"Single Stamina" is the tenth episode in the second season of the television series ''

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 ...

''. It originally aired on November 27, 2006 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 ...

. The episode was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode.

Plot

It is winter in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

;

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 ...

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 ...

, Ted, 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 ...

are in "couples'

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

mode". Barney tries to get them to go out, but the two couples consistently refuse. Tired of being his own

wingman A wingman (or wingmate) is the pilot of a secondary aircraft providing support or protection to a primary aircraft in a potentially dangerous situation, traditionally flying in formation to the side and slightly behind the primary craft. The t ...

, Barney announces that he's invited his brother James (

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular cast member on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of the daytim ...

) to town. Ted warns Robin that James is just like Barney, only

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, so she shouldn't be surprised. James arrives and Robin is very surprised to discover that James is

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

. Robin asks what the

back-story A backstory, background story, background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the drama begins, and is created during the actor's preparat ...

is, and it is revealed that the two don't really know it; amongst other things, their mother says that Barney is white because she ate vanilla ice cream when she was pregnant with him, and James is black because she ate chocolate ice cream. James tells them that they are young people living in New York and that they should go out and have fun. The six of them go out, and James helps Barney pick up a girl with a

lower back tattoo Tattoos on the lower back became popular in the first decade of the 21st century, and gained a reputation for their erotic appeal. The tattoos were sometimes accentuated by low-rise jeans or crop tops. Their popularity was in part due to the in ...

. Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Ted comment on the differences between single people and people in couples. While they are discussing whether it is more difficult to pick up a girl or to deflect obnoxious guys picking you up, the group notices that James is acting strangely. He has been turning down a lot of guys tonight, complaining about his feet hurting him, and generally acting like the four of them. When they see James

text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktops/laptops, or ...

someone, they realize that he must be in a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

relationship and they have to tell Barney. Barney confronts James, grabbing James's phone, which has a picture of James and another man on it. James tells Barney that the man in the picture is Tom, his

fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''f ...

. James then asks Barney to be his

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

. Barney says no, which crushes James. The next day, Barney goes to the apartment and laments that once gay men start getting married, everyone else will get married, too (because whatever gay people do, everyone else starts doing six months later), and single life as we know it will be ruined. Marshall points out that just because James is getting married doesn't mean things have to change, and Barney points out that the four of them have changed. Ted says that his sister married someone he didn't like, but he realized he had to support it anyway, and tells Barney he should do the same with James. Barney says he will take James out to celebrate, and takes him to a

gay club A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities. Gay bars on ...

. At the club, gay men hit on Ted and Marshall, and the two point out that getting hit on is flattering; meanwhile, the girls are excited that they can dance without being

grope Groping is a form of sexual harassment involving the intentional inappropriate touching of another person commonly without their consent. The term generally has a negative connotation in many societies. Touching a consenting person's body d ...

d. However, after several men come onto Ted and Marshall, they become uncomfortable, while the girls realize they miss the attention. Meanwhile, Barney tries to hook James up with other men. When James resists their advances, Barney accuses James of abandoning him and their way of life. James surprises Barney when he tells him that he and Tom are adopting a baby. Barney is excited that he will be an uncle, and a year later, makes a toast at Tom and James' wedding. Marshall and Lily leave because of the time but Ted and Robin stay (hinting at the fact that they have broken up at this point, as they both have "single stamina"). Barney meets James's son, and promises to take him out on his 21st birthday and show him how to pick up women. The baby is also wearing a suit and Barney says "great suit".

References

External links

* {{How I Met Your Mother episodes, 2 2006 American television episodes American LGBTQ-related television episodes How I Met Your Mother season 2 episodes Works about brothers Television episodes about same-sex marriage 2006 LGBTQ-related television episodes