Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
It used to be more common to make episodes that served as build-up to one big joke in sitcoms, ages ago. This is an episode format still occasionally used, but the results are usually flat or unfocused when they're attempted, with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in particular being rather hit or miss when the show tries this kind of episode. Still, two of the most beloved episodes in situational comedy history, particular episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and WKRP in Cincinnati, follow this format, and still hold up today since the joke still works wonders, as well as their characters managed to be defined enough to make the set-ups work.
"Slap Bet" follows this, but in HIMYM style, which allows for the show's rapid fire pacing and smart efforts towards cast inclusion to allow for a hell of an experience. There is nary a minute that goes by without an excellent gag, as the reveal at the end more than justifies its weight as the big one.
I don't know which story I should focus on first, but I should probably save the more meaty material for later. That is not to say Marshall and Barney's plot isn't important, though. Although I should definitely mention Lily in here, as she plays a very important part as she mediates between her restored love for Marshall and her devotion to the Slap Bet. As commissioner, she is meant to be as unbiased as possible, but the brilliant little addition comes from Hannigan's pauses, where she quietly reminds the audience that she'd love nothing more than to see Barney get his dues. While Lily ultimately shows respect to the Slap Bet by making Marshall take his expected hits, she doesn't hesitate to make sure that Barney gets it good, if not harder, as well. Kang's script, along with Fryman's direction and Hannigan herself, allows for a strong, understated role for Lily as she struggles with her love life and equally important duties.
Marshall and Barney keep their part of the story going by showing both strength and child-like fear at once. There's no mistake that this is a kid's game that they're playing with in an adult's body, but the determination that the guys share indicates that they don't care, since the Slap Bet is a great challenge. When one gets to slap the other, there's a frank show of confidence from the slapper, as sweat and bargaining drops out of the slapee. This indicates that Barney and Marshall's childish tendencies are coming in full circle, as they realize just how demented this game is, but it's too late to step off.
This especially comes into play at the end, when Marshall's final play comes into his hands, as Barney becomes increasingly terrified of the outcome. Segel's face shows apathy, which to me means that he knows that this is a pointless game that two adults like them show be over with. This epiphany is paused until Marshall's slap at the very end shows an unbelievable penchant of joy, suggesting that Marshall doesn't care. This is going to be very fun for him to use against Barney in their life to come.
The other thing about the Slap Bet that I enjoy is that it's a penis metaphor. The concept is brought to the table when Marshall out-right brags about his size to Barney, a move that on the surface may seem uncharacteristic to him, but makes sense for him in hindsight. Even though Marshall may be one of the greatest guys on the planet, he's still male, and the vast majority of males are succumbed to penis envy thanks to a patriarchal view set. The Slap Bet furthers this by making the conflict about these two men proving the other right, and having the skills to surpass them when it's time to deal. As well as the truth that men care more about it than women do.
But the reason Barney and Marshall even set the Slap Bet up is to see who is right about Robin's mystery, which is the heart and center of the episode. It primarily is as the mystery is what brings a rupture into Ted and Robin's relationship. This becomes a big deal since their time together was supposed to have helped Robin open up and become more comfortable among her loved ones, especially her significant other. This is something the show has brought up before, particularly in "Ted Mosby, Architect", but it all comes together when Robin openly tells Ted that she's trusted him with more than she has to anyone, an important line that Smulders pulls off as a way to validate Ted's importance while still keeping her own identity. That is something Robin has been afraid of from her relationships for a long time, but Ted, up to this point, has been able to give her the best of both worlds with no hesitation, making this a tough time for them.
Although it's hard to tell who is really in the wrong. On the one hand, I understand why Robin feels that her privacy was invaded, since it was and her reasons for disliking malls have nothing to do with Ted. No could and should be a complete sentence, but too many people reject this notion in the eternal quest for validation. For better or worse, that makes Ted's quest for information human, but ultimately makes it easy to side against.
However, Ted isn't wrong when he considers that as her boyfriend, he deserves the option to know everything about her. Even though it wasn't all too difficult to put this behind her, the revelation was a part of Robin's life, and he has the right to know about it. While the "oh" moment wasn't about Robin formerly being a dude (the episode's one blind side, an unfortunate transphobic joke, but even that is one that gets a bit of a laugh from me thanks to Radnor's facial delivery, and it is fair to admit that Ted would have deserved to know if Robin was formerly male), this is still something Robin could have easily told Ted in a hope to get to know each other even better.
But in Robin's defense, I feel that she would have told Ted eventually, but he ruined his chance by telling the gang when Robin lied to him. A simple break of faith is enough to halt any good relationship, especially when it's as important of a deception as this seems to be. Whatever reason there is for Robin to not want Ted to know about her disdain for malls, he ruined his chance of knowing at the time for going behind her back. Besides, he moved to Hong Kong for business.
My god, though, every line in this episode is pure gold. Kang really knocked it out of the park, as she got the characters down perfectly while giving everyone a great share of fantastic dialogue to keep up to while many of her lines hold universal truths throughout. Fryman keeps game with no problem, as she makes sure the pacing perfectly compliments the episode, as she's already proven before on a frequent basis to be game for. One scene she completely hits is the flashback of when Ted tells the gang Robin's "secret", which is done exactly 30 seconds after the scene begins with Marshall's slap, and ends after exactly 30 seconds with a reprisal of the slap, keeping an unbelievable sense of continuity. The crew have this show down exactly by now, only improving as it goes along, just as the best should.
But I've talked so much about this episode without touching the reveal at the end, which shows great restraint on my part. How does it hold? Incredibly. Who would have guessed Robin Sparkles was a thing? The joke came from Alanis Morissette's history, as she had a Tiffany-esq mall tour cycle after her You Can't Do That On Television days, but before her Jagged Little Pill superstar status. Both are unbelievably funny, but holy shit.
Just, words always fail me when it comes to the discovery of Robin Sparkles. Besides, everyone's response does more than I could ever say.
This is everything the show aimed to accomplish in an insane compilation of clips, as the "Let's Go to the Mall" video builds character in unorthodox ways, keeps a well-constructed balance of 80's and 90's nostalgia in check, and keeps the humor and pacing as quick as a virtuoso guitarist's shredding skills. And this thankfully won't be the last time Sparkles appears on the show.
The reveal isn't made obvious, even to repeat viewers. But I consider that a strength to the episode, not a weakness. While other series would be more willing to spell out the mystery to its audience, "Slap Bet" doesn't even give a chance for the audience to guess what the big deal really is. At the same time, though, it's astounding how much sense Sparkles makes towards Robin's embarrassment. I'd be embarrassed if I had to laugh like that every single day.
"Slap Bet" is considered by many to be the quintessential How I Met Your Mother episode, and it's hard to argue against it. This isn't just good enough; if you asked for pancakes but got waffles instead, that's good enough. This is among the very finest that the situation comedy can offer, and is required viewing for every single person on earth. Although personally, I think there's even better material to come!
Hey, it's 2006!: Barney uploaded the video to MySpace. I honestly don't remember MySpace having a video service, let alone a credible one.
Also, Nova Scotia residents are rarely flat-chested.
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