Ted wants to go on a date without any internet background research. Marshall and Lily want to go into a delivery without any gender knowledge. Both get disrupted by Barney.

Marshall pushed his boss (Martin Short) to fight harder for their cause. Robin and Kevin (Kal Penn) move from therapy to dating. Ted has a disastrous field trip experience with his class. Barney mistakes Nora for being too old for his tastes. All bad story lines, but none as bad as Lily's insistance that everyone has to speak with an air of positivity around her because she's pregnant.

Robin tells a therapist how the blossoming Barney/Nora relationship drove her to assault a stranger as Ted inserts himself into Marshall and Lily's pregnancy.

Barney bets Marshall and Lily that he can pull off all the fancy Hibachi Restaurant moves in exchange for a look and touch of Lily's goodies. Ted recaps his evening with Victoria.

Marshall tries to get an explicit video of him on the Internet removed so his potential employer does not find it, we also learn about Edward 40 Hands; Ted tries to decide whom to take to a ball, with a very special return appearance; Barney continues trying to court Nora.

The whole gang heads to Cleveland for Punchy's wedding where the crowd eagerly anticipates Ted's emotional toast. Lily tries to keep her pregnancy a secret and Robin wonders if she's really done with Barney.

The gang are all involved in the same story, whereby Barney convinces Ted and Marshall to back GNB in the Arcadian battle which ultimately ends Ted and Zoey's relationship.

As Marshall decides to join the "Save the Arcadian" movement as their lawyer, the gang starts to fall apart. The ladies try to mend fences between Barney and Marshall by serving them specific beverages to alter their moods. Ted forces Zoey to stay the night at the Arcadian to dampen her enthusiasm, where they meet the Cockamouse and his/her family.

Barney takes his dad, Jerry, out on the town with his friends and the new personalities he assigns them. Robin runs into an old crush at a bar, leading us to the origin story of the Red Cowboy Boots.

We finally meet Barney's real dad who ends up a disappointment to Barney both in style and absenteeism. We learn that everyone in the gang has a major blindspot in their knowledge and skills.

After Marvin's heart attack, everyone's worried about the health of their heart. Barney's worried that he has one as he navigates his feelings for Nora. Robin dates a dog in human form.

A two-hander whereby Marshall and Lily are dealing with potential infertility and Barny doppelgänger; Ted is helping Robin deal with Sandy problems at her new job. And of course, the worst news and most emotional moment in the entire series.

Everyone's life goal changes with the alternating news about the Erikson's maternity status.....except Ted who is too occupied making a christmas themed movie snack and crushing the details of Punchy's wedding plans.

A night of contests: Ted versus Zoey regarding the new GNB building, College Marshall versus Corporate Marshall in Lily's most annoying turn, Barney versus Robin in Museum hi-jinx. We also meet The Captain for the first time and Barney finds out the real identity of his father.

Ted has to win back his class from Zoey. Marshall wrestles with the decision of whether to keep Randy (Will Forte) to save his conscience, or fire him which will let him pursue his hopmeister dreams. Both Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk in the same episode!!!