Definitions (How I Met Your Mother)

Plot

Future Ted looks back on his jittery first day as a teacher, torn between acting like a strict authority figure or a casual friend. Before class, Marshall gives him a battered leather fedora and a whip, a nod to Indiana Jones. That night, Ted has a dream about the day that morphs into a nightmare, jolting him awake to find Barney digging through his nightstand for condoms. On the actual first day, Ted swings between being a tough disciplinarian and an easygoing buddy.

Following Barney's advice to avoid answering any questions, he doesn't realize his students are trying to tell him he's in the wrong room. When the real professor arrives and announces it's an Economics class, a mortified Ted dashes across campus to his actual classroom. Worn out and embarrassed, he stops worrying about his teaching style and just begins lecturing, which works out fine. Future Ted mentions that the mother was in that Economics class, but doesn't say where she sat.

Meanwhile, after Barney and Robin admit their feelings, Lily is excited about double dates, but they insist they aren't a couple. Later, they're caught making out on Ted's couch and confess they spent the summer secretly hooking up. They tried to have a relationship talk, but realized they both hate discussing emotions and labels. That night, Marshall's friend Brad asks Robin to a hockey game.