| "Murtaugh" | |
|---|---|
| How I Met Your Mother episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 19 |
| Directed by | Pamela Fryman |
| Written by | Joe Kelly |
| Original air date | March 30, 2009 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Murtaugh" is the 19th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 83rd overall. It originally aired on March 30, 2009. In this episode, Ted and Barney feud over what activities are appropriate for their age, while Marshall and Lily disagree on how to coach Lily's students.
Barney is banned from laser tag for being too rough, so he plans to toilet paper the arena. Ted notes that Barney is too old for laser tag, and reveals his "Murtaugh List" of things he believes he is too old to do anymore, which includes pulling an all nighter, eating an entire pizza in one sitting, and hanging posters without frames. Barney "accepts" the "challenge" of completing the entire list within 24 hours and makes Ted a bet that if he succeeds, Ted must toilet paper the laser tag arena with him; if he fails, he must let Ted give him a three-hour lecture on architecture.
Barney endures various injuries and indignities as he works his way through the list including piercing his own ear (and putting off getting the infection looked at), having a sore back after sleeping on a futon, taking shots with strangers and recording a two person answering machine message. When Ted admits he looks forward to being old, Barney and Robin create a list of things Ted is too young to do; Ted and Barney raise the stakes of their bet, and Ted attempts to complete the new list, including wearing reading glasses, yelling at neighbourhood kids, having dinner at 4PM, bed at 8PM, getting up at 4AM and taking forever to answer the phone, before Barney completes the Murtaugh List.
After being drugged at a rave and being too scared to drink a beer through a beer bong, Barney accepts that he is growing older and concedes to Ted. But Ted reveals he has rewatched the entire Lethal Weapon series, and realized that Murtaugh consistently did the things he claimed to be too old for. He destroys the Murtaugh List and joins Barney and Robin in TPing the arena, where they are caught by the owner, who calls the police.
Meanwhile, Marshall agrees to coach Lily's kindergarten's basketball team. Lily hopes this will serve as "dad training", but is horrified when Marshall is extremely aggressive towards the children, in imitation of his own father. Lily prefers a completely passive coaching style emphasizing the fun of playing, and notes that no score is kept and everyone receives participation trophies. Marshall is horrified by this fact, but is threatened by Lily to be nice and go easier on the children. The team fails to make even a single basket in the game, with Marshall's and Lily's competing efforts seemingly only worsening their performance. But Marshall cherishes the participation trophy he receives, ultimately accepting that Lily's philosophy has some merit.
Marshall and Lily have a telepathic or "psychic conversation" because they know each other so well they can communicate without speaking. [1] The reason for this is that Alyson Hannigan had laryngitis and could not talk. [2]
The A.V. Club rated the episode giving it a B grade. [3]
Michelle Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 9 out of 10. [4]
Cindy McLennan of Television Without Pity rated the episode with a grade A−. [5]
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How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in New York City's Manhattan. As a framing device, Ted, in 2030, recounts to his son, Luke, and daughter, Penny, the events from September 2005 to May 2013 that led him to meet their mother. How I Met Your Mother was a joint production by Bays & Thomas Productions and 20th Century Fox Television, and syndicated by 20th Television.
Lily Aldrin is a fictional character in the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother. Lily is portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is married to Marshall Eriksen and is the best friend of Ted Mosby, Robin Scherbatsky and Barney Stinson. Lily is a kindergarten teacher and an amateur painter. In the eighth season, she gets a job as an art consultant. Lily is also the only member of the original main cast of the series who has not appeared in every episode because Alyson Hannigan took leave after giving birth to her first child.
"No Tomorrow" is the 12th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 56th overall. It originally aired on March 17, 2008. It was the first episode to air after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike concluded.
"The Goat" is the 17th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 61st overall. It originally aired on April 28, 2008.
"Spoiler Alert" is the eighth episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 52nd overall. It originally aired on November 12, 2007.
"Miracles" is the 20th and final episode of the third season of the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother and 64th overall. It originally aired on May 19, 2008.
"The Fight" is the tenth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother, and the 74th episode overall. It originally aired on December 8, 2008.
"Three Days of Snow" is the 13th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 77th overall. It originally aired on January 19, 2009.
"The Stinsons" is the 15th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 79th overall. It originally aired on March 2, 2009.
"The Front Porch" is the 17th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 81st overall. It originally aired on March 16, 2009.
"Double Date" is the second episode of the fifth season of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 90th episode overall. It originally aired on September 28, 2009.
"The Playbook" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 96th episode overall. It originally aired November 16, 2009. A book based on the episode was published in 2010.
"Girls Versus Suits" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and the show's 100th episode overall. It originally aired on January 11, 2010.
"Rabbit or Duck" is the 15th episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and 103rd episode overall. It originally aired on February 8, 2010. In a nod to CBS hosting that year's Super Bowl, the episode features NFL commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in guest appearances as themselves.
"Hooked" is the 16th episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and 104th episode overall. It originally aired on March 1, 2010.
"Home Wreckers" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the CBS situation comedy How I Met Your Mother and 108th episode overall. It aired on April 19, 2010.
"Twin Beds" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and 109th episode overall. It aired May 3, 2010.
"Robots Versus Wrestlers " is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and 110th episode overall. It aired on May 10, 2010.
"Bad News" is the 13th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and their 125th episode overall. It aired January 3, 2011. TV Guide listed "Bad News" in its list of 2011's Top TV Episodes.
"Nannies" is the third episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 163rd episode overall.
The reason that Lily and Marshall had a "psychic conversation" in the episode "Murtaugh" was because Hannigan had laryngitis and couldn't talk.
