How I Met Your Mother: Episode 8.14 "Ring Up" Recap

 

Well… this week’s episode was a bit of a disappointment for some fans – particularly for those who were certain the mother would be Barney‘s sister Carly. We (and Ted) finally got to meet Carly (played by Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson) – though her appearance now means that Ted won’t meet her for the first time at Barney and Robin’s wedding.

But before we get to that, let’s go over what led up to that revelation. Ted (Josh Radnor) meets up with the gang at MacLaren’s and wants them to come outside to meet his new girlfriend. Why do they have to go outside MacLaren’s to meet her, you ask? Ted‘s new girlfriend won’t be old enough to enter a bar for another six [and a half] months. Naturally, the gang is anxious to meet her – but she ends up having to leave just before they can get outside.

Ted continues to go on dates with this girl, but soon realizes that he has nothing in common with her. He also confesses that he has a hard time understanding what she’s saying – thanks to their age gap – and he thinks she’s only after him because she has “grand-daddy” issues. Just when Ted is about to break up with his new, young girlfriend, Barney interferes and demands that Ted sleep with her so that Barney can also sleep with her – vicariously, or something. [It’s Barney, so I guess these things don’t have to make sense.]

Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) admits to Ted that he is having a hard time accepting the fact that Robin (is going to be the only woman he sleeps with from now on. He’s fine with it because he loves Robin, but he says he’s having “One Night Stand” withdrawals [which I guess can be a thing…]. Ted agrees to try and find something in common with the girl so that he can “bang” her for Barney.

So, Ted eventually manages to find something in common with the new girl: Star Wars. [Let’s face it, with this show, what else would they make the two have in common?] Needless to say, the two “bang,” and Ted tells Barney all about it later on while Barney goes through Ted‘s cell phone pictures to see what the girl looks like.

Unfortunately for Barney, it turns out that Ted‘s 20-year-old girlfriend is actually Carly – Barney’s half-sister. Barney storms off, only to call Ted to apologize and invite him over to his place. Ted stops by and discovers that Barney has planned a wedding for him and Carly. It’s at this point that Ted – and thus Barney – realize that, because Barney is disgusted at the idea of a one-night stand, Barney is no longer in withdrawal.

Robin, for her part, has to come to terms with the fact that her engagement ring basically makes her invisible to other men. [I’m not sure who thought that would be a good storyline, but I guess they had to come up with some sort of conflict for her]. Anyway, she got a musical number out of it, which we all enjoy [and now we know the story behind Cobie Smulders’ TwitPic]. Eventually, Marshall and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) convince her that the trade-off [being with the one person in all the world that you love] is worth it.

Oh – and Lily and Marshall (Jason Segel) try out a little minor role-playing, in a manner of speaking, to spice up their sex life. All that came of it was Marshall getting a rash [not THAT kind of rash – he had an allergic reaction to leather] and Lily ordering Mom jeans [it turns out Marshall fantasizes about his mom – I guess].

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There won’t be a new episode next week. How I Met Your Mother will return with a new episode on Monday, February 4, 2013 at 8/7pm CST on CBS. The good news? Robin Sparkles will be there!

Episode 8.15 “P.S. I Love You” Synopsis: Barney discovers a lost episode of a behind-the-music show that features Canadian teen singing sensation Robin Sparkles, and includes a new video and another intriguing revelation from her past. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily suspect that Ted’s new girlfriend is a stalker.