Columns (How I Met Your Mother episode)
Encyclopedia
"Columns" is the 13th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
. It originally aired on January 22, 2007.
is trying to deal with his former boss, Hammond Druthers, but when he can't, he decides to fire him. The first time he attempts to fire him, he is interrupted by fellow employees bearing a birthday cake for Hammond. The second time, Ted comes into the office one night and finds Hammond in boxers and a pajama shirt; his wife has left him, and he has been sleeping at the office. Once again, Ted's plan is thwarted, and he takes Hammond home to sleep on his couch.
Despite Ted's altruism, Hammond continues to belittle his ideas in the office. He tries to fire him again, but just as he is, Hammond is handed his divorce papers and learns that his dog is dead. Then, the employees approach with another birthday cake, since they were in Montreal
during his real birthday celebration days before. Ted decides to fire him anyway, but Hammond suffers a heart attack in the process. Ted thinks he is faking it to keep from getting fired, and continues to mock him. Hammond is taken away in a stretcher. Everyone in the office initially hates Ted, but forgive him when he comes up with the idea of "Margarita Fridays," replete with margarita machines.
Meanwhile, Marshall
is tormented by the picture Lily
painted of him posing nude as a freshman at Wesleyan
. Ted, Barney
, and Robin
find the painting behind the piano and have the bartender hang it up behind the bar at McClaren's. Marshall manages to snatch it away by jumping at it.
Marshall wants to spend his honeymoon on a tour of the country's caverns, but Lily - who is up all night thinking about Barney's offer to have her paint him nude - says they can stay in Scotland
using money from painting Barney. Marshall finds a more expensive castle in Scotland to stay at and tricks Barney into paying another $5000 by pretending to argue with Lily about painting another man in the nude. Barney is unhappy with the finished painting, complaining that Lily gave him the "Ken Doll" (not painting his genitals).
gave the episode 7.7 out of 10.
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...
. It originally aired on January 22, 2007.
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...
is trying to deal with his former boss, Hammond Druthers, but when he can't, he decides to fire him. The first time he attempts to fire him, he is interrupted by fellow employees bearing a birthday cake for Hammond. The second time, Ted comes into the office one night and finds Hammond in boxers and a pajama shirt; his wife has left him, and he has been sleeping at the office. Once again, Ted's plan is thwarted, and he takes Hammond home to sleep on his couch.
Despite Ted's altruism, Hammond continues to belittle his ideas in the office. He tries to fire him again, but just as he is, Hammond is handed his divorce papers and learns that his dog is dead. Then, the employees approach with another birthday cake, since they were in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
during his real birthday celebration days before. Ted decides to fire him anyway, but Hammond suffers a heart attack in the process. Ted thinks he is faking it to keep from getting fired, and continues to mock him. Hammond is taken away in a stretcher. Everyone in the office initially hates Ted, but forgive him when he comes up with the idea of "Margarita Fridays," replete with margarita machines.
Meanwhile, 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...
is tormented by the picture 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...
painted of him posing nude as a freshman at Wesleyan
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
. Ted, 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...
, 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 :...
find the painting behind the piano and have the bartender hang it up behind the bar at McClaren's. Marshall manages to snatch it away by jumping at it.
Marshall wants to spend his honeymoon on a tour of the country's caverns, but Lily - who is up all night thinking about Barney's offer to have her paint him nude - says they can stay in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
using money from painting Barney. Marshall finds a more expensive castle in Scotland to stay at and tricks Barney into paying another $5000 by pretending to argue with Lily about painting another man in the nude. Barney is unhappy with the finished painting, complaining that Lily gave him the "Ken Doll" (not painting his genitals).
Continuity
- Ted is the boss because of the building he designed in "Aldrin JusticeAldrin Justice"Aldrin Justice" is the 6th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on October 23, 2006.- Plot :...
". - In this episode Lily explains that she painted Marshall nude for her art class, but in "Sorry, BroSorry, Bro"Sorry, Bro" is the 16th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 80th overall. It originally aired on March 9, 2009.-Plot:At 1:45 am, Robin gets up so she will be in time for her 4 am talk show that she now anchors...
" she says that it's because he ate her bowl of fruit.
Cultural references
- Marshall tells Ted to ask himself Who's the Boss?Who's the Boss?Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
, a reference to the 80s TV show. Barney is the only one who answers MonaKatherine HelmondKatherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who played Emily Dickinson on Meeting of Minds, as well as such fictional characters as Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, Doris Sherman on Coach, and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves...
. - In the Wesleyan scene where Lily proposes to Marshall about the nude painting, Marshall is seen playing Super Mario WorldSuper Mario World, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
. - In the scene where Ted finds out Druthers is sleeping at his office, they both drink from a bottle labelled "J. Buckley" A reference to the singer Jeff BuckleyJeff BuckleyJeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
Critical response
Staci Krause of IGNIGN
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 7.7 out of 10.