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The Limo
HIMYM episode 1x11 (11)
The Limo
First aired:
December 19, 2005
Director:
Pamela Fryman
Writer:
Sam Johnson
Chris Marcil
Barney's Blog

Images (7)

It's New Year's Eve 2005 and Ted rents a limo for him and the gang and plans out the ideal way to ring in the New Year. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.


Recap[]

New Year's Eve is typically a complete letdown. Ted plans to change this, however, so he rents a limousine for the gang to ride around New York City in. Ted also plans for the gang to go to five separate parties, and to celebrate New Year's at the best party. Ranjit is the limo driver, having "moved up" in the world from a taxi driver. Robin leaves the limo because she has plans with her boyfriend Derek.

Lily is disappointed that Robin had to leave, so Barney presents his Get Psyched Mix CD, which, as Barney explains, is why he is always upbeat and "psyched." Barney puts in the CD, and "Shot Through The Heart" by Bon Jovi blares out of the speakers. The group goes to the first party, where Ted meets up with a co-worker named Marybeth, who is his date for the night. Barney also finds a date at the party, a foreign woman named Natalya. From there, they head to party number two.

The gang leaves party two, disappointed. They also leave Natalya at the party, but when Barney asks them to go back for her, Lily says that no one liked her, and Ted says that they have a tight schedule to keep if they are to make it to every party before midnight. Ted receives a call from Robin, however, who tells him that Derek stood her up, because he had to work tonight. Ted instantly directs Ranjit to turn the limo around to go pick Robin up. When they get Robin, Ted offers to kiss her at midnight since she won't be with her boyfriend. Robin mentions that she is starving, so Ted suggests they stop off at Gray's Papaya for hot dogs. Lily, however, has to go home to change out of her uncomfortable shoes. She and Marshall vow to find each other by midnight.

The group is about to head to party number three when they spot recording artist Moby outside. Ted rolls down the window and asks Moby what he's doing, to which Moby answers that he's going to a New Year's party. Ted offers to give Moby a ride, and Moby accepts. In the limo, the gang is excited to be hanging out with Moby, and he ends up inviting them to his party. Marshall, worried about Lily, goes to party three to find her.

On their way to Moby's party, Moby compliments Barney's Get Psyched Mix, agreeing that it should be "all rise." Soon after that, however, the gang quickly learns that the man they picked up is in fact not Moby, after he brandishes a gun and speaks erratically. Holding the gun, Not-Moby says that there's a guy at the party who owes him money. The gang eagerly drops him off at the party, wanting to get away from this crazy person. Marshall's phone, which he had left in the limo, begins ringing, and Barney answers it, and tells Lily that Marshall went looking for her at party number three. Lily doesn't see Marshall but does see someone she thinks is Moby, who also happens to have a gun. Ted quickly grabs the phone and tells Lily to get out of there. Lily runs back to the limo, and they learn that she was actually at party number four, which coincidentally was also the party that Not-Moby was going to.

The limo heads for party number three to find Marshall, and Barney realizes that Not-Moby stole his Get Psyched Mix, while the limo gets a flat tire. As Ranjit goes to fix the tire, Barney begins acting melancholy and introspective, apparently lost without his Get Psyched Mix. Robin, who realizes how hard Ted has worked to make this New Year's a great night, tries to keep spirits high by singing "Shot Through The Heart", and Ted voraciously joins in. Marybeth stands up through the sun roof to "get some air." Ted joins her, apologizing for the mishaps they've faced, and Marybeth bluntly asks Ted how long he has been in love with Robin. Ted insists he isn't, but Marybeth decides to leave.

With fifteen minutes until midnight, still with a flat tire, Lily decides to "call" Marshall, and starts yelling his name out of the sun roof of the limo. Eventually, she hears Marshall call back to her, as he triumphantly returns to the limo. Marshall explains that when he couldn't find Lily at party three, he walked to party number four, where he found Barney's Get Psyched Mix, and also got "Moby's" autograph on his shirt (signed "Eric"). Marshall then went to party number five, which was awesome, and they definitely need to go there. Ranjit finally fixes the flat tire, and they also learn that Natalya was actually asleep in the front seat the whole time. With eight minutes until midnight, Ranjit vows to reach party number five by midnight.

Three minutes later, the limo is stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Accepting that the gang won't make it to party number five, Ted pops open a bottle of champagne and declares that the best party is inside the limousine with all of them. Right after they cheers their champagne, Derek appears at the limo's window, much to Robin's shock. As they count down to midnight, Ted leaves the limo and walks down the street. Robin follows him, saying that she thought they had a deal that they were going to kiss at midnight. When Ted asks about Derek, Robin says that he kept her waiting, so she can do the same. The two then share a kiss.

Continuity[]

  • Robin asks how the rest of the gang know Ranjit, and Ted evades the question, still embarrassed about the events of their first date in the Pilot.
  • Lily gets startled when Ted uncorks a champagne bottle, referencing Marshall accidentally popping a cork into her eye in the Pilot.
  • Marshall's ringtone is based on the song he makes up while studying in Sweet Taste of Liberty​.
  • In Okay Awesome, Ted and the coat check girl agree on New Year's Eve being one of the things people expect to be fun but actually isn't.

Future References (Contains Spoilers)[]

  • Future Ted always says, "Pfft! Derek." derisively whenever Derek appears or is mentioned, as he does in The Wedding​.
  • The same ringtone Marshall has here is heard again in Best Prom Ever.
  • The first song on Barney's Get Psyched mix is "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. Barney liking Bon Jovi is referenced again in False Positive​ and The Over-Correction, where Patrice also tells him that "You Give Love a Bad Name" is the first track on her Get Psyched mix too.
  • Future Ted says that 2006 was a big year for him, as he begins dating Robin in Come On​.

Gallery[]

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

Memorable Quotes[]

Barney: Now, people often think that a good mix should rise and fall, but people are wrong. It should be all rise, baby! Now prepare yourselves for an audio journey into the white hot center of adrenaline!
Barney, about his Get Psyched Mix.

Lily: Who was that guy?
Barney: Well, we know it's not Moby and it's not Tony.

Barney: We couldn't go back for Natalya, a human being, but we do have time for hot dogs?
Marshall: Well, we like hotdogs.

Ted: You're not Moby, are you?
Not Moby: Who?
Robin: Moby. The recording artist, Moby.
Not Moby: No.
Barney: But when we said "Hey Moby", you said "Yeah?".
Not Moby: I thought you said Tony.
Ted: So, your name is Tony?
Not Moby: No!

Barney: (melancholic) Yeah, you know why all the circuits are jammed because everyone's calling their loved ones, everyone around the world. Everyone except Barney. (gang laughs) Oh, sure, laugh. Laugh for Barney Stinson. Laugh for the sad clown trapped on his whirling carousel of suits and cigars and bimbos and booze. Round and round it goes. And where's it all heading? Nowhere.
Robin: Is this just 'cause you lost your "Get Psyched" mix?
Barney: I'm sorry. Am I not allowed to have a pensive side?
Robin: No. No, not tonight. Not in the limo. We got to stay psyched. Ted went to a lot of trouble to make this an awesome New Year's. (starts singing acapella) "Shot through the heart
Robin and Ted: And you're to blame, darling" "You give love a bad name".

Ted: We celebrate the New Year in Central Standard Time.
Barney: Give it a rest, Ted.
Ted: Give what a rest?
Barney: Trying to turn this night into anything more than what it is, which is New Year's Eve which is the single biggest letdown of a night every single year.
Ted: Come on, come on, we can still turn this thing around. We've still got ten minutes.
Barney: Stop trying to chase down some magical, perfect New Years, Ted. It doesn't exist.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This is one of the few episodes where no one in the gang is ever seen in someone's apartment or at Maclaren's.

Goofs and Errors[]

  • The driver of the Limo is Ranjit, but when Ted arrives with the Limo, it isn't Ranjit who is driving.
  • Barney says that You Give Love a Bad Name is the first track on his Get Psyched Mix (The Over-Correction) and it is the first track that plays, but when he shows it to the gang, I Wanna Rock is listed as the first track on the cover, while You Give Love a Bad Name is the second.
  • Ranjit takes the gang to Not Moby's party without any direction of where it is (but Not Moby might have told Ranjit the location halfway to the party).
  • When 'Not Moby' leaves the limo, he is seen holding the case to Barney's Get Psyched Mix, Barney later finds it on the limo floor.
  • It is later revealed that Natalya was asleep in the front seat of the limo, but in the shots of Ranjit where the passenger seat can be seen, there is clearly no one there.
  • Derek appears outside of the limo just before midnight so he can see Robin, but there is absolutely no explanation of how he located Robin or the limo.
  • Lily calls Marshall's phone while she is at Not Moby's party. Shortly after, she says "I wish Marshall would call. I guess the circuits are jammed." But he doesn't have his phone!
  • Right before Robin and Ted kiss at the end of the episode, you can already see lipstick on Ted's lip because of a take before.

Allusions and Outside References[]

  • The gang mistakes Eric/Not Moby for the musician Moby.
  • Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant located in New York City.

Music[]

Other Notes[]

  • The only scene in this episode where anyone is inside a building is the split-screen phone call between Barney/Ted in the limo and Lily at party number 4 (Not Moby's party).
  • When Ted and Robin share a New Year's Eve kiss, the background music is La Vie En Rose, the first song Ted hears Tracy sing.

Awards[]

Guests[]

Reception[]

  • The St. Petersburg Comic Review gave this episode 8.5 stars out of 10. "...the ultimate New Year's Eve celebration..."

References[]

External links[]


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