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How I Met Your Mother

Of Course

Season 5, Episode 17, Aired Mar 08, 2010

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7.9

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377 votes

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"Perfect"
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Robin consults a self-help guru to help resolve her anger towards Barney and his behavior during their break-up.

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Joni Bovill

Officer McKie
SPECIAL GUEST STAR
Jennifer Lopez

Anita

Josh Radnor

Ted Mosby
Neil Patrick Harris

Barney Stinson
Alyson Hannigan

Lily Aldrin
Jason Segel

Marshall Eriksen
Cobie Smulders

Robin Scherbatsky

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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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Barney tries to seduce a woman by coming up with the "super date".

8.5

"Great"

By Jon_MW_14, Aug 30, 2011

"Of Course" is a great How I Met Your Mother episode. I love the beginning of this episode and Barney is being pulled out of a river and he explains to the police how he ended up there. I love how Barney is upset that his date ditched him and he tells the gang about it and Ted mentions that she probably read some big with a really long name. I love how Barney reads the book for loopholes and tries to seduce the author of the book. I love how Robin is using the author of the book to get revenge on Barney. I love how Ted plans a "super date" to get this author to notice him. But it was so sweet how he gave Robin and Don the "super date". I give this episode a 8.5/10moreless
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Out of character or...

6.5

"Fair"

By avi01, Jun 25, 2011

This episode is kinda weird cause I really felt Robin was totally out of character. But then again, at start she was always the all reserved chick keeping everything to herself. The thing is that during the last 2 seasons, the writers (probably unintentionally) turned Robin into an arrogant, annoying, unfunny and uninteresting character. So even tho it kinda felt out of character(super date is so totally not her) and over-dramatic, it might be a good thing in the long run as may bring some depth to the character. Robin used to be a very interesting character. Here is (little)hope for someone other than Barney while Marshall and Lily remain just meh.
Other than than, it was typical HIMYM from the last 2 seasons with Barney running the show and the rest just annoying apart from some funny moments. To be fair, I no longer expect the show to be as good as it once was anymore.Looks like the Playbook episode was just a one time thingy. Still tho, entertaining enough for me to keep watching.moreless
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Glimpses of reality... just non-existent.

7.0

"Good"

By crimedawg27, Jun 17, 2011

How I Met Your Mother used to be a show that hinged around a strong collective of friends, but more importantly it was a show with which we could relate. Tonight, which by no means was the start of this downward spiral, was just another stake to the die hard fans heart. Personally, I think this one was more brutal because of the glimpse of hope last week brought, but I'll try to ease my personal diatribe and focus on this episode. The episode started off fairly flat, mostly due to the lack humor, and Jennifer Lopez being given a poorly constructed character. (No personal attack on her acting but this character was just a spring board for the forced Barney/Robin relationship.) This, almost cliche-esque chemistry, continued until the first commercial break when we learn Robin as set Barney up with his antithesis. I actually thought this wasn't a bad outline for an episode, but it's just the filler and maddening loss of reality that made this episode so unbearable. First off- Ted's personal ballad to a "super" date was quite intrepid, if not also ridiculously unbelievable. What are the writers thinking these days? Not only was it laugh retardant it also successfully handed season 5 a bigger shovel to beat, bludgeon, and bury the overall story arc. The last time I hit the info button on the DVR, the show's title hadn't changed to, "How We Killed the Last Remaining Protagonist." (NPH,obv.) I understand that CBS has mutilated your vision with needlessly extending this once great premise, but they didn't take your heart. Sorry, it appears I've continued with the diatribe, but back to the point. Fast forwarding through a few humor beguiling scenes we get to the second mind-boggling scenario, Marshall unbeknowingly tormenting Robin about Barney's recent conquests with his own little ditty... The four letter, bang, bang, bang, bang, (silly pistol motion), bang, bang, bang. Is this what Jason Segel willingly reduced himself to after FSM? He hasn't been the same since season 4 began but this is just an all time low.

Now, there are a few other spots where you can look at the scenes, and then take them out of context and see how outlandish they are, but I want to focus on the positive now. The writers did show something tonight, even if it was lost under the caretakers falling pallet of dirt. They showed us they haven't forgotten how to write an episode that parallels that of season one and two. While listening to the wonderful rendition of bang, and prospecting for lent in my belly button, I was quickly whipped back into the episodes closing act. Bravo, Barney, Bravo. Your character is filled with conquests that have kept many followers laughing for the past couple seasons, but tonight was certainly a welcomed brevity of change. The selfless act of giving up the super date, with JLO, for Robin and the duck, couldn't help but shed light to a few seasons back when he helped Marshall and Lily's marriage. Yes, it was nice to see a little character development, but please just leave it at a little. These stories are meant for Ted, not Barney. All in all, I think the reason I'm giving this a seven is solely due to the writers surprising me with sentimentality and realism at the end. Here's to hoping season 5 finds a reason to pull itself out of the gutter and the writers to unearth their forlorn hearts.moreless
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Amazing When Barney meets a new girl (anita) who didn't want to sleep with him, we get to know how much Robin was suffering all this time since she and Barney broke up.moreless

9.5

"Superb"

By romasticblossom, Sep 25, 2010

This was one of the episodes we could see the human, real and kind side of Barney that I (and great part of the fans) was missing so much,when he keeps his promise of not sleeping with Anita ( he even jumped into the Hudson river!) and gives Robin a great, amazing date. It also showed that Barney and Robin still cared about each other after the break up, which was really great for us to see something more heartfelt after some episodes more focused on funny situations. That's why I love hymym after all, it makes you crack up most part of the time but it doesn't mean it hasn't an amazing storyline going on!moreless
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Robin does an interview with a writer and asks her to teach Barney a lesson for all the pain he has been putting her through since they broke up. Marshall, Ted, and finally Barney all see the error of their ways and Barney tries to make amends.moreless

8.5

"Great"

By jyarter, Jul 16, 2010

Robins interview was Anita a book writer played by Jennifer Lopez who basically is telling women to get off that dating treadmill and stop being sluts. Her book suggests you not sleep with a man until after the seventeenth date and to say no a lot. It seems that Barney has met his match.

The premise was set up up pretty well with the viewer not knowing Robin set Barney up. Once we get past the clever part there is a lot of repetition with each of the men berating themselves and then the next guy for making Robin feel bad.

The little bit with Ted and Barney about the Super Date was cute, but there was no chemistry between Lopez and Harris. The final scene was well done where Anita basically dumps all her principals when Barney refused to chase her or even just sleep with her. So that was sort of funny in itself. Of course Barney had made a promise by then and he wasn't going to break it.

I actually liked all the little premise setups for the book as Ted went through them with the gang. The sex talk, touching, etc.. Overall it was a nice plot, but the follow through was a little weak.

An enjoyable episode with the whole gang contributing to the story. Thanks for reading...moreless
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Anita (Jennifer Lopez), a self-help auth...

© 2010 CBS Corporation
Anita (Jennifer Lopez), a self-help auth...

© 2010 CBS Corporation

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (3)
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- Ted: If you're going to get this girl to sleep with you after one date, it's got to be one doozy of a date. I'm not talking dinner and a movie. I'm not talking mini-golf. No, I'm talking... a superdate. Barney: A superdate? That sounds lame. What if we call it a megadate? Ted: You want my help, it's a superdate!
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- Barney: I can't believe Robin's been so upset. Marshall: I can't believe you threw up in your stormtrooper helmet. Barney: I did something worse in it after the Phantom Menace premiere.
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- Barney: (after Marshall punches his stormtrooper helmet) Dude! Why did you do that? Marshall: Because I'm angry at you! I'm angry at me, I'm angry at Ted, and frankly I'm still angry at the Empire.
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NOTES (2)
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- The Italian episode title is "La superserata", meaning "Super Evening".
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- International Airdates: Australia: July 15, 2010 on Channel 7; United Kingdom: September 16, 2010 on E4; India: October 26, 2010 on Star World; Czech Republic: December 30, 2010 on Prima COOL; Germany: February 9, 2011 on ProSieben; Slovakia: November 28, 2011 on JOJ Plus
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