"Gary Blauman" is the 21st episode of the ninth season of the

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 ...

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 205th episode overall. It follows future

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 ...

as he explains to The Mother why going somewhere without a reservation is not easy, through the story of Gary Blauman as they ditch the restaurant they wanted to go to earlier and choose to go someplace where they do not really need a reservation.

Plot

Ted and the Mother are going out to dinner on their

first date A first date is the initial meeting during the dating process of two individuals, in which an effort is made to ask about each other, plan a potential relationship, and/or organize some sort of romantic activity. Aims vary between finding a ...

at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, three days after Barney and

Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...

's wedding. When they decide not to go to the restaurant they originally chose, the Mother says they should just find a restaurant where they do not need a reservation. Ted tells her that going somewhere without a reservation is not easy, through the story of Gary Blauman. In the present, Blauman shows up a couple hours before the wedding begins and congratulates Robin. Robin pretends to be happy, but panics when she realizes she did not plan a seat for him.

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 ...

calms her down, saying he will take care of it as he is very good with wedding seating. However, Marshall realizes it will be difficult to change the seating plan and recruits Ted's help to avoid creating further issues. Ted refuses, because he has hated Blauman ever since they competed for a girl once at a party.

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 ...

comes in, saying she is grateful to Blauman after he stopped her from getting a huge

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

on her back following her and Marshall's breakup. The Mother stops Ted momentarily after spotting her ex-boyfriend in the distance. She tells Ted she recently had a bad breakup and is not ready to date, but wants him to finish his story. In the present, the three go to Barney for the

tie-break In games and sport, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is any method used to determine a winner or to rank participants when there is a tie - meaning two or more parties have achieved a same score or result. A tiebreaker provides the additional criterion ...

ing vote. Barney does not want him there either, as Blauman once stole four of Barney's fries at MacLaren's, including the accidental curly. Billy Zabka and James come in; Zabka wants him there, because Blauman appreciates his

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, but James does not, as his

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

with Blauman caused him to

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

his husband, Tom. Upon hearing this, Ted changes his mind, realizing Blauman was gay and actually competing with the girl for Ted's attention rather than competing with Ted for the girl’s attention. Marshall ultimately makes the tie-breaking vote: Blauman stays because Robin wants him to, as she is the bride and has final say over any decision. Barney then admits he already told Blauman to leave, forcing the gang to go after him. The Mother cuts off the story again when they reach her building. After exchanging goodbyes, Ted walks away as

Future Ted 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 the " ...

says he did not make the mistake he made eight years earlier during his first date with Robin, when he prematurely said he loved her. Much to Ted's relief, the Mother calls him back and asks him to finish the story. In the present, the gang finds Blauman as he is about to drive away, leading Ted to realize he must hold on to the people that matter most to him, as they could instantly disappear from his life. Future Ted reveals the fates of many acquaintances he and his friends had met in his stories. Then Blauman returns and apologises, saying he does not want to miss the wedding. After finishing his story, Ted and the Mother have their first kiss, and decide to walk around the city some more.

Critical reception

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 an A. Max Nicholson 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 8.7/10, saying that it "delivered a sharp and enjoyable storyline that felt like a snapshot of the show's former glory."

References

External links

* {{How I Met Your Mother episodes, 9 2014 American television episodes American LGBTQ-related television episodes How I Met Your Mother season 9 episodes