Critical response
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2010) |
The A.V. Club gave the episode an A rating. [1] IGN gave the episode a 9 out of 10 rating. [2] Television Without Pity graded the episode A−. [3]
| "Sandcastles in the Sand" | |
|---|---|
| How I Met Your Mother episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Pamela Fryman |
| Written by | Kourtney Kang |
| Production code | 3ALH16 |
| Original air date | April 21, 2008 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Sandcastles in the Sand" is the 16th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 60th overall. It originally aired on April 21, 2008.
The episode begins with a montage of Robin from her time as Canadian bubblegum pop star Robin Sparkles. At MacLaren's, Robin announces that her former boyfriend, Simon (James Van Der Beek), will be meeting her there later. Robin describes their break-up: after she loaded his band's equipment into their van after a performance, he dumped her.
The group agrees that every time exes reunite, there is a clear winner and a clear loser. They begin to tally the points for Robin and Simon, awarding Robin five and Simon zero. Robin agrees she will be the clear winner, unless Simon got more attractive. Simon arrives and it is clear he has not: he is balding, overweight, and unfashionable. Despite this, Robin is clearly still smitten with him.
After the reunion, the group retires to Marshall and Ted's apartment. They criticize Simon's personality and how Robin handled the meeting. The group learns that Robin and Simon met after he starred in the music video for her second single, "Sandcastles in the Sand", which the group was previously unaware of. Barney immediately leaves, vowing to find the video.
When Robin attempts to defend herself, the group discusses how being around someone from your past can cause you to revert to the person you were when you knew them, a phenomenon Marshall dubs "revertigo". Marshall and Ted tell Robin that Lily suffers from this; as proof, they invite Lily's high school friend Michelle to hang out with them.
At MacLaren's the next day, Robin tells the group that Simon came to her apartment the night before to reconcile, which she accepted, to the group's dismay. Michelle arrives, and she and Lily begin speaking like excitable teenagers. Michelle, a Ph.D. student in behavioral psychology, identifies this phenomenon as "associative regression".
Mirroring their original break-up, Simon once again has Robin assist him with loading his van, then dumps her. The group attempts to console her, but fails. Robin drinks alone at MacLaren's until Barney arrives, complaining that he has yet to find a copy of her video. Realizing what Robin is upset about, Barney consoles her. She invites him to watch the music video at her place. They watch the video over and over, making fun of it, and eventually begin kissing on the couch.
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2010) |
The A.V. Club gave the episode an A rating. [1] IGN gave the episode a 9 out of 10 rating. [2] Television Without Pity graded the episode A−. [3]
Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Cobie Smulders.
"Slap Bet" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The episode, originally titled "Robin Sparkles", first aired on November 20, 2006 on CBS; the title was changed in order to keep the episode's ending a secret. The episode received highly positive reviews and features in several lists of the best How I Met Your Mother episodes. The episode led to two recurring jokes and storylines in the show: "Robin Sparkles", Robin's teenage pop star career, and the Slap Bet, in which Marshall slaps Barney at various points throughout the series.
"The Platinum Rule" is the 11th episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 55th overall. It originally aired on December 10, 2007.
"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.
"Shelter Island" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 69th overall. It originally aired on October 20, 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.
"Little Minnesota" is the 11th episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 75th overall. It originally aired on December 15, 2008 on CBS.
"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 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.
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"Subway Wars" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 116th episode overall. "Subway Wars" was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. It originally aired on October 11, 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.
"No Pressure" is the 17th episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 153rd episode overall. It aired on February 20, 2012.
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"The Magician's Code" is the hour-long final episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. It aired in two half-hour parts on May 14, 2012.
"Twelve Horny Women" is the eighth episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 168th episode overall.
"P.S. I Love You" is the 15th episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 175th episode overall.
"Sandcastles in the Sand" is a song written by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother. The song was performed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders in the role of Robin Scherbatsky, who has a secret past as a teenage Canadian pop star under the stage name Robin Sparkles. A follow-up to "Let's Go to the Mall" (2006), "Sandcastles in the Sand" was inspired by several 1980s pop ballads. The song was made available for streaming on April 15, 2008, before it appeared in an episode of the same name that aired on April 21. It was released as a single on April 23, and appeared on the soundtrack album How I Met Your Music (2012).
