The Platinum Rule
Encyclopedia
"The Platinum Rule" is the eleventh episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
and 55th overall. It originally aired on December 10, 2007.
It was the last episode to air before the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike meant production was suspended.
announces to the group that he is planning on taking out his tattoo removal doctor to a movie and is immediately met with disapproval. Barney
mentions the Golden Rule: Although it is known commonly from the Bible
as the ethic of reciprocity
("Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you."), Barney's take on it is "Love thy neighbor," which would lead into his Platinum Rule as "Never ever, ever, ever love thy neighbor." His point was that one should never date someone seen on a regular basis, e.g. someone at the same workplace, a next door neighbor, etc. because such relationships never work out in the end and lead to never-ending suffering, as those involved would see each other constantly. Barney begins to outline the Platinum Rule in 8 steps as the group begins to recount on their past experiences against the Platinum Rule in attempt to persuade Ted not to go on his date. He uses examples of Marshall
and Lily
getting too close to a neighboring couple, Robin
dating a fellow news anchor and himself sleeping with Wendy the Waitress at MacLarens Pub.
Omar G of Television Without Pity rated this episode 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 55th overall. It originally aired on December 10, 2007.
It was the last episode to air before the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike meant production was suspended.
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...
announces to the group that he is planning on taking out his tattoo removal doctor to a movie and is immediately met with disapproval. 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...
mentions the Golden Rule: Although it is known commonly from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as the ethic of reciprocity
Ethic of reciprocity
The Golden Rule or ethic of reciprocity is a maxim, ethical code, or moralitythat essentially states either of the following:* : One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself....
("Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you."), Barney's take on it is "Love thy neighbor," which would lead into his Platinum Rule as "Never ever, ever, ever love thy neighbor." His point was that one should never date someone seen on a regular basis, e.g. someone at the same workplace, a next door neighbor, etc. because such relationships never work out in the end and lead to never-ending suffering, as those involved would see each other constantly. Barney begins to outline the Platinum Rule in 8 steps as the group begins to recount on their past experiences against the Platinum Rule in attempt to persuade Ted not to go on his date. He uses examples of 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...
getting too close to a neighboring couple, 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 :...
dating a fellow news anchor and himself sleeping with Wendy the Waitress at MacLarens Pub.
Platinum Rule
The eight steps of the process- Attraction
- Bargaining
- Submission
- Perks
- The Tipping Point
- Purgatory
- Confrontation
- Fallout
- Co-Existence (a ninth step suggested by Ted)
Continuity
- When Ted complains about all of Barney's rules he mentions the Lemon Law and the Hot-Crazy ScaleHow 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 :...
. - The first of Ted's ten sessions with Stella to remove his tattoo is mentioned in this episode, and actually seen two episodes later.
- Ted says "Chances are Stella and I probably are not going to live happily ever after." Happily Ever AfterHappily Ever After (How I Met Your Mother)"Happily Ever After" is the sixth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 70th overall. It originally aired on November 3, 2008.- Plot :The day after Stella ran out on their wedding, Ted is unusually happy...
is the name of the first episode after Stella leaves Ted at the altar. - Ted says that when Stella and him break up it wont be because of a rule however in Shelter IslandShelter Island (How I Met Your Mother)"Shelter Island" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 69th overall. It originally aired on October 20, 2008.- Plot :...
Ted says "Never invite an ex to your wedding" which is a rule and the reason why they broke up.
Errors
- Barney is shown using an iPhoneIPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
in the Wendy the Waitress flashback, which took place in 2005; the iPhone was only released in 2007.
- In the flashbacks, Robin is supposedly dating the sports reporter from work during 2007. However, during the season 2 part of 2007 she is involved with Ted and in the season 3 part of 2007, she is mostly involved with other men.
Cultural references
- When Barney overreacts to his break-up with Wendy, Ted can be seen wearing a Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
shirt. - When Robin talks about her hockey game date with Curt, she mentions Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
left wing Mason RaymondMason RaymondMason Evan Raymond is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Cochrane, Alberta, he played Junior A in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for two seasons, where he captured league and regional titles with the...
.
Critical response
Donna Bowman of the AV Club rated the episode B+Omar G of Television Without Pity rated this episode grade B.
External links
- "The Platinum Rule" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...