For the song featured in this episode, see Sandcastles in the Sand (song).

“Sandcastles in the Sand”
←	HIMYM episode 3x16 (60)	→
First aired: April 21, 2008
Director: Pamela Fryman
Writer: Kourtney Kang
Barney's Blog
Images (16)

Robin reunites with an old boyfriend but not everyone sees him the same way she does. Barney tries to find out about a second music video by Robin Sparkles.

Recap

The episode begins with a montage pictures of Robin, as Future Ted explains how much she has changed since her days as a Canadian teen pop star (as portrayed in Slap Bet). At the bar, Robin announces that her former boyfriend, Simon, plans to meet up with her later on at the bar. Robin tells the gang the story of how Simon broke up with her: He waited until she had loaded all of his band's equipment into their van to tell her that he was leaving her for Louise Marsh, whose parents had a pool.

The group agrees that every time old friends come together, there is a clear winner and a clear loser. They begin to tally the points for Robin and Simon's reunion. Robin receives two from Barney for her breasts, one from Ted for Simon still living with his mother, one from Lily because Simon never became a rock star, and a final one from Marshall because Simon now works at a water park that doesn't even have a wave pool. Robin says there is no way he could come back from this 5:0 deficit, unless he got more attractive. Simon walks in and it is immediately clear that Robin should be the winner: he is balding, overweight, and wearing clothes that weren't even in style back in the 80's when he got them. While the whole group looks excited as to how much better Robin has done in the time since she and Simon were together, the camera pans to Robin, who is giggling uncontrollably and obviously still smitten.

After watching Robin's reunion with Simon, the group retires to Marshall and The apartment and begin criticizing the way Robin handled the meeting. Several flashbacks follow, including Simon's refusal to pay $4 for a beer, and instead pulling one out of his cargo pants; his bragging about his job at a water park; his claim that his band, The Foreskins, are about to take off; and ending with the story of how Simon and Robin met — he starred in her second music video, "Sandcastles in the Sand." Upon hearing this, Barney instantly leaves, claiming that he will not sleep until he has found this video.

When Robin attempts to defend herself, the group discusses how being around someone from your past can cause you to revert back to the person you were when you knew them, a phenomenon Marshall dubs "revertigo." Marshall and Ted tell Robin that Lily suffers from this more than anyone else; to prove it, they have Lily invite her high school friend, Michelle, to hang out with them. Michelle, who is almost done with her dissertation to get her Ph.D. in behavioral psychology, later states that the psychological term for revertigo is associative regression.

The group is hanging out MacLaren's the next day, when Robin tells them how Simon came to her apartment the night before claiming that breaking up with her was the biggest mistake of his life, and he asks her out on a date, which she accepts. The next night, Simon demands that Robin play a demo of his band on the news the following day at work. Immediately after this, Michelle arrives, and Lily immediately begins speaking in the most unrealistic but highly amusing urban style imaginable. The group continues to discuss other members' "revertigo", which includes Ted's high school friend, Punchy.

In another scene almost identical to the story Robin tells at the beginning, Simon once again breaks up with Robin in the back of his van — once again for Louise Marsh, whose parents have put in a jacuzzi. Robin tells the rest of the group and they all do their best to console her, but are ultimately unsuccessful and they all have to leave. Robin remains in the bar to drink alone until Barney arrives to complain about not being able to find the music video. Upon realizing what Robin is upset about, Barney consoles her until she asks him back to her place so that she can show him the music video. They watch the video over and over, making fun of the teenage Robin until, at the end of the scene, Robin and Barney begin making out on the couch.

Continuity

• In the opening, Future Ted remarks on how much Robin has changed from her time as Robin Sparkles (Slap Bet, the first in the Robin Sparkles saga). Clips are shown from Where Were We? and Zip, Zip, Zip.
• Ted sports another Cleveland Indians t-shirt, further proclaiming his love of the baseball team.
• The song "Murder Train" is also featured in The Fight, during a flashback to Marshall fighting with his brothers. It is again featured in the episode The Leap, in the scene where Ted is fighting with the goat, and in The Rough Patch, while Lily plans a fight between Barney and Robin.
• Robin whispering in Barney's ears, before they head home to her place to watch the video, is a clear reference when Barney in The Bracket, tells Robin how he gets the women to sleep with him.
• Several future episodes have Barney refer to recording their interlude despite the fact it took place in Robin’s apartment.

Gallery

• Robin and Barney's reactions to seeing Simon.
• Robin introduces the gang to Simon.
• Simon's appearance in Robin Sparkles' music video.
• Simon and Robin at the beach in her music video.
• Robin and Barney watch the Sandcastles in the Sand music video
• Barney & Robin

1 of 12

Add photo

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

Memorable Quotes

Notes and Trivia

Goofs and Errors

• When Punchy is at The apartment and they start fighting. Ted says "I'm sorry about your dad". Punchy's response, "Yeah, it was a real shock..." seems to infer that he died. However, Punchy's dad was present at his wedding in The Best Man.
• After Lily walks away with Michelle in the bar, the camera comes back to the table to show Barney. It then cuts to Marshall and for a split second Lily is still in the booth.

Allusions and Outside References

• Barney makes two video game references, once when he says 'Finish Him!', and shortly after, when he makes the sound of Pac-Man's death animation.
• Barney also references the movie Grease, by saying, "Tell me more, tell me more, like, did he have a car?"
• Simon expects that his band will be as big as Crash Test Dummies.
• Barney references Canadian television series Degrassi.
• Barney euphemistically asks Robin if Simon "rode her Zamboni", an ice resurfacing vehicle.
• The "Sandcastles in the Sand" video included cameo appearances by '80s stars Tiffany and Alan Thicke.

Music

• Murder Train - The Foreskins
• Sandcastles in the Sand - Robin Sparkles

Other Notes

Guests

• James Van Der Beek - Simon
• Chris Romanski - Punchy
• Ryan Michelle Bathe - Michelle
• Tiffany - Herself (playing Catholic school girl)
• Alan Thicke - Himself (playing Robin Sparkles's father)

Reception

Omar G at Television Without Pity gave the episode an A. ^[1]
The AV Club gave the episode an A rating. ^[2]
IGN gave the episode a 9 out of 10 rating. ^[3]

References

External Links

• Sandcastles in the Sand at the English Wikipedia
• Sandcastles in the Sand at the Internet Movie Database