Last week, How I Met Your Mother gave us “Murtaugh,” a standalone episode without the continuing storyline of the show’s early seasons though it had the quintessence of the sitcom’s absurdity and humor. It was actually refreshing to enjoy a half-hour of gags that send you back down memory lane – to the crazy things you once did in your life, which you’d probably never do again. Perhaps you threw a house party and got really drunk on a school night or agreed to take a dare to get chased around by the school guard for not wearing the proper dress code? Or maybe you broke some school rules and even played a prank on one of your professors?
Whatever it was, this episode made me wonder if I’ll ever get to do those things again. And that’s exactly what was going through Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) head as he tried to complete every task on the Murtaugh list, a list of the things Ted (Josh Radnor) feels the gang is too old to do (inspired by the Roger Murtaugh, a fictional character in the Lethal Weapon films whose famous catchphrase is “I’m getting’ too old for this s**t). Ted, on the other hand, wanted to prove Barney wrong by completing Barney’s “Old Men List” of the things he is too young to do.
Ted’s Murtaugh List:
Pulling an all-nighter
Get ear pierced
Hanging posters without frames
Crash on a friend’s futon
Eating an entire pizza in one sitting
Do laundry at mom’s house
Put off going to the doctor
Drinking shots with strangers
Leave an annoying two person message on your answering machine
Help someone move out of a sixth floor walkup in exchange for pizza and beer
Beer Bong
Going to a rave
Barney’s Old Men List:
Yell at neighborhood kids
Put on reading glasses
Eat supper at 4pm
Go to bed at 8pm
Get up at 4am
Take forever to answer the phone
I’m sure both lists could go on. It even makes me wonder what’s on other people’s Murtaugh list! Are you young at heart? Or are you starting to get that old person smell? It doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day, age is nothing but a number.
Favorite quotes:
“There’s a Teen wolf! On the court! That can’t be legal!” – Marshall
“A gentleman’s agreement!” – Robin as she grabs Ted and Barney’s forearms and directs their handshake.
“Huzzah! – Ted and Barney in response to Robin’s declaration of a gentleman’s agreement.
“My ear hurts so much I can hear it. I can hear my own ear.” – Barney after he pierced his own ears.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
