Ted discovers after he and Karen break up that it was because of Lily, and that she has meddled in Ted's relationships more than just once.
This episode provides examples of:
- Big "NO!": The Stinger has a hot woman ring Barney's doorbell in the middle of the night, only to take one look at his nightshirt and nope out, causing Barney to give one of these.
- Brick Joke: Barney defends his "suit-jamas" by claiming that he needs to look good all the time in case he gets a chance to hook up with someone in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, when an attractive woman shows up at his door in The Stinger, he's wearing a nightshirt after being convinced of its benefits by Marshall, causing the woman to lose interest and leave. Barney is less than pleased.
- The Chessmaster: Lily, at least as far as Ted's breakups are concerned.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Marshall telling Barney about what it's like to be married sounds like a parent reading a bedtime story to a child.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Lily had in the past directly meddled in Ted's previous relationships in order to break them up, but it's his relationship with Robin that is the prime example of this. As it happens, prior to the dinner that led to their breakup, Lily used a magazine's relationship quiz on Ted and Robin in order to nudge them into talking about their relationship. "I didn't know I was feeding you the words that would lead to your breakup."Lily: (to Ted; at the apartment) Not to put words in your mouth, but you probably want to be married.Ted: (to Robin; at dinner) I probably want to be married.Lily: (to Robin; at MacLaren's) You probably want to be in Tokyo or Paris.Robin: (to Ted; at dinner) I probably want to be in Argentina.Ted: Argentina?Robin: Or Tokyo, or Paris.
- Fallback Marriage Pact: Ted and Robin make one for when they are 40.
- Friend Versus Lover: Ted is furious when he learns Lily broke him up with Karen and, after the situation is cleared, they get back together, but Ted finally decides to break up with her for good when Karen forbade him to see Lily ever again.
- Funny Background Event: The episode of Robin's show that everyone fails to watch. Robin cries talking about how much she loves her friends while showing the viewers a picture of them at the bar, a guest sets himself on fire and Robin has to put him out, the weatherman has a heart attack and Robin resuscitates him, Robin delivers a pregnant woman's baby...
- Going Commando: One of Marshall's reasons to wear nightshirts is that he doesn't need to use underwear. Ted promptly tells him to cross his legs.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: Played for laughs when Ted gets down on one knee and asks Robin to be his backup wife.
- Hypocrite: Karen broke up with Ted because she found one of Robin's earrings in his bedroom and thought Ted was cheating on her. And this is the girl who cheated on Ted multiple times on his bed.
- Imagine Spot: Several, all but one to the Front Porch.
- Based on Ted's girlfriend of the moment, Lily and Marshall picture how both couples would get along when they get to retirement age. In Karen's Front Porch, she keeps criticizing everything they do and annoying Lily and Marshall. In the Robin scenario, Ted and Robin keep a bitter marriage full of regrets. When Ted imagines his own Front Porch with Karen, the last news Ted gets from Marshall is his obituary.
- The other is Barney's threesome fantasy. He justifies that he will always be prepared for a porno situation if he always wears suit pajamas.
- Insistent Terminology: They're night shirts, not night gowns.
- Pajama-Clad Hero: Barney and Marshall get into a lengthy argument about Marshall's nightshirts, which ends when Barney tries one and learns that Marshall was right.
- Rapid-Fire "Yes!": Played for comedy and heartwarming with Robin's response to the Fallback Marriage Pact:Robin: Yes, yes! A million times, yes!!!
- Rooting for the Empire: In-Universe, as per uze, blink and you'll miss it, but Barney looks really excited when Robin mentions the Korean tv show that just shows Kim Jung-Il riding a horse.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Barney even has silk pajamas that are designed to resemble a suit, including a tie.note
- Shout-Out: Several:
- Marshall's flying dream is a reference to The Big Lebowski.
- Lily and Ted's argument paraphrases the courtroom scene from A Few Good Men.
- Barney references Peter Pan, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and A Christmas Carol while making fun of Marshall's nightshirt.
- In one of Lily's flashbacks to ruining his dates, Ted & Marshall are in line to see Star Wars, with Marshall dressed as Chewbacca. Lily pretends to be Ted's girlfriend, dressed as Darth Vader, and Marshall does Chewbacca's signature howl when she "breaks up" with him.
- Special Effects Failure: In-Universe, when the weatherman has a heart attack and collapses, he tears the green screen behind him, tearing a hole in the weather.
- Take That!: In a flashback, we see what caused Ted to break up with Karen the first time: a CD from Creed
- Three-Way Sex: In the end, when Barney is asking Marshall about what it's like to be married, he ends by asking if Lily finds other women for them to have a threesome with.
