Little Minnesota

Season 4, Episode 11, Aired

Episode Summary

EDIT
go
Netflix
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy
8.5
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
356 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate Now!
Marshall takes Robin to a bar with a Minnesota theme. Ted attempts to keep his visiting sister away from Barney.
WRITE A REVIEW FAN RECAP

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Watch Online

Netflix
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy

Fan Episode Reviews (10)

See All

  • It's near the holidays and Robin feels homesick.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Jon_MW_14, Aug 24, 2011
    "Little Minnesota" is one of my favourite season 4 episodes of How I Met Your Mother. In this episode, it's near the holidays and Robin is missing Canada. I love the beginning of the episode she shows up in a t-shirt saying the weather doesn't affect her because she's from Canada. I know it's exaggerated, but it's somewhat true. I love how Marshall can relate to Robin's homesickness and takes her to the Minnesota bar. I love how Robin pretends she's from Minnesota. I love the end of the episode when Marshall takes her to a Canadian bar and Marshall sings "Let's Go to the Mall". I give this episode a 10/10.moreless

  • Ted sister moves to New York

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By sequoa84, Feb 12, 2011
    Not a very exemplary episode, but it had its moments. Barney's renditions of Christmas carols was one, the final scene at the Canada-themed bar was another.

    We had Ted's sister visiting him in this installment. Contrary to most guest stars in the show, she totally fails to do anything remotely funny. I don't even understand why we needed a storyline around her. We also had a completely disjoint storyline with Marshall and Robin hanging out at a couple of bars. Though, I am not a huge fan of Robin and Marshall rarely makes me laugh, I found this one to be mildly entertaining. Putting aside the initial scene, Barney had pretty much nothing to offer.

    The show has had its ups and downs this season with mostly downs. This would have been a little higher than rock bottom.moreless

  • Although the storyline involving Ted's little sister and the overly blabbermouth Lily didn't appeal to me, Marshall and Robin's unexpected bar bonding made it worthwhile.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By AvarieDream, Nov 04, 2010
    I'm sure there's been some mention of Ted's sister once or twice in a past episode but it still seems like she was brought in from no where as a convenient plot device/filler in the "A plot". I'll have to side with Ted on calling out her immaturity. Pulling a prank on him with Barney's help to "teach him a lesson" doesn't prove she's grown-up. At all. And if Barney hadn't made me laugh earlier with his earlier holiday song parodies, I'd be annoyed at him for going along with the stupid idea. The fact that the two female leads are pregnant and there are rumors that the actress who plays Ted's little sister was brought in as a possible addition/replacement also didn't bring up her likability factor.

    On the flipside, the "B plot" gave us the unlikely pairing of Robin and Marshall who give us equal parts hilarity and sweetness. Seeing Robin bond with the Minnesota sportsmen was wonderful after a streak of lonely/silly Robin episodes. The sports stereotypes and the Canadian jokes were hilarious! The clincher, of course, is when Marshall serenades Robin, karaoke-style with the song 'Let's Go to the Mall' -- one of the best "end tags" I've ever seen on this show. My only complaint is why haven't they ever interacted like this before? Hopefully there'll be more awesome moments between these cold-loving pals.

    Overall the good overpowers the not-so-good. I liked the episode.moreless

  • ... and it cometh roaring back to form!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By The-A-Man, Jul 19, 2010
    After the sham of a pimpslap of an episode last week, this one just kept on piling on the goodies.

    Ted - being humiliated for his arrogance was awesome. Well done for taking care of little sis with the present though. Will be interesting to see Barney keep a promise of chastity however.

    Barney - on song - literally. Fatastic tunes about screwing sisters. And that joke about the prada shirt was pure Legen-dairy. Would like to see what happened with Ted's mum!

    Marshall - His home state and satirisation were good. But his rendition of "Let's go to the mall" was hilarious. And when he turned off the lights!

    Lilly - top stuff that she could not lie.

    Robin - again well written for. Nice speech. It pains me to say that she may have actually *acted* in this one. Good job, barbie.moreless

  • Ted's sister comes to town for the holidays.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Canogaparkcindy, May 02, 2010
    An episode that I didn't think was going to be that great at first, but it turned out to be a pretty good Christmas episode, that I really enjoyed. An unlikely pairing paired up in a plot, that probably was my favorite plot of the two. Marshall invites Robin to a place that is dedicated to Minnesota, she ends up winning everybody over, fooling everybody that she is from Minnesota. marshall ends up getting jealous and reveals her for who she really is, besides that funny plot, it narrowed donw to Robin being home sick and nothing to stay for in New York. I loved the Robin & Marshall moment when Marshall convinced her that everyone loves her in the NYC. Then he takes her to a place that's dedicated to Canada to cure her feeling of being home sick. The karaoke at the end was probably the best scene. Marshall singing "Let's Go To The Mall" was absolutely hysterical. On a more serious note, Ted's sister stumbles in to town for the holidays, Ted still sees her as an irresponsible train wreck. He suspects there is something going on with her & Barney. Then Lilly walks in on them finishing up having sex, when Ted finds out he tells off his sister, only to find out that all was staged. The didn't have sex, it was to teach Ted a lesson that his little sister isn't so little anymore. Ted ends up buying the bag his sister wanted, and ended up co-signing a lease for her, now that he trusts her. It was nice seeing how he cared for her, and it fit in to the Christmas storyline perfectly. A great serious & funny episode.moreless
WRITE A REVIEW
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

FILTER BY TYPE

  • TRIVIA (1)

    ADD TRIVIA

    • Vikings jerseys worn in the Minnesota-themed bar bear the last names of series star Cobie Smulders, episode writer Chuck Tatham, episode director Pamela Fryman, and series co-creator Carter Bays.

  • QUOTES (11)

    ADD QUOTES

    • Heather: I moved into your old room. Did you know you can see straight into Mrs. Gatwall's bedroom across the street? Ted: Oh, yes. I am aware of that. How's she looking? Heather: Ted, she's sixty-two. Ted: Answer the question. Heather: Surprisingly perky.

    • Ted: Here's the back of Heather's baseball card. It took her six years to graduate from three different colleges, during which time she wrecked two cars, got married for five days, and lived in a tree for nine weeks only to realize no one had any intention of cutting it down.

    • Ted: (on phone) Heather, where's my couch and my TV? Heather: I sold them for Nine Inch Nails tickets! Ted: The couch alone cost two grand. Heather: Well, last minute plane tickets are expensive. Ted: Where are you? Heather: I don't know, somewhere in Spain. Oh, slow song, gotta go.

    • Barney: I can't believe you've been hiding your sister from me all these years. Ted: Can you blame me? You're like Weird Al Yankovic, if he only wrote songs about banging my sister.

    • Robin: (reading plaque on bar shelf) "I'm drinking till I forget the 1999 NFC Championship"? Marshall: That game. The Vikings were two minutes away from going to the Super Bowl, when our kicker, who hadn't missed all year, shanked a field goal, and we lost in overtime. (slams fist on table) Damn!

    • Robin: I'm proud to be Canadian. We may not have a fancy NFL team, or Prince, but we invented Trivial Pursuit—you're welcome, Earth. Plus, in Canada, you can go to an all-nude strip club and order alcohol. That's right. From Moose Jaw to the Bay of Fundy, you can suck down a 20-ounce pilsner while watching some coal miner's daughter strip down to her pelt. Jealous?

    • Barney: (to the tune of "The Dreidel Song") Ted has a little sister, gets hotter every day, And if I ever meet her, with her boobies I will play.

    • Barney: (to the tune of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas") I wish I could see her naked, I wish I could see her naked, I wish I could see her naked, and down on all fours.

    • Barney: (to the tune of "Jingle Bells") Pulling down her pants, yanking off my own Underneath the mistletoe, I'll make your sister moan! Oh, Heather's hot, Heather's hot, we'll go all the way…

    • Barney: Why, hello, I've been waiting for you. Ted: Wait a second, that's not our chair. Did you bring that chair yourself? Barney: I needed one that swivels.

    • Ted: There aren't any black people in Minnesota? Marshall: Not if Prince is on tour.

  • NOTES (3)

    ADD NOTES

    • The German episode title is "Im Exil", meaning "In Exile". The French title is "Little Minesota". The Italian title is "Nostalgia di casa", meaning "Homesick".

    • International Airdates: Australia: March 16, 2009 on Channel 7; Germany: January 9, 2010 on ProSieben; United Kingdom: February 18, 2010 on E4; Czech Republic: November 9, 2010 on Prima COOL

    • Music: "Let's Go to the Mall" sung by Marshall

  • ALLUSIONS (0)

    ADD ALLUSIONS

How I Met Your Mother Forums


Add a Topic See All
Last Activity
Replies

Episode Clips

See All

Watch How I Met Your Mother Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 4 Episodes

See All
Ep 24
The Leap
Ep 23
As Fast As She Can
Ep 22
Right Place Right Time
Ep 21
The Three Days Rule
Ep 20
Mosbius Designs
Ep 19
Murtaugh
Ep 18
Old King Clancy
Ep 17
The Front Porch
Ep 16
Sorry, Bro
Ep 15
The Stinsons
Ep 14
The Possimpible
Ep 13
Three Days Of Snow
Ep 12
Benefits
Ep 11
Little Minnesota
Ep 10
The Fight
Ep 9
The Naked Man
Ep 8
Woooo!
Ep 7
Not a Father's Day
Ep 6
Happily Ever After
Ep 5
Shelter Island
Ep 4
Intervention
Ep 3
I Heart NJ
Ep 2
The Best Burger in New York
Ep 1
Do I Know You?

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
TV.com Properties | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use