Hooked (How I Met Your Mother)
Encyclopedia
"Hooked" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS
situation comedy
How I Met Your Mother
and 104th episode overall. It originally aired on March 1, 2010.
tells the gang that he has invited a woman over under the pretense of checking out his antique camera collection, which Barney
classifies as "bait." He's tried many types of bait (slot machine, trampoline), but found that a teacup pig
is the best kind, which Ted then borrows after seeing the reaction Robin, Marshall and Lily gave.
Later, Ted is at MacLaren's telling the gang about this woman, Tiffany (Carrie Underwood
), he snared using the pig. She says she's really into him, but can't be with him "right now." The gang sees through her ruse, telling Ted that he's been "hooked," a euphemism for stringing along someone's interest in you until someone better is available.
Everyone gives an example: Marshall
did a high school classmate's homework and was her "secret boyfriend", Robin
allows her pre-morning show cameraman to pamper her, and Lily's
high school flame, Scooter (David Burtka
), works at her school as cafeteria staff, where she doesn't exactly tell him that a relationship is impossible.
Ted refuses to believe that he has been hooked, and continues waiting on Tiffany. When she shows up to the bar with her co-workers, Barney is excited to see that she and all her friends are pharmaceutical representatives, which he calls the "hot-chick" profession of their generation (like the nurse or stewardess was in the past). He hooks up with several of them, before meeting a particularly plain rep, declaring the era of the "hot pharma girl" over.
All the while, Ted himself has "hooked" a librarian from Columbia. Henrietta treats Ted just like he treats Tiffany, even assembling a sumptious dinner (with an ice sculpture) when he drops by. Ted is just as dismissive of Henrietta as Tiffany is of him. Soon, Ted is invited to go to a wedding with Tiffany, which he sees as a sign of commitment, and he meets her in the room with champagne. Much to his chagrin, she comes in with the best man, the guy who "hooked" her, and she proceeds to pamper him in front of Ted. Ted leaves, intent on making sure Henrietta doesn't feel the same heartbreak.
Unfortunately, he took the best man's jacket by accident, which had the wedding ring inside. Bending over at Henrietta's door to tie his shoes, the ring falls out, and Henrietta opens the door to see Ted down on his knee, in a tuxedo, with a ring in his hand. She immediately assumes he is proposing, says yes, and introduces him to her parents (who had stopped by). With a fair amount of awkwardness, Ted explains what has happened and makes sure she knows that they will never be together.
Meanwhile, Marshall tries to get Lily to let Scooter know she is never going to be with him, but she is immobilized by Scooter's cute puppy-dog eyes. Marshall uses Barney's teacup pig (in a cute blanket) to train Lily to resist Scooter. Eventually, it works, and the two head down to the cafeteria, but even though Lily is able to tell Scooter it will never happen, Marshall himself can't resist Scooter's charm, telling him to wait until Marshall is dead.
Finally, Barney is getting over the loss of the "hot pharma girls," waxing poetic on the next "hot girl" profession. The gang is suspicious of his optimism, which he reveals has been inflated by his use of some "purple pills" one of the girls left in his apartment.
Kang had planned to have Barney include the bone organ from The Goonies
as one of the things he used to get women to visit his apartment but the idea was dropped as it was too difficult to get permission.
rated the episode with a grade B-. She calls "the structure familiar in outline, but just the slightest bit shoddy in execution" and is a little disappointed by the good episode because it is not at the same high level as the rest of the season.
Lindsey Bahr of The Atlantic wrote that the episode "wasn't all that funny" because "there were too many failed jokes".
Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 8.5 out of 10. He was surprised how well singer Carrie Underwood
performed in her first acting role. He found the scene where Ted accidentally proposes "groan-worthy" and likened it to a scene straight out of Three's Company
.
Cindy McLennan of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade C+. She criticizes the idea of the hot-pharmaceutical girl as unoriginal, saying it "was funny seven and a half years ago, when Heather Locklear
played one on Scrubs
". Finally she notes the writers of the show have been keeping the audience on the hook for years and it might be better not to rub it in their faces.
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...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
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 104th episode overall. It originally aired on March 1, 2010.
Plot
Future Ted mentions how most his stories have been romantic or have portrayed him in a fairly positive light, but in this next story, he was simply a jerk. 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...
tells the gang that he has invited a woman over under the pretense of checking out his antique camera collection, which 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...
classifies as "bait." He's tried many types of bait (slot machine, trampoline), but found that a teacup pig
Miniature pig
A miniature pig is one of the breeds developed and used for medical research or developed for use as a pet. These smaller pigs were first used for medical research in Europe before being introduced to the United States as pets in the 1980s. Since then, the animals have been used in studies by...
is the best kind, which Ted then borrows after seeing the reaction Robin, Marshall and Lily gave.
Later, Ted is at MacLaren's telling the gang about this woman, Tiffany (Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
), he snared using the pig. She says she's really into him, but can't be with him "right now." The gang sees through her ruse, telling Ted that he's been "hooked," a euphemism for stringing along someone's interest in you until someone better is available.
Everyone gives an example: 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...
did a high school classmate's homework and was her "secret boyfriend", 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 :...
allows her pre-morning show cameraman to pamper her, and Lily's
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...
high school flame, Scooter (David Burtka
David Burtka
-Background:Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, grew up in Canton, Michigan, and graduated from Plymouth-Salem High School in 1993. He trained in acting at Interlochen Center for the Arts, obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan and had further training at the William...
), works at her school as cafeteria staff, where she doesn't exactly tell him that a relationship is impossible.
Ted refuses to believe that he has been hooked, and continues waiting on Tiffany. When she shows up to the bar with her co-workers, Barney is excited to see that she and all her friends are pharmaceutical representatives, which he calls the "hot-chick" profession of their generation (like the nurse or stewardess was in the past). He hooks up with several of them, before meeting a particularly plain rep, declaring the era of the "hot pharma girl" over.
All the while, Ted himself has "hooked" a librarian from Columbia. Henrietta treats Ted just like he treats Tiffany, even assembling a sumptious dinner (with an ice sculpture) when he drops by. Ted is just as dismissive of Henrietta as Tiffany is of him. Soon, Ted is invited to go to a wedding with Tiffany, which he sees as a sign of commitment, and he meets her in the room with champagne. Much to his chagrin, she comes in with the best man, the guy who "hooked" her, and she proceeds to pamper him in front of Ted. Ted leaves, intent on making sure Henrietta doesn't feel the same heartbreak.
Unfortunately, he took the best man's jacket by accident, which had the wedding ring inside. Bending over at Henrietta's door to tie his shoes, the ring falls out, and Henrietta opens the door to see Ted down on his knee, in a tuxedo, with a ring in his hand. She immediately assumes he is proposing, says yes, and introduces him to her parents (who had stopped by). With a fair amount of awkwardness, Ted explains what has happened and makes sure she knows that they will never be together.
Meanwhile, Marshall tries to get Lily to let Scooter know she is never going to be with him, but she is immobilized by Scooter's cute puppy-dog eyes. Marshall uses Barney's teacup pig (in a cute blanket) to train Lily to resist Scooter. Eventually, it works, and the two head down to the cafeteria, but even though Lily is able to tell Scooter it will never happen, Marshall himself can't resist Scooter's charm, telling him to wait until Marshall is dead.
Finally, Barney is getting over the loss of the "hot pharma girls," waxing poetic on the next "hot girl" profession. The gang is suspicious of his optimism, which he reveals has been inflated by his use of some "purple pills" one of the girls left in his apartment.
Production
Unusually for the show, this episode filmed in front of a live studio audience, consisting of members of the Television Critics Association. The show is normally pre-recorded and the complete episode played for an audience which is then recorded for the laugh track. Writer Kourtney Kang described singer Carrie Underwood as a 'pleasant surprise' and worked to find additional jokes for her after she performed well in rehearsals.Kang had planned to have Barney include the bone organ from The Goonies
The Goonies
The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
as one of the things he used to get women to visit his apartment but the idea was dropped as it was too difficult to get permission.
Continuity
- Lily's high school flame Scooter returns as a lunch lady. Previously, he tried to stop Lily and Marshall's wedding ("Something Borrowed"), and took up a job as a waiter after Lily incidentally commented on a waiter's performance ("Sorry, BroSorry, Bro"Sorry, Bro" is the 16th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 80th overall. It originally aired on March 9, 2009.-Plot:At 1:45 am, Robin gets up so she will be in time for her 4 am talk show that she now anchors...
"). - Marshall first sports a rat-tail as his younger self in "The WindowThe 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 :...
". - Mike is the same camera man who worked at Robin's former station, Metro News 1.
Barney's blog
Barney explains the phenomenon of the Pharma Girls in an extra from his textbook tentatively title "A History of Hotness".Cultural references
- Lily says she had been a fan of Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
in college. - Barney directly references Lady GaGaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's "LoveGameLoveGame"LoveGame" is an electropop song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame . Produced by RedOne, the track was released as the album's third single in North America and Europe and the fourth single in Australia, New Zealand and Sweden after "Eh, Eh "...
" when he says "Jump on your disco stick". - When Barney says "Ain't no party like a Pharma-Girl party, 'cause a Pharma-Girl party don't stop!" he is paraphrasing the lyrics of the song "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)"1, 2, 3, 4 " is a 1995 song recorded by American rapper Coolio. It was the third single from the album Gangsta's Paradise and was released in early 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from "Thighs High ", recorded in 1981 by American jazz trumpeter Tom Browne...
" by CoolioCoolioArtis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
. - While Scooter and teacup pig are looking at Lily with those cute eyes, the music played is based on Nino RotaNino RotaNino Rota was an Italian composer and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti...
's "A Time For Us." - When Lily is successfully rejecting the teacup pig, Marshall yells "Finish him!", referencing the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of The A.V. ClubThe 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...
rated the episode with a grade B-. She calls "the structure familiar in outline, but just the slightest bit shoddy in execution" and is a little disappointed by the good episode because it is not at the same high level as the rest of the season.
Lindsey Bahr of The Atlantic wrote that the episode "wasn't all that funny" because "there were too many failed jokes".
Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 8.5 out of 10. He was surprised how well singer Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
performed in her first acting role. He found the scene where Ted accidentally proposes "groan-worthy" and likened it to a scene straight out of Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
.
Cindy McLennan of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade C+. She criticizes the idea of the hot-pharmaceutical girl as unoriginal, saying it "was funny seven and a half years ago, when Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
played one on Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
". Finally she notes the writers of the show have been keeping the audience on the hook for years and it might be better not to rub it in their faces.