Desperation Day

Did You Know?

• Marshall and Lily's Valentine's Day tradition is watching the movie Predator every year, because Marshall's brothers accidentally taped over a romantic film they rented in college.
• Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a rating of 7 out of 10, while Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave it a grade of A−.

Plot

With Marshall still living at his mother Judy’s house in Minnesota, Lily feels lonely as Valentine’s Day approaches. The couple has an unusual tradition: every Valentine’s Day, they watch the movie Predator, because Marshall’s brothers once recorded over a romantic film they had rented in college. Lily admits she has been using a stuffed pillow as a substitute for Marshall, which she calls Marshpillow, and finally travels to Minnesota to convince him to come home.

Marshall has regressed to his teenage self, spending his time playing old video games and not realizing how much Lily misses him. He is reluctant to leave, but it becomes apparent that Judy is growing tired of his presence, even though she does not say so directly. Meanwhile, Ted and Zoey are happily dating after confessing their feelings, having agreed to take things slowly. One night, Zoey invites Ted over to help bake cookies.

When Ted mentions this to the group, they explain that “baking cookies” is code for staying the night. Ted shows up at Zoey’s apartment with an overnight bag, but she sends him home, calling him presumptuous. The day before Valentine’s Day, Zoey apologizes and says she is ready to get serious. Ted, however, feels anxious because Zoey has only recently separated from her husband.

He joins Marshall, pretending to help him deal with his loss, but really he is avoiding the pressure of committing to Zoey. Lily eventually announces she is returning to New York, leaving Marshall sad. He confides in Ted that the real reason he stayed in Minnesota is that he feels lost without his dad and does not want to go back to his old life. With flights canceled due to a storm, the two agree to drive back that night.

During the trip, Marshall struggles to see the road, but then the image of his late father appears in the back seat, offering advice on driving in such conditions. Encouraged, Marshall makes it safely to New York. Lily is overjoyed when he arrives home, and they watch Predator together. Meanwhile, Zoey shows up at Ted’s apartment with her own overnight bag.

Ted jokingly calls her presumptuous, and they kiss, putting an end to their anxieties about commitment. Barney claims that single women will find themselves desperate and easy to hook up with on Desperation Day, the eve of Valentine's Day. Robin decides to prove him wrong and hangs out with her female colleagues that night. Barney hits on women until he takes interest in one of Robin's colleagues, Nora, who had just arrived.

Nora privately tells Barney that unlike Robin and her other colleagues, she actually loves Valentine's Day. Barney hints that the fact she tries to appear romantic comes across as desperate, and instead begins explaining how to play laser tag. The two return to Robin to find her friends have left, as they had gone home with two other guys. Nora soon leaves as well, to Barney's disappointment, and Robin points out it is after midnight, and Barney had failed to hook up with a woman on Desperation Day.

She also claims Barney is beginning to like Nora; though he denies it, Robin later invites Nora to play laser tag with Barney. Future Ted states it was the first time Barney had been on a date on Valentine's Day.