History Recap / HowIMetYourMotherS2E15LuckyPenny

* TicketLineCampout: Lily and Robin join a line for a massive sale at a bridal shop. The entire line is driven to madness when a car alarm goes off and blares through the night. When the owner shows up in the morning the entire line start throwing things at him in revenge.

** He invites Robin hot dogs with the money he got from the penny, spotting a Bridal Boutique on the way home.

** Marshall's accident initiates a bet with Barney that he can't run the marathon without training
** Finishing the marathon granted him free use of the subway train, and Barney gets paralized in the subway, literally unable to leave the train.
** Ted, trying to rescue him, ended up trespassing the metro and be cited to court on the day of the flight.

* ForWantOfANail: Ted concludes that if he hadn't picked up that Lucky Penny, he wouldn't have missed his flight.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Subverted. Marshall is disappointed that his months-long training is "wasted" since a broken toe means he can't run in the New York marathon. Barney on a whim volunteers to run in his place without any training, betting 50 dollars. He actually manages it, astonishing his friends. Then Barney's body gives out on the subway, which Marshall says was worth the money.

* MissedTheBus: Ted misses a plane to Chicago for a super important job interview. He thought it was his destiny to make it and get his dream job. He and Robin contemplate what lead to them missing that flight. Had Ted got that job, he would have had to eventually relocate to Chicago. This way he stayed in New York and later met his future wife.
* NecessaryFail: Ted needed to miss his dream job of else he would have had to move to Chicago and never met The Mother.
* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: One of the flight attendants that helps Ted and Robin asks her if the pizzas from one broadcast were real. She mentions that they weren't and that other people have asked about it.

* NoodleIncident: Somehow Barney gave the whole gang a rash at Christmas time.

* RealityEnsues:
** Ted hopes that a penny from 1939 is worth enough to pay for dinner. 150 times worth of a penny is only $1.50, though it has appreciated in value.
** Barney runs a marathon without training for the endurance or stamina to complete all 26.2 miles. While he is able to complete it since he's in above average physical condition, his body completely gives out from the effort a few hours later.
** Ted attempts to jump a turnstile to help Barney from a subway. This leads to him getting arrested and sentenced in court.

** Barney runs a marathon without training for endurance or stamina. His body gives out a few hours later.

** Barney runs a marathon with training for endurance or stamina. His body gives out a few hours later.

* BittersweetEnding: Ted and Robin miss the flight to Chicago, meaning he loses his dream job.

* Foreshadowing: Ted attributes the Lucky Penny for keeping him in New York and eventually meeting The Mother. Years later, he reveals that he named his daughter "Penny".

* PursueTheDreamJob: Ted already works as an architect, which is loves and considers his dream job, and in this episode he is being headhunted by people who want him to run their entire office. This would be another big step in his dream career.

* FlashForward: Ted attributes the Lucky Penny for keeping him in New York and eventually meeting The Mother. Years later, he reveals that he named his daughter "Penny".

* HumilliationConga: After mocking Marshall and finishing the marathon without training, Barney couldn't move his legs and couldn't leave the train. This led to him unable to give his seat to a pregnant lady, an old woman and a kid with a cast, and getting mugged by the end of the episode.

* CallBack: The titular penny is the one that Ted found back in "[[Recap/HowIMetYourMotherS2E02TheScorpionAndTheToad The Scorpion and the Toad]]". In the flashback of him and Robin in the bar, their outfits are from that episode.

* CallBack: The titular penny is the one that Ted found back in "[[Recap/HowIMetYourMotherS2E02TheScorpionAndTheToad The Scorpion and the Toad]]". In the flashback of him and Robin in the bar, their outfits are the ones from that episode.