How I Met Your Mother Season 5 Episode 7: The Rough Patch
Ted, Marshall and Lily start noticing how complacent Barney and Robin are lately, they are in a rut in their relationship. They don’t seem to care much about how they look or what they do, preferring to sit, watch movies and veg on the couch. Barney shows up bearing his collection of porn and decides to give Ted his collection, which shocks the gang. Ted notices Barney has gained some weight, also known as a “relationship gut”.
Ted, Marshall and Lily can’t believe this is the same bachelor Barney they have known in the past. As Ted goes through the porn movies, Lily offers to help him sort through them but Ted says its no problem for him to go through them all by himself. Once Ted’s alone, he finds a tape in Barney’s collection called Archisexture and is intrigued. Ted begins to watch and realizes this is a tape Barney made. Barney tells the viewer if they are watching this tape he’s either dead or in a serious relationship. He begs whoever is watching to break up his serious relationship, no matter how happy he appears, because he is meant to be single.
When they see Robin the gang notices Robin has let herself go as well. Future Ted starts talking about his imagined view of Barney and Robin. In Ted’s mind Barney has gained 50 pounds and can out eat anyone. Robin has stringy hair and zits. Ted, Marshall and Lily decide they need to stake out in the station wagon and spy on Barney and Robin’s relationship. Ted encourages the gang to help him break up Barney and Robin. Lily feels uncomfortable participating so Marshall and Ted try to break up the couple. Ted and Marshall buy an engagement ring and arrange for it to show up in Robin’s drink the next time Barney and Robin go out to dinner. Their plan backfires as the couple decide maybe it would be easier to get married after all.
Lily is ticked that the guys plan didn’t work. She suggests they re-create Barney and Robin’s five biggest fights so they will break up. The battles from past arguments include Marshall and Lily’s fight over dirty dishes, Barney’s various ex-girlfriends, Barney’s fixation with Star Wars and their Canadian-American war.
As the gang watches Barney and Robin are at dinner when Alan Thicke comes by their table and tries to start things up with Canadian vs American comments. Barney’s ex-girlfriend Megan shows up and a busboy carries dirty dishes by their table to entice them. Lily thinks Stormtroopers and robots are the same thing so she gets a robot instead; the robot rolls by the window in front of Barney and Robin’s table. As Barney and Robin exchange a kiss, Ted, Marshall and Lily think they have failed but in reality Barney and Robin have already decided to break up and try to be friends again.
Ted, Marshall, Lily and Robin are at McLaren’s talking to Alan Thicke. Barney steps into the bar, dressed to the hilt and turning young women’s heads. As Barney joins the gang Alan Thicke mentions he and Robin starred in a failed failed Canadian TV variety show. Barney thinks for a moment then runs out of the bar to find a copy of the video.
