No Tomorrow (How I Met Your Mother episode)
Encyclopedia
"No Tomorrow" is the 12th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
and 56th overall. It originally aired on March 17, 2008. It was the first episode to air after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
concluded.
, Marshall
and Lily
decide to spend Saint Patrick's Day
holding a board game
night at Marshall and Lily’s new apartment, rather than drinking green beer with a green-suited Barney
. Barney, although insulted, accepts his fate and leaves alone. Soon after, Barney calls Ted, having procured a cab and two hot dates for the night. He proposes his theory of "No Tomorrow" and that "today" will have no consequences, and finally convinces Ted to join him by promising him one of his dates. Future Ted reveals that the Mother was present at the party that he and Barney attended that night.
Meanwhile, back at board game night, Marshall and Robin
discover that Marshall and Lily’s new apartment is crooked. Marshall convinces Robin to keep it a secret from Lily, at least for the time being. However, when a painting on the wall suddenly moves, Lily senses something weird. To cover the truth, Marshall concocts a story about the ghost of a Confederate
general haunting the apartment. Eventually, the secret comes out and Marshall, Lily and Robin end up inventing a game called "roller luge" as a means of getting over the crooked floor.
Meanwhile, out with Barney, Ted discovers that, for one night only, the universe seems to work in reverse and rewards him for every bad deed he does. He ditched Marshall and Lily and found himself with a hot date, then he and Barney ditched their dates in line outside a club, and inside they found themselves outnumbered by greater than or equally hot women. He puts two expensive bottles of champagne on someone else’s tab, and is presented with free caviar
. The biggest reward comes when he gets hit on by a sure thing named Ashlee (Vanessa Minnillo
). To test his theory he asks Ashlee if she would have a one night stand with him and then forget about it entirely the next morning, to which she agrees, thus confirming his theory. Then, Ashlee confides in him that she is married, which fills him with panic and guilt. Barney approves of Ted's actions but disapproves of his reluctance to proceed. Back with Ashlee, Ted hesitates and then gets punched out by the man whose tab he had used.
Ted wakes up at home the next morning with a black eye and fond memories, telling Marshall that after police arrested the man he got to drink for free for the rest of the night. However Marshall is far from impressed and reminds Ted that he committed Credit Card fraud and kissed a married woman. To further the point, he reveals that Ted had accidentally pocket dialled his phone the whole time. Seventeen voice messages are played and remind Ted of how he abandoned his date at the door, ordered champagne on another person's bar tab and wanted to sleep with a woman with no intention of seeing her again (all while extremely drunk). Ted finally realises that the night was actually different from how he remembered it and actually acted like a jerk all evening and thanks Marshall (who, along with Lily, are still living with Ted while their apartment is fixed).
Ted returns to the club to retrieve his phone, which he had left behind. He doesn’t find it, but he grabs an abandoned yellow umbrella and walks home in the rain. Future Ted reveals that his eventual wife had been at the club that night, but they did not meet and he's glad because he knows that if they had, she would not have liked him.
In the last scene, Barney wakes up next to a dumpster, proclaims, "I'm awesome" and stumbles away.
s he has written for "A Stinson For A Dream," his forthcoming book of poetry.
Michelle Zoromski of IGN
gave the episode 8 out of 10.
Several critics speculated on whether actress Nicole Muirbrook
, who is credited as "Woman" in the episode, could be the titular Mother.
Joel Keller of TV Squad described the episode as "above average" and wondered if the show would survive to be renewed for a fourth season. The article also included a poll asking if the woman Ted ran into was the mother or a red herring thrown in by the writers.
Omar of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade B.
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 56th overall. It originally aired on March 17, 2008. It was the first episode to air after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
concluded.
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...
, 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...
and 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...
decide to spend Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
holding a board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
night at Marshall and Lily’s new apartment, rather than drinking green beer with a green-suited 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...
. Barney, although insulted, accepts his fate and leaves alone. Soon after, Barney calls Ted, having procured a cab and two hot dates for the night. He proposes his theory of "No Tomorrow" and that "today" will have no consequences, and finally convinces Ted to join him by promising him one of his dates. Future Ted reveals that the Mother was present at the party that he and Barney attended that night.
Meanwhile, back at board game night, Marshall 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 :...
discover that Marshall and Lily’s new apartment is crooked. Marshall convinces Robin to keep it a secret from Lily, at least for the time being. However, when a painting on the wall suddenly moves, Lily senses something weird. To cover the truth, Marshall concocts a story about the ghost of a Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
general haunting the apartment. Eventually, the secret comes out and Marshall, Lily and Robin end up inventing a game called "roller luge" as a means of getting over the crooked floor.
Meanwhile, out with Barney, Ted discovers that, for one night only, the universe seems to work in reverse and rewards him for every bad deed he does. He ditched Marshall and Lily and found himself with a hot date, then he and Barney ditched their dates in line outside a club, and inside they found themselves outnumbered by greater than or equally hot women. He puts two expensive bottles of champagne on someone else’s tab, and is presented with free caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
. The biggest reward comes when he gets hit on by a sure thing named Ashlee (Vanessa Minnillo
Vanessa Minnillo
Vanessa Joy Lachey is an-American television personality, television host, model, and actress. A former Miss Teen USA, she has been a New York-based correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and a host of Total Request Live on MTV...
). To test his theory he asks Ashlee if she would have a one night stand with him and then forget about it entirely the next morning, to which she agrees, thus confirming his theory. Then, Ashlee confides in him that she is married, which fills him with panic and guilt. Barney approves of Ted's actions but disapproves of his reluctance to proceed. Back with Ashlee, Ted hesitates and then gets punched out by the man whose tab he had used.
Ted wakes up at home the next morning with a black eye and fond memories, telling Marshall that after police arrested the man he got to drink for free for the rest of the night. However Marshall is far from impressed and reminds Ted that he committed Credit Card fraud and kissed a married woman. To further the point, he reveals that Ted had accidentally pocket dialled his phone the whole time. Seventeen voice messages are played and remind Ted of how he abandoned his date at the door, ordered champagne on another person's bar tab and wanted to sleep with a woman with no intention of seeing her again (all while extremely drunk). Ted finally realises that the night was actually different from how he remembered it and actually acted like a jerk all evening and thanks Marshall (who, along with Lily, are still living with Ted while their apartment is fixed).
Ted returns to the club to retrieve his phone, which he had left behind. He doesn’t find it, but he grabs an abandoned yellow umbrella and walks home in the rain. Future Ted reveals that his eventual wife had been at the club that night, but they did not meet and he's glad because he knows that if they had, she would not have liked him.
In the last scene, Barney wakes up next to a dumpster, proclaims, "I'm awesome" and stumbles away.
Continuity
- In "Brunch", Ted states that Barney always uses 83 percent when he makes up a statistic. Barney says in this episode that there was a "Great Dude Shortage" in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1883. - Ted acquires the yellow umbrella, which is instrumental in the shorter version of the story of how Ted met the Mother as revealed in "Wait for ItWait for It"Wait for It" is the first episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 45th episode overall. It originally aired on September 24, 2007.- Plot :...
". - When carrying Lily over the threshold, Marshall hums the same tune he sings in "Spoiler Alert" when he is getting ready to do laundry.
- The painting Marshall hangs in the new apartment is the same one whose hanging prompted the sword fight in The Duel.
- When Marshall plays the first message for Ted to show him how badly he has behaved, the first flashback shows Ted and Barney outside the club acting drunk. However, by this point neither has had a drink.
- This episode marks the second actual appearance of the Mother on-screen (although she is mostly obscured by the yellow umbrella, she may be the woman Ted stumbles upon when going to confront Barney about his "no tomorrow" theory). The first appearance is at the end of "Wait For ItWait for It"Wait for It" is the first episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 45th episode overall. It originally aired on September 24, 2007.- Plot :...
" when she walks by outside of MacLaren's (again, obscured by the yellow umbrella).
Barney's blog
Barney tells us how much he enjoys St. Patrick's Day and shares some of the limerickLimerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
s he has written for "A Stinson For A Dream," his forthcoming book of poetry.
Cultural references
- Barney wears a green suit for St. Patrick's Day and is compared to The RiddlerRiddlerThe Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
, GumbyGumbyGumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
, a sidelined basketball player, a pool table, Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
, and a leprechaunLeprechaunA leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
. - After learning his friends will not go St. Patrick's Day clubbing with him, Barney states that it is "so not Raven." The Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
was running a sitcom called That's So RavenThat's So RavenThat's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House...
at the time. - As Barney tries to convince Ted to go to the club, he says that night will be "Bropocalypse Now" and "Bromageddon," references to the films Apocalypse NowApocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
and Armageddon, respectively. - When Ted and Barney are in the club, Barney states that the "universe is talking to us." Ted replies "We don't have to build a baseball field, do we?", referencing Field of DreamsField of DreamsField of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
, one of all main characters' favorite movies (except for Robin).
- Robin describes the slanted floor of the apartment as like the last 20 minutes of the film TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
. - Marshall, Lily, and Robin play a game of Hungry Hungry HipposHungry Hungry HipposHungry Hungry Hippos is a tabletop game made for young children, currently produced by Hasbro, under the brand of its subsidiary, Milton Bradley. It was published in 1967 and introduced in 1978...
Lily found in her new apartment.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of The AV Club rated the episode B+.Michelle 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 8 out of 10.
Several critics speculated on whether actress Nicole Muirbrook
Nicole Muirbrook
-Career:As a model, Muirbrook has appeared on the covers of Vanidades, Vogue Girl, Blush and Bella.Muirbrook appeared in an episode of the US sitcom How I Met Your Mother and some have theorized that she will eventually play Ted Mosby's Future Wife. She played Thalia in The Human Contract, which...
, who is credited as "Woman" in the episode, could be the titular Mother.
Joel Keller of TV Squad described the episode as "above average" and wondered if the show would survive to be renewed for a fourth season. The article also included a poll asking if the woman Ted ran into was the mother or a red herring thrown in by the writers.
Omar of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade B.