How I Met Your Mother: The Fight

Posted by Mike

Synopsis: Have you met Doug? There are three things you should know about the McLaren’s bartender (played by Will Sasso): He’s got a violent streak, he’s weird about his hair — it’s a toupee — and he’s very loyal to his regulars. Combine the first and third items on that list, and suddenly Ted and Barney find themselves in the alley behind McLaren’s, brawling with three guys who Doug kicked out of the gang’s regular booth. Or at least they would be brawling if Doug hadn’t knocked out all three guys while Ted and Barney were deciding whether or not to join the fracas. A fourth thing you should know about Doug is that he blacks out a lot, which means he thinks Ted and Barney actually helped him win the fight. It doesn’t hurt that Barney plays up the story by punching himself in the eye and Ted in the nose. Doug repays their loyalty with a promise of free drinks for life. Marshall, who did not have Doug’s back because he thinks fighting is immature, will continue to pay for drinks.

Doug’s not the only one who rewards Ted and Barney for their pugilism. The patrons of McLaren’s view them as folk heroes, and Robin — who finds fighting sexy — starts paying Barney a lot of attention. Of course, not all the attention is good, as the three ass kickees sue Ted and Barney for assault. There’s a simple solution to the legal issue: Drop the charade and they’ll drop the charges. But when Doug finds out that no one had his back, there are greater consequences, and Ted and Barney find themselves back in the alley — but this time as Doug’s opponents. Barney runs away while Ted decides to throw a punch. Unfortunately, he catches a much more powerful one in return. By the time he wakes up — and Barney returns — Marshall has knocked out Doug and snatched his toupee as a trophy.

What We Liked:

– Barney’s list of the three things he’ll fight: the stubborn clasp of a bra, sexual harassment charges (nine for nine!), and the urge to vomit when he sees someone wearing brown shoes with a black suit

– Marshall’s claim that “civilized guys don’t fight — unless it’s with lightsabers.” But that’s, like, three to five years away.

– That Marshall thinks the two manliest guys in the universe are Crocodile Dundee and David Hasselhoff

– The Erickson brothers’ brawls, which — while very different in their presentation — were both extremely entertaining

Best Barneyism: That would have to be Barney’s ability to fake an entire conversation by saying only the names of black sitcoms from the ’70s and ’80s, such as Good Times, Gimme a Break, What’s Happening!!, Diff’rent Strokes and, of course, What’s Happening Now!

Photo: CBS ©2008 CBS BROADCASTING INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.