Marshall is having a tough time at work after getting screamed at by his boss, so the gang tries to help him deal with the situation at hand.
This episode provides examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: When Marshall describes the situation. He recalls all of unfortunate rage-inducing events happening to him and we are lead to believe that has snapped and beaten Artur up. He just broke down in tears.
- The Chain of Harm: Barney calls it the Chain of Screaming. When someone screams at a subordinate, the subordinate must scream at someone lower, who in turn screams at someone else, and so on until someone screams at the original screamer and the cycle is complete. Marshall's attempts to break the chain do not go as well as he hoped.
- Firing Day: Narrowly averted. Marshall stands up to his boss...and his boss implies that if Marshall hadn't quit in the heat of the moment he would have been fired anyway.
- Foreshadowing: Interestingly, Ted's idea of how to deal with Marshall's boss Arthur (giving a big eloquent speech) which ends with Arthur calling security is exactly how it ends up playing out for Marshall. The only difference is that, in the heat of the moment, Marshall quits on the spot.
- Gun Nut: Robin suggests Marshall deal with his boss by threatening him with a gun. Her friends are unamused.
- Rule of Three: This episode features the third and final instance of Marshall and Lily having sex on the kitchen floor.
