"Blitzgiving" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'', and the 122nd episode overall. It aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

on November 22, 2010 to an audience of 8.73 million viewers. It was written by Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal and directed by

Pamela Fryman Pamela Gail Fryman (born August 19, 1959) is an American sitcom director and producer. She was the principal director of the television series ''How I Met Your Mother'', directing 196 of the show's 208 episodes. Early life Fryman was born and g ...

. The episode features Ted's (

Josh Radnor Joshua Thomas Radnor (born July 29, 1974) is an American actor, filmmaker, author, and musician. He is best known for portraying Ted Mosby on the Emmy Award–winning CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014). He made his writing and di ...

) friend Steve (

Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show '' Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurl ...

) and enemy Zoey (

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Marie Morrison (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series '' ...

) celebrates Thanksgiving with the gang. The episode was met with praise from critics.

Plot

It is the day before

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, and Ted is hosting his first Thanksgiving for the group, and tries his best to make it memorable. He makes a special turkey by stuffing it with a smaller turkey, calling it a "turturkeykey". Just as he is about to call it an early night,

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

and the group tell him not to leave the bar, or he will get the curse of "The Blitz". Future Ted explains how an old college friend, Steve Henry, had the curse of The Blitz; whenever he would leave the room with a group, something amazing would happen. The next morning, Ted wakes up to chaos in his apartment. The place is a mess, and he discovers

Zoey Zoe, Zoey, Zoie, Zoi, Zoé or Zoë (Greek: ζωή) is a feminine first name of Greek origin, meaning "life". It is a popular name for girls in many countries, ranking among the top 100 names for girls born in the United States since 2000. It is a ...

sleeping in the bathtub.

Lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

explains that after Ted left the bar, Zoey came in, and instead of seeking revenge, the group ended up having a great time with her and Steve. Ted soon realizes that he's been hit by the curse of The Blitz, missing out on an unforgettable night. With the oven broken, the gang scrambles to find a place to cook the turkey. Lily recalls that Zoey had invited them over for Thanksgiving since her husband is spending the holiday with his daughter. Meanwhile, Barney, feeling uneasy about possibly being cursed as well, takes a separate cab to Zoey's. He soon realizes he's become "The Blitz" when he learns about a Thanksgiving Day parade they encountered earlier. At Zoey's apartment, Ted and Zoey argue leading to him comparing her to a fairy-tale evil stepmother, which strikes a nerve. Zoey, hurt, demands they leave. As they walk away, Ted reflects on his insult and realizes it cuts deeper than he intended—Zoey feels rejected by her stepdaughter during the holidays. Understanding her pain, Ted decides to return and ask for her forgiveness, recognizing the importance of family and connection. After dinner, Barney and Steve head towards the elevator. Steve remembers that he forgot his jacket and turns to retrieve it. Just then, a girl from the neighboring apartment darts into the elevator, with Barney inside. As the door closes, her dress gets stuck between the doors and rips apart. Steve realizes that he has been "Blitzed" again.

Production

"Blitzgiving" was written by Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal and directed by

Casting

"Blitzgiving" stars

Ted Mosby Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children ...

, alongside fellow series regulars

Jason Segel Jason Jordan Segel ( ; born January 18, 1980) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' from 2005 to 2014. He began his career with director and producer Judd ...

Marshall Eriksen Marshall Eriksen is a fictional character on the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Jason Segel. Series co-creator Craig Thomas explained that he based Marshall and Lily on himself and his wife Rebecca. Character overview The ...

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

Barney Stinson Barney Stinson is a fictional character portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris and created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014). One of the show's main characters, Barney is known fo ...

Alyson Hannigan Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. She began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films '' Impure Thoughts'' (1986) and '' My Step ...

Lily Aldrin Lily Aldrin is a fictional character in the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother.'' Lily is portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is married to Marshall Eriksen and is best friends with Ted Mosby, Robin Scherbatsky, and Barne ...

, and

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...

Robin Scherbatsky Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Cobie Smulders. Robin is the on and off love interest of Ted Mosby ( Josh R ...

. The episode guest stars

as the titular character Steve Henry / The Blitz. Garcia's role on ''Lost'' is referenced in the episode with a mention of the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42. The character returned in a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

the season 9 episode "

Gary Blauman "Gary Blauman" is the 21st episode of the ninth season of the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', and the 205th episode overall. It follows future Ted Mosby as he explains to The Mother why going somewhere without a reservation is not easy, ...

appears as recurring character Zoey Pierson. Following her role on ''House'' Morrison wanted a more comedic role.

Release

"Blitzgiving" first aired in the United States on

on November 22, 2010 to an audience of 8.73 million viewers. In Australia the episode was aired alongside "

The Mermaid Theory "The Mermaid Theory" is the 11th episode of the How I Met Your Mother season 6, 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 a ...

" by

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

on March 10, 2011. It was viewed live by 811 thousand viewers 93 thousand less than "The Mermaid Theory".

Critical response

Reviews for the episode were positive. Angel Cohn of

Television Without Pity Television Without Pity (often abbreviated TWoP) was a website that provided detailed recaps of select television dramas, situation comedies and reality TV shows along with discussion forums. These recaps were written with sarcastic criticism a ...

also put the episode at A−, saying the writers did well to insert ''Lost'' references and help Garcia discover more comedic skills. Donna Bowman of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' graded the episode at A−, praising the story development and the various ideas put in that actually worked together. She also noted similarity's between Steve and Garcia's ''Lost'' character Hurley Reyes. Robert Canning of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' gave the episode a rating of 8 out of 10 and praised the episode's humor and casting of Garcia. Canning additionally praised the premise of "the blitz" and its accompanying flashbacks. According to ''Collider'''s Amy Brown and Ryan Heffernan the episode is the tenth highest rated of the series on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

References

External links

* {{How I Met Your Mother episodes, 6 How I Met Your Mother season 6 episodes 2010 American television episodes Thanksgiving television episodes