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Girls Versus Suits

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"Girls Versus Suits"

"Girls Versus Suits" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 100th episode overall. It originally aired on January 11, 2010.

The episode features a musical number performed by Neil Patrick Harris, supported by the rest of the main cast.

Plot

Future Ted again expounds on the unknowable nature of destiny, and tells the kids about the time he almost met their mother. After leaving class, Ted intercepts a series of fraternity brothers inviting a woman up to the roof to drink. Confiscating the alcohol, he sits down to drink the beer with Cindy (Rachel Bilson), a Ph.D. student roughly his own age to whom he can relate. He asks her out on a date and when he comes to pick her up at her apartment, it turns out Cindy has serious issues with her roommate (who Future Ted reveals to be the Mother); her dates keep falling in love with her roommate, and her roommate's strange habits annoy Cindy. Ted promises Cindy to never fall in love with her roommate ("Oops," says Future Ted).

During the date, Cindy explains more about the strange habits she dislikes about her roommate that Ted secretly thinks are awesome. Cindy tells how the Mother paints pictures of robots playing sports and has breakfast foods singing show tunes. Future Ted reveals the painting of robots playing volleyball is still hanging in the house and that an English muffin singing "Memories" is the most hauntingly beautiful thing he has heard to this day. Even though she complains about her roommate throughout the evening, Ted wants to continue dating Cindy.

After the date, Cindy tells Ted she can't see him again, blaming the University policy preventing students and lecturers from fraternizing, as she fears it could cost her her scholarship. At first Ted tries to rationalize her decision as being for the best, especially as the others point out that Cindy's future and Ted's job are in jeopardy. Ted is inspired to try again, and shows up at Cindy's apartment and tries to persuade her to go out with him again, unwilling to miss out on the chance of her being the right woman. She takes Ted to talk in her room as her roommate is just about to leave the shower. As he tries to convince Cindy that their paths are meant to cross, he picks out items from her room which show how much they have in common. Cindy reveals that all three objects are really connected to her roommate. Frustrated that Ted is already more compatible with her roommate, Cindy tells him to leave. Ted does not meet her roommate, although on his way out he does catch a glimpse of her leg, as she disappears into her bedroom. Ted forgets to take the yellow umbrella he brought with him, revealing how the Mother gets it back.

MacLaren's has hired an attractive female bartender (Stacy Keibler), and Barney seeks to add her occupation to his list of conquests. There is only one problem: she doesn't like men in suits, having dated insensitive Wall Street losers. Barney is forced to choose between the girl and the suits. For a while he attempts to dress casually, convincing the bartender she misjudged him. At one point Barney becomes so distraught from wearing normal clothes that he begins to cuddle with Marshall's arm, just to feel the touch of Marshall's suit, causing Marshall to slap him, snapping him out of his stupor. Even then, Barney sneaks away to the bathroom to wear his suit, where he accidentally rips the back. The suit is damaged beyond repair, but his tailor (Tim Gunn) transplants the buttons to save another suit and Barney cremates the remains.

Meanwhile, Lily, Marshall, and Robin argue about the bartender's attractiveness. Robin is jealous, and even gets behind the bar to show how the location amplifies natural beauty; Carl soon kicks her out from behind the bar. Marshall insists that the bartender is not that attractive, saying that Lily is the most beautiful woman he has ever met. Lily tries to get Marshall to say that she is not as beautiful as the bartender, and eventually even implies that the bartender is better looking than Marshall, upsetting him a little.

With the urn of suit ashes and his real tears for his lost suit, Barney convinces the bartender to go home with him. In his apartment, she accidentally opens his closet full of suits and realizes he deceived her. She forces him to choose between her and his suits. She is angry as they are shown leaving building and Barney breaks into song, professing his love of suits — only to choose her at the end of the song when he realizes that she is "pretty hot". He tells her she is more important than the suits and they will go first thing in the morning. As they fall into bed, he whispers "you guys are fine" to his suits.

Music

Continuity

  • In the episode "The Leap," Ted first reveals the woman who would become "the Mother" of the show's title was in the class he walked into on his first day. In the subsequent episode, "Definitions," Ted reveals it was really an economics class he mistakenly walked into.[4] Cindy was also in that same economics class.
  • Barney claims not to have scored a "hot bartender" before — Neil Patrick Harris thinks this is "a bit of a lie" on the part of the writers.[5] Barney has previously slept with "Wendy the Waitress", who also works at MacLaren's bar and has been seen bartending on occasion.[6]
  • One of the other soundstages on the lot can clearly be seen past the end of the "New York Street" during Barney's big musical number.
  • Ted leaves the yellow umbrella behind in Cindy's apartment. Future Ted explains that this is how the mother got her umbrella back. Ted is first shown with the yellow umbrella in "Wait for It", where it is mentioned that the umbrella will play a part in him meeting the mother. Ted is shown acquiring the umbrella in "No Tomorrow" and carries it around in "Right Place Right Time."
  • Ted's love of female bass players, referenced in "Matchmaker", "Milk" and "Little Boys," is mentioned again when he finds his future wife's bass guitar.
  • Barney also abandons his suits in "Okay Awesome", "Monday Night Football", "The Yips", and "How Lily Stole Christmas".
  • Robin laughs when she says that she doesn't think to be the hottest girl in the bar. In "The Bracket" we learn that Robin laughs when she lies.

Barney's blog

Barney discusses choosing between women and suits, and says it is like Sophie's Choice. He compares the decision to many a great battles, and declares the result in the form of a video clip.[7]

Cultural references

  • The CD belonging to Cindy's roommate that Ted picks up when he is in Cindy's room is Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? by The Unicorns. The book he picks up next is World's End by T. Coraghessan Boyle.
  • This episode features Heather Morris from Glee as a dancer.
  • Ted works for Columbia University. Cindy tells him that University policy prevents them from dating. According to Columbia University: "Consensual, romantic relationships between faculty and other employees and students and between individuals who work together are generally not considered sexual harassment and are not prohibited by University policy."[8]
  • When Barney abandons wearing suits, he wears a t-shirt that has the image of the cover of the 1924 book Die neue Wohnung by the famous architect Bruno Taut.
  • The scene when Barney is in the bathroom stall putting on his suit references the scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is injecting himself with heroin, including the fact that both scenes use the song "Bullwinkle Part II" by The Centurions.
  • Ted describes the Mother's rendition of "Memories" [sic] hauntingly beautiful. The song is "Memory" from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats.[9]

Production

Executive producer Craig Thomas revealed Neil Patrick Harris will be performing a "big-ass musical" number as the culmination of a big Barney story. Thomas has said "There is some serious Mother action in episode 100" revealing only a small teaser about the episode.[10] "Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit" was backed by sixty five dancers and accompanied by a fifty-piece orchestra.[11]

Casting

Rachel Bilson was cast for an undisclosed role in episode 100 of the show,[12] although her representative said she is only contracted for one episode.[5][13]

Tim Gunn of Project Runway brings his sartorial skills to help out Barney in a time of need. Craig Thomas explains "Tim is basically like Barney's ER physician for a serious suit emergency" and serves as a personal tailor and fashion consultant to fix a "Suit Catastrophe" for Barney.[5][14] Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Neil Patrick Harris said that they "never had a guest star on the show that people responded to more than Tim Gunn" and that even the cast and crew were asking for his autograph.[15] Alyson Hannigan described him as "more popular than Britney Spears."[11] Although unofficial, On the Season 5 DVD commentary of the episode, it has been expressed that they hope to have him return as a possible recurring character. Former wrestling diva Stacy Keibler guest stars as Karina,[1] a bartender in MacLaren's.[16] The writers describe her as "the hottest bartender in the world" and she gives the episode its title, as she forces Barney to choose between his suits and getting the girl. Her three previous ex-boyfriends were all suit wearers, and Barney cannot get with her without giving up his suits.[5]

Reception

Critical response

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club rated the episode with a grade A, describing the 100th episode as one of the best the show has ever produced. She describes the episodes as appealing to fans in a way that doesn't exclude other viewers, noting the quality of the writing and editing, the voiceover being used to great effect, and advancing the storyline for all the characters.[17]

Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9.8 out of 10.[1]

Cindy McLennan of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade A.[18]

Nickolas Clague of The New York Times gave the episode 9.2 out of 10.[19]

Ratings

The episode hit a season high with 9.82 million viewers and high overall ratings.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c Brian Zoromski (2010-01-08). "How I Met Your Mother: Girls vs. Suits Review. The series' 100th episode plays like a gift to longtime fans". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  2. ^ "HIMYM – Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit: lyrics!". CliqueClack TV. 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  3. ^ "Carrie Underwood to guest star on 'How I Met Your Mother'; show's 100th episode nears". Los Angeles Times. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  4. ^ "The Leap". How I Met Your Mother. Season 4. Episode 24. 2009-05-18. CBS. {{cite episode}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |seriesno= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Eric Goldman (2009-11-18). "How I Met Stacy Keibler: Neil Patrick Harris tells IGN how the former WWE diva plays into a Mother milestone episode". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-08. Keibler's character – described by the Mother writers as "the hottest bartender in the world" – is integral to that title.
  6. ^ The Platinum Rule (How I Met Your Mother)
  7. ^ Stinson, Barney (2010-01-10). "Barney's Blog: Girls vs. Suits – This Time Its Personal!". Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2010-01-12. Includes Video, not available to non-US viewers.
  8. ^ "University Policy on Sexual Harassment". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  9. ^ Cindy McLennan (2010-01-11). "How I Met Your Mother: Once More Without Feeling". Television Without Pity. p. 4. Your mother's rendition of 'Memories' (sic) as performed by an English Muffin is, to this day, the most hauntingly beautiful thing I've ever heard.
  10. ^ Michael Ausiello (2009-09-26). "Exclusive: 'HIMYM' boss promises 'serious mother action' AND a musical!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-17. There will be a huge Barney story culminating in an enormous musical number that we're going to spend way too much of Twentieth Television's money on
  11. ^ a b Joyce Eng (2010-01-10). "Singing Suits: How I Met Your Mother Throws "a Little Party" for 100th Episode". TV Guide. Retrieved 2010-01-12. [dead link‍]
  12. ^ Michael Ausiello (2009-10-02). "'HIMYM' exclusive: Rachel Bilson cast as you-know-who?!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  13. ^ Megan Masters (2009-11-02). "Has HIMYM Cast Rachel Bilson as the Maybe Mama?". E!Online. Retrieved 2009-11-17. Bilson's rep tells us that she's only signed on to appear in the one episode.
  14. ^ Maureen Ryan (2009-10-06). "Exclusive: Tim Gunn to guest on 'How I Met Your Mother'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-11-17. For Barney, a man-about-town who takes his suits very seriously, it's "life or death stuff," Thomas jokes. [dead link‍]
  15. ^ "'How I Met Your Mother' Celebrates 100th Episode". 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2010-01-12. [dead link‍]
  16. ^ Vlada Gelman (November 19, 2009). "Stacy Keibler guest stars in "How I Met Your Mother's" 100th episode". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  17. ^ Donna Bowman (2010-01-11). "How I Met Your Mother "Girls Vs. Suits"". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  18. ^ Cindy McLennan (2010-01-11). "How I Met Your Mother: Once More Without Feeling". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. p. 10. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  19. ^ Nickolas Clague (2010-01-09). "How I Met Your Mother: Girls vs. Suits Review. The series' 100th episode plays like a gift to longtime fans". New York Times. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-12. [dead link‍]
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