, Marshall gives Barney the opportunity to take off the Ducky Tie in exchange for 3 more slaps, which adds up to 8 in total, meaning four slaps remain to be given. Marshall slaps Barney twice in a row; thus, he has two slaps left.
• Ted uses the phrase "therapisted" and "boy scouted", Marshall often uses the phrase "lawyered".
• Lily is not pregnant in the flashback scenes so she is seen drinking with the gang. In scenes set in the "present," she is shown drinking water.
• In this episode it is revealed that Lily and Marshall made their baby in Barney's bathroom during Hurricane Irene in August 2011. However, Lily is already pregnant in the last episode of season 6 ("Challenge Accepted") which aired on May 16, 2011 before Hurricane Irene.

Music

• "Hey" by Pixies

Cultural references

• Barney says, "I'm going to like the way I look. I guarantee it." This is a reference to Men's Wearhouse.

External Links

The Slapbet Countdown