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Recap / How I Met Your Mother S 1 E 02 Purple Giraffe

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"You're all sweaty!"

Ted throws a party in hopes of seeing Robin again, but when she doesn't show up, he throws another party... and another.


This episode provides examples of:

  • Acting Unnatural: Since Robin wanted to be casual, Ted does so.
    Barney: This is so lame.
    Ted: Lame . . . or casual?
    Barney: Lame.
    Ted: . . . or casual?
  • The Ace: Marshall finishes a 25-page paper in one night and gets a B-.
  • Arc Words: "Carlos" and "The roof".
  • Behind the Black: Sick of the parties when he needs to study, Marshall lashes out at Ted, outlining how the plan to get Robin to come to a party has failed... and then turns around and sees Robin who was just off camera during his rant.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: Interior: Barney talks directly to Ted and the pretty girl that Ted was talking to during his plan to "casually" get Robin on another "date."
  • Casanova Wannabe: Ted thinks himself as The Casanova in an Imagine Spot.
  • Door Stopper:
    Marshall: OK. Introduction to Contract Tort and Restitution Statutes from 1865 to 1923, IS NOT A COASTER!
  • Innocuously Important Episode: This episode introduces the main characters with each other, giving birth to the friendship that will become the show's backbone. The episode's plot also sums up both of Ted and Robin's character arcs and relationship that will dominate the show towards the end.
  • Lady in Red: Invoked. Robin is wearing a flattering red dress in Ted's Imagine Spot, suggesting some erotic undertones.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Lily starts seducing Marshall and the two of them started talking dirty whilst Ted is just sitting around the corner. Ted is naturally pissed as a result.
    Ted: Guys. Boundaries!
  • Pair the Spares: Carlos and the blonde girl whom Barney had a one night stand with.
  • Rage Breaking Point: Marshall reaches his when he sees one of his textbooks being used as a coaster.
  • Rule of Three: Robin was finally able to attend the party the third time Ted organizes it.
  • Second Episode Introduction: Played With. Robin was introduced in the Pilot but this is where she's finally introduced to the rest of the main cast.
  • Shout-Out: Marshall compared Ted to The Great Gatsby for organizing a party for Robin.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Ted tries really hard to have a chance date with Robin, in order to appear "casual". Lily even lampshades this:
    Lily: That's great, Ted. You'll be the most casual stalker ever.
  • Trivial Title: The eponymous purple Giraffe has little bearing to the overall plot of the episode. Or so it seems at the beginning, before becoming symbolically important at the end. Throughout the episode, Ted tries to "play the game" with Robin by approaching her in a more casual fashion. At the end, Ted stops "playing the game" by telling Robin that he wants to be with her, and she turns him down. This is essentially what happened to the kid who got stuck in the crane game - he refused to continue "playing the game" to get what he wanted (a stuffed purple giraffe), and this backfires when he gets stuck. In other words, Robin is Ted's proverbial purple giraffe. This is made clear when Ted's decision to stop "playing the game" is preceded by a montage of the kid trying to get the giraffe with the crane before climbing into the machine.

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