Last Cigarette Ever
Encyclopedia
"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.
got at her early morning news show, and describes her taking a smoke break up on the roof, much to the surprise of his listening children. She is then joined by Marshall
, who is stressed about his new department head Arthur Hobbs. Barney
explains that Marshall's job is at risk because Arthur does not remember Marshall, even though Marshall worked for him before and made an angry, explosive speech when he quit. When Marshall takes a rooftop break at work, he bumps into Arthur, and to gain his confidence, they share a smoke.
Even though Marshall rigorously cleans himself, Lily
can still smell the smoke on him, and uses it as an excuse to start smoking again herself (which leads to her voice lowering to a raspy growl). Finally, Ted
and Barney feel left out as their friends smoke outside MacLaren's, and they join in as well. As the week continues, their smoking takes its toll, decreasing Ted's stamina on the stairs, worsening Lily's voice, and giving Marshall's boss, Arthur, a heart attack. They all pledge to stop smoking, though Robin is reluctant at first.
Meanwhile, Robin is joined by a new co-anchor, Don Frank, a legend of the pre-6am television world, having broadcast in 38 media outlets. Robin is impressed at first, but is quickly disappointed by Don's lack of professionalism and total indifference to his job — to the point that he does the news in his underwear. She works even harder to prove that her job means something, even booking Mayor Bloomberg
on the show. When Don tells her to stop taking her job so seriously, Robin loses her temper and calls Don a rude, unprofessional loser; in the middle of her tirade, Don tells her that the Mayor canceled. As she begins to light up a cigarette on air in defeat, the gang calls from the apartment, pleading for her not to break their pact. She agrees, but when she returns to the apartment, she finds everyone smoking on the roof. Future Ted tells the audience in the voice-over that Robin and Don were dating within three months.
The gang agrees to have "one last cigarette" as the sun rises, but Future Ted reveals it took years for each member of the gang to actually quit, listing events in their lives that lead to the change: Lily quits the day she decides to try to get pregnant; Marshall quits the day his son is born; Robin quits in June 2013; Barney quits in March 2017; and Ted quits two weeks into dating the children's mother.
Throughout the episode, Marshall says he had his first cigarette when he was 13, and is shown periodically imagining himself traveling back in time and beating up his younger self for taking up the habit in the first place. At the end of the episode, Marshall once again visits his 13-year-old counterpart in 1991, but instead of beating him up, he apologizes and gives him a peace offering: a picture of Lily, to which Young Marshall replies "Wow she's hot". Marshall explains to his younger self that he will one day marry her. Surprised and excited, Young Marshall disappears into his tent with the picture; Present Marshall is disgusted at first, but then understands and walks away.
rated the episode with a grade A-.
Joel Keller, reviewer at TV Squad described the casting of Harvey Fierstein
as Lily's smoking voice as only the third funniest thing in the episode. He praises the flashback scenes to 13-year-old Marshall's first smoke as the funniest thing in the episode.
Brian Zoromski of IGN
gave the episode only 5.5 out of 10. Zoromski noted that he had never been a smoker and described this as the worst episode ever.
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 99th episode overall. It aired on December 14, 2009.
Plot
Future Ted explains how frustrated RobinRobin 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 :...
got at her early morning news show, and describes her taking a smoke break up on the roof, much to the surprise of his listening children. She is then joined by 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...
, who is stressed about his new department head Arthur Hobbs. 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...
explains that Marshall's job is at risk because Arthur does not remember Marshall, even though Marshall worked for him before and made an angry, explosive speech when he quit. When Marshall takes a rooftop break at work, he bumps into Arthur, and to gain his confidence, they share a smoke.
Even though Marshall rigorously cleans himself, 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...
can still smell the smoke on him, and uses it as an excuse to start smoking again herself (which leads to her voice lowering to a raspy growl). Finally, 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...
and Barney feel left out as their friends smoke outside MacLaren's, and they join in as well. As the week continues, their smoking takes its toll, decreasing Ted's stamina on the stairs, worsening Lily's voice, and giving Marshall's boss, Arthur, a heart attack. They all pledge to stop smoking, though Robin is reluctant at first.
Meanwhile, Robin is joined by a new co-anchor, Don Frank, a legend of the pre-6am television world, having broadcast in 38 media outlets. Robin is impressed at first, but is quickly disappointed by Don's lack of professionalism and total indifference to his job — to the point that he does the news in his underwear. She works even harder to prove that her job means something, even booking Mayor Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
on the show. When Don tells her to stop taking her job so seriously, Robin loses her temper and calls Don a rude, unprofessional loser; in the middle of her tirade, Don tells her that the Mayor canceled. As she begins to light up a cigarette on air in defeat, the gang calls from the apartment, pleading for her not to break their pact. She agrees, but when she returns to the apartment, she finds everyone smoking on the roof. Future Ted tells the audience in the voice-over that Robin and Don were dating within three months.
The gang agrees to have "one last cigarette" as the sun rises, but Future Ted reveals it took years for each member of the gang to actually quit, listing events in their lives that lead to the change: Lily quits the day she decides to try to get pregnant; Marshall quits the day his son is born; Robin quits in June 2013; Barney quits in March 2017; and Ted quits two weeks into dating the children's mother.
Throughout the episode, Marshall says he had his first cigarette when he was 13, and is shown periodically imagining himself traveling back in time and beating up his younger self for taking up the habit in the first place. At the end of the episode, Marshall once again visits his 13-year-old counterpart in 1991, but instead of beating him up, he apologizes and gives him a peace offering: a picture of Lily, to which Young Marshall replies "Wow she's hot". Marshall explains to his younger self that he will one day marry her. Surprised and excited, Young Marshall disappears into his tent with the picture; Present Marshall is disgusted at first, but then understands and walks away.
Music
- "Cigarettes and Chocolate MilkCigarettes and Chocolate Milk"Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" is a song written and performed by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. It appears as the opening track on his second studio album, Poses...
" by Rufus WainwrightRufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
. - Morning MoodMorning MoodMorning Mood is a composition belonging to Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46. This composition is often used in films, television commercials, and shows . The piece depicts the rising of the sun. Along with In the Hall of the Mountain King, Morning Mood is one of Grieg's best known works....
from the Peer GyntPeer GyntPeer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
Suite by Edvard GriegEdvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
, played during flashbacks of 13-year-old Marshall's camping trip, when he had his first cigarette.
Continuity
- Future Ted's kids saying what was a scene from the pilot episode.
- Future Ted's kids are shown to be shocked at knowing that the whole gang smokes, but this fact is well known for some of them:
- Lily and Robin smoked just before Lily and Marshall's wedding in second season episode "Something Borrowed".
- In the episode "Moving Day", Barney reveals to Ted that Robin smokes.
- In season 4 episode "BenefitsBenefits (How I Met Your Mother)"Benefits" is the 12th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 76th overall. It originally aired on January 12, 2009.- Plot :...
", Barney is seen smoking a cigarette in front of Lily's kindergartners. - Barney ("Zip, Zip, ZipZip, Zip, Zip"Zip, Zip, Zip" is the 14th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on February 6, 2006.-Plot:...
", "How Lily Stole ChristmasHow Lily Stole Christmas"How Lily Stole Christmas" is the 11th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on December 11, 2006.- Plot :...
", "The Chain of ScreamingThe Chain of Screaming"The Chain of Screaming" is the 15th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 59th overall. It originally aired on April 14, 2008.- Plot :...
", "Something Blue"), Lily ("Arrivederci, FieroArrivederci, Fiero"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.- Plot :...
"), Ted ("Something Blue") and Robin ("Zip, Zip, ZipZip, Zip, Zip"Zip, Zip, Zip" is the 14th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on February 6, 2006.-Plot:...
", "Arrivederci, FieroArrivederci, Fiero"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.- Plot :...
") were also known to smoke cigarCigarA cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s. - In "Life Among the GorillasLife Among the Gorillas"Life Among the Gorillas" is the 17th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on March 20, 2006.- Plot :...
", there is a scene in which Lily questions Marshall: "But if those guys try to pressure you to smoke, what do you say?" and Marshall answers: "Only when I'm drunk."
- It is revealed that Marshall and Lily have at least one child in the future, a boy.
- This is the first time that the gang has actually seen Robin's news show. They first attempted this 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:...
". However, it is implied in the episode "Right Place Right TimeRight Place Right Time"Right Place, Right Time" is the 22nd episode of the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother and 86th overall. It aired on May 4, 2009.- Plot :...
" that Barney has seen the show because he uploads a video of Robin throwing up into a purse which happened during her morning show. - Marshall's new boss, Arthur Hobbs, was his boss before, as seen on "The Chain of ScreamingThe Chain of Screaming"The Chain of Screaming" is the 15th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 59th overall. It originally aired on April 14, 2008.- Plot :...
". He earned the nickname "Artillery Arthur" for yelling at employees. Marshall yelled loudly at Hobbs and quit the job. - Don was first mentioned at the end of "The PlaybookThe Playbook (How I Met Your Mother)"The Playbook" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 96th episode overall . It originally aired November 16, 2009...
" episode. Future Ted states that Robin will be dating Don within three months, which they do.
Cultural references
- There is a Tim HortonsTim HortonsTim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
coffee can beside Ted when the group is smoking on the roof. Robin and Barney visit a Tim Hortons in Toronto in "Duel Citizenship". - When Don tells Robin about how he has in fact worked for a network news show, he gives a speech that is an homage to the speech "Crash" Davis gives to "Nuke" LaLoosh in Bull DurhamBull DurhamBull Durham is a 1988 American romantic comedy baseball film. It is based upon the minor league experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina....
. - After Marshall shows his younger self a picture of Lily, the kid takes the picture and announces that he'll "be in his tent", which is a variation of a repeated catchphrase on FireflyFirefly (TV series)Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
.
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 A-.
Joel Keller, reviewer at TV Squad described the casting of Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
as Lily's smoking voice as only the third funniest thing in the episode. He praises the flashback scenes to 13-year-old Marshall's first smoke as the funniest thing in the episode.
Brian Zoromski 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 only 5.5 out of 10. Zoromski noted that he had never been a smoker and described this as the worst episode ever.