The Rebound Girl

"The Rebound Girl" is the 11th episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 147th episode overall. It aired on November 21, 2011.^[1]

Plot

Ted and Barney have been drinking. Upset with the poor state of their recent romantic relationships, they decide to adopt a child as "bros". They decide to wait until they sober up to see if it is still a good idea; they decide to proceed. When an argument ensues, Barney storms out. Ted attempts to apologize the next day, but is surprised to see Barney arrive at his apartment with a baby. While Ted is worried about where the baby came from, he is swayed into keeping her when he notices how much female attention he and Barney attract with her.

Marshall and Lily drop by the house they were given by her grandparents in Long Island, which they are planning to sell. However, after returning to their city apartment, they perceive it to be much smaller than before, and they rashly decide to move to the house. When Robin learns of their decision, she is shocked and afraid of losing "the gang". In an effort to change their minds, she reminds them of the time when Marshall almost purchased an abandoned fire-house and became a Ghostbuster. When the three arrive at the house to prepare for Thanksgiving, Robin locks herself in their bathroom and refuses to leave until they change their minds. Marshall soon becomes worried about her and knocks on the bathroom window to find out what is going on and why she is not reacting well to the thought of him and Lily moving. Robin says "Maybe I need you guys more than you think". When Marshall asks if this is about more than them moving, she doesn't respond.

When Barney and Ted arrive at Marshall and Lily's house with the baby, Lily is shocked. She manages to convince Ted (who had begun to relish the idea) that this wasn't a good idea. Barney's brother James and his husband arrive, and the child is revealed to be their daughter Sadie, who Barney offered to babysit after inviting James and his family for Thanksgiving dinner. James tells Ted he almost did the same thing (i.e. adopt a baby with a two-friend parental arrangement) with a female friend, but once they met their life partners, they were both happy that they hadn't followed through with the plan. Ted tells Barney that he no longer wishes to adopt and Barney leaves to take a walk, but when he realizes Robin is in the bathroom, he goes to the window to talk to her. Robin is obviously upset, ostensibly about Marshall and Lily's plan to leave New York City, but finally blurts out that she is pregnant.

Critical response

The AV Club's Katherine Miller graded the episode at B+.^[2] This episode attracted 10.01 million viewers.^[3]

References

External links

• "The Rebound Girl" at the Internet Movie Database