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How I Met Your Mother Season 3 Episode 16

Sandcastles in the Sand

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9.0

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 4/21/08

Robin's musical past emerges again as the group learns of someone named Simon from Robin's past. As Barney searches for more Robin Sparkles memorabilia, Ted spends more time with Stella.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (25)

A teenage Canadian pop star's return (spoilers)

9.0

By Lostindharma, Oct 31, 2012

Yes she is back. And that's not the biggest part of this episode. More on that later. Robin's old boyfriend comes back and you only find out that he has aged quite a bit, kind of like Bill from King of the Hill. James Van Deer Beek does a great job of playing Robin's old flame. He does it in a way that is not overly douchey. It's funny how Robin doesn't see the flaws in Simon while her friends do. It kind of reminds me of earlier episode when Ted met Blah Blah. The situation with Robin and Simon was the start of something you would later see in the series. When Simon announces that he was in another video with Robin, Barney's reaction was great. I was also excited.

Barney fails to find the video of Robin Sparkle's Sandcastles in the Sand to only find out that Robin actually has it. If the episode actually ended on her video it would good enough but to see what happened was something you didn't expect but something that if you watched the episodes closely it was slowly built up.moreless
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Robin's old high school friend is back in town, bringing back some painful memories.

8.0

By Canogaparkcindy, May 01, 2010

At first this episode didn't seem so great, I thought it was going to be as mediocre as the last episode. But it actually developed in to something eventful by the end. We learn that when Robin was a Canadian pop star, she made another video other than "Let's Go To The Mall". The music video was called "Sandcastles in the Sand" That video contained her ex-boyfriend who dumped her in a van, and broke her heart after going out for a whole Canadian summer (a week and a half). She tries to be the "winner", she clearly is the winner, but when she sees him again, it's like she is in high school again, and she adores him only to get heartbroken the same exact way. In a van. Meanwhile Lilly's old friend also comes to see her, and we learn that Lilly acts a bit different too. That was probably the funniest plot device: Lilly & her friend. So at this point, you think "Oh a mediocre funny filler" but wait right there! Barney comes back to the bar to find Robin crying. He consoles her and Robin agrees to show him the tape, "Sandcastles in the Sand" They end up laughing and just having a good time, until they end up making out and the episode ends. Very unexpected, the last time we saw a hint of this couple happening was season 1, episode 14, and that was a long time ago. So the epsiode ends leaving us all in shock, boosting up the rating scale from a 6 to an 8. The only thing I'm upset about is that these two people are supposed to be Ted's friend. Robin is his ex-girlfriend. And Barney is one of his good friends. I don't understand why they would do this to Ted. I guess I have to wait till the next episode to find out. Mediocre episode, amazing cliffhanger.moreless
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One of the show's best. And not just for shipper reasons =)

9.5

By Ting13, Oct 02, 2009

In my mind this is definitely one of the best episodes this show has ever produced. It's funny all the way through, all storylines are good and it's got several very memorable moments.

James van der Beek's guest spot was funny, and the thing with Simon having gone lame and Robin not noticing it felt fresh. And it gave us one of my favorite conversations in the show's run, namely the parent/teen discussion between Robin, Marshall and Lily. That scene could easily have felt boring and like it's been done before, but they made it work through some good acting and by the last line which really made the whole thing work in my eyes. Lily and Michelle were great fun and they managed to save that storyline from "yeah, seen it a dozen times" to feeling original when it turned out Michelle was also suffering from "revertigo" and was well aware of it.

And then of course there's Barney and Robin... I was only a casual viewer until recently, only watching the show if it happened to be on, so I had maybe seen seven or eight episodes over the course of four years. And still I cheered when Barney and Robin got together. Didn't take more than an episode or two to know these two make a really good match. And it was great seeing a softer side of Barney before they hooked up.

Oh, and "Sandcastles in the Sand"... Except for me wondering where the heck you'd make sandcastles if NOT in the sand, I thought it was really funny.moreless
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robin sparkles is backk.

9.8

By HaveSumFaith, May 04, 2008

not only does robin go to the mall but she goes to the beach. her new video was pretty cool. this episode was very funny. with robins ex and how she tried to impress him. but she ended up making him seem so good and her really boring compared to him. even barney tried to help. the whole thing with lilly and er friend michelle was hilarious. the wayy she was all talking normal one second, and when lilly put on the song she went right back to high school, literally. i just really loved this episode. one of the best, and bringing back robin sparkles didnt hurt much though.moreless
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Amazing last 7 seconds

10

By Moeabbad, May 02, 2008

okay...soo When an old flame from a Robin Sparkles love ballad video comes back into her life, Robin turns into the head over heels 16 year-old girl she was the first time around. While the gang tries to help Robin see what a loser the guy has become, Robin has a hard time letting go of her past crush. But when he breaks up with her again, it’s Barney who finally helps her to realize how awesome of a person she has become. And in a shocking moment between them, Barney and Robin sleep together.btw: looking forword to episode 18 :(moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Jason Segel	Marshall Eriksen
Josh Radnor	Ted Mosby
Neil Patrick Harris	Barney Stinson
Alyson Hannigan	Lily Aldrin
Cobie Smulders	Robin Scherbatsky

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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James Van Der Beek	Simon	Guest Star
Ryan Michelle Bathe	Michelle	Guest Star
Chris Romano	Punchy	Guest Star
Bob Saget	Voice of Ted, 2030	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (6)
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- Lily: How did you two meet?
  Simon: I was in her video.
  Robin: Starred in it, is more like it!
  Barney: Excuse me. I've seen "Let's Go to the Mall" about a thousand times, and, you, sir, are not in it.
  Simon: I was in the other one.
  Barney: There's another video?!
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- Lily: You are not going to that show tonight.
  Robin: Oh, yes I am! And after the show, Simon and I are going all the way! (storms out of the bar)
  Lily: Young lady, get back here! (To Marshall) And thanks for your help!
  Ted: So today at work...
  Marshall: Not now, Ted!
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- Marshall: So is he the guy who, how shall I say this like a gentleman...Robin, did he take your "maple leaf"?
  Robin: No, it wasn't like that.
  Barney: Sounds to me like he gave you your first "Oh Canada" face!
  Older Ted: (voiceover) This went on for a really long time.
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- Barney: You're the most awesome person I've ever known. Well, second most awesome.
  Robin: Right, of course the first being you.
  Barney: No, no. The first is this guy who lives in a place called the mirror. What up?
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- Robin: Is there any version of this conversation that you guys don't sound like my parents?
  Lily: I don't know, is there any version that you don't sound like a 16-year-old?
  Robin: That's exactly what my mom would say!
  Lily: No, if I were your mom, I'd say: "We forbid you from seeing this boy"
  Robin: Lily!
  Lily: I'm sorry, but it's for your own good!
  Robin: This is my life! You guys just don't get it, you never felt the way I feel!
  Marshall: No, no, we were young and in love too!
  Robin: Yeah, like a billion years ago!
  Lily: You've been drinking, haven't you?
  Robin: Yeah, we all have, you bought the last round.
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- Robin: Hey, Simon!
  Simon: Ohh, look at you! You got old.
  Robin: Yeah. You look great! You got hotter, like that's possible! So...
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NOTES (3)
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- In the dubbed German version Barney asks Robin "Ist das Jason Segel?" (Translation: Is that Jason Segel?) instead of the original "Is that Alan Thicke?".
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- The German episode title is "Jugendliebe", meaning "Puppy Love". The French title is "Adolescence attardée", meaning "Delayed Adolescence". The Italian title is "Castelli di sabbia", meaning "Sandcastles".
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- International Airdates: Australia: June 19, 2008 on Network 7; Czech Republic: October 13, 2010 on Prima COOL
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ALLUSIONS (3)
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- Barney: What, you two went to Degrassi together?
  
  Degrassi is a Canadian TV francise about a group of students who live on/near De Grassi street. The current Degrassi series is Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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- Barney: Tell me more. Tell me more. Like did he have a car?
  
  This is a clear reference to the lines of a song from the musical Grease called "Summer Nights". With the song, Sandy and Danny, the lead characters in the play, describe to their friends how their brief summer love affair went.
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- Barney: Finish Him!!
  
  This is a clear allusion to the video game "Mortal Kombat". When you KOed (knocked out) your opponent, he stood once again to receive the coup de grace while those words were shown on the screen.
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