How I Met Your Mother Season 6 Episode Guide: Which Episodes to Skip

How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) ran for nine seasons and 208 episodes, becoming a beloved CBS sitcom about five friends navigating life and love in New York City. While the series has many dedicated fans, some episodes are less crucial to the overall storyline. This guide helps new viewers decide which episodes can be skipped to shorten the watch time without missing significant plot points.

This guide focuses on How I Met Your Mother Season 6 Episode Guide, helping you determine which episodes of season 6 and other seasons are skippable.

Criteria for Skippable Episodes

An episode is considered skippable if it meets one of the following criteria:

• It doesn’t significantly advance the main story or character development towards the series’ conclusion.
• It doesn’t introduce a memorable running gag that persists throughout the series.
• It’s not exceptionally funny or entertaining as a standalone episode.

Spoiler Policy

This guide is designed for first-time viewers. Episode descriptions will generally contain spoilers specific to that episode, particularly regarding minor details necessary for understanding future events. The guide assumes you’re current with the series up to that episode. Additionally, some episodes are skipped due to similar themes being explored more effectively later in the series. In these cases, a future episode’s title might be mentioned, but no specific details will be revealed.

Episodes to Skip Throughout the Series

Here’s a breakdown of skippable episodes by season:

Season 1:

• Episode 19, “Mary the Paralegal”

Season 2:

• “First Time in New York” (Episode 12) – Lily’s “just the tip” experience with her high school boyfriend has little impact.
• “Monday Night Football” (Episode 14) – The gang tries to avoid Super Bowl spoilers.
• “Lucky Penny” (Episode 15) – Cartoonish portrayal of fate and causal links.
• “Moving Day” (Episode 18) – Ted and Robin don’t move in together.
• “Showdown” (Episode 20) – Barney’s obsession with Bob Barker.

Season 3:

• “The Bracket” (Episode 14) – Barney’s cartoonish villainy.
• “Everything Must Go” (Episode 19) – Britney Spears’ appearance as Stella’s receptionist is a low point.

Season 4:

• “Little Minnesota” (Episode 11) – Introduces Ted’s sister, who is never seen again.
• “The Stinsons” (Episode 15) – Barney’s long con on his mother is unfunny.
• “Sorry, Bro” (Episode 16) – Ted’s destructive relationship with Karen, which is also present in “The Front Porch” (Episode 17).
• “Murtaugh” (Episode 19) – The gang makes a list of things they are too old for.
• “Mosbius Designs” (Episode 20) – Ted starts his own architecture firm which doesn’t happen.

Season 5

• “Robin 101” (Episode 3) – Creepy episode where Ted teaches Barney how to date Robin.
• “Duel Citizenship” (Episode 5) – Robin’s identity crisis.
• “The Window” (Episode 10) – Borderline episode about Ted’s self-doubt in the dating scene.
• “Girls vs. Suits” (Episode 12) – Gimmicky 100th episode with a misdirection.
• “The Perfect Week” (Episode 14) – Guilty pleasure episode that leans into Barney’s worst excesses.
• “Rabbit or Duck” (Episode 15) – A belabored metaphor about Robin’s feelings for Don.
• “Of Course” (Episode 17) – Only the last 5 minutes are necessary.
• “Zoo or False” (Episode 19) – Everyone is an unreliable narrator.
• “The Wedding Bride” (Episode 23) – Undoes any goodwill for Stella and Tony.

Season 6: A Detailed Episode Guide

Season 6 has several skippable episodes. This how i met your mother season 6 episode guide provides specifics:

• “Subway Wars” (Episode 4) – Inconsequential race to a steakhouse.
• “Baby Talk” (Episode 6) – Marshall and Lily try to influence their baby’s sex. Ted and Barney debate women who talk like little girls (ew!).
• “Blitzgiving” (Episode 10) – Might miss something awesome… Or not. Zoey becomes friends with the group.
• “Oh Honey” (Episode 15) – Borderline episode. Katy Perry plays a gullible girl. Ted’s in love with Zoey.
• “Garbage Island” (Episode 17) – Okay, don’t actually skip this one. But the science nerd in me is bothered by this episode.
• “The Exploding Meatball Sub” (Episode 20) – Ted is sick of being in a relationship with Zoey.

Season 7:

• “The Naked Truth” (Episode 2) – Tablesetting with unfunny Martin Short.
• “Field Trip” (Episode 5) – More unfunny Martin Short.
• “Mystery vs. History” (Episode 6) – They’re having a boy. That is all.
• “46 Minutes” (Episode 14) – The group loves each other.
• “The Burning Beekeeper” (Episode 15) – Zany stuff at a housewarming party.
• “The Broath” (Episode 19) – Everyone ends in roughly the same place they started.
• “Now We’re Even” (Episode 21) – Not every night can be legendary.
• “The Magician’s Code, Part I” (Episode 23) – Standard sitcom unnecessary two-parter.

Season 8:

• “The Pre-Nup” (Episode 2) – Quinn is unceremoniously written off the show.
• “Nannies” (Episode 3) – Redundant episode about choosing a nanny.
• “Twelve Horny Women” (Episode 8) – Amusing episode with Joe Mangianello, but a boring B-plot.
• “Ring Up!” (Episode 14) – Funny, but not much substance.
• “Bad Crazy” (Episode 16) – Terrible episode with Mike Tyson.
• “The Fortress” (Episode 19) – Completely inconsequential and a bit silly.
• “Romeward Bound” (Episode 21) – Lily is offered a job in Rome, and the main plot is mostly worthless.
• “The Bro Mitzvah” (Episode 22) – Absolutely no one acts in a believable way.

Season 9:

• “Last Time in New York” (Episode 3) – Ted bids farewell to New York in flashback.
• “The Broken Code” (Episode 4) – More about the fake history of The Bro Code.
• “Knight Vision” (Episode 6) – Utterly disposable.
• “No Questions Asked” (Episode 7) – Characters conspire to prevent the plot from advancing.
• “The Lighthouse” (Episode 8) – More boring roadtrip crap.
• “Mom and Dad” (Episode 10) – Doesn’t drive the plot or advance the characters.
• “Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra” (Episode 14) – Purely optional.
• “Sunrise” (Episode 17) – This episode should not be skipped but skip the Barney’s subplot and the balloon metaphor.

Future Ted Mosby

Conclusions

Approximately 25% of How I Met Your Mother episodes can be safely skipped. While some episodes listed are disliked, the series is considered one of the finest sitcoms on television. Even with some skippable episodes, the core themes and character development remain strong.

Best Episodes of the Series (By Season)

To balance the list of skippable episodes, here are three of the best episodes from each season:

1. “Pilot”, “Purple Giraffe”, “The Limo”
2. “Slap Bet”, “Swarley”, “How Lily Stole Christmas”
3. “How I Met Everyone Else”, “Slapsgiving”, “Sandcastles in the Sand”
4. “Benefits”, “Three Days of Snow”, “The Front Porch”
5. “The Playbook”, “Last Cigarette Ever”, “Robots vs. Wrestlers”
6. “Natural History”, “Last Words”, “The Perfect Cocktail”
7. “Disaster Averted”, “Symphony of Illumination”, “Trilogy Time”
8. “P.S. I Love You”, “The Time Travelers”, “Something New”
9. “How Your Mother Met Me”, “Vesuvius”, “Gary Blauman”

How I Met Your Mother reinforces the idea that true love is worth pursuing. Despite struggles and false starts, individuals can find their way in life. This cheesy message is one worth believing.