The Mermaid Theory

Last updated
"The Mermaid Theory"
How I Met Your Mother episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 11
Directed by Pamela Fryman
Written byRobia Rashid
Production code6ALH11
Original air dateDecember 6, 2010 (2010-12-06)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Blitzgiving"		Next →
"False Positive"
How I Met Your Mother season 6
List of episodes

"The Mermaid Theory" is the 11th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother , and the 123rd episode overall. It aired on December 6, 2010. The episode hints at future events, which are elaborated in the Season 7 episode "Now We're Even".

Contents

Plot

Ted tells the group Zoey has invited them to an art gala, though only Ted expresses interest. Lily cautions Ted on hanging out alone with a married woman. Ted dismisses Lily's concerns but when out with Zoey she tells her husband, The Captain, that she is “out with friends” instead of specifically mentioning Ted causing him to become concerned.

In an attempt to straighten things out, Ted agrees to spend an evening with the Captain and Zoey on their boat, but on arrival Zoey is ill requiring Ted to be alone with the Captain. Ted suspects the Captain knows he has been hanging out with Zoey and fears he will be murdered. When Ted prepares to escape, the boat hits a bump and Ted falls in the water. After being brought back on the boat, Ted admits his fears. The Captain says he's glad Zoey has found a new friend and they agree to be friends. Ted and Zoey meet up later and both agree that they should stop hanging out if either begins to develop feelings for the other.

During these events, Marshall and Robin have dinner together, having realized they've never really spent much time alone. The dinner is initially awkward until Marshall reveals that the reason he doesn't spend much time alone with Robin is due to Barney's "Mermaid Theory", that the longer you spend time with someone the more likely you will want to sleep with them. Barney claimed the theory comes from the fact that sailors used to picture manatees as mermaids due to long periods without female contact. Marshall and Robin both get drunk and enjoy the evening, though when they return to the apartment, Marshall begins seeing Robin as a mermaid. When she throws up all over the floor, however, Marshall once again sees her as a manatee, much to his relief.

Throughout the episode Future Ted struggles to remember the details of an argument between Barney and Lily after Lily rebuffs Barney's offer to hang out with her. The argument continues at the bar with several plot holes, including motorcycles coming in out of nowhere and Barney's and Lily's mismatched personalities. Eventually Ted remembers that this relates to events much later than the rest of the episode when Lily is pregnant. Lily is offended when Barney tells her he views her as a manatee now that she is pregnant. The argument is resolved when Barney tells Lily that she can become a mermaid again when she begins breastfeeding. They reconcile, after which Ted walks in wearing a green dress proclaiming "now we're even!", which Future Ted states is the ending of a "totally different story".

Critical response

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ rating. [1]

Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a rating of 8 out of 10. [2]

Related Research Articles

"We're Not from Here" is the second episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 46th overall. It originally aired on CBS on October 1, 2007 and was directed by Pamela Fryman.

"Slapsgiving" is the ninth episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 53rd overall. It originally aired on CBS on November 19, 2007.

"Not a Father's Day" is the seventh episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 71st overall. It originally aired on November 10, 2008.

"Woooo!" is the eighth episode in the fourth season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 72nd overall. It originally aired on November 17, 2008.

"Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and 97th episode overall. It aired on November 23, 2009.

"Architect of Destruction" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 117th episode overall. It originally aired on October 18, 2010.

"Natural History" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 120th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2010.

"Blitzgiving" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 122nd episode overall. It aired on CBS on November 22, 2010 to an audience of 8.73 million viewers. It was written by Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal and directed by Pamela Fryman.

"False Positive" is the 12th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 124th episode overall. It aired on December 13, 2010. It features guest star Alex Trebek.

"Oh Honey" is the 15th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 127th episode overall. It aired on February 7, 2011. It features Katy Perry as a guest star, playing Honey, the gullible character that the episode is named after.

"Desperation Day" is the 16th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 128th episode overall. It aired on February 14, 2011. As the story approaches Desperation Day, new tensions and bonds form between the characters.

"Garbage Island" is the 17th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 129th episode overall. It aired on February 21, 2011.

"Little Boys" is the fourth episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 48th overall. It originally aired on CBS on October 15, 2007.

"The Exploding Meatball Sub" is the 20th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 132nd episode overall. It aired on April 11, 2011.

"The Perfect Cocktail" is the 22nd episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 134th episode overall. It was aired on May 2, 2011.

"Now We're Even" is the 21st episode of the seventh season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 157th episode overall. It aired on April 16, 2012. The episode ties up with the events indicated in "The Mermaid Theory" in Season 6.

"The Fortress" is the 19th episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 179th episode overall.

"No Questions Asked" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 191st episode overall.

"Sunrise" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 201st episode overall.

References

  1. ↑ Donna Bowman (2010-12-06). "How I Met Your Mother "The Mermaid Theory"". The A.V. Club . The Onion. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  2. ↑ Robert Canning (2010-12-07). "How I Met Your Mother: "The Mermaid Theory" Review". IGN . News Corporation . Retrieved 2010-12-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.