Big Days

"Big Days"
File:Big Days Screenshot.png

"Big Days" is the first episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 113th episode overall. It originally aired on September 20, 2010.

Plot

Future Ted pontificates on the important days in a relationship: "the day you meet the girl of your dreams, and the day you marry her." The audience is shown a church backyard, where Marshall brings Ted a beer, both men dressed in tuxedos. Marshall notices Ted is nervous by his habit of ripping the beer bottle labels. Flashing back to the present day at MacLaren's, Barney notices Ted doing the same thing as he sits grading papers. Amidst his work, Ted is nervous about a girl at the bar he wants to approach, and Barney boosts his confidence before calling "dibs."

While they argue, Robin walks into the bar, disheveled with a burger and a bag of fries. After being left by Don, she has sunk into a depression, even going as far as to swear Ted to not sleep with her (which he finds easier in her current state). After a bit of heckling from Barney, Robin cleans up and struts into the bar in a sun dress, showing off her skill before waving off a guy who hits on her.

Ted notices the girl he has been watching is standing next to Cindy (Rachel Bilson), the girl he had briefly dated from his school, and whose roommate Future Ted says is the eponymous mother. After their one date, Cindy had treated him badly when they met during the school day. Ted assumes that the woman at the bar is Cindy's roommate, and is desperate to meet her. Cindy sees Ted and takes him aside, thanking him for helping her realize what she was looking for, and invites him to say goodbye to her before he leaves.

Ted struts up to the two ladies, assuming he is going to be introduced to the woman he thinks is Cindy's roommate, but the two women kiss, and Ted realizes that it is not Cindy's roommate (Future Ted tells his kids that although he didn't meet their mother, Cindy and the woman did become mothers anyway as they ended up having a daughter). Then, he tells his children that he met their mother at a wedding. The scene flashes forward to a wedding: the church backyard seen earlier in the episode with Ted and Marshall. Ted admits to Marshall that he is nervous about his toast at the wedding and he wants it to be perfect. It is also revealed that Ted is the best man, and is called in by Lily. It starts to rain, and Ted says that he doesn't have an umbrella.

Meanwhile, in the present, Marshall and Lily show up at MacLaren's, arguing about trying to get pregnant. Lily had set a romantic evening at home, with candles and banjo music, but when she finds out that Marshall has told his father that they are trying, Lily freaks out about how invasive Marvin Eriksen is. Marshall argues that his father is a part of his life and deserves to know, but Lily can't stand Mr. Eriksen's constant calls and domineering personality. (Barney mentions that if he knew his father's phone number, he'd be calling him all the time, before turning his focus elsewhere.) Lily goes after Marshall, and the two reconcile, agreeing that his father is somewhat insane and very enthusiastic, just like Marshall. They both then head upstairs.

Music

• "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" by George Harrison plays when Ted and Marshall talk outside the church.
• "Run Off the Road" by Ola Podrida plays near the end, when Cindy and her girlfriend are kissing.

Continuity

• Robin is currently in a post-break-up state, following the end of her relationship with Don Frank from the season 5 finale "Doppelgangers."
• Marshall and Lily are attempting to get pregnant, following their conjugal decision from "Doppelgangers."
• The banjo music that is played is the instrumental of the "Bang, Bang, Bangity Bang" song composed by Marshall in "Of Course."
• Cindy, a grad student at Ted's school, went on a date with Ted in the Season 5 episode "Girls Versus Suits."
• Barney attempts to tell another fake historical tale to justify his behavior, claiming that the word "dibs" comes from a 17th century captain, Sir Walter Dibs. In "The Goat," Barney cites the story of Barnabas Stinson and the Bro Code, set amidst the American Revolution. In "Hooked," Barney uses a historical evolution of the "hot girl profession" from the Stone Age, to World War I, and the Age of Flight.
• A GNB colleague says to Marshall, "Sink that spud, Big Fudge," referring to his skee ball alias revealed in the Season 5 episode "Jenkins."
• Lily's estranged relationship with Marshall's family is shown here, as was previously noted in "Belly Full of Turkey."
• Since their marriage, Lily hasn't changed her last name to Eriksen. She let Marshall's family know about in "Belly Full of Turkey," and it was brought up again during her first dance with Marshall in "Something Blue."
• Lily has previously poked Marshall's strange closeness with his family in "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap."
• Marshall's "close relationship" with his father and how he perceived his upbringing was touched upon in "Murtaugh."
• Barney's apparent father issues were lightly touched upon in this episode. This was brought up in "Showdown" and in "Not a Father's Day."
• It has always been an internal debate among Marshall, Ted, and Barney, as to who is each other's best friend and best man. Whenever one appears to be favored over the other, they all react with a "Whoa." This was seen in multiple occasions such as in the "Pilot episode," "Bachelor Party," "How I Met Everyone Else," "Shelter Island," and "Woooo!." Barney also raises his voice as part of rebutting others' claims against him being Ted's best friend.
• Whenever betting or payment is involved, Barney always asks for denominations in the thousands to the hundred thousands, such as in "Monday Night Football" and "I Heart NJ."
• While Ted talks to Cindy, Future Ted voices over and says that he had expected a "savage beating." In season one's "Return of the Shirt," Ted is mercilessly beaten by Natalie after he dumps her.
• Marshall has a special weakness for Lily, and is unable to make logical arguments nor focus mentally, such as in "Bagpipes" and "Brunch."
• Marshall's assumption about Lily and a "big package" was referred to in the Season one episode "Life Among the Gorillas."
• Ted rips the labels on beer bottles when he is nervous. In "Dowisetrepla", Ted reveals that Lily does the same thing with water bottles when she is feeling guilty.
• In the season finale "Challenge Accepted" it is revealed whose wedding they are attending.

Barney's blog

In his blog, Barney contemplates the changes in women's attire due to upcoming cold seasons of the year.

Cultural references

• Cindy's date was reading Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh at the bar while her shields were up.
• Barney's comment "Are you there, Barney? It's me, horny" references Judy Blume's book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
• Marshall tells Lily he's been "Saving all my love for you", referencing the similar-titled 1960s hit by The Beatles from her debut album.
• When Marshall gets out of his office to a crowd at work cheering on his impending sex, he shouts "Can you dig it?", referencing the same phrase from the 1979 film The Warriors, where another crowd went wild at an orator's words.
• Barney's description of Robin having squiggly lines drawn all over her and her appearance refers to Peanuts character Pig-Pen.

Critical response

Donna Bowman of The AV Club gave the episode a B+ score. She said that the episode put in the show's "core competencies in a shrewdly calculated package," citing flash-forwards to the day Ted meets the Mother and how other elements could have a role in making it happen.

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a rating of 8.5 out of 10.

DeAnn Welker of Television Without Pity gave the episode a B+.

External links

• Big Days at IMDb