Rabbit or Duck
Encyclopedia
"Rabbit or Duck" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS
situation comedy
How I Met Your Mother
and 103rd episode overall. It originally aired on February 8, 2010.
) to yell at Marshall. Marshall eventually concedes the point.
Given the success of Ranjit's arranged marriage, Ted decides to let Marshall and Lily pick the perfect bride for him during a double date on Valentine's Day itself. Ted joins Robin on her date at Don's apartment, as Don said there would be a party. Ted leaves when they see Don on the couch naked and realizes there was no party. Don says he was trying The Naked Man
. Robin confronts Don and he admits he is interested in her but didn't know how to say.
Meanwhile, Barney's having problems with his pickup phone. When he is about to bed one woman, an even hotter woman calls the phone. This causes him to ditch the woman and have Ranjit drive him back to MacLaren's on three separate occasions. On the fourth incident (involving a hot chick named Natalia), Barney throws the phone in the dumpster so he can concentrate on the woman. As he was about to seal the deal, he could hear the phone ringing in the distance and gets it again at the dumpster. Marshall and Lily later hide the phone inside the piano at Ted's apartment. Ted and Robin, who agreed to clean up the place for the day, finds the phone and Ted answers.
Ted goes on the double date with Marshall and Lily, who have fixed him up with Natalia. Despite their compatibility, Ted continues to answer the phone, which results in another encounter at McLauren's, wearing aviator sunglasses and sitting across from another woman. Seeing Ted on the line, Barney tries to get it from him, but Ted passes it to Marshall and Lily, who drops the phone in a pitcher of beer.
Back at the apartment, Ted and Robin lament about their single status, but later agree to clean the bathroom.
While preparing for another episode of Come On Get Up, New York, Don apologizes to Robin for his unprofessional behavior and praises her news anchor skills. He also tries to improve his work ethic by getting coffee for Robin. She realizes that he is wearing pants (which he never does), and the next time she looks up she imagines a duck bill on his face.
.
Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9 out of 10.
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 103rd episode overall. It originally aired on February 8, 2010.
Plot
Ted, Marshall, Lily, and Robin hang out at Ted's apartment to watch the Super Bowl, where the camera catches Barney holding up a sign in the crowd asking women to call him. It pays off as his phone keeps ringing with women on the other end. He hires Ranjit as his personal driver. Robin also reveals that she accepted an offer from her colleague, Don Frank (Benjamin Koldyke), to go on a Valentine's Day date with him, while they were on the air. The gang debates whether Robin is attracted to Don using the duck-rabbit illusion. This leads to one of the most intense fights ever among the group, with Marshall supporting rabbits as an object of desire, and Ted, Robin, and Ranjit supporting ducks. Ranjit even falls back into his native language (actually PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
) to yell at Marshall. Marshall eventually concedes the point.
Given the success of Ranjit's arranged marriage, Ted decides to let Marshall and Lily pick the perfect bride for him during a double date on Valentine's Day itself. Ted joins Robin on her date at Don's apartment, as Don said there would be a party. Ted leaves when they see Don on the couch naked and realizes there was no party. Don says he was trying The Naked Man
The Naked Man (How I Met Your Mother)
"The Naked Man" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 73rd overall. It aired on November 24, 2008.-Plot:...
. Robin confronts Don and he admits he is interested in her but didn't know how to say.
Meanwhile, Barney's having problems with his pickup phone. When he is about to bed one woman, an even hotter woman calls the phone. This causes him to ditch the woman and have Ranjit drive him back to MacLaren's on three separate occasions. On the fourth incident (involving a hot chick named Natalia), Barney throws the phone in the dumpster so he can concentrate on the woman. As he was about to seal the deal, he could hear the phone ringing in the distance and gets it again at the dumpster. Marshall and Lily later hide the phone inside the piano at Ted's apartment. Ted and Robin, who agreed to clean up the place for the day, finds the phone and Ted answers.
Ted goes on the double date with Marshall and Lily, who have fixed him up with Natalia. Despite their compatibility, Ted continues to answer the phone, which results in another encounter at McLauren's, wearing aviator sunglasses and sitting across from another woman. Seeing Ted on the line, Barney tries to get it from him, but Ted passes it to Marshall and Lily, who drops the phone in a pitcher of beer.
Back at the apartment, Ted and Robin lament about their single status, but later agree to clean the bathroom.
While preparing for another episode of Come On Get Up, New York, Don apologizes to Robin for his unprofessional behavior and praises her news anchor skills. He also tries to improve his work ethic by getting coffee for Robin. She realizes that he is wearing pants (which he never does), and the next time she looks up she imagines a duck bill on his face.
Music
- Barney's ringtone is "Turkey in the StrawTurkey in the Straw"Turkey in the Straw" is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century.The song's tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers, notably George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols. Another song, "Zip Coon", was sung to the...
." - A fast version of Felix MendelssohnFelix MendelssohnJakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's "Wedding MarchWedding March (Mendelssohn)Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" in C major, written in 1842, is one of the best known of the pieces from his suite of incidental music to Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream...
" (from Incidental music to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, op. 61) plays while Marshall and Lily hurry to find Ted a wife on Valentine's Day. - Ted spoofs "Here's comes the groom"; music is from Bridal ChorusBridal ChorusThe "Bridal Chorus" "Treulich geführt", from the 1850 opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is a march played for the bride's entrance at many formal weddings throughout the Western world...
, from Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's opera LohengrinLohengrin (opera)Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
. - "Turkey in the StrawTurkey in the Straw"Turkey in the Straw" is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century.The song's tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers, notably George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols. Another song, "Zip Coon", was sung to the...
" is also heard – in a slower version and played in the piano – in the date that Marshall and Lily arranged for Ted at the restaurant. - While Ted and Robin are sitting in the couch discussing how bad being single is, the song that plays in the background is from Haroula Rose's EP single Haroula Rose - Someday.
Cultural Reference
- Ted references Donald Duck'sDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and Don's shared habit of not wearing pants as proof that Don is a "duck." Ironically, it is Don's decision to start wearing pants that makes him a duck to Robin. - While attending the Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, Barney holds up a sign saying "Hey Ladies, Call Barney Stinson," with the C, B, and S written in big colored letters. CBSCBSCBS 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...
is the network that airs How I Met Your Mother and that also broadcasted Super Bowl XLIVSuper Bowl XLIVSuper Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
on February 7, 2010. The poster Barney displayed has two versions. One version, with the number 1-877-987-6401, was shown during the actual Super Bowl telecast. When the number is dialed, a message recorded by Harris in character as Barney is played. The number was changed to 1-917-555-0197 in the version shown in the episode. - Don wonders why Ulee's GoldUlee's GoldUlee's Gold is a 1997 film written and directed by Victor Nuñez, and starring Peter Fonda in the title role. Co-stars include Patricia Richardson, Christine Dunford, Tom Wood, Jessica Biel, J. Kenneth Campbell, Steven Flynn, Dewey Weber, and Vanessa Zima...
is in every crossword. - Natalia, the date Marshall and Lily arrange for Ted, knows all the lines from CaddyshackCaddyshackCaddyshack is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney. It stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, and Bill Murray...
. - When the gang breaks out into their biggest argument over which was better: the duck or the rabbit, Ranjit gets heated as well and joins the argument in his native tongue. Ranjit very enthusiastically begins to argue in Persian. He yells out the following argument in favor of the duck being better: "A duck can swim, walk and fly, what else do you want from the poor animal!"
Continuity
- This episode marks the start of Robin's change of feelings towards co-host Don, mentioned by Future Ted in "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 :...
" (Season 5, Episode 11).It also can be seen as a reference to the Mermaid Theory. - There is a reference to "The Naked ManThe Naked Man (How I Met Your Mother)"The Naked Man" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 73rd overall. It aired on November 24, 2008.-Plot:...
" (Season 4, Episode 9) and to Barney writing about it in Barney's Blog. Unbeknownst to Don, Robin was a target of Mitch's "Naked Man" move, which brought it into all their lives. - Marshall allows Ted to use his "lawyered" put down, first seen in "Mary the ParalegalMary the Paralegal"Mary the Paralegal" is the 19th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on April 24, 2006.- Plot :...
" (Season 1, Episode 19). This is the first time anyone other than Marshall has used the line. - In their last ditch attempt to find Ted a Valentine, Lily and Marshall mention several of his former conquests from the show, including Trudy ("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...
", "Third WheelThird Wheel"Third Wheel" is the third episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 47th overall. It originally aired on October 8, 2007.- Plot :...
"), Blahblah ("How I Met Everyone ElseHow I Met Everyone Else"How I Met Everyone Else" is the fifth episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 49th overall. It originally aired on October 22, 2007.- Plot :...
") and Natalie ("Return of the ShirtReturn of the Shirt"Return of the Shirt" is the 4th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on October 10, 2005.- Plot :...
"). Only Trudy's history is unconnected to the show. While Trudy got married, Blahblah, who the gang noted was crazy, was finally committed while Natalie, whom Ted dumped on her birthday on two separate occasions, still hates him. However, in "Return of the ShirtReturn of the Shirt"Return of the Shirt" is the 4th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on October 10, 2005.- Plot :...
", Future Ted notes that Natalie is married with 3 kids (Marshall and Lily might not have known that at the time, though). - This is the second time a Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
is used as a plot point on the show. The season 2 episode "Monday Night Football" was centered around Super Bowl XLISuper Bowl XLISuper Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
. - This is the second time that Ranjit speaks Persian in the entire series. The first time was in "The Goat" when he cursed Barney in "PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
" after finding out that Barney and Robin had sex.
Barney's blog
Barney express his love for his best wingman, his phone, in the form haikuHaiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of The AV Club rated the episode with a grade A.Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9 out of 10.