Game Night
Encyclopedia
"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.
, Lily
, Ted
, Robin
, and Barney
hold a game night together, Marshall always wins, no matter what the game is, so the others decide that he should always run game nights. Marshall decides to create his own game, "Marshgammon", which few people understand (although a player must drink if they ask "What?"). Ted plans to bring Victoria along, and tells Marshall, Lily, and Barney not to scare her off; all reluctantly promise not to try to ruin things, but they end up trying their hardest. At game night, Marshall uses the game questions to find out more about Victoria, while Lily reveals that someone gave her a videotape to give to Barney, and once Barney figures out who it is, he panics, destroying a tape of Ted's graduation before Lily revealed that she had hidden the real tape. They watch it, and find a longer-haired, hippie-sh Barney, singing and playing a keyboard while crying. Barney ejects the tape and walks out, and no one can find him.
Barney meets all of them at the bar, and only tells his story once everyone else agrees to tell their embarrassing stories. Marshall confesses that he was seen on the toilet by Lily's kindergarten class, Lily tells the story of how Marshall's mother once overheard the couple having sex via a phonecall, Victoria tells a story involving marshmallow sauce that is "too inappropriate" to recount, and Ted confesses that on the night he told Robin he loved her he "re-returned" to her apartment to try and kiss her, but was so drunk that he threw up on her doormat and ran away instead. Barney then reveals that he once worked in a coffee shop with his girlfriend Shannon. They had planned on going to Nicaragua
with the Peace Corps
, but Shannon backed out, saying that her father did not want her to go. Barney came back, and found that she had begun seeing a yuppie
alpha male named Greg. Barney made the video and sent it to Shannon, but was humiliated by Greg, and left the coffee shop devastated. Barney then changed his appearance and lifestyle, getting a haircut, wearing suits, and discarding his idealistic world-view. He then revealed that after he left Ted and Marshall's apartment, he went over to visit Shannon, and talked with her a bit. He found out that Greg since left her, she now had a son, and that her life had also changed a lot. Then, in typical Barney fashion, he had sex with her, which he captured on video on his cell phone as proof. He also declares that his life "rocked" because he has money, suits, lots of one-night stands and did not have a child to take care of. Barney leaves, and everyone decides that Barney had won game night, since he also has dirt on them now.
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 27, 2006.
Plot
Anytime MarshallMarshall 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...
, 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...
, Ted
Ted 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...
, 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 :...
, and 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...
hold a game night together, Marshall always wins, no matter what the game is, so the others decide that he should always run game nights. Marshall decides to create his own game, "Marshgammon", which few people understand (although a player must drink if they ask "What?"). Ted plans to bring Victoria along, and tells Marshall, Lily, and Barney not to scare her off; all reluctantly promise not to try to ruin things, but they end up trying their hardest. At game night, Marshall uses the game questions to find out more about Victoria, while Lily reveals that someone gave her a videotape to give to Barney, and once Barney figures out who it is, he panics, destroying a tape of Ted's graduation before Lily revealed that she had hidden the real tape. They watch it, and find a longer-haired, hippie-sh Barney, singing and playing a keyboard while crying. Barney ejects the tape and walks out, and no one can find him.
Barney meets all of them at the bar, and only tells his story once everyone else agrees to tell their embarrassing stories. Marshall confesses that he was seen on the toilet by Lily's kindergarten class, Lily tells the story of how Marshall's mother once overheard the couple having sex via a phonecall, Victoria tells a story involving marshmallow sauce that is "too inappropriate" to recount, and Ted confesses that on the night he told Robin he loved her he "re-returned" to her apartment to try and kiss her, but was so drunk that he threw up on her doormat and ran away instead. Barney then reveals that he once worked in a coffee shop with his girlfriend Shannon. They had planned on going to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
with the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, but Shannon backed out, saying that her father did not want her to go. Barney came back, and found that she had begun seeing a yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
alpha male named Greg. Barney made the video and sent it to Shannon, but was humiliated by Greg, and left the coffee shop devastated. Barney then changed his appearance and lifestyle, getting a haircut, wearing suits, and discarding his idealistic world-view. He then revealed that after he left Ted and Marshall's apartment, he went over to visit Shannon, and talked with her a bit. He found out that Greg since left her, she now had a son, and that her life had also changed a lot. Then, in typical Barney fashion, he had sex with her, which he captured on video on his cell phone as proof. He also declares that his life "rocked" because he has money, suits, lots of one-night stands and did not have a child to take care of. Barney leaves, and everyone decides that Barney had won game night, since he also has dirt on them now.
Continuity
- In "Drumroll, Please" Barney lied to a bridesmaid about joining the Peace CorpsPeace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
. This episode reveals that at one time Barney did plan to join the Peace Corps. - When Lily is on the phone with Marshall's mom, she is disgusted to find out that the cookies Marshall's mom sent contain mayonnaise. The episode "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...
" establishes the Eriksens' love of mayonnaise when Marshall's mom gives Lily a salad recipe that calls for 16 cups of mayo. - After Ted tells his Story of The Re-Return, Marshall calls him on the claim that he made in "The Pineapple IncidentThe Pineapple Incident"The Pineapple Incident" is the 10th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 28, 2005...
" about having been "vomit-free since '93."
Cultural references
- In the game night flashbacks, the group plays gin rummyGin rummyGin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
, YahtzeeYahtzeeYahtzee is a dice game made by Milton Bradley , which was first marketed by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe in 1956. The game is a development of earlier dice games, such as Yacht and Generala. The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations...
, and pokerPokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. - Marshall's game "Marshgammon" contains elements of Candy LandCandy LandCandy Land is a simple racing board game. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children.-Gameplay:...
, I Never, PictionaryPictionaryPictionary is a guessing word game designed by Robert Angel and first published in 1985 by Seattle Games Inc. The game is played with teams with players trying to identify specific words from their teammates' drawings.-Objective:...
, pokerPokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, TwisterTwister (game)Twister is a game of physical skill produced by Hasbro Games. It is played on a large plastic mat that is spread on the floor or ground. The mat has four rows of large colored circles on it with a different color in each row: red, yellow, blue, and green. A spinner is attached to a square board...
, and TabooTaboo (game)Taboo is a word guessing party game published by Hasbro in 1989. The object of the game is for a player to have his/her partner guess the word on his/her card without using the word itself or five additional words listed on the card....
. - Barney's transformation, in particular the shot of Barney tilting upward in a barber's chair, is a reference to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
and Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth VaderDarth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
. - When Barney first flashes back, he is finishing Jewel's "You Were Meant For MeYou Were Meant for Me (Jewel song)"You Were Meant for Me" is a folk pop song written by Jewel and Steve Poltz and performed by Jewel on her first album, Pieces of You. It relates the singer's incomprehension of a failed relationship, and her inadequate attempts at moving on with her life. It was the second single from that album...
" on the coffeehouse piano.
Barney's Blog
- In an update to his blog, Barney pitches his ideas for events to improve the Winter Olympics, such as Hot Tubbing and Figure Rating.
- In another update, inspired by his "reconnection" with Shannon, Barney lists several things that, although enjoyable in the 90s, suck now. This includes the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
, Vanilla IceVanilla IceRobert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
, FurbiesFurbyA Furby was a popular electronic robotic toy resembling a hamster/owl-like creature which went through a period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the holiday season of 1998, with continual sales until 2000...
, and Saved by the BellSaved by the BellSaved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
. - Barney lists the American PieAmerican Pie (film)American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
films list as something that was good in the 90s but sucks now, specifically noting the "One time at Band Camp" line becoming used in pop-culture. Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
(Lily) was in the first three American Pie films, and it was her character who spawned that line.
Recurring elements introduced in this episode
- Marshall is a master at games. This is shown later in the episode "Atlantic City" where Marshall picks up on the confusing game that Barney is playing with the Chinese men and tells Barney how to perform a game winning move.
- First episode to feature extensive (longer than a brief cutaway) flashbacks to before the start of series (i.e. before fall 2005).