This week, we’ll be talking about an old writing adage: Show, don’t tell. A lot of writers get annoyed by this advice because all writing...

Ted starts this episode by telling us he had three choices for Christmas: go home to Ohio to spend the holiday with his mom and her new...

This episode is funny and has cute moments, but from fifteen years in the future, a lot of it feels like it’s striking the wrong tone. In...

This week, we are talking about Red Herrings and the awesome payoff you get when you execute them well, so we need to start talking about...

This episode opens up with Lily and Marshall eating pancakes and Lily assumes that she and Marshall are gonna get married. Marshall...

The episode opens with the guys hanging out in a coffee shop where two main things happen. 1. The barista has a crush on Marshall and he...

Our word of the week is “preface” - as in, the stuff you need to know before you dive in. This episode is a good opportunity to talk...

There are three couples in this episode competing for the title. Robin and Ted - things are going great for them. So great, in fact, that...

At the opening of this episode, Ted is telling the guys and Robin is telling Lily that they’ve had their first big fight as a couple. Ted...

This week, we “plop” you right into the episode without giving you any backstory. This is a concept that writers refer to as “in media...

The episode begins with Marshall casually looking at Robin’s butt as she walks away, and while Marshall is super embarrassed about it,...

The episode starts with Ted telling his kids that this is all leading up to meeting their mother (it is - dating Robin is actually an...

This episode opens at the bar, where we learn that Ted is turning 28. He gets some food and Lily feels the need to touch the plate to...

This episode opens up with Lily and Marshall rushing to book their dream wedding venue. They have this really funny scene where they are...

First scene in this episode is Ted talking about how much he loves Victoria, then it smash-cuts to Marshall talking about how much he’s...

This is the only episode in the entire series to start with “previously”s. It shows some background info: Ted is in a long-distance...

This episode starts on Marshall as a kid, reading a book about an anthropologist studying gorillas. Then he takes her seminar and she...

This episode opens up with Ted and Victoria being kind of adorable in their new relationship. We cut to Marshall coloring up his butt so...

Tonight, we’re talking about unlikeable characters. Barney has been a jerk from the beginning, his behavior is almost entirely...