“Big Days”
←	HIMYM episode 6x01 (113)	→
First aired: September 20, 2010
Director: Pamela Fryman
Writer: Carter Bays Craig Thomas
Barney's Blog
Images (45)

When Ted and Barney argue about who has "dibs" on a hot girl, Ted realizes that she is there with Cindy, a girl he dated who's roommate is his future wife. Meanwhile, Robin is heartbroken over Don, and Marshall can't keep quiet about his desire to start a family.

Contents 1 Recap 2 Continuity 3 Gallery 4 Memorable Quotes 5 Notes and Trivia 5.1 Goofs and Errors 5.2 Allusions and Outside References 5.3 Music 5.4 Other Notes 6 Guests 7 Podcast 8 Reception 9 References 10 See also 11 External links 12 Comments

RecapEdit

Future Ted tells his kids that there are two big days in any love story; the day you meet the girl of your dreams and the day you marry her. "A little ways down the road", Ted is shown sitting in a church courtyard. Marshall sits down beside him, and they share a beer. Marshall asks Ted if he's nervous, but Ted denies it, claiming he's simply worried about whether it'll rain. Marshall points out that Ted's been peeling the label off the beer, a nervous habit of his.

In the present day, Ted is sitting in MacLaren's Pub, grading papers, again peeling the label off his beer. Barney sits down across from him, lamenting that "the season of exposed skin is over", and it will be another eight months before girls start wearing sundresses again. He then notices that Ted has been peeling off his beer label, and asks him what he's nervous about. Ted reveals that he's been thinking about trying to talk to the beautiful blonde girl at the bar. Barney attempts to "solve" his problem, by calling dibs. They begin arguing over the girl and about the legality of "dibs", with Ted threatening to take Barney to court, prompting Barney to call dibs on having Marshall as his lawyer. He then asks where Marshall's been. It's revealed that Marshall and Lily recently decided to start a family, and tonight is their first attempt. Marshall is getting ready to leave his office, while Lily is setting the mood at their apartment.

Ted decides to ignore Barney's dibs, and talks to the girl regardless. Barney then paints a scenario where Ted and the girl get married, and at their wedding Barney reveals that he had dibs. Everyone is shocked, Lily faints, and the girl, upon realizing Barney had dibs, slaps Ted and proceeds to make out with Barney on the table. Ted concedes, allowing Barney to have his shot, as Robin enters.

Since her breakup with Don, Robin has not been taking care of herself. Her clothes are dirty, her hair unkempt, she is and she looks very much worse for wear. Barney jokes about her appearance, while Ted tells him to cut her some slack, since she's still dealing with her breakup. It's revealed that a few months earlier, Robin told Ted that she knows herself pretty well, and that some time over the next few months, she was going to try and sleep with him again, and that he should try and say no. He agrees, but she reminds him how difficult it may be. Two weeks later, she tries, but as she was just crying on the couch, covered in junk food and tissues, Ted finds it easy to turn her down.

Back to the present, Marshall and Lily enter MacLaren's, and Ted asks if she's pregnant yet. They say no, and explain why; Marshall's Dad, Marvin Eriksen Sr., sent them a bassinet, and Lily is upset that Marshall told his father they were trying to have a baby.

As Marshall and Lily move to a different booth to continue fighting, Ted offers to buy Barney's dibs, for $20. Barney accepts, but as he attempts to walk over to the girl, Cindy arrives and greets the girl. Ted quickly sits back down and tries to hide himself, explaining that he and Cindy used to date, and it ended on bad terms. Ted then remembers that although he never met Cindy's roommate, from what he knows about her she could be the one, and that this girl could be the roommate.

On the other side of the bar, Lily questions Marshall about who else he's told, and it's revealed that his entire office knows. Lily complains that Marvin is too involved in their lives, and it's shown that he called her to try to force Lily to adopt Marshall's last name, gave her advice on her fights with Marshall, and even advised her to put pickles on her sandwich. Lily wants Marshall to lie to his father and tell him they're not having a baby, and Marshall refuses.

Barney tells Robin that she's down talking the guy now flirting with the girl at the bar because she's jealous; she's lost "it", while the girl at the bar still has "it". He tells her she's passed her "hotness expiration date", and she leaves.

Marshall and Lily are still arguing, and Marshall asks when he can tell his father about the baby. Lily thinks they should tell him after their baby is born, which causes Marshall to reveal that he planned to have his Mum and Dad come live with them after their baby was born. Lily was unaware of this, and they keep arguing. Marshall walks out of the bar, yelling. In doing so, Cindy spots Ted, and they go off to speak to one another in private.

As he leaves, Lily sits down and asks Barney if her belief that Marshall calls his Dad too often is unjustified. Barney tells her he shouldn't ask his opinion, because if he had his Dad's number he would always be on the phone with him. Robin then enters the bar, cleaned up, wearing makeup, and wearing a summer dress. Within fourteen seconds, a man comes over. She begins celebrating, having proved Barney wrong that she's "still got it". She sits at the booth after sending the guy away, and starts eating again.

Cindy apologises to Ted for her cold demeanour after their break up, and asks if she can do anything for him. Ted suggests introducing him to her friend at the bar. She tells him to "come say goodbye before you leave".

Lily follows Marshall out of the bar. It seems like they're about to start arguing again, when Marshall gets a call from his dad, asking him how everything went. Marshall ends the call, realising that Lily was right; his dad is too involved in their life. He apologises, and Lily explains why she didn't want him telling anyone; she doesn't want all this pressure to have a baby, because if something goes wrong or she can't get pregnant, she'll feel she's let Marshall (and everyone he's told) down. Marshall tells her she could never disappoint him, no matter what happens, and the two make up.

Back at MacLaren's, Ted is finally prepared to go speak to the girl at the bar. However, as he approaches, Cindy and the girl start to kiss. Future Ted narrates that that girl wasn't their mother; she ended up being someone else's mother--in fact, they both did, and a clip is shown of Cindy and the other woman with their daughter. Ted met his children's mother on the day of a wedding.

Ted and Marshall are again shown sitting in the courtyard. Ted explains that he is nervous, because he's the best man, and has to give a wedding toast. Lily comes out, summoning the best man, Ted. It begins to rain, and as Ted and Marshall enter the church, Ted laments that he didn't bring an umbrella.

In the present day, Marshall is on the street, going against Lily's wishes and telling about thirty people about their pregnancy attempts and that it's taking longer than they thought it would.

ContinuityEdit

• Cindy makes a second appearance, her first being in Girls Versus Suits where Future Ted reveals Cindy's roommate is his future wife. In this episode, he reveals he'll meet her at a wedding. In The Magician's Code - Part Two it is revealed to be Barney and Robin's wedding.
• In Last Cigarette Ever, Future Ted says Lily quit smoking the day she started trying to get pregnant. In this episode, she confirms that she's cut out alcohol, caffeine and sugar in preparation of being pregnant.
• Ted's mention of an umbrella is a nod towards the Yellow Umbrella which represents The Mother and his meeting with her.
• Ted and Barney have called dibs previously, on the two college girls from Three Days of Snow.
• Barney previously told "fake history lessons" in The Goat, explaining the history of Barnabus Stinson and the Bro Code, and in Hooked, explaining the historical evolution of the "hot girl profession".
• One of Marshall's coworkers at GNB says to him "Sink that spunk, Big Fudge!". Big Fudge was Marshall's skee ball alias in Jenkins.
• Lily's estranged relationship with Marshall's family is shown here, as was previously noted in Belly Full of Turkey.
• Marvin Eriksen Sr. remarks Lily hasn't taken up Marshall's surname. In Belly Full of Turkey, she told Marshall's family she planned to keep her name, and Lily asked Marshall if it bothered him in Something Blue.
• Lily previously mentioned Marshall's unusual closeness with his family in Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap, and the specific relationship he had with his father while growing up was touched upon in Murtaugh.
• Barney's apparent father issues were lightly touched upon, previously brought up in Showdown and Not a Father's Day.
• It's always been debated amongst Marshall, Ted and Barney who is each other's best friend. Whenever one is favored over another, they usually react by saying "Whoa!" and trying to correct the offender. The most common occurrence when Barney defends that he is Ted's best friend, not Marshall.
• When Barney bets money, he tends to place bets in the thousands to hundred thousands. He did this again in this episode, and also in Monday Night Football and I Heart NJ.
• Barney refers to Robin as a "minx", which he previously did in The Leap.
• Future Ted says he expected Cindy to give him a savage beating. Ted was previously attacked by an ex-girlfriend, Natalie, in Return of the Shirt.
• Marshall's weakness for Lily that renders him unable to make logical arguments nor focus mentally occurred previously in Brunch and Bagpipes.
• Marshall's assumption about Lily and a "big package" happened previously in Life Among the Gorillas.
• Ted rips the labels on beer bottles when he is nervous. In Dowisetrepla, Ted reveals that Lily does the same thing with water bottles when she is feeling guilty.
• The wedding that is shown at the start and end of the episode is revealed to be Barney's wedding in Challenge Accepted. At the end of that episode when it flashforwards to the moment when Lily tells Ted he's being summoned, and he steps into the room. When he asks why the groom summoned him, Barney turns around in a tux and replies, "What do you think of this tie?" It is revealed in The Magician's Code - Part Two that the bride in the wedding flash forward is Robin. This is also the first episode to flashforward Barney's Wedding (For further details, go to Barney's Wedding.) 
• This episode marks the first of two times this season, that Ted has a crush on a girl for an entire episode, only to realize that she's unavailable at the end. In Architect of Destruction, Ted falls for Zoey, not realizing that she's married, until she removes her gloves at the end of the episode, revealing a wedding ring. Ted ends up dating Zoey in the end.

GalleryEdit

Main article: Big Days (gallery)

For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category:Big Days images.

Memorable QuotesEdit

Marshall:	Beer be with you.
Ted:	And also with you. This is what church's been missing. Dude, you've fixed church!
Marshall:	Yeah, you're welcome, God.

---

Barney:	It's a sad day in New York, Ted, a sad day indeed. You know what I saw on my way in here? A girl in a sweater. And you know what that means: the season of exposed skin is over, exactly! Gone are the tank-tops, Ted. Gone are the cute little skirts. Gone are the sundresses - the sundresses, Ted! I don't think I can make it another eight months with no sundresses.
Ted:	Barney, I really - I have to grade these papers
Barney:	I'm sorry, I'll let you work... But first, a riddle. What piece of women's attire, most stokes a man's desire?
Ted:	A sundress.
Barney:	Correct! What light weight outfit, pink or white, makes the front of my slacks abnormally tight?
Ted:	I really have to get this done.
Barney:	Of course, of course. Sundress, by the way.

---

Barney:

Robin, girls are like cartons of milk. Each one has a hotness expiration date, and you have hit yours. I'm not saying the occasional guy won't still open the fridge, pick you up, give a sniff, shrug, and take a sip anyway, but it's all downhill from here.

---

Lily:	Barney, am I crazy? Marshall talks to his Dad way too much, right?
Barney:	You don't want my opinion on that.
Lily:	Why not?
Barney:	If I had my Dad's number, I would never not be on the phone with him.
Lily:	Wow, Barney, that was really...
Barney:	Whoa, hottie with a body!
Lily:	...brief.

---

Notes and TriviaEdit

Goofs and ErrorsEdit

• When Barney and Ted are calling dibs on the girl at the bar, in the closeup her book cover clearly reads "Brideshead Revisited", but in the wide shot it's something else entirely, spread across several lines.
• When Marshall and Lily are arguing at a separate table (starting around 13:30), Marshall starts out holding an iPhone 4. In a later shot he is holding an iPhone 3G, and then for the rest of the episode he is again holding an iPhone 4.

Allusions and Outside ReferencesEdit

• Barney references Judy Blume's book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. when suggesting the girl at the bar's book might as well be titled "Are You There Barney? It's Me, Horny".
• Cindy's date was reading Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh.
• Marshall tells Lily he's been Saving all my love for you, referencing the same-titled 1980s hit by Whitney Houston from her debut album.
• When Marshall gets out of the elevator he shouts "Can you dig it?", referencing the same phrase from The Warriors.

MusicEdit

• Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) by George Harrison plays during the beginning wedding scene.
• "Run Off the Road" by Ola Podrida plays near the end, when Cindy and her girlfriend are kissing.

Other NotesEdit

• This episode is when Ted is first seen wearing a lilac on the suit he wears to this wedding. A lilac is the flower he gives to The Mother the very moment they meet.

GuestsEdit

• Lyndsy Fonseca - Daughter
• David Henrie - Son
• Bill Fagerbakke - Marvin Eriksen Sr.
• Rachel Bilson - Cindy
• Kaylee Anne DeFer - Girl (Cindy's girlfriend)
• Michael Edwin - Delivery Guy
• Peter Katona - Co-worker #1
• Brian Jones - Co-worker #2
• James Ryen - Co-worker #3
• Daniel Kash - Guy
• Lou George - Bob
• Bette Rae - Gertrude
• Aaron Takahashi - Bill

PodcastEdit

Podcast - How I Met Your Mother - Big Days(15:37)
75 views

This is the first episode to have edition of the podcast as companion. It features an interview with Carter Bays, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.

Reception Edit

This episode premiered to 8.78 million viewers.^[1]
Donna Bowman at the A.V. Club gave the episode a B+.^[2]
DeAnn Welker at Television Without Pity gave the episode a B+.^[3]
Robert Canning at IGN gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10.^[4]

References Edit

See alsoEdit

• Sir Walter Dibs

External linksEdit

• Big Days at the English Wikipedia
• Big Days at the Internet Movie Database
• Big Days at TV.com
• Big Days at CBS Press Express

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