In the world of How I Met Your Mother, running gags are not just common, they’re an essential element of the show’s humor. So much so, jumping into the show cold during its fifth season guarantees a minimum of three jokes per episode will go unnoticed, or at least underutilized. These jokes include catchphrases (“Legen – Wait for it – Dary”), character traits (“*salute*Colonel Stuck in my teeth”), and even subtly revisited jokes (“Salmon. I’m going to say that again: Salmon.”)
Quite possibly the grandest among all the running jokes is The Slap Bet. First appearing in season two, the slap bet has popped in and out of various episodes, including this week’s, where it took center stage. For those not in the know, the slap bet was a wager between Marshall and Barney about Robin’s closeted past. In lieu of money, the winner got to slap the loser. After believing he won, Barney prematurely slapped Marshall. Upon discovering he had indeed not won, Marshall was granted permission to slap Barney five times whenever he pleases for revenge. Being nearly twice the size of Barney, Marshall relished the decision. The first slap occurred immediately, the Minnesotan leviathan hit the scrawny womanizer so hard, he immediately hit the floor. The next occurred several months later in retaliation for repeatedly insulting Marshall’s wife, Lily.
The third was foreshadowed near the beginning of the third season; Marshall sent Barney a link to a website entitled “SlapCountDown.com,” indicating the third slap would coincide exactly with the beginning of Thanksgiving dinner. Upset that the slap bet was interfering with her carefully planned dinner, Lily forbade the comeuppance. Barney, cocky as always, mocked the crumbling of Marshall’s plans. As the slap bet countdown continued closer towards its pointless goal, Barney further drove the point home. So much so, Lily, offended that the slap bet was ruining her holiday anyways, relented on her banishment at the last minute, allowing Marshall to slap Barney exactly as the countdown reached zero.
Hearkening back to this legen-wait for it-dary episode, this week’s episode ran in a similar track. The episode began with Robin and Ted consulting the New York Port Authority lost and found concerning a 22-pound organic turkey, which Marshall accidentally left in the back of a cab. In gratitude for their deed, he graciously bequeaths the fourth slap upon them on three conditions: First, it must occur before sundown so as not to interfere with dinner. Second, Barney must be seated and tied to the designated “Slapping Throne.” Third, Robin and Ted must decide between themselves who does the slapping.
While Robin and Ted argue over the third stipulation so heavily, Barney takes a moment of solace, knowing the slap may never happen. This is where the episode’s main focus rears its ugly head: Lily’s deadbeat dad arrives seemingly unannounced. Her father, a failed board game magnate, has previously been declared “dead to her” after a lifetime of neglect, sloth and mooching. His tendencies are so egregious, he moves back in with Lily’s grandparents, forcing the elderly couple out of retirement and into a steel mill.
As it turns out, it’s the ridiculously familial Marshall who invited him. Desperate to reconcile his wife with her father, Marshall has been meeting with the man attempting to fix his life, at least enough to earn Lily’s forgiveness. As a Hail Mary, Marshall invites Mr. Aldrin to Thanksgiving, prompting Lily to storm out in disgust.
Lily eventually relents on her anger upon learning Mr. Park, a random café owner Lily once declared dead to her after he served her regular coffee under the guise of decaf, had actually died. Disturbed that a random stranger had died without affording her the opportunity for an apology, Lily decides to patch things up before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Robin and Ted are unable to decide who should slap Barney. In an effort of good faith, they offer the slap to Mr. Aldrin, who then bestows the privilege on Lily as an apology for his lifetime of offenses. Lily, however, can’t bring herself to slap Barney, as it would ruin the perfect moment.
As everyone rejects the opportunity to slap the wincing Barney, Marshall reveals his actions involving the slap gift, the perfect turkey and Mr. Aldrin’s invitation. All three were parts of a carefully constructed plan to bring everyone closer together. As he furthers his syrupy holiday-themed dialogue, Marshall unties Barney from the Slapping Throne, then lays a wallop on the poor schmuck’s face when he lets his guard down.
With only one slap left in the slap bet, the writers are faced with two options: hold onto the fifth slap indefinitely, possibly until the series finale, or else deliver the fifth slap, thus ending the legen-wait for it, and I hope you’re not allergic because the next word is-dary running gag. In either case, the slap bet’s rationing is near the end. Whether we like it or not, the joke is officially over, with the possible exception of the writer’s replicating the circumstances, creating a second slap bet. However, doing so would be a major error. *Salute*Major Error.
