"Three Days of Snow" is the 13th episode in the fourth 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 ...

'' and 77th overall. It originally aired on January 19, 2009.

Plot

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 " ...

recounts events taking place during a three-day

snow storm A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental and subarct ...

in New York. Ted and Barney set up dates with two young women in a band, planning to meet back at MacLaren's the next night. The next night, with a huge snow storm outside, they sit alone at the bar, waiting for the girls. Barney and Ted beg Carl the

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...

to leave them in charge of the bar for the rest of the night, as Carl has charity work. The girls show up with their "band", which is actually the Arizona Tech "Fighting Hens"

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

, filling the bar with rowdy

college student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...

s. After being overwhelmed with bartending, and a call from Carl telling them he is returning, Ted and Barney direct the band upstairs to their apartment to continue partying.

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 ...

and

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 ...

reflect on a

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

of Lily bringing a six-pack of beer with her every time she returns from a trip and they decide to end the tradition, but independently change their minds. Marshall gets Robin to drive him to the airport in the midst of the snow storm to pick up Lily, arguing with her about the importance of traditions in relationships. They get trapped on the side of the road after a

snow plow A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to ref ...

covers them in snow due to Robin ignoring his warnings to deliver a rant, but they eventually get to the airport terminal. After realizing she wants to continue the tradition, Lily tries to find some vintage

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

beer. Arriving at the airport an hour early, she encounters Ranjit, and they drive to a local

liquor store A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors (typically in bottles), wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom ...

, only to find that the store only has a

keg A keg is a small cask used for storing liquids. Wooden kegs made by a cooper were used to transport nails, gunpowder, and a variety of liquids. Nowadays a keg is normally constructed of stainless steel, although aluminium can be used if it is ...

. When Marshall and Robin arrive, Lily is not there. Future Ted reveals that each story took place across the three days of the storm: Robin and Marshall went to pick up Lily on the first day, Ted and Barney ran MacLaren's on the second, and Lily arrived on the third. On the first day, Marshall realizes that that day's lunchtime phone-call ritual between himself and Lily had been in a

voicemail A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows callers to leave a recorded message when the recipient has been unable (or unwilling) to answer the phone. Calls may be directed to voicemail m ...

Lily had left that her flight back to

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 ...

had been delayed for two more days due to the snow storm. Marshall ignored the call because he felt that all of their traditions were slipping away and that it was a natural progression of their relationship to let their rituals die, from the lunchtime phone-call to the New Year's kiss. When Lily arrives, she does not find Marshall at the airport. Suddenly, airport residents, the "Fighting Hens", start playing marching band instruments to the tune of "

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" () is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Eve. It is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a far ...

", and Marshall greets Lily. They joyfully reunite with a late New Year's kiss and Marshall asks if he now has to bring a marching band each time he picks up Lily.

Critical response

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 an A rating. Michelle Zoromski 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 8.3 out of 10, commenting that it was "a good episode" but pointing out a storyline flaw as "you can't take liquids on a plane anymore". The TV Critic rated the episode 67 out of 100, describing the humour as "decent" and praising the twist at the end. Cindy McLennan from

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−.

References

External links

* {{How I Met Your Mother episodes, 4 How I Met Your Mother season 4 episodes 2009 American television episodes