Line #16 Recap/HowIMetYourMotherS4E15TheStinsons


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himym_4x15.jpg]]
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3	The gang follows Barney after he leaves the bar, thinking he has a girlfriend, but find out he's been lying to his mother about having a wife and son by hiring actors.
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5	----
6	!!This episode provides examples of:
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8	* BitingTheHandHumor: Barney gave a TakeThat at the Tony Awards (specifically claiming that Margaret was screwed out of winning a Tony) despite Creator/NeilPatrickHarris hosting that event numerous times.
9	* CastingCouch: The mother of a child up for the part of Barney's son slept with him, with the understanding that her son would be selected. Naturally, Barney had no intention of making good on the deal.
10	* CatchPhrase: Grant, the actor who Barney's fake son Tyler, has one much to his "father's" (and "grandmother", as later revealed) annoyance.
11	* CharacterDevelopment: Once again, Robin is shown getting along better with children, this time because she can relate to Grant's pressure on being a child actor struggling with his job.
12	* CharacterTitle: Discussed along with Barney's RootingForTheEmpire. He believes and insists that most of the films were a case of ProtagonistTitle (specifically ''Film/DieHard'' and ''Film/TheTerminator'') [[AntagonistTitle instead of the other way around]].
13	* ContinuityNod: Barney mentions Bob Barker being his father, something he first claimed in Season 2.
14	* ContinuitySnarl: During a Season 3 episode, Loretta's name was stated to be Patty. Then again, her friend who called her that is prone to AccidentalMisnaming.
15	* DirtyOldWoman: Though she's moved on from her days as "a bit of a whore", Loretta clearly remembers those days fondly, and intensely.
16	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The episode establishes Barney's strong RootingForTheEmpire tendencies, as well as Lily and Judy's (Marshall's mother) strained relationship.
17	* FamilyTitle: Although Barney and Loretta are the only actual Stinsons.
18	* GenerationXerox: Loretta ReallyGetsAround in her youth, much like Barney is today. Also, Barney and his fake son both have the hots for Robin.
19	* {{Irony}}: Barney, king of the {{Catchphrase}}, insists Tyler is ''not'' getting a catchphrase.
20	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: InUniverse example. Barney's (and Robin's) reaction when he saw his fake son pulling off a very dramatic performance.
21	* {{Improv}}: Barney's fake wife is an actress who specializes on this, and she encourages Ted to try his hand at improvising.
22	* {{Kidanova}}: Grant is a CasanovaWannabe for Robin.
23	* LikeFatherLikeSon: See ReallyGetsAround below.
24	* MistakenForCheating: Barney's fake wife and Ted. Obviously, it's NotWhatItLooksLike.
25	* MommasBoy: The gang is shocked to learn that Barney has a healthy relationship with his mom, to the point he calls her daily, and even bothered to hire actors to pretend to be his perfect family.
26	* NearDeathExperience: The reason Barney resorted into hiring actors to pose as his "fake family" is because Loretta was in a near death condition a couple of years back, and her dying wish was to see Barney be a family man.
27	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[invoked]] PlayedForLaughs: Because of Betty's [[ThrowItIn "slight tendency to go off-book"]], Barney had to pretend he had a kid ''on top'' of pretending to be married.
28	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Ted is caught making out with Barney's fake wife; as far as Barney's mother is concerned, the situation is exactly what it looks like, but in reality it isn't.
29	* ObnoxiousInLaws: Judy to Lily. Although not actually related, it was revealed that Loretta disliked Barney's fake wife (and kid).
30	* PhoneyCall: While they are returning to the city, Lily is burying the hatchet with Marshall's mom. It turns out that she is speaking with Margaret and Ted, who are coaching her into how to act the whole conversation from the other taxi. Even after the slip up, Marshall is so touched that he doesn't notice it.
31	* ReallyGetsAround: Despite looking sweet and nice, Loretta admits to Lily and Marshall that she was a whore (in her own words). They are quite shocked when she gives details of the wildest sexcapades she had in her youth. Barney's mother, people!
32	* RootingForTheEmpire: Discussed InUniverse, to the point that Barney thinks most of the villains are the {{Title Character}}s of their films.
33	* ShoutOut:
34	** The episode is a love letter to cartoon series with a FamilyTitle. Barney names his wife Betty (real name Margaret) after Betty Rubble from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', while the episode title itself is evocative of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
35	** Barney made an ActorAllusion to himself, saying that child actors were way better in TheEighties [[note]]when Creator/NeilPatrickHarris was one himself[[/note]] quickly followed by a ''Series/DoogieHowserMD'' [[note]]Creator/NeilPatrickHarris' original StarMakingRole [[/note]] commercial break tune.
36	** Ted recalls having seen Betty act in Creator/BertoltBrecht's ''Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' ([[GratuitousGerman he refers to the play by its original German title]]).
37	** Robin says that Barney's supposed girlfriend/wife must have come from [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]] to manage to make him a committed man.
38	** At the end of the episode where Barney is discussing how he's always RootingForTheEmpire, he mentioned his love for the respective antagonists of the films ''Film/TheKarateKid'' (as he already did earlier), ''Film/DieHard'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' and ''Film/TheTerminator''.
39	* {{Squick}}: InUniverse, Barney is horrified when his mother recounts leaving him with a babysitter and spending three weeks being passed around by Music/GrandFunkRailroad like a bong.
40	* TakeThat: Barney made a BitingTheHandHumor (see above) against the Tony's. He also mocked Ted on what he is like in a relationship at the middle of the episode.
41	* ThirdPersonPerson: Barney's fake son delivers his CatchPhrase in this manner.
42	-->'''Grant:''' Tyler no like-y!
43	* ThrowItIn: [[invoked]] In-universe: Barney originally was just pretending to be married to Betty to make his mom happy that he finally settled down. But then they had to add Tyler to the equation due to an ill-advised ad-lib:
44	-->'''Barney''': (with Betty; visiting him mom at the hospital) You see, Mom? I found someone who makes me happy. As you wished.
45	-->'''Loretta''': That's wonderful. I just wish I could've stuck around long enough for grandchildren.
46	-->'''Betty''': ...I'm pregnant!
47	** Ted, with Margaret's advice, takes it over the top to ad-lib a reason why Barney betrayed ''him'' first, on the overnight train to Monte Carlo, sleeping with Ted's ''blind'' fiancée in 1998.
48	* TooMuchInformation: As Marshall puts it, Loretta told him and Lily her "slightly too graphic" backstory. At the end of the episode, she even told Barney that "she was passed around like a ball" during her groupie days.
49	* WhatTheHellHero: The gang's reaction upon seeing Barney's fake family before he let them know the real scenario of the situation.
50	* YouLookFamiliar: Zachary Gordon, who plays Barney's fake son Tyler, also played Ted's nephew [[Recap/HowIMetYourMotherS2E11HowLilyStoleChristmas in Season 2]].

Context Recap / HowIMetYourMotherS4E15TheStinsons