Atlantic City (How I Met Your Mother episode)

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“Atlantic City”
How I Met Your Mother episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 8
Written by Maria Ferrari
Directed by Pamela Fryman
Guest stars Richard Gant (Judge), Todd Stashwick (Steve), Ewan Chung (Co-Worker), Kate Micucci (Registrar), Monique Edwards (Producer), Michael David Cheng (Paul), Patricia Belcher (Receptionist), Jim Lau (Chinese Man)
Production no. 2ALH08
Original airdate November 13, 2006
Episode chronology
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"Swarley" "Slap Bet"
List of How I Met Your Mother episodes

"Atlantic City" is the 8th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 13, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Marshall and Lily are now back together and are re-engaged after Lily proposes to Marshall. After having sex on the kitchen floor, Marshall tells Lily of how his family had harsh words about her when she left for San Francisco and canceled the engagement. Lily is embarrassed to have a wedding ceremony in front of Marshall's family, so they decide to elope to Atlantic City. They immediately go and find Robin (at work at the news station), Ted (at work at his architecture firm), and Barney (at a salon getting a pedicure). After all five get a pedicure, they go to Atlantic City. Lily goes looking for a bouquet and sends Robin to find some clothes that don't make her look better than the bride. Barney, after finding Lily a veil, takes Marshall and Ted to a strip club for an 18-minute bachelor party. When they approach the receptionist at the casino's wedding chapel, they find that the waiting period for a New Jersey marriage license is two days. They go to the courthouse to find a judge who will waive the two-day waiting period, and finally manage to get into a judge's chambers after staking out a bathroom. The judge, impressed by Marshall and Lily's committed, nine-year relationship, almost grants the waiver on the waiting period, but Barney reveals that Marshall and Lily broke up for six months, causing the judge to change his mind. Running out of options, Lily suggests that they get married in international waters where they don't need a marriage license. They find a boat captain willing to marry them, but he wants $5000 to perform the ceremony.

Barney, who has been to Atlantic City before, runs into a few Chinese guys with whom he used to gamble. He tells the group that he used to gamble, but he had a serious problem and stopped. However, Barney is sure he can win them the money. He enters a confusing Chinese game that no one else understands. However, after watching it, Marshall understands, and gives Barney some directions that help Barney win enough money to pay the boat captain. Marshall and Lily are in the middle of their wedding when they decide they want to (and have to) face Marshall's family. They call off the wedding, however, the captain accidentally marries them. They ask him to undo the marriage, and the event becomes the story of the time that Marshall and Lily were married for 12 seconds.

[edit] Music

[edit] Notes

  • Barney has a gambling addiction.

[edit] Quotes

Ted: "You guys are eloping! That's fantastic. Wait, is this because there's a time crunch that Uncle Ted should know about?"
Lily: "I hope not because I plan on getting hammered!"
[After Ted walks out of his bedroom wearing Robin's bikini shirt.]
Lily: "Is Robin here?"
Marshall: "Man, I hope so."

[edit] Trivia

  • Barney's complicated Chinese game involves mahjongg tiles, though the game is not mahjongg.

[edit] Cultural references

  • Marshall and Lily use Mrs. Butterworth syrup in a "creative" way when they have sex on the kitchen floor.
  • Lily worries that Marshall's family will crack Runaway Bride jokes during their wedding.
  • The name of Barney's complicated Chinese game, when translated to English, is Deal or No Deal. Deal or No Deal is a game show that airs in the same time slot as How I Met Your Mother, and, like the game Barney plays, involved contestants randomly guessing which attractive woman holds the item that will make them win the game.
  • Eloping in Atlantic City may be yet another reference to the show Friends when Rachel & Ross get married in Las Vegas. The lady at the wedding chapel states that unlike Las Vegas, you need to get a marriage license in Atlantic City to get married.

[edit] Continuity

  • When Marshall coaches Lily through her proposal, Lily asks if he remembers his proposal to her and covers her left eye with her hand, referencing Marshall accidentally popping the champagne cork into Lily's eye in the pilot.
  • The shot of Marshall and Lily sitting up after having sex on the kitchen floor echoes the shot of Marshall and Lily post-engagement sex in the pilot.
  • When Lily freaks out about getting married with Marshall's family present, she mentions that they will be drinking cups of mayonnaise. The episode "Belly Full of Turkey" establishes the Eriksens' love of mayo.
  • The origin of Barney's gambling addiction is revealed in "Monday Night Football."
  • This episode also shows Marshall's running joke of winning games, when he coaches Barney into winning the game.

[edit] External links