Baby Talk (How I Met Your Mother)
Encyclopedia
"Baby Talk" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the CBS
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
, and the 118th episode overall. It aired on October 25, 2010.
Meanwhile, Becky, Robin's new, overly cheery co-anchor at "Come On, Get Up New York," reveals that she has begun dating Ted. Robin takes issue with Ted dating a girl who uses baby talk, while Ted, Barney, and Marshall defend girls using baby talk
as a way for men to feel more manly and protective. Robin states that women would never fly with a man using baby talk, and Barney takes that statement as a challenge. While Barney tries and fails the "baby talk" play, Robin finds out that Ted finds dependent girls attractive and found Robin's own independence and assertiveness during their relationship off-putting. Taken aback by this revelation, Robin goes to Barney to ask his opinion on whether he felt that he was needed by Robin during their relationship, to which he responds that he had loved Robin's independence and thought it was awesome. Robin, gratified by this, points out that there is a crazy woman in his apartment - she turns out to have come by Barney as he was indulging himself in ice cream, and responding to her in a childish manner, immediately seduced Barney. Barney while happy to have won the challenge, asks for Robin's help to get rid of the woman, and the 'independent' Robin responds by sauntering into the apartment, casually grabbing Barney's decorative sword, and heading into Barney's bedroom.
At the end of the episode, Ted and Becky are in a park, and as Becky licks an ice cream cone, Ted notices her shoe is untied and bends down to tie it. He then notices a nearby father tying his daughter's shoe. At this, Ted immediately breaks up with Becky.
The A.V. Club
's Donna Bowman gave the episode a B+ rating.
Robert Canning of IGN
gave the episode a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Chris O'Hara of TVFanatic.com gave the episode a rating of 5 out of 5.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
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...
, and the 118th episode overall. It aired on October 25, 2010.
Plot
Marshall and Lily visit Stuart and Claudia, who are having trouble naming their newborn baby. Lily and Marshall try to come up with baby names on their own - Marshall with boy names that Lily rejects because of her past experiences with trouble-making kindergarten boys, and Lily with a couple of girl names that Marshall rejects because of his experience with a hot girl from his school and a stripper. One of these fantasies of the future includes an older Barney (who appears to have had plastic surgery) hitting on and subsequently marrying their daughter. Marshall, worried that he might have to raise a daughter, consults his father on how to ensure that his child will be male. What he doesn't realize is that Lily has been searching for ways to make sure their child will be female. When Lily and Marshall find out what the other has been doing, they realize that they have no control over the gender of their baby, and decide to give him/her the gender-neutral name Jamie. However, Lily rejects the name later because of a troublemaker in her class named Jamie.Meanwhile, Becky, Robin's new, overly cheery co-anchor at "Come On, Get Up New York," reveals that she has begun dating Ted. Robin takes issue with Ted dating a girl who uses baby talk, while Ted, Barney, and Marshall defend girls using baby talk
Baby talk
Baby talk, also referred to as caretaker speech, infant-directed speech or child-directed speech and informally as "motherese", "parentese", "mommy talk", or "daddy talk" is a nonstandard form of speech used by adults in talking to toddlers and infants.It is usually delivered with a "cooing"...
as a way for men to feel more manly and protective. Robin states that women would never fly with a man using baby talk, and Barney takes that statement as a challenge. While Barney tries and fails the "baby talk" play, Robin finds out that Ted finds dependent girls attractive and found Robin's own independence and assertiveness during their relationship off-putting. Taken aback by this revelation, Robin goes to Barney to ask his opinion on whether he felt that he was needed by Robin during their relationship, to which he responds that he had loved Robin's independence and thought it was awesome. Robin, gratified by this, points out that there is a crazy woman in his apartment - she turns out to have come by Barney as he was indulging himself in ice cream, and responding to her in a childish manner, immediately seduced Barney. Barney while happy to have won the challenge, asks for Robin's help to get rid of the woman, and the 'independent' Robin responds by sauntering into the apartment, casually grabbing Barney's decorative sword, and heading into Barney's bedroom.
At the end of the episode, Ted and Becky are in a park, and as Becky licks an ice cream cone, Ted notices her shoe is untied and bends down to tie it. He then notices a nearby father tying his daughter's shoe. At this, Ted immediately breaks up with Becky.
Music
- The iconic theme from Psycho is played in the short scene where Lily is stabbed in her leg with a pencil.
Continuity
- Lily's first appearance in "Pilot" included her arriving at the apartment with a purple painted handprint on her white shirt.
- Robin is complaining about her co-anchor Becky introduced in the episode "Subway WarsSubway Wars"Subway Wars" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 116th episode overall. It originally aired on October 11, 2010.- Plot :...
". - Claudia and Stuart first appeared in episodes surrounding their wedding ("The Wedding" and "Drumroll, Please"), as well as "InterventionIntervention (How I Met Your Mother)"Intervention" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 68th overall. It originally aired on October 13, 2008.-Plot:...
". Stuart also appeared in "Bachelor Party". - Despite Robin having her own show, the members of the group have rarely watched it. It was an issue previously brought up in "The Front PorchThe Front Porch"The Front Porch" is the 17th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 81st overall. It originally aired on March 16, 2009.-Plot:...
" and "Last Cigarette EverLast Cigarette Ever"Last Cigarette Ever" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 99th episode overall. It aired on December 14, 2009.- Plot :...
". - Barney takes another challenge in this episode. Previous challenges include picking up a girl while wearing overallsThe Window (How I Met Your Mother)"The Window" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 98th episode overall. It aired on Monday, December 7, 2009.- Plot :...
and completing Ted's Murtaugh listMurtaugh (How I Met Your Mother)"Murtaugh" is the 19th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 83rd overall. It originally aired on March 30, 2009.- Plot :...
. - Marshall wants their children to be male and Lily wants them to be female. In the episode "DowisetreplaDowisetrepla"Dowisetrepla" is the 7th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 51st overall. It originally aired on November 5, 2007.-Plot:...
", they have visions of living in their new apartment. Marshall envisions forming a band with his four boys and Lily envisions painting with her two girls. - Marshall's fear of the supernatural is played on again in this episode, when Lily mentions the doll, Chucky.
- Lily's anatomy being unable to sustain "Eriksen"-sized babies was used as plot points in episodes "Belly Full of TurkeyBelly Full of Turkey"Belly Full of Turkey" is the 9th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 21, 2005.- Plot :It's Thanksgiving time, and Marshall and Lily are going to visit Marshall's family in Minnesota...
", "Not a Father's DayNot a Father's Day"Not a Father's Day" is the seventh episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 71st overall. It originally aired on November 10, 2008.- Plot :...
", "JenkinsJenkins (How I Met Your Mother)"Jenkins" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 101st episode overall. It originally aired on January 18, 2010...
", and "Home WreckersHome Wreckers"Home Wreckers" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 108th episode overall. It aired on April 19, 2010.- Plot :...
". - Marshall and Barney are seen in the Lusty Leopard, a recurring strip club in the series. Also, Marshall compliments their surprisingly delicious cooking, pointing to the time in "Belly Full of TurkeyBelly Full of Turkey"Belly Full of Turkey" is the 9th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 21, 2005.- Plot :It's Thanksgiving time, and Marshall and Lily are going to visit Marshall's family in Minnesota...
" where Barney compliments their Thanksgiving buffet.
Cultural References
- Marshall suggests baby names LeBronLeBron JamesLeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
, ShaquilleShaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, HakeemHakeem OlajuwonHakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
, and DikembeDikembe MutomboDikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo , commonly referred to as Dikembe Mutombo, is a retired Congolese American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the NBA...
, all names of famous NBA players. - The video for the song "JeremyJeremy (song)"Jeremy" is a song by the American grunge band Pearl Jam that features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in 1992 as the third single from Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten . The song reached the number five spot on both the Mainstream...
" by Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
is referenced in the episode in a flashback about a boy named Jeremy. - Lily says to Marshall, "You're writing checks my vagina can't cash," a reworking of an often quoted line from Top GunTop GunTop Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
. The original line is, "Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash." - The song that Marshall and his high school friends sing to the hot girl Tara uses the melody of song "End of the Road" by popular 90s R&B group Boyz II MenBoyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
. Marshall was singing bass and holding a cane like Michael McCaryMichael McCaryMichael Sean McCary is an American R&B singer, best known as the former bass singer of the popular R&B group, Boyz II Men....
from the group. - Marshall expresses fear of having "twin girls who speak in unison". It's a trope that can be seen in films such as The ShiningThe Shining (film)The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
.
Critical Response
DeAnn Welker of Television Without Pity gave the episode a score of A-.The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
's Donna Bowman gave the episode a B+ rating.
Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Chris O'Hara of TVFanatic.com gave the episode a rating of 5 out of 5.