Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A+ | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Jumping To Conclusions
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 24 | Aired on 05.18.2009
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Barney seeks Ted's blessing in his pursuit of Robin, and although we don't know it at first, Robin overhears their conversation. When Ted struggles with designing the Stetson-shaped restaurant, "Rib Town," his friends suggest he reconsider the teaching job Tony offered him. He scoffs and forges on with his plans. Marshall tries to drag Ted up to the roof for his surprise birthday party, but Ted keeps working. At least until he's interrupted by…THE GOAT! As Ted and The Goat face off with one another downstairs, Barney wants to confess his love for Robin at the rooftop party, but she stops him by TELLING HIM SHE LOVES HIM! And this, of course, immediately causes Barney to fall out of love with her. Fans who refrained from throwing their TVs out the window then learn that this was part of Robin's plan, a.k.a. The Mosby. On Marshall's advice, she purposefully scared Barney off. When Barney learns Robin was just Mosbying him, he falls back in love with her. While they wrestle with their feelings, Ted wrestles with...
The Goat! When The Goat keeps chewing on Robin's pink wash cloth, Ted decides it's time to claim his territory. The goat beats him, hooves down, and Ted winds up in the hospital, where Barney and Robin end up talking about their feelings -- in a very Barney-n-Robinesque way, that ends in a knee-weakening kiss and a decision to figure it all out later. After Ted is discharged, he learns the Rib Town clients have chosen the Sven Collective to design their building. Back at the apartment, the gang consoles Ted and Lily suggests that maybe he's not listening to what the universe is telling him. Maybe he's meant to take that teaching job after all. While she talks to him about taking a leap -- Marshall decides to fulfill an old dream of jumping from Ted's rooftop to the rooftop patio in the next building over. Inspired by Marshall's success, everyone else jumps too, but it's Barney's leap and the look he and Robin share that still has me feeling warm all over an hour after the fact. Spurred on by not breaking his freaking neck, Ted takes another leap, too. He takes the teaching job and while we get a brief glimpse of the full lecture hall on Ted's first day, Saget!Ted informs us how important that was -- because the mother? She was in that room! It's going to be a long summer, but we're not through with HIMYM Season 4, yet. I'll be back tomorrow with the full weecap of this delightful and continuity-rich finale.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!Are you ready for the finale of season 4? Whether it was Stella; the real-life pregnancies of the two female leads; more stand-alone episodes; or the premise itself, this season seemed to polarize fans. And yet, the show has racked up good ratings this year and CBS announced today that they're moving it to the 8:00 pm lead-off spot next season, so it must be doing something right. All I know is that I've been watching so long, I feel like Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin and Barney are my friends, and I'm invested in their story. So without further ado, let's get to it.
Saget!Ted opens the show, explaining that every architect can point to one career-changing design. Sadly, for Ted, it was the Stetson-shaped Rib Town restaurant, introduced last week. At MacLaren's, Ted complains about it to his friends, but admits customers aren't knocking down his door. Robin reminds him of the teaching opportunity Tony presented him, but Ted sees that as a crappy, dead-end choice, then remembers himself, and apologizes to kindergarten teacher Lily. She's cool with denigrating her profession since she got peed on three times this week. Heh. Ted decides to take a three-day hiatus from hanging with his friends, so he can nail the Rib Town design, but he gets nowhere in that time. Finally, Barney comes to see Ted, asking, "What do you think of Robin?" When Ted doesn't have time to chat, Barney changes his approached and jumps into this long analogy about shopping for a double-breasted Canadian suit with Ted, and finding himself really liking a suit Ted already tried on. Ted gets it. He looks up with a big smile. "Buy the 'suit', Barney. You clearly care about 'it'. Tell 'the suit' how you feel." He pats Barney on the shoulder and gets back to work. Barney says, "Okay, but Ted, remember that was your answer because... the suit is Robin." Ted's face says Um, yeah, I already got that, but Barney continues as if it's a big surprise. For all of his work stress, Ted seems magnanimous and smiles again sweetly, saying, "I'm with you, buddy." Barney unnecessarily presses the point. "You are now, because I explained it to you," and moves in to hug Ted, who tries to shy away and we cut to the...
Since it's Ted's 31st birthday, Marshall tries to tempt him up to the roof for a birthday beer, but Ted's still working, and his presentation is the next day. When he continues to push the issue, Ted asks if he's throwing him another surprise party. Marshall laughs (too hard) at this idea -- and continues to laugh until he's back on the roof, at his Ted-less surprise party for Ted. When Robin gives Marshall grief about throwing Ted a surprise party two years in a row, Marshall bitterly agrees with her, puts down his beer, and heads to the edge of the roof. Lily says, "Oh Marshall, no!" but not quite as urgently as I'd expect considering it looks like her husband is going to kill himself. Marshall screams at her. "LILY, I HAVE TO DO THIS!" He turns to look at her and their friends -- his voice tearful. "I can't put it off any longer."