Ted has a small window of time to hit it off with Maggie, a girl with the Girl Next Door appeal, who he's been waiting for years to get together with.
This episode provides examples of:
- Arc Words: "The window is open/closed."
- Brick Joke: Maggie liking overalls as well as Ted's class using the Fun with Acronyms below.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Maggie ultimately ended up with her childhood friend.
- Cool Teacher: Ted's students seem to think he is, as they all raise their hands when he asks them, "Who wants to sit here and listen to me go on and on about bridges?"
- Continuity Nod:
- Maggie mentions "Vanilla Thunder" to Marshall, his self-proclaimed "Red Baron" first mentioned in "The Possimpibile".
- Robin briefly mentioned her past relationship with Barney.
- Barney mentions the bar Giddy Ups, which the gang visited in "Wooo!".
- Did Not Get the Girl: Maggie is not the Mother.
- Dude Magnet: Maggie, who has apparently been single for less than two months in a span of seven years. Ted even calls her a "super-powered man magnet."
- Even Evil Has Standards: Played for Laughs when Barney intends to bed Maggie.Barney: Ted, the window is closing in 10 minutes.Ted: What?! Why?Barney: Because we're bros.
- First Guy Wins: Maggie and her eventual husband are each other's Victorious Childhood Friend.
- Freudian Excuse: Barney once again tells us his mom was a major slut. ([salute] Major Slut!)
- Freudian Slip: While teaching a class, Ted accidentally writes "MAGGIE" on the board. He makes the excuse that it's an acronym.
- Fun with Acronyms: Ted uses this as an excuse to his class when he accidentally wrote Maggie's name at the blackboard.Ted: It means Make Adjustments, Go Get It Energized.
- Girl Next Door: Maggie Wilks is described as such, in fact she is the "Ultimate Girl Next Door".
- Graceful Loser: Once Maggie got together with her eventual Victorious Childhood Friend, Ted took the loss with class.
- Ignored Epiphany: After Robin sends Maggie home, Ted concedes that she deserves the chance to be single without having a bunch of guys fighting over her. This immediately goes out the window as he races to get a head start running back to Maggie's apartment. Future Ted admits that he's not proud.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Barney makes fun of Marshall's overalls saying that nobody can get laid wearing them. He then decides to do exactly that.
- Meaningful Echo:Future!Ted: Maggie's window never opened again.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Robin repeatedly tries to sway Maggie's co-worker friend from her by seducing him, but no avail.
- Remember the New Guy?: Maggie seems to be close to both Marshall and Lily, but this is the first time she's mentioned.
- Shipper on Deck: Marshall and Lily, Maggie's neighbor, and Ted's class fully support Ted going for Maggie.
- Shout-Out: Robin intended for a (failed) Se7en joke at the beginning ("What's in the box?!").
- Single-Target Sexuality: Maggie's co-worker friend is only interested at her despite Robin blatantly seducing him.
- Stalker with a Crush: Ted towards Maggie, even getting her neighbor to spy on her for him. It's also implied that Maggie's co-worker friend is this.
