Arrivederci, Fiero
Encyclopedia
"Arrivederci, Fiero" is the 17th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
. It originally aired on February 26, 2007.
and Marshall
begin the story in Marshall's Pontiac Fiero
. The car is about to hit 200,000 miles on the odometer, and Marshall is excited, since the Fiero has served him well. He even has cigars in the glove box ready for the occasion, although Ted can only find two sets of chopsticks. However, Marshall hits a pothole, and the Fiero quits running just before it hit 200,000 miles. In the shop, Marshall is saddened, and everyone begins sharing stories about the Fiero.
Marshall tells the story of how he had to prove himself worthy in the eyes of his brothers by ordering 12 cups of coffee at the drive-thru while sitting naked in the front seat (his brothers jumped out and surprised him, causing him to jerk the car and make the hot coffee spill all over him). He also uses this to tell why he has never allowed food or drink in the Fiero (not even groceries). Ted then tells his memorable moment with the Fiero, known as both "Fieroasco" and the "100k Fiasco" (the Fiero was approaching 100,000 miles at that time), which began during their freshman year of college, when Marshall offered to drop Ted off at his parents' house in Ohio
on his way home to Minnesota
for Christmas break. Ted tells of how they got lost on a back road and had to cuddle together to stay warm when a snowstorm hit, and then found out they were parked in front of a small bed-and-breakfast with people staring at them the next morning.
Lily
and Robin
feel the need to come clean about something, and they tell Marshall about the time they took the Fiero to get Thai food but spilled it in the passenger compartment. They carefully cleaned it up, smoked the cigars that Marshall had been saving for the passing of 200,000 miles, and wrapped two chopsticks in napkins, hoping Marshall would never discover what they did. Finally, Barney
says that he doesn't understand any of their feelings for the car. Ted then tells of Barney's only memory with the Fiero, which was the time Ted taught Barney how to drive in it, and Barney was scared of driving ever again (even though he never left the parking lot or went much above 10 mph). Although all 5 of them attempt to push the car to 200,000 miles, they give up, and say goodbye to the car.
), but in the very next episode he steals Ted's moving van and drives it into an alley. In the season 4 episode "As Fast As She Can
", he takes it much further and makes a point of getting caught speeding so he can talk his way out of a ticket.
However, Carter Bays did an interview in which he addresses Barney being able to drive:
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
. It originally aired on February 26, 2007.
Plot
TedTed Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
and Marshall
Marshall Eriksen
Marshall Eriksen is a fictional character in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and portrayed by Jason Segel.-Character profile:Marshall is an easy-going, naive optimist from St. Cloud, Minnesota...
begin the story in Marshall's Pontiac Fiero
Pontiac Fiero
The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. The Fiero—meaning "proud" in Italian and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish—was designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a Pontiac sports car...
. The car is about to hit 200,000 miles on the odometer, and Marshall is excited, since the Fiero has served him well. He even has cigars in the glove box ready for the occasion, although Ted can only find two sets of chopsticks. However, Marshall hits a pothole, and the Fiero quits running just before it hit 200,000 miles. In the shop, Marshall is saddened, and everyone begins sharing stories about the Fiero.
Marshall tells the story of how he had to prove himself worthy in the eyes of his brothers by ordering 12 cups of coffee at the drive-thru while sitting naked in the front seat (his brothers jumped out and surprised him, causing him to jerk the car and make the hot coffee spill all over him). He also uses this to tell why he has never allowed food or drink in the Fiero (not even groceries). Ted then tells his memorable moment with the Fiero, known as both "Fieroasco" and the "100k Fiasco" (the Fiero was approaching 100,000 miles at that time), which began during their freshman year of college, when Marshall offered to drop Ted off at his parents' house in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
on his way home to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
for Christmas break. Ted tells of how they got lost on a back road and had to cuddle together to stay warm when a snowstorm hit, and then found out they were parked in front of a small bed-and-breakfast with people staring at them the next morning.
Lily
Lily Aldrin
Lillian "Lily" Aldrin is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is the wife of Marshall Eriksen and the best friend of Robin Scherbatsky...
and Robin
Robin Scherbatsky
Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.- Early life :...
feel the need to come clean about something, and they tell Marshall about the time they took the Fiero to get Thai food but spilled it in the passenger compartment. They carefully cleaned it up, smoked the cigars that Marshall had been saving for the passing of 200,000 miles, and wrapped two chopsticks in napkins, hoping Marshall would never discover what they did. Finally, Barney
Barney Stinson
Barnabas "Barney" Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. The character has been extremely well received by critics and has been credited for much of the show's success...
says that he doesn't understand any of their feelings for the car. Ted then tells of Barney's only memory with the Fiero, which was the time Ted taught Barney how to drive in it, and Barney was scared of driving ever again (even though he never left the parking lot or went much above 10 mph). Although all 5 of them attempt to push the car to 200,000 miles, they give up, and say goodbye to the car.
Cultural references
- The scene where Robin instructs Lily on how to clean up the Thai food mess in the Fiero is reminiscent of the clean up scene in Pulp FictionPulp Fiction (film)Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
where Mr. Wolf instructs Vincent and Jules to clean up the remnants of Marvin from their car. - In his toast to the Fiero, Marshall refers to it as the "freaking Giving Tree of cars."
- Robin tries to persuade Lily out of telling the true story of what they did in the Fiero by mentioning Prisoner's dilemmaPrisoner's dilemmaThe prisoner’s dilemma is a canonical example of a game, analyzed in game theory that shows why two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. It was originally framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher working at RAND in 1950. Albert W...
. - Marshall reminisces about picking up a hitchhiker dressed as WaldoWhere's Wally?Where's Wally?, published in the United States and Canada as Where's Waldo?, is a series of children's books created by British illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things...
. - While teaching Barney how to drive, Ted yells "Throw me the idol and I'll throw you the whip." Which is a quote from Raiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. - In the flashback scene of college Ted is reading A Theory of JusticeA Theory of JusticeA Theory of Justice is a book of political philosophy and ethics by John Rawls. It was originally published in 1971 and revised in both 1975 and 1999. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls attempts to solve the problem of distributive justice by utilising a variant of the familiar device of the social...
(revised edition) by John RawlsJohn RawlsJohn Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
Continuity
- Marshall beating Ted at the game "Zitch dog" references the season one episode "Game NightGame Night"Game Night" is the 15th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on February 27, 2006.- Plot :...
", during which it is revealed that Marshall has always been unusually good at playing games. - Later in the Season 6 episode Desperation DayDesperation Day"Desperation Day" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 128th episode overall. It aired on February 14, 2011.-Plot:...
; Marshall will acquire his father’s 1983 Ford Country SquireFord Country Squire- Third generation :Prior to 1961, all Ford wagons used a two-piece tailgate assembly that required the operator to lift the rear window up and locking it into place via a mechanical support, and then drop the tail gate down to fully access the rear compartment.For the 1961 Ford adopted a tailgate...
, another old vehicle he has fond memories of. - In the episode Duel Citizenship there is another flashback to Ted and Marshall driving to Chicago where "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is once again playing, but Marshall is seen drinking Tantrum and eating jerky in the car, breaking his own rule about no food or drink in the car, even including groceries.
Production
The episode describes Barney as afraid of driving (as of December 20052005 New York City transit strike
The 2005 New York City transit strike was a strike in New York City called by the Transport Workers Union Local 100 . Negotiations for a new contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke down over retirement, pension, and wage increases. The strike began at 3:00 a.m. EST on...
), but in the very next episode he steals Ted's moving van and drives it into an alley. In the season 4 episode "As Fast As She Can
As Fast As She Can
"As Fast As She Can" is the 23rd episode of the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother and 87th overall. It originally aired on May 11, 2009.-Plot:...
", he takes it much further and makes a point of getting caught speeding so he can talk his way out of a ticket.
However, Carter Bays did an interview in which he addresses Barney being able to drive:
- Yes. It's hard to go back to this, but that scene took place in the past. In the Fiero episode, what we were seeing was a flashback to before that. We established that he had a BMW at the end of season one. Barney can drive. He was just a late learner. I'm sure if you put that (in this interview), someone will find a way to prove me wrong. We had that discussion, but it felt like it fits. We had stuff in (last week's) episode that we had to cut out for time where Barney talks about how he didn't start driving until late. So he was learning new things about driving like you can talk your way out of the speeding tickets.
External links
- Arrivederci, Fiero at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...