It was May of 2006
in New York City,
and life was good.
But everything
was about to change.
So what do you think?
Robin again?
Ted, the universe
clearly does not want
you and Robin
to be together.
Don't piss off
the universe.
The universe
will slap you.
Don't you think the universe
has more important things
to worry about
than my dating life?
Unless your dating life
is the glue
holding the entire
universe together.
Whoa, chills.
Anybody else get chills?
Look, I realize we've been
down this road before,
but the fact is,
whatever I do,
it all keeps
coming back to Robin.
So I gotta do this.
Ow!
What the hell?
That wasn't me.
That was the universe.
The funny thing was,
at that very moment,
the universe was
working on something.
A storm.
So Tropical Storm Willie
is gonna be with us
at least until Monday.
It's gonna rain
cats and dogs, folks.
So don't step in a poodle.
Sandy, Robin?
Thanks, Lou.
Boy, too bad.
Our big Metro News 1
camping trip
was gonna be this weekend.
Yeah, but camping
out in the rain?
No fun. Muddy. Yuck.
Guess we'll have to
take a rain check.
And we'll check in
with you tomorrow,
New York.
Have a great night.
And we're clear.
Bummer. I was hoping
to finally have sex
with you this weekend,
Scherbatsky.
Well, I'd give you
the "I don't date co-workers"
speech again,
but, God, you must have
that son-of-a-bitch
memorized by now.
Shame, though.
It was a pretty
hot show tonight.
The rhythmic give and take
of our improvised
banter there at the end
really got
my freak juice flowing.
Dude, he is right.
How many times do you have
to watch this crash and burn
before you say, "Enough"?
One more. One more time.
One more big, beautiful,
stupid, romantic gesture
and then, whatever she says,
yes or no, that's it.
If it's yes, great.
If it's no, then I am done
going after Robin forever.
So what's this big,
beautiful,
romantic gesture?
I am going to make her
a mix CD.
No, I'm kidding.
I got a plan.
Lily, I'm gonna need
the spare key
to Robin's apartment.
I see where this is going.
Ted, waiting naked
in a girl's bed
wearing whipped cream undies
does not work.
Usually.
The setting,
Martha's Vineyard, 1999.
The characters, yours truly
and a raven-haired
au pair by the...
Universe.
So this plan you speak of.
Remember the first night
Robin and I went out?
I stole a blue
French horn for her,
and it almost worked.
Yeah, dude, that was awesome.
But how are you
ever gonna top that?
She should be here
any second. So...
Uh, we're pretty hungry.
When do we get our pizza?
Enough with the...
We'll go get pizza later,
all right?
Just stay...
Damn it.
Hello?
Hey, Lily.
I'm locked out
of my apartment.
I need to come
pick up my extra key.
Extra key?
Do I have an extra key
to your apartment?
Yes, and I gave it to you.
Oh, right. That key.
Yeah, I lost it.
Great. Now I gotta
go to the locksmith.
No. Wait.
Uh, maybe you should
just knock.
Knock?
Lily, my dogs aren't
that well-trained.
Hello, Lily.
This is Janet Kagen,
at the Russell House
Art Foundation
here in San Francisco.
I'm pleased to inform you
that we've
accepted your application
for our summer fellowship.
We look forward to
hearing from you.
Bye-bye.
Uh, Robin, I gotta go.
Just knock, okay?
Summer fellowship?
Just knock. Okay.
Hi.
Robin. I've sort of
said this already.
I mean, I've half-said it.
I... I've tried to say it
and I've said it badly.
So this is me,
just saying it.
With strings.
I'm crazy about you.
I think we should
be together.
What do you say?
Yes. No. I don't know.
Those are the three options.
Ted, this is so...
I know.
I mean, I come home,
I was gonna watch Jeopardy,
and there's a string quartet,
and I have to pee.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Um, well, go ahead,
we'll, uh... We'll wait.
Great.
Yeah, 'cause when
we talked earlier,
you said there'd be pizza.
No, I said I'd get you
a pizza afterwards.
Look, could we
talk about this later?
I'm sort of
professing my love here.
Sure.
We're not getting
any pizza.
Okay. Let's talk.
Okay.
Um...
Oh, hey, you guys
wanna take five? All right.
Thanks, guys,
we just need a minute.
Sort of a... a big
life decision.
Love the blue instruments,
though.
Kind of an inside joke.
Thanks.
You're crazy.
Right. Come on.
It's not that I haven't
thought about this.
You know that I have.
But let's look at this, okay?
We only just started
being friends again.
I know. But come on.
And...
And we want different things.
That's still there.
That's not going away.
I mean, what if we do this
and it doesn't work out
and I'd lose you as a friend?
I gotta think about this.
Okay, fine.
Think about it
on the plane.
Let's go to Paris
for the weekend.
I'm serious.
I'm kidding. I'm serious.
I can't go to Paris.
I'm going camping.
Well, I thought that
thing was canceled.
Well, it's back on.
Since when?
Since like an hour ago.
Sending the storm
back out into the Atlantic.
So it's blue skies
this weekend.
Sandy, Robin?
Thanks, Lou.
But that blue sky
isn't without
at least one cloud.
I'm sorry to announce
that one week from today
I will be leaving
Metro News 1.
It has been an honor
to bring you
the news each night,
and read the paper
to you each morning.
I will always
treasure it.
Good night,
New York.
And we're clear.
You're leaving?
There. I quit my job.
We're not co-workers.
Will you please
have dinner with me?
I'm joking.
I got offered a job at CNN.
Oh, congratulations.
Congratulations, yourself.
What do you mean?
Well, Joel asked me
who I thought
should replace me
as lead anchor.
I told him you.
They're announcing it
next week.
Act surprised.
Wow. Thanks.
And, yes.
Yes, what?
Yes, let's go get dinner.
How about this weekend
on the camping trip?
I roast a mean weenie.
Oh, you're kidding me. No way.
Don't go on this thing.
Ted, I have to go.
It's a company camping trip.
Really? Because it also
kind of sounds like
a date with Sandy
and his weenie.
I mean, is this not a date?
I don't... I don't know.
So, what, you actually
like this guy now?
I don't know.
Are you gonna
hook up with him?
I don't know.
Yes, you do.
No, Ted, I don't.
And you know what?
That's okay.
I don't plan out
every second of my life,
like you do.
I don't plan out every...
Oh, really?
What is all of this?
I mean,
why can't you just say,
"Hey, Robin,
let's go get some sushi?"
No, it has to be
a string quartet,
and... and Paris,
and flowers, and chocolates,
and "Let's spend the rest
of our lives together."
Don't you think
we're a little past sushi
at this point?
God, you are so terrified
of anything real.
It's like you're
floating out in space.
Touch the ground, Robin.
Live in the world,
make a mistake.
Make this mistake.
I need to think about this.
Fine.
No. I'm sorry, I,
I can't do this anymore.
I need an answer.
If you want me
to say yes right now,
I... I can't do that.
Well, if it's not yes
then it's a no.
Then I guess
it's not meant to be.
Nice try, buddy.
Good hustle out there.
Look at the bright side.
At least you got
some closure.
She's made her choice,
and you can finally move on.
Screw that. This ain't over.
You sat here,
in this very booth,
and you said...
I don't care what I said.
This is gonna happen.
She can't say
it's not meant to be.
It is meant to be.
And you know why?
'Cause I mean it to be.
Unpause?
Unpause.
Let's pause.
See, Marshall and Lily
had a rule
that at any point
during a fight,
they could pause
and take a break.
Their fights
often lasted for days.
A painting fellowship?
I was never gonna take it.
In California?
I was never gonna take it.
Ted, she is going
on that camping trip.
Dude,
barring some act of God,
Robin's gonna be
with Sandy this weekend.
Fine.
If an act of God
is what it takes,
then an act of God it is.
What are you talking about?
I'm gonna make it rain.
I can't let Robin
go camping with this guy.
So how do I keep that
from happening?
Simple. I make it rain.
Ted, do you want me
to slap you again?
'Cause I kind of
enjoyed it the first time.
I might be crazy right now.
No, you know what?
I am definitely
crazy right now.
But I have a plan.
That girl you used
to go out with, Penelope.
Wasn't she getting her PhD
in Native American culture?
Yeah.
Are you still in
touch with her?
Sure. I mean, even though
we stopped having sex,
we still get together
like once a month
to chat and catch up,
and of course I'm not
in touch with her!
Well, you're gonna need to
get in touch with her.
She's gonna teach me
how to do a rain dance.
Did you just say
a rain dance?
Yes.
A rain dance?
Yes.
A dance to make it rain.
Yes.
No, we are not!
Yes, we are!
Ted, you're forcing me
to be the voice of reason.
And it's not
a good look for me!
Why the hell
should I help you?
Come on.
I know it didn't
work out between us,
but we did have
a relationship.
We had sex twice in your car
and then you dumped me.
How is that a relationship?
Twice?
Barney,
there is no way I am...
Seriously, come on.
Penelope, I really need
to make it rain this weekend.
Why?
There's this girl...
"There's this girl?"
You know,
the traditional rain dance
is a sacred prayer to nature.
I... I don't think
the Great Spirit
looks too kindly
on white dudes
who co-opt it to get laid.
Penelope,
this is the girl I love.
If it doesn't rain
this weekend,
she's gonna end up
with the wrong guy.
Please.
This wrong guy,
is he a huge jackass?
Absolutely.
Kind of like Barney?
Kind of.
Hey.
You hit on my mom.
We weren't exclusive.
I'm in.
And so,
the three of us headed
to the roof of my building.
Okay.
Crouch down
and bend over a little bit.
Wow, it took
five shots of tequila
to get you in that position.
I will throw you
off this roof.
So much of your mom in you.
And she's been
throwing up ever since.
So how'd she manage
to eat so much chocolate?
Remember that guy, Ted,
that I was telling you about?
Well, I came home
and I found him
waiting in my apartment
with a string quartet
and roses and chocolates...
Oh, that's so sweet.
Okay, yes,
it's sweet in theory.
But isn't it also
kind of crazy?
I mean, a string quartet
in my living room.
Who does that?
Nobody does that.
Exactly.
No, honey. Nobody does that.
But I guess I'm just
a hopeless romantic.
I'm gonna put my hand
up your dog now.
So you're saying
you would
forbid me from going.
Forbid? Who said forbid?
I was just reminding you
that there's this
wedding coming up in
a couple of months,
and I was kind of hoping
you'd save the date.
Look for me, I'll be the guy
in the awesome suit.
I mean, come on, Lily,
it's what
you've always wanted.
Yeah, but there's
a lot of things
I've always wanted
and I haven't
done any of them.
I'm sorry.
I just need to do this
before settling down forever.
So now we've gone
from "I was never gonna do it"
to "I need to do this."
Did I leave the room
at some point?
When did that happen?
Oh, maybe when you said
you wouldn't let me do it.
I never said that!
You know, if you're having
these kind of doubts now,
what's gonna change
in three months?
Maybe we just shouldn't
get married at all.
Maybe not.
Pause.
So are you just
like starving?
Totally.
Red Lobster?
Oh, lobster, lobster, lobster,
you are delicious.
Oh, God, I love butter sauce.
There's nothing bad about it.
Say something bad
about butter sauce,
I dare you.
I wouldn't dare.
Marshall, no.
We're on pause.
There's no crying
in pause land.
Pause land is a magical place
with popcorn shrimp mounds
and butter sauce rivers.
Damn it!
happy, happy birthday
Ted, this is funny.
Still funny.
Still... And now it's sad.
Hey, Penelope, you sure
I'm doing this right?
I think so.
Uh-huh.
Does it, uh, look anything
like a real rain dance?
I think so.
Hey, Penelope,
have you, uh,
you ever actually seen
a rain dance performed?
No.
No?
I've read extensively
on the subject.
First-hand accounts,
theoretical criticisms,
anthropological...
Have you ever
seen a rain dance?
I've seen a film strip.
Terrific. Uh, look,
I should run.
I'm getting brain surgery
from some guy
who's seen
a couple episodes of ER.
I can't believe this.
We've been up here
for the past hour
making complete asses
of ourselves.
What do you mean "we,"
white man?
How did we get here?
A couple of days ago,
the biggest problem
in my life was,
"Did Ted eat
the last pudding snack pack
in the fridge?"
Think there's still one left.
Dibs.
Unpause?
Unpause.
Look, I know this sucks.
It's just something
I'm going through.
I'm not asking you
to understand it.
I'm not asking you
to be happy about it.
I'm just asking you
to support it.
Look, I want to, Lily, okay?
I really do.
But I just can't.
Why not?
Because you're scaring
the hell out of me.
That's why not.
What if you decide
to go be a painter,
and then you realize
I don't fit into
your life anymore,
and three months
becomes forever?
Can you promise me that
that's not gonna happen?
Marshall...
'Cause if you
can't promise me that,
we should just
break up right now.
I'm not gonna wait around
for three months
just to have my heart
ripped out.
Marshall, I love you.
Can you promise me that
that's not gonna happen?
Pause.
No, Lily, we cannot
pause this anymore.
Can you promise me that
that's not gonna happen?
Pause!
Why do you want me
to pause?
That's just a great use
of the pause function, baby.
Thank you.
Hey, Ted,
what you doing?
A rain dance.
Dude,
that's not a rain dance.
That's a fat kid
with a bee in his pants.
Look, I highly doubt
the Great Spirit's
a stickler for choreography.
It's the thought that counts.
She's leaving
in half an hour.
Dude, these are
your awesome years,
you're wasting them
on this girl.
This isn't gonna work.
Yeah. I know that.
Well, then why
are you doing it?
Because I love her.
I love her!
I told her that
the first night we went out,
and here it is,
eight months later,
and nothing's changed.
So, yes,
I know this isn't gonna work.
But it has to work!
Do you hear me,
universe?
This is Ted Mosby talking!
Give me some rain!
Come on!
Oh, come on!
Pushing the front
back into the tri-state area,
and giving Manhattan
one of its worst storms
in over a decade.
How about that?
He did it.
Robin. Hey, Robin.
Oh, thank God you're here.
My camping trip
got rained out.
I know. I'm sorry.
It's not your fault.
Yeah, it is.
Come down here.
It's pouring. You come up.
No, you have to
come down here.
Why?
Because I made it rain.
That's what I did today.
And that's enough.
I... I've done my part,
now get down here!
I'm not dressed, Ted.
You come up.
I'm not coming up there,
Robin, I'm not.
You have to come down here.
I was gonna...
I know.
And that's how Robin and I
ended up together.
Turns out all I had to do
was make it rain.
As I rode home
the next morning,
the city looked the same,
the people looked the same,
it all looked the same.
But it wasn't.
In just one night,
everything had changed.
(ALTERNATIVE ROCK SONG
PLAYING)