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How I Met Your Mother

Life Among the Gorillas

Season 1, Episode 17, Aired Mar 20, 2006

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Marshall interns at the corporation where Barney works and finds that he is becoming a shallow jerk as he tries to fit in with his Barney-like coworkers. Meanwhile, Ted feels guilty when he receives several gifts from Victoria while he hasn't sent her anything.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Tyler Peterson

Young Marshall
GUEST STAR
Diane Salinger

Dr. Aurelia
GUEST STAR
Gregor Manns

Karaoke DJ

Cobie Smulders

Robin Scherbatsky
Jason Segel

Marshall Eriksen
Josh Radnor

Ted Mosby
Neil Patrick Harris

Barney Stinson
Alyson Hannigan

Lily Aldrin

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Fan Episode Reviews (14)

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Marshall endures pain on his first few days of the new job and Ted is not handling the long distance thing too well.

7.0

"Good"

By pudgebyrd722, Apr 26, 2012

I really was not a fan of either of the major storylines. Marshall's realized he's not doing what he had hoped he'd would as a kid and that makes him sad as he also has to battle the meanies at Barney's office. (we still don't know what he does..) He ultimately falls into peer pressure and disappoints who he truly loves, his fiance Lily. But he gets out of trouble by requesting their song for karaoke at a party later on. Meanwhile, Victoria has already sent Ted three care packages and he hasn't sent one. So he turns to Robin of all people to help, and even though she secretly has feelings for him, she helps. Ted is ultimately satisfied and appreciative of Robin's help. However, Robin asks Ted if he wants to come over at the ending of the episode, and although it isn't officially a two-parter, this is probably the biggest cliffhanger set at the end of any episode this season. It was one of the most memorable ones in the entire series for me, too, and I loved how Bob Saget repeated the running gag at the end: "What do you do? Go." Other than that, it was still an average episode and I wish Robin would make up her mind or let Ted maintain his relationship.moreless
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Marshall tries to fit in at the workplace.

8.5

"Great"

By Jon_MW_14, Aug 16, 2011

"Life Among the Gorillas" is a great How I Met Your Mother episode. Marshall's plot is so cute. I love how he hates his job because he can't fit in with the rest of the guys at his new workplace. It was so cute how he tried to change to fit in, but Lily doesn't like that. I love how he went back to his normal self and sang karaoke with Lily at the end of th episode. I love the cliffhanger ending with Victoria emails Ted saying they need to talk and so Ted's expecting a phone call from Victoria. I give this episode a 8.5/10.moreless
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Victoria & Ted continue their long distance relationship.

8.5

"Great"

By Canogaparkcindy, Apr 18, 2010

A good episode, with a GREAT cliffhanger. Victoria & Ted continue their long distance relationship, which seems like a bit of a waste since we already know it's not going to work out, thanks to Bob Saget for ruining it for us in the last episode. Robin helps Ted out through the whole episode with his tribulations with Vicotira. Victoria sends him a letter, he assumes she's going to break up with him, so he just waits for the phone to ring, for her to call. Meanwhile Marshall tries to fit in with his new co-workers once he starts working at Barney's corporation. He has to act like them in order to win them over, which is upsetting Lilly since it's changing Marshall dramatically. Everything is pretty much resolved in the end though. Lilly & Marshall talking about "the package" was absolutely hilarious. Them singing together at the end was a good end to their plot. By itself this episode was just okay, but then something happened: As Ted was waiting for a call from Victoria, he gets a call... from Robin. She asks if he wants to come over at 2 in the morning. What does he do according to Bob Saget: "Go". So a pretty big cliffhanger, and definitely a lot of development in their relationship. HIMYM continues to get more interesting. The cliffhanger brought the rating for this episode way up. Good episode, great cliffhanger.moreless
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How many cupcakes did Ted eat in this episode?

8.2

"Great"

By Johnny2544, Mar 08, 2007

Ted eats a severely high number of cupcakes in this episode, but that is not what makes this episode so great. The aspects that stand out here are the solid acting and writing. The actors seem to know their characters very well and know what works with them. Marshall working at Barney's work is a great storyline and causes for a lot of laughs. The way Marshall receives peer-pressure from his co-workers is pretty funny. This episode may very well make the phrase "steak sauce" famous. The Ted story where he thinks Victoria may break up with him is not great initially, bit once Robin gets involved it gets very interesting. This episode ends with a 'to be continued' type moment which keeps you wanting more. Recommended.moreless
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This show just gets more and more interesting.

9.5

"Superb"

By xmano9, Mar 30, 2006

Barney gets Marshall and internship where he works, and Marshall soon discovers that he is working with a bunch of morons. I order to get acceptance he too starts acting like them and eventually offends Lilly when he starts acting like his co-workers at home. When he discovers what he has become he quickly realizes that his action are hurting his fiance and that he must change. So he goes up on stage at a local karaoke bar and starts to sing his and Lilly's favorite song even though his co-workers found that to be very lame he decides Lilly is more important then social importance. Ted continues to receive gifts from Victoria and feels like a total pig because he has not done the same for her. Ted also realized that this whole long distance thing was not such a good idea.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- When Marshall looks in the mirror, his guilt makes him imagine his reflection as a gorilla. The shots alternate between the imaginary gorilla reflection and the real Marshall standing in front of the mirror. However, you can clearly see that someone had to stand in front of the mirror wearing a gorilla mask to give off the reflection.
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- At the karaoke bar, we see a shot of Lily closing the karaoke song book and placing it on the table. In the next shot of Barney and Marshall's coworkers, we can see in the corner Lily again closing the karaoke song book and placing it on the table.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Barney (to Marshall): Look at you. You suited in an unmistakably upward direction.
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- Barney: Marshall, I should feel tremors of psych-itude rock my body like a seizure. That was like a declawed, pregnant cat on a porch swing idly swatting at a fly on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Marshall: Wow, that was really specific.
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- Barney: (To Marshall) You're different. Now I suppose you could learn to love yourself for the unique little snowflake you are or you could change your entire personality – which is just so much easier!
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- Lily:(shows Marshall new painting) What do you think? Marshall: Steak Sauce! Lily: Steak Sauce? Marshall: Yea!
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- Lily: So if those guys pressure you to smoke, what do you say? Marshall: "Only when I'm drunk." Lily: Good boy.
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- Office Jerk 1: Nice tie! Steak sauce! Office Jerk 2: Ohhhhhhh, steakkk sauce! Marshall: (looks at tie for stain on his tie) Barney:Marshall, sidebar. Your tie is steak sauce. A1? Get it? Office Jerk 1: Ok, Erickson, let's get to work. It's 2am and it's raining outside, *ding dong* what? The Doorbell? Oh, hello, Jessica Alba in a trench coat and nothing else, but wait, *knock knock*, somebody is at the back door Marshall: I don't have a back door Office Jerk 1:Oh my gosh, Jessica Simpson, what a surprise. 2 Jessicas, you gotta pick one, what do you do? Go! Marshall: Right, well, I'm engaged. Office Jerk 1: Fiancée is out of town, what do you do? Go! Marshall:We're still engaged. Office Jerk 1: Ok, fiancée is dead, hit by a bus, what do you? Go!
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- Marshall: I want to give you the package. Lily: The package? You've already given me the package, you've got a great package, Marshall, I love your package. Marshall: Lily, you are the most incredible woman I know. You deserve a big package. Lily: Your package has always been big enough. You may not realize this Marshall Erickson, but you've got a huge package! (Marshall turns around at bar to see hot girl eying him up and smiling fiendishly)
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- Lily: I made you a sack lunch. (giggles) Marshall: I love you because, one, you made me a sack lunch, and two, you laugh every time you say the word "sack."
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NOTES (4)
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- The German episode title is "Leben unter Gorillas", and the French title is "La Vie parmi les gorilles", both exact translations. The Italian title is "Insieme ai gorilla", meaning "With the Gorilla".
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- International Airdates: Czech Republic: December 24, 2009 on Prima COOL
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- Jason Segel originally tried to incorporate a Big Foot walk into a shot in "Okay Awesome." While the walk was not used in that episode, it is used in this episode when Marshall first arrives at Barney's office.
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- Music Featured In This Episode: 1. The song performed by Lily and Marshall in the karaoke bar is "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John, who sang it in duets with Kiki Dee (1976) and RuPaul (1993). 2. The song performed by Barney in the karaoke bar is "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- The professor in the beginning with young Marshall, resembles Sigourney Weaver, who played Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist, who spent time with gorillas in the wild to study their way of life.
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