Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap

Plot

In the Thanksgiving of 2009, as recounted by a future Ted, Lily and Marshall hosted dinner at their apartment. Marshall selected a turkey but accidentally abandoned it in a cab. Robin and Ted retrieved the bird from the Port Authority, and as thanks, Marshall granted them his fourth slap, with the stipulation that they deliver it before sunset and decide between themselves who would slap Barney. Lily’s estranged father, Mickey, then arrived, surprising and upsetting her.

Mickey had been residing in his parents’ basement, working on his odd board game concepts, which prevented his parents from moving out of their house. Marshall, raised in a tight-knit family, attempted to persuade Lily to let her father join them for dinner. He then inadvertently revealed that he had met with Mickey a week earlier and invited him to Thanksgiving. Lily refused, but Marshall let Mickey in anyway, prompting Lily to leave.

While waiting for her return, the group played one of Mickey’s failed games, “Diseases.” When a part of the game sprayed lead paint and horse bile over the turkey, Marshall kicked Mickey out and went to find Lily. Realizing the significance of reconciling before her father might die, they all returned to share Thanksgiving dinner together. Ted and Robin initially joked about who should slap Barney, each deferring the honor to the other, but when Robin accepted, Ted grew angry.

Their playful argument turned serious over who would deliver the slap. Barney, terrified of being tied to a chair and hit, tried to prolong the dispute. Robin gave the slap to Ted, commending his personal growth after being left at the altar. Ted then gave the slap to Robin, offering her closure regarding her past with Barney.

Unable to slap Barney herself, Robin passed the slap to Mickey as a welcome to the group. Mickey then gave the slap to Lily as an apology for his absence as a parent. Lily could not bring herself to slap Barney, and Marshall explained that he had distributed the slap to unite everyone. Barney was freed from the chair, but just before he could sit for dinner, Marshall slapped him across the face, declaring, “That’s four!”

As an epilogue, a commercial aired for Mickey’s new board game, “Slap Bet,” which recreated the gang’s slapping tradition as a family activity.