The Perfect Cocktail
Encyclopedia
"The Perfect Cocktail" is the twenty-second episode of the sixth season of the CBS
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
and the 134th episode overall. It was aired on May 2, 2011.
resigned from GNB, his boss Arthur Hobbs asked to be put as his character reference when applying for a new job at an environmental organization. However, the organization rejects his application, revealing that Hobbs gave them negative feedback by recalling his supposed unprofessionalism and stories about his disdain for the environment (including clubbing a seal with an even cuter seal). Marshall returns to GNB to confront Hobbs and runs into Zoey, who offers him a job as her group's lawyer.
At MacLaren's, Barney
hands out invitations to the Arcadian's demolition. Zoey comes over and introduces Marshall as her lawyer, which upsets Barney because he helped Marshall land a job at GNB in the first place. He launches a prank war against Marshall, who retaliates by ruining Barney's hookups at the bar over several days. The pranks go too far and Carl bans the gang from the bar (including Lily
and Robin
, who were irritated by a woman lurking by their booth for the chance to sit there with her friends). Distraught by the rift, Lily and Robin decide to have them make up using various drinks and discover that certain party drinks trigger various situations (e.g. daiquiris = narcissistic behavior, or red wine = self-pity). Armed with this knowledge, the two plan a drinking binge for Marshall and Barney by ordering drinks in such a way that they would get angry at each other first, then eventually reconcile. However, while the plan is underway, Marshall and Barney drink tequila
shots and return to MacLaren's, where Barney tries to hit on a lesbian
and Marshall eats chicken wings while smoking. The two forgive each other after a round of beer and Carl lifts the ban on the gang. However, a round of champagne that Lily ordered results in Marshall and Barney blacking out and resuming their feud at Ted's apartment the next morning. Seeing their plan go to waste, Robin suggests that she and Lily drink absinthe
, which puts them in a dream-like state.
Meanwhile, Ted
goes off to spend the weekend out of town with Zoey at Martha's Vineyard
. When Lily tells him what happened between Marshall and Barney, he confronts Zoey while on the road (despite an agreement to never talk about the Arcadian) and told her that it was okay for her to disrupt his own plans, but seeing his friends turn on each other was too much. Ted proposes that if Zoey can spend one night in the decrepit hotel, she will have him on her side to save it from demolition, a proposal which Zoey accepts. Ted asks her why saving the Arcadian was so important to Zoey. She reveals that she grew up in the hotel as a child, and its destruction would see part of her identity gone with it. When they see the cockamouse creep around the room and discover its offspring, Zoey admits defeat and they spend the night at Ted's apartment. The next morning, Ted tells Barney that he is on Zoey's side.
The last scene of the episode shows Lily and Robin pulling a prank on the women who stole their booth. When Barney's assistant shows the women a photograph, they scramble out of the bar in disgust. Lily and Robin immediately come back to clean up the booth.
The AV Club's Zack Handlen gave the episode a B-, stating the prank war was funny, but the execution of the drink gag was not well-timed.
Lindsey Bahr of Atlantic Monthly said it had "fast-paced energy" that the Zoey and Ted angle spoils, and nothing is resolved by the end of the episode.
James Poniewozik of Time.com said the episode was a "single, extended running gag."
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...
sitcom 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 the 134th episode overall. It was aired on May 2, 2011.
Plot
In the cold opening, Future Ted narrates that on the day MarshallMarshall 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...
resigned from GNB, his boss Arthur Hobbs asked to be put as his character reference when applying for a new job at an environmental organization. However, the organization rejects his application, revealing that Hobbs gave them negative feedback by recalling his supposed unprofessionalism and stories about his disdain for the environment (including clubbing a seal with an even cuter seal). Marshall returns to GNB to confront Hobbs and runs into Zoey, who offers him a job as her group's lawyer.
At MacLaren's, 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...
hands out invitations to the Arcadian's demolition. Zoey comes over and introduces Marshall as her lawyer, which upsets Barney because he helped Marshall land a job at GNB in the first place. He launches a prank war against Marshall, who retaliates by ruining Barney's hookups at the bar over several days. The pranks go too far and Carl bans the gang from the bar (including 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...
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 :...
, who were irritated by a woman lurking by their booth for the chance to sit there with her friends). Distraught by the rift, Lily and Robin decide to have them make up using various drinks and discover that certain party drinks trigger various situations (e.g. daiquiris = narcissistic behavior, or red wine = self-pity). Armed with this knowledge, the two plan a drinking binge for Marshall and Barney by ordering drinks in such a way that they would get angry at each other first, then eventually reconcile. However, while the plan is underway, Marshall and Barney drink tequila
Tequila
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
shots and return to MacLaren's, where Barney tries to hit on a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and Marshall eats chicken wings while smoking. The two forgive each other after a round of beer and Carl lifts the ban on the gang. However, a round of champagne that Lily ordered results in Marshall and Barney blacking out and resuming their feud at Ted's apartment the next morning. Seeing their plan go to waste, Robin suggests that she and Lily drink absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
, which puts them in a dream-like state.
Meanwhile, Ted
Ted 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...
goes off to spend the weekend out of town with Zoey at Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
. When Lily tells him what happened between Marshall and Barney, he confronts Zoey while on the road (despite an agreement to never talk about the Arcadian) and told her that it was okay for her to disrupt his own plans, but seeing his friends turn on each other was too much. Ted proposes that if Zoey can spend one night in the decrepit hotel, she will have him on her side to save it from demolition, a proposal which Zoey accepts. Ted asks her why saving the Arcadian was so important to Zoey. She reveals that she grew up in the hotel as a child, and its destruction would see part of her identity gone with it. When they see the cockamouse creep around the room and discover its offspring, Zoey admits defeat and they spend the night at Ted's apartment. The next morning, Ted tells Barney that he is on Zoey's side.
The last scene of the episode shows Lily and Robin pulling a prank on the women who stole their booth. When Barney's assistant shows the women a photograph, they scramble out of the bar in disgust. Lily and Robin immediately come back to clean up the booth.
Continuity
- Ted and Zoey encounter the "cockamouse" (half cockroach, half mouse) from "Matchmaker" in their hotel room at the Arcadian.
- Barney's pranks on Marshall were of the same kind from "Milk" against Butterfield.
- The show uses music from "Okay AwesomeOkay Awesome"Okay Awesome" is the fifth episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on October 17, 2005.- Plot :...
". - Marshall tells a girl that she'll be the 250th girl Barney's slept with, but Barney says she'll actually be number 283. Barney tends to use the number 83 when making up statistics.
- Robin uses Barney's catchphrase "Dance for me puppets, dance!" which was first used by Barney in "Columns".
- Marshall is shown smoking a cigarette at MacLaren's while hiding from Carl. Future Ted stated 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 :...
", the certain events in their lives which cause them to eventually quit for good. - Lily hits on Robin every time she sips martiniMartiniMartini may refer to:* Martini , a popular cocktail* Martini , a brand of vermouth* Martini , a Swiss automobile company* Martini , a French manufacturer of racing cars...
s. Lily has shown bisexual tendencies in previous episodes, such as "Best Prom EverBest Prom Ever"Best Prom Ever" is the 20th episode in the first season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired May 1, 2006. It has the least amount of viewership in season 1 .- Plot :...
", "Robin 101Robin 101"Robin 101" is the third episode of season 5 of the How I Met Your Mother TV series and 91st overall. It originally aired on October 5, 2009.- Plot :...
" and "HopelessHopeless (How I Met Your Mother)"Hopeless" is the 21st episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 133rd episode overall. It aired on April 18, 2011.-Plot:...
". - Ted reveals that his weird-reaction-drink is Bourbon, a drink which he previously professed that he used to hate, but now loves, in Season 1, "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 :...
." - One of Marshall's supposed unprofessional tendencies stated by Arthur Hobbs is that he did not wear any pants. This is a reference to the episode "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...
", where Marshall forgot to bring his pants and Barney cut up the ones Lily brought over. - Barney says that he is a B+, like the grade that Marshall's professor at law gave him when they slept together 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 :...
" episode. - Marshall gets really into himself after drinking daiquiris. Similarly, this is also seen in the episode "Matchmaker" when he and Lily stumble into the apartment and Marshall states, "I don't know what it is but margaritas make me feel sexy," as margaritas and daiquiris share distinct similarities with one another.
Barney's blog
Barney provides an invitation to the demolition of the Arcadian, which is set for September 4, 2011.Cultural references
- During Robin's absinthe flashback, Marshall can be heard saying they can drink "water, soda, purple stuff." This is a reference to an old Sunny DelightSunny DelightSunny Delight may refer to the following:* SunnyD, the main drink made by Sunny Delight Beverages* Sunny Delight Beverages, the maker of Sunny Delight...
commercial. - Lily says Barney drinking peppermint schnappsSchnappsSchnapps is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage. The English word schnapps is derived from the German Schnaps , which can refer to any strong alcoholic drink but particularly those containing at least 32% ABV...
turns him to Richard Dawson, particularly his habit in Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
of kissing female contestants on the lips. - Robin and Lily's exclamations of "Good order, Ted!" are a reference to the tendency of Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
contestants to yell "Good answer!" in response to answers offered by their teammates. - Ted brings up the end of the Oprah Winfrey Show and Lily thinks Marshall and Barney should reconcile "like they do on Oprah."
- Erik SatieErik SatieÉric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
's "Gymnopédie No. 1: Lent Et Douloureux" plays during Robin and Lily's absinthe hallucination scenes. - On planning the Arcadian's demolition, Barney is thinking whether to train a coyoteWile E. Coyote and Road RunnerWile E. Coyote and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese...
to press the AcmeAcme CorporationThe Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that features prominently in the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a running gag featuring outlandish products that fail catastrophically at the worst possible times...
dynamite plunger or hotwire Eddie Van HalenEddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
's guitar as the detonator upon hitting a high note. - Robin thinks the woman who is trying to get their booth wanted a seat "Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
-style," referring to his song, "All Night Long".
Reception
Reviews of the episode were mixed.The AV Club's Zack Handlen gave the episode a B-, stating the prank war was funny, but the execution of the drink gag was not well-timed.
Lindsey Bahr of Atlantic Monthly said it had "fast-paced energy" that the Zoey and Ted angle spoils, and nothing is resolved by the end of the episode.
James Poniewozik of Time.com said the episode was a "single, extended running gag."