Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) attempts to steal JJ's basketball hoop while Jerry Whittaker (John Lithgow) attempts to understand why he's disappointed to meet him. The scene was praised by critics who noted the chemistry between Lithgow and Harris.[1][2]
"Legendaddy" is the 19th episode of the sixth season of the American sitcomHow I Met Your Mother and the 131st episode overall. The series revolves around Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and his group of friends in New York City as he recounts to his children the story of how he met their mother. The episode was directed by Pamela Fryman and written by series co-creator Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The episode received positive reviews by critics who praised the performances of Harris and Lithgow. It aired on CBS on March 21, 2011, to an audience of 8.03 million viewers.
"Legendaddy" follows Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) as he reconnects with his father Jerome Whittaker (guest star John Lithgow) who abandoned him as a child. Meanwhile Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) attempts to get his friends to treat him like they did prior to his father's death. The
Plot
The gang attempts to watch television in Barney's apartment and they learn that Barney does not know how to use tools, so he has called a repairman to fix the television. However, instead of the repairman, Barney is greeted at the door by Jerome "Jerry" Whittaker, his father who left him as a child. Jerry tells Barney that he received his letter and wants to reconnect. The two get together at MacLaren's Pub. Later, Barney relates to the gang his meeting with Jerry, claiming he is a tour manager who loves Scotch, suits, and loose women as much as he does. However, Jerry reveals to the rest of the gang that he is actually a driving instructor with a normal suburban life. He tells them that during the actual meeting with Barney he attempted to impress him but failed miserably leading to Barney "ghosting" him.
The gang convinces tries to convince Barney to see his father, he refuses saying they will never speak again. Marshall tells Barney that he will never speak to his deceased father again, but Barney can still speak with his. Barney reluctantly agrees to have dinner with Jerry's family and meets Jerry's wife, Cheryl, and his son JJ. Barney acts antagonistically toward JJ until he learns that JJ stands for Jerome Junior. Upset, Barney abruptly leaves and Jerry follows him to the garage, where Barney is attempting to steal the basketball hoop attached to it. When Barney expresses his resentment that Jerry is nothing more than "some lame suburban dad", Jerry asks why this upsets him. Barney admits he is still hurt because Jerry had never been the responsible father he needed in his childhood. Jerry apologizes for abandoning Barney and helps him remove the hoop while teaching him how to use a screwdriver. Barney goes back to Ted's house with the gang and gifts him the hoop, urging him to save it for his future kids saying, "A kid needs a hoop."
Meanwhile, the gang begins to note all of the things that each of them never learned. Marshall is the only one whom the gang does not mention, and he eventually asks the gang to pick on him. He reveals that he is aware that the gang has been careful around him ever since his father died,[a] and says that he just wants to feel normal again.
The introduction of Barney's father had been setup prior in the season, with Barney finding out his identity and sending him a letter.[6] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, series co-creator Craig Thomas stated the issue about the identity of Barney's real father was already a plot point in the initial conceptualization of the series.[4] Barney's father had first been mentioned in How I Met Your Mother's second season.[7] Lithgow was the first choice to play Jerome Whittaker, and the producers gave him a collection of episodes detailing Barney's father issues to help him get acquainted with the role. Thomas said Lithgow would reprise his role in future episodes, and that the character would complicate Barney's connection with his girlfriend Nora.[4] Lithgow later returned in episode 21 of season six, "Hopeless", where he further attempts to reconnect with Barney.[8][9] He reprised his role in the season nine episode "Mom and Dad" as an attendee of Barney and Robin's wedding.[10]
Release
"Legendaddy" first aired on CBS on March 21, 2011, to an audience of 8.03 million viewers. It had a 3.0/9 share among adults 18–49.[11] The episode was down around 1.10 million viewers from the previous episode;[12] it was viewed by around 1.06 million more than the following episode.[13] "Legendaddy" finished eighth of the night overall just below Harry's Law but above Mad Love.[11] In Australia, "Legendaddy" aired on May 12, 2011, on Seven Network to an audience of 712 thousand viewers.[14]
Critical reception
John Lithgow's (pictured) acting was highly praised by critics.
Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B. She felt that the episode was a disappointment and failed to meet the excited generated by the associated promotional material. Although Bowman did praise the Barney and Marshall's character development.[2] Zach Oat of Television Without Pity gave the episode at B+ rating.[1]
Robert Canning of IGN rated the episode an 8 out of 10. While he felt the plot was somewhat formulaic, Canning praised the narrative particularly the performance of Lithgow and Harris. He noted the b-plot as a highlight of the episode noting how it was consistent with How I Met Your Mother's continuity writing, "And it was Barney's screwdriver gap in knowledge that drove the rest of the episode for Ted, Robin, Marshall and Lily. I've said before that its our knowledge of these characters and their history that make storylines like this work."[15]
Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker noted how Lithgow's performance elevated the episode. Tucker noted how Lithgow gave a distinct performance, particularly his mannerisms, in both versions of the MacLaren's scene showcased his range.[6] A number of reviews also praised the scene where Barney attempts to steal the basketball hoop, noting the emotional performances of Harris and Lithgow.[1][15][16] In a 2023 ranking for Collider, Neha Rawani labelled the episode the fourth saddest of the series, below season six's "Bad News" and above season nine's "Last Forever". She particularly called attention to the acting between Harris and Lithgow.[16]
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