"Tick Tick Tick..." is the tenth episode of the seventh 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 146th 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 14, 2011. The episode was 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 ...

and written by Chris Harris.

Plot

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 ...

awaken in bed together from the events of the previous night. They agree to try to keep it a secret, but this will prove difficult as they are attending a cruise party with their significant others, Kevin and Nora. They realize that they cannot keep it a secret, and believing this is the way they are meant to reconcile, decide to tell Kevin and Nora they cheated on them. After several failed attempts on the boat, Barney and Robin agree to tell Nora and Kevin respectively after they return to shore. Meanwhile, Ted,

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 ...

attend a concert, where Ted insists that he and Marshall consume some "sandwiches" (a euphemism that

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 " ...

uses to refer to

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

) to enjoy the concert. Marshall reluctantly agrees, though he believes that he must become more responsible because he will be a father soon, while Ted fears that life is moving too quickly and they will not be able to enjoy all the things they wanted to in the past. While they are high, Ted and Marshall leave their seats to find some

nachos Nachos are a Tex-Mex dish consisting of tortilla chips or '' totopos'' covered with cheese or chile con queso, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken), vegetables ( ...

for Lily. Walking around the entire arena twice they become frustrated with one another and set off on their own. They are met by a mysterious guitarist, who guides them back together and presents them with nachos. Though disappointed that they have missed the concert, Ted and Marshall conclude that time will go on whether they are ready or not. When Lily finds them, she informs them that rather being gone for several hours, they were only gone for two minutes. As captured by a security camera, Ted and Marshall actually stayed in the same section of the arena, the guitarist was really a life-size cardboard cutout, and Ted actually pulled the nachos out of a trash can. They return to the concert, but decide to leave after ten minutes. Kevin winds up in the hospital after a drink is thrown in his face. Robin tries to use the scene to tell Kevin she wants to break up with him in order to return to Barney, but Kevin first tells Robin that he loves her and accepts anything that she may do wrong. Barney, though at first obstructed by the unexpected arrival of Nora's parents, tells Nora the truth and when he admits that it meant something to him, they break up. Barney waits at the bar for Robin, and when Ted, Marshall and Lily walk in, he informs them he broke up with Nora, and says the hard part is over. Robin arrives at the bar with Kevin, unable to bring herself to tell him. This leaves Barney heartbroken and he excuses himself, not wanting to stick around. Ted leaves the bar soon after, as he is still high. As Ted gets back to his apartment, he sees Barney picking up rose petals off Robin's bed and blowing out the flames of candles, implying he had a special night planned. Ted walks to his room without saying anything.

Production

The episode was directed by

and written by Chris Harris.

Release

"Tick Tick Tick" first aired in the United States on

on November 14, 2011.

Critical response

Donna Bowman from ''

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 a B+, stating that Barney trying to accept the reality that he still pines for Robin is one of the episode's defining moments, even if the price was losing Nora.

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 ...

rated the episode with an 8/10. ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

''s Adam Vitcavage gave the episode a 9.2 and praised the final moments of the episode, saying that

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 ...

' acting was taken to a higher level, and applauding the writers. Of the writing, he said: "We've had the chance to laugh out loud and choke back tears throughout the six and a half seasons and with 'Tick, Tick, Tick...' it seems like we’re on the track back to balancing the two emotions extremely well."

References

External links

* {{How I Met Your Mother episodes, 7 How I Met Your Mother season 7 episodes 2011 American television episodes Television episodes about hurricanes