How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), the beloved CBS sitcom that ran for nine seasons and 208 episodes, captivated audiences with its tale of five friends navigating life, love, and laughter in New York City. While the entire series is a delightful journey, some episodes contribute more to the overarching storyline and character development than others. If you’re a new viewer intimidated by the show’s length or a seasoned fan looking for a curated rewatch, this episode guide is for you. We’ve carefully rewatched season 5 and compiled a list of skippable episodes, ensuring you don’t miss out on the essential moments.
Criteria
An episode is considered not skippable if it meets at least one of the following criteria:
- Advances the story or characters toward the series’ end.
- Introduces an amusing concept or running gag that continues throughout the series.
- Is funny enough as a standalone episode to warrant watching.
Spoiler Policy
This guide is designed for first-time viewers. Skippable episode descriptions may contain spoilers for that specific episode, but major developments will not be revealed. Episode descriptions assume you are caught up to that point in the series. Some episodes are skipped because their themes or material are addressed similarly (or better) in future episodes; in such cases, the title of a future episode may be mentioned, but no specifics will be given.
Season 5
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“Robin 101” (Episode 3) – Skippable: Ted teaches Barney how to date Robin. The core concept feels a bit off-putting and doesn’t add much to the overall narrative.
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“Duel Citizenship” (Episode 5) – Skippable: Robin grapples with her identity as both American and Canadian, while Ted, Marshall, and Lily attempt to recreate a memorable road trip. Neither plotline significantly impacts the series.
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“The Window” (Episode 10) – Skippable: Ted has an identity crisis with dating. The love story at the heart of it isn’t quite sweet, the episode introduces time travel.
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“Girls vs. Suits” (Episode 12) – Skippable: The 100th episode is a gimmick. Although it shares some details about the Mother, it doesn’t matter until Season 9. This episode features an Urkel-worthy dance number. Barney has to consider getting rid of suits for one more dubious conquest.
Alt text: Barney Stinson leads a musical number about suits in “How I Met Your Mother”
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“The Perfect Week” (Episode 14) – Skippable: Barney attempts to sleep with seven women in seven nights. While entertaining, it indulges in the worst aspects of Barney’s character and includes a throwaway racist joke.
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“Rabbit or Duck” (Episode 15) – Skippable: This episode uses the rabbit-duck illusion metaphor to explore Robin’s feelings for Don. However, the metaphor is strained, and the subplot involving Barney’s constantly ringing phone is nonsensical.
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“Of Course” (Episode 17) – Skippable: Watch the last 5 minutes of this episode, in which Robin and Don get together. The rest of the episode, including J-Lo, is lackluster.
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“Zoo or False” (Episode 19) – Skippable: This episode reminds the viewers that everyone on this show is an unreliable narrator.
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“The Wedding Bride” (Episode 23) – Skippable: This episode is a low point. It recycles a joke from last season’s “Murtaugh” about helping burglars, but on a positive note, Judy Greer and Jason Lewis are excellent here.
“Best Episodes of the Series” in Season 5:
- “The Playbook”: Barney reveals his elaborate seduction strategies.
- “Last Cigarette Ever”: The gang makes an effort to quit smoking.
- “Robots vs. Wrestlers”: Lily and Marshall have a fight.
Alt text: Future Ted narrating a story from “How I Met Your Mother”
Conclusion
This guide helps you navigate How I Met Your Mother Season 5, to ensure you don’t miss the essential moments. This show’s about love and the grand mystery of life, it gives you clues for any lost and lonely viewers – to say that even though you might go through myriad struggles and false starts, you’ll eventually figure out your life.
