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Recap / How I Met Your Mother S 8 E 04 Who Wants To Be A Godparent

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Marshall and Lily test the ability of each of the gang members to be a godparent to their son via a game show setup.


This episode provides examples of:

  • Abusive Parents: In Robin's Imagine Spot, she opts to discipline Marvin by sending him to a all-boys military school, like her father did. All the rant involved how he made Robin shave her hair and burn all her girly stuff while he laughed across the flames. The others feel so bad at her that they all agree to give her the round.
  • Bait-and-Switch:
    • On the "Dealing with Heartbreaks" segment, Professor Infosaurus was giving advice about moving on from a bad relationship. Zooming out, it was actually Marvin holding the puppet while Ted cries out from a failed "The One" prospect. This left Marvin to go out of the room and telling him that he'll be at Uncle Barney's.
    • Earlier, when asked how he would discipline Marvin, we see Barney holding a belt, looking like he would strike Marvin with it. However, he was taking the designer belt away and giving Marvin an inexpensive belt as punishment.
  • Both Sides Have a Point: When you have a baby, it is the main thing in your life... but the people you love don't have your baby.
  • Broken-Window Warning: Barney's solution to deal with Marvin's first heartbreak.
    Barney: I know this hurts a little, buddy. But you'll love again someday, because time will heal a broken heart, but not that bitch's window. (breaks the window) RUN!!
  • Call-Back:
    • At the end of Season 7, Lily and Marshall establish the rule of "8 or Higher" because they were very busy taking care of Marvin. In the end, they decide to eliminate it after realizing that it ended up alienating them from the gang.
    • Marshall's ridiculous cursed pants return, as the shirt of his game show host game. It works.
    • Marshall's love of games goes nuts; he makes a game show.
  • Comically Missing the Point: After everyone implicitly agree to give Robin the point because she had a flashback about her own traumatic childhood with her dad, Ted immediately asks "It's just this point, right?".
  • Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Barney's plan for explaining to Marvin why Lily and Marshall aren't around anymore:
    Barney: The president of the world has called your parents away on a super-secret space mission. For the sake of the planet you will never see them again.
  • Fanservice: Robin in tight leather overalls in a flashback.
  • Imagine Spot: All of Ted, Barney and Robin's situations in raising Marvin are shown.
  • Ironic Nursery Tune: A non-horror variant sung by Barney.
    • Bro McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-Bro!...
    • Bro, bro, bro your broat, gently to the bar...
    • The boobs on the bus go up and down...
  • Jerkass Realization: Lily and Marshall realize that it was hypocritical for them to have Ted, Robin, and Barney compete in a game to help them choose who their son's godparent when they themselves have neglected Ted, Robin and Barney to the point they can't recall anything the three have done over the past three months.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
  • Serious Business: Everyone takes Marshall's game seriously.
  • The Talk: In the "Birds and Bees" segment, Barney's approach for Marvin was to bring him to Amsterdam, which both Marshall and Lily decline, and Ted's was via a rapping dinosaur hand puppet.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Tired of jumping through hoops to be worthy of being Marvin's guardians, Robin, Ted and Barney tell Marshall and Lily off, pointing out that they have been terrible friends during the last three months.

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