Columns (How I Met Your Mother)

"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.

Plot

Ted is trying to deal with his former boss, Hammond Druthers, who know works for him. 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 has died recently. 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 on a stretcher. Everyone in the office initially hates Ted, but forgive him when he comes up with the idea of "Margarita Fridays," complete 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 MacLaren's. Marshall manages to snatch it away by jumping at it.

To Lily's surprise, Barney proposes that she paint him in the nude, as he was impressed by the quality of the drawing. He offers her a sizeable sum of money, but Lily worries that it will upset Marshall. She talks him round by suggesting that they can use the money to spend their honeymoon in Scotland, rather than their original plans to explore caverns in the US. Marshall later finds a more expensive castle to stay at, and tricks Barney into paying an additional $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).

Critical response

Staci Krause of IGN gave the episode 7.7 out of 10.^[1]

References

External links

• Columns at the Internet Movie Database
• "Columns" at TV.com