Natural History (How I Met Your Mother)
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"Natural History" is the eighth episode of the sixth 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 120th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2010.


Plot

Ted and the gang are invited to a gala party at the Natural History Museum thrown by George van Smoot, also known as "The Captain". While hobnobbing, Ted sees Zoey, with whom he is angry for writing a column criticizing his work at GNB regarding the Arcadian, describing Ted and his colleagues as "fat cats". At the party, Zoey introduces Ted to her husband, the Captain (
Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan ( ; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...
), a wealthy, much older man who is obsessed with boats. Later, Ted corners Zoey and berates her for the hypocrisy of her column and trying to ruin his career, angrily calling her a "bored trophy wife". At this, Zoey starts crying and tells Ted that she is unhappy in her marriage. Ted immediately feels sorry for her, and he tries to commiserate with her by ranting against GNB and their obnoxious work culture. However, Zoey's tears are a ruse: she had been recording the entire conversation to use against him. The Captain hears about the situation and sympathises with Ted, who replies that despite her betrayal, he respects her activism. The Captain offers to erase the recording, but Ted, surprised that the Captain would betray his own wife, declines the offer. Because of the acoustic capabilities of the museum, Zoey overhears their conversation and is visibly hurt by her husband's words. She and Ted share a dance and she promises she will erase the conversation herself, resolving to play fair from now on. Meanwhile, Barney pulls various pranks using off-limits exhibits along with Robin. Barney brags about having knocked down the
blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known ever to have existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
exhibit as a child, which none of the gang believe. After catching Robin by surprise disguised as an
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian pharaoh, a security guard catches them in the act and brings them to the security office. Robin's skepticism about the blue whale incident prompts the security officer to check old records. One file, dated July 23, 1981, recounts the incident in full, but a check of the document reveals that Barney's guardian that day, Jerome Whittaker—who he believed as a child to be his "Uncle Jerry"—identified himself as Barney's father on the visitor form. Barney then reveals to Robin that his mother forbade them further contact soon after this incident. He asks Robin not to mention the discovery to the others.
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 ...
tells
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 ...
that GNB has offered him a five-year contract. Lily, however, is still firm on her belief that Marshall will resign and pursue his dream of being an
environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...
yer. In the ensuing argument, Marshall insists on staying in the company for financial reasons, and Lily storms out; she feels he has not stayed true to himself and their values. In another part of the museum, Lily visualizes an exhibit showing extinct "College Marshall" at their old
Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
dorm; the same Marshall she first fell in love with. She talks with College Marshall, who tells her that while "Corporate" Marshall may have changed in a few ways, the most important part is that he still loves her. Just then, the real Marshall appears and promises to work hard to provide a stable future for their family. Later,
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 " ...
reveals that Marshall will leave GNB
in the future ''In the Future'' is the second album by Black Mountain (band), Black Mountain, which was released January 21, 2008. It follows their Black Mountain (album), eponymous debut album which was released in 2005. A "limited edition" of the album was ...
, with the camera pulling back to reveal an exhibit showing extinct Corporate Marshall.


Critical response

Reviews of the episode have been positive. 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 ...
'' gave the episode a B+ score, saying the episode tackled people's thoughts about their past and how they should let things go, which were explained well during the third part. DeAnn Welker 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 ...
gave the episode an A− score. 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 6.5 out of 10. Chris O'Hara of TVFanatic.com gave the episode a rating of 4 out of 5.


References


External links

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