Gary Blauman

"Gary Blauman"

"Gary Blauman" is the 21st episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 205th episode overall.

Plot

Wednesday at 8 p.m., three days after Barney and Robin's wedding, Ted and the Mother are going out to dinner on their first date. When they decide not to go to the restaurant they had originally decided on, the Mother says they should just find a restaurant where they don't need a reservation. Ted tells her going somewhere without a reservation isn't easy through the story of Gary Blauman.

In the present, Blauman shows up a couple hours before the wedding begins and congratulates Robin. Robin pretends to be happy, but freaks out when she realizes that she didn't plan a seat for him. Marshall calms her down, telling her he will take care of it, as he is very good with wedding seating. However, Marshall realizes that it will be difficult to change the seating plan and recruits Ted to help so to avoid screwing up. Ted refuses since he hated Blauman ever since they competed for a girl once at a party. Lily comes in, saying she is grateful to Blauman after he stopped her from getting a huge tattoo on her back following her and Marshall's breakup.

The Mother stops Ted momentarily after spotting her ex-boyfriend in the distance. She tells Ted she recently had a bad breakup and doesn't want to date, but wants him to finish his story. In the present, the three go to Barney for the tie-breaking vote. Barney doesn't want him there either, as Blauman once stole four of Barney's fries at MacLaren's, including the accidental curly. Billy Zabka and James come in; Zabka wants him there, because Blauman appreciates his poetry, but James doesn't, as his affair with Blauman caused him to divorce his husband, Tom. Marshall ultimately makes the tie-breaking vote: Blauman stays because Robin wants him to. Barney then admits he already told Blauman to leave, forcing the gang to go after him.

The Mother cuts off the story again when they reach her apartment building. After exchanging goodbyes, Ted walks away as Future Ted says he didn't make the mistake he made eight years earlier during his first date with Robin, when he prematurely told her that he loves her. Much to Ted's relief, the Mother calls him back and asks him to finish the story.

In the present, the gang finds Blauman as he is about to drive away, leading Ted to realize that he must hold on to the people that matter most to him, as they could instantly disappear from his life. Future Ted then reveals the fates of many acquaintances he and his friends had met in his stories:

• Carl continued to run MacLaren's, with the bar becoming a family business after he had a son.
• Jeanette was arrested for her obsessive behavior and ended up getting together with her therapist, Robin's ex-boyfriend Kevin.
• Ranjit ended up getting rich off the stock market, and bought the limo company where he's worked for years.
• Patrice got her own drive-time radio show, and is regularly screamed at by her listeners, one of whom is Robin.
• Billy Zabka was honored with the American Humanities Medal for Literature for his poetry (becoming the youngest winner of the award).
• Zoey continued her environmentalism, supporting many causes (some questionable, as shown when she is attacked by a hawk she's trying to save).
• Scooter married Jasmine the stripper, obviously due to her resemblance to Lily.
• Blitz fought and beat a gambling addiction following a three-day bender at a slot machine (which paid off immediately after he left it).
• Ted doesn't know what happened to Blah Blah, but does remember that her name was Carol.
• Sandy Rivers' inappropriate behavior destroyed his career in the U.S., but he soon found work anchoring a Russian news program and never changed.
• James managed to convince his husband Tom to take him back, and the two enjoyed a very happy life together with their son and daughter.

The narration concludes with the return of Blauman, saying he doesn't want to miss the wedding. After finishing his story, Ted and the Mother have their first kiss.

Barney's Blog

Barney talks about etiquette when ordering appetizers with a bro, in light of what Blauman did.

Cultural references

• Ted tells the mother about a haggis enchilada.
• Zabka once again references his most famous movie, The Karate Kid.
• Ted's fascination with US President Teddy Roosevelt comes from a biography written by Milan Stitt. In the apartment scene with Blauman and the woman, Ted also refers to other events in Roosevelt's life such as the Rough Riders' charge atop San Juan Hill and his 1912 assassination attempt. Blauman sees Ted as William Howard Taft and he should sign the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act.
• Lily claims her breakup song was Sugar Ray's Fly and wanted a tattoo of Mark McGrath's face amidst butterflies.

Music

"Where Are They Now?" by The Kinks was played during the ending scene.

Critical reception

Bill Kuchman of Popculturology praised the episode, saying HIMYM "very effectively used the character [Gary Blauman] as an instrument to not only show us another slice of Ted and The Mother’s life together, but it also used Blauman as a device to assure fans that there were happy endings in the future for many of our favorite characters."

Donna Bowman of the AV Club graded the episode an A.

Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode 8.7/10, saying it delivered a sharp and enjoyable storyline that felt like a snapshot of the show's former glory.

External links

• Gary Blauman at IMDb