Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired
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Episode Summary

When Ted's best friend Marshall proposes to his girlfriend, Lily, Ted realizes he'd better get a move on if he hopes to find true love. Ted soon meets Robin in a neighborhood bar, immediately becomes smitten and scores a first date. But when Ted can hardly wait to see her again, his eagerness threatens to scare her away.moreless
8.9
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EPISODE RATING: Great
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Fan Episode Reviews (34)

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  • Ted falls heads over heals for an attractive news reporter while Marshall proposes to Lily.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By pudgebyrd722, Dec 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    The series premiere of How I Met Your Mother fields two storylines: Ted, the main character, thinks he's met his future wife in a Canadian news reporter, Robin Scherbatsky. This comes after he is somewhat saddened after his best friend, Marshall becomes engaged to longtime girlfriend and also friend of Ted's, Lily. Ted goes out on a date with Robin and when he tells his friends about it, they're upset because he frequently misses "the signal" to kiss her. I agree with them. Then, before she packs up and goes to Orlando for a week, Ted arrives at her apartment. He thinks of an excuse by saying he came to pick those olives she promised. (she hates olives, and he loves them) And while they're dancing, Ted loses it and says, "I think I'm in love with you." He tries to fix it and he does somewhat to a point where she kind of feels bad for him when he leaves, but he misses another signal and that's it. Both storylines were great and this was a fantastic beginning to a great show. Barney was kind of on his own playing laser tag and giving demands to Ted to wear a suit. The characters are funny, Robin's actually bearable. Ted sometimes talk a little bit too much [about himself] but he's overall a good guy. Barney's hilarious and Marshall's funny as well. Lily has her fair dose of funny moments, too. A great cast will make a great show.moreless

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  • This is the story of how Ted met Aunt Robin.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Jon_MW_14, Aug 16, 2011 Report Abuse
    "Pilot" is an awesome series premiere! I love the introduction of all the characters and I love the introduction of what the whole show is about. I love how this show is about a guy named Ted and his telling his kids the story of how he met their mother. I love Marshall proposing to Lily. I love how Ted steals a blue horn at restaurant for Robin. My favourite part of this episode is Ted saying "This is how I met your... Aunt Robin". I give this episode a 10/10.moreless

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    1 0

  • Racist comment ruined what would have otherwise been a perfect episode.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By charliesmom4, Jun 27, 2011 Report Abuse
    I love the unique premise, the characters are cute, Ted, in particular, as the hopeless romantic is especially engaging, and the jokes are funny. I like how right off the bat--well, more like towards the end of the pilot--we already know that no matter what romantic relationship Ted and Robin develop, we know how it ends because she's known to Ted's future kids as "Aunt Robin". Although, he seems pretty head-over-heels for Robin, so whoever the mother ends up being must be preternaturally awesome.

    The one thing that caught me off guard was Barney's (the character that's supposed to be the funniest and most popular) first line: "So you know how I had a thing for half-Asian girls?" His fetish is so specific that I consider it a racist remark. Why not "Asian girls"? Is there something wrong with pure Asian girls that only when their ethnicity is diluted with another race are they considered hot? As "HIMYM" has two female Asian producers/writers, I didn't expect a line like that. However, it may be a tongue-in-cheek remark. Barney, a chauvinistic bachelor who treats women like goods, is saying that although there was a "trend" for half-Asian girls, they're passe now, and the new fetish du jour are Lebanese girls (but again, if he said "half-Asians", why not say "half-Lebanese"???).

    (I apologize for all the idioms and cliches.)moreless

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    2 10

  • How I Met Your Aunt Robin. Great punchline to end a spectacular pilot!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By ZaleIsBackAgain, Mar 06, 2011 Report Abuse
    You know when you can tell a pilot tries too hard? The script is good but it is overly thought out and it lacks a feel of "naturalism". The first episode of this comedy is well thought out, but it doesn't lack any naturalism. The characters are nicely established, the theme is pretty straight forward, and most importantly all the gags and jokes in just this episode alone are all "inside jokes". A comedy like Family Guy is heavily reliant on the use of popular culture, though the pilot of How I Met Your Mother can give you just as much laughs from creating its own jokes. That's the biggest charm of this pilot episode and leaves an awesome impression for things to come.moreless

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  • I need to watch more before I decide if I like it or not.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Sarah_LOST, Jan 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    When Ted's best friend Marshall proposes to his girlfriend, Lily, Ted realizes he'd better get a move on if he hopes to find true love. Ted soon meets Robin in a neighborhood bar, immediately becomes smitten and scores a first date. But when Ted can hardly wait to see her again, his eagerness threatens to scare her away. Well, one of my best firends, told me to watch this show..."It's amazing". Well the first episode was good but I think that jsut because it was the pilot plus, there is more to be explained. So, I will be watching the next episode very soon. Hopefully, "It's amazing".moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • In the scene when Marshall and Lily are sitting on the couch and Marshall said "Lily" and she jumped scared, because she couldn't see him because of the eyepatch, we could see Marshall smiling, but the next scene he looks serious. Edit
    • In the scene where Ted meets Robin, Robin first has her hair covering her ears, but in the next shot, she has her hair behind her ears. Edit
    • In the scene where Barney tells Ted to lose the goatee he references meeting Ted earlier at the urinal. In episode 3.05 "How I Met Everyone Else" we actually get to see this scene, showing that the producers had the idea of including this scene from the very beginning. Edit

  • Notes

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    • The German episode title is "Verliebt, verlobt, versagt", meaning "In Love, Engaged, Failed". The French title is "Un signe", meaning "A Sign". The Italian title is "Una lunga storia", meaning "A Long Story". Edit
    • Music: "Cigarettes and Coffee" by Otis Redding; "Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders Edit
    • International Airdates: Germany: September 13, 2008 on ProSieben; Czech Republic: November 26, 2009 on Prima COOL Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Future Ted: Kids, I'm gonna' tell you an incredible story - the story of how I met your mother. Son: Are we being punished for something? Edit
    • Lily: Wow, you're cooking? Marshall: Yes, I am. Lily: Awww. Are you sure that's a good idea after last time? You looked really creepy without eyebrows. Edit
    • Marshall: Oh, hey, look what I got? (brings out bottle of champagne and hands it to Lily) Lily: Aww, honey. Champagne. (hands bottle back to Marshall) Marshall: Yeah. (hands bottle back to Lily) Lily: No, you are too old to be scared to open a bottle of champagne. Edit

  • Allusions

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    • Barney: (playing laser tag) Oh, I killed you, Connor! Don't make me get your mom! A reference to the Terminator movie where the robot was sent to the past to kill Sarah Connor and her son John. Edit
    • When Ted sees the blue french horn, he calls it a "Smurf Penis," which he tells his son is typically a bad idea on a first date. The Smurfs were a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live somewhere in the forests of medieval Europe. They began in a Belgian comic strip in 1958, but gained the most popularity from the Hanna-Barbera television series, which ran from 1981 to 1989. Edit

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