Splitsville
| "Splitsville" | |
|---|---|
| How I Met Your Mother episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 8 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Pamela Fryman |
| Written by | Stephen Lloyd |
| Original air date | November 12, 2012 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Michael Trucco (Nick Padarotti) | |
"Splitsville" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 166th episode overall.
Plot
Robin states that she has not had sex with Nick in days. Robin says her drought was because Nick had a groin injury from being a ringer with the Force Majeurs, Marshall's team in the Midtown Professionals Basketball League (MPBL). However, that is the least of Robin's worries: she has seen that Nick is dumb and does not catch on to her hints that they should break up. Barney presents her with an ultimatum: She must break up with Nick by 8pm or he will post an online invitation about Robin going out with her annoying co-worker Patrice for a whole day. Barney suggests that the breakup take place at Splitsville, a nearby cafe where—true to its name—couples go to break up.
During the date, Robin tries to tell Nick that they're breaking up and puts her phone on speaker so Lily, Marshall, Ted and Barney can hear the breakup as it happens. However, he gets so despondent because his doctor called about an MRI scan on his groin—the injury is enough to put him out of action for the season. Marshall is angry at the degree of the injury because he was banking on Nick to lead the Majeurs to the playoffs. When Nick's amorous gestures sway Robin from breaking up, Barney marches down to the cafe and proclaims his love for Robin. It is too much for Nick, who cries so hard about a broken heart, he even attracts the attention of two crying women who were just dumped. Barney and Robin walk down the street and she thanks him for helping with the breakup. Barney admits that he was just covering for her being his bro. However, because he forgot to put down the invite, Patrice calls up Robin and their special day pushes through.
Meanwhile, Marshall works out inside the apartment, while Lily is aroused by sexual images of a ringer that another MPBL team, the Number Crunchers, used against the Majeurs and even imagines an orgy involving Barney, Robin, Nick and the two women he picked up. Disgusted with her sexual fantasies, Ted asks Lily what she was doing. Lily admits that she and Marshall have not had sex in months because Marvin cries whenever the two get intimate anywhere. Ted takes out Marvin for a stroll while Marshall and Lily get down to business.
Ted also plays in the MPBL with his team of architects, the T-Squares. As playing coach, he brags about a crazy buzzer beater shot against the Crunchers. However, the shot was not allowed and the Crunchers win the game, 112-0. Ted later meets up with his teammates, who promptly throw him off the team by ordering a banana split for him.
Critical reception
Donna Bowman of the AV Club gave the episode an A−, stating that "Robin and Nick's breakup is the best—meaning funniest and most meaningful—of 'The Autumn of Breakups'." She describes Nick as "a comedy machine" and calls Barney's declaration of love for Robin as "classically beautiful".[1]
Angel Cohn of Television Without Pity gave the episode a C− and expresses disbelief that Robin could be just discovering that Nick is stupid. Cohn dismisses Barney's speech to Nick as "blah blah blah" and also calls the plotline of Ted's basketball team "ridiculous".[2]
Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a score of 5.2/10 (Mediocre), saying that "aside from a couple laughs involving Ted and Marshall, [it] was stunningly average." He writes that "Nick's exit felt contrived and meaningless." He says that "the B-stories weren't as annoying as usual," although he calls Ted's subplot "lame" and says Marshall and Lily's problem "felt tacked on and inconsequential."[3]
Michael Arbeiter of Hollywood.com wrote that the episode "is just another showcase of how lazy the program seems to have become." He describes making Nick as stupid as he is "the grossest example of lethargic writing." He also comments that Barney's speech about loving Robin had "hardly any immediate lead-up" and so "seems a little out of the blue and unsubstantiated."[4]
References
- ↑ Bowman, Donna (November 12, 2012). "Splitsville". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ↑ Cohn, Angel. "We All Scream for Ice Cream". Television Without Pity. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ↑ Nicholson, Max (November 12, 2012). "The Autumn of Breakups concludes.". IGN. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ↑ Arbeiter, Michael (November 13, 2012). "The Highlight Is a Math Joke". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
External links
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