Purple Giraffe

After telling Robin that he loves her, Ted changes his stance and decides to not contact Robin on the pretext of wanting to give everyone the false impression that he is not in love with Robin anymore. However, after he finds out from Marshall that Lily has officially met Robin, having recognized her from the news, and that Robin told Lily that she was still interested in him, Ted decides that he is still in love with her. Since Robin did not want a serious relationship, Ted tries to convince her that he is “casual”.

He runs to meet her at a location where she is reporting (where coincidentally a kid is stuck inside a crane machine trying to get a purple giraffe) and informs her that he is throwing a party. He holds it repeatedly when she says that she is unable to come and she only manages to come when he holds the party for a third successive night.

Robin inadvertently finds out (when Marshall bursts out that Ted should stop waiting for her) that the parties were held for her. Ted covers it up by saying that he wanted her to meet Carlos. But after a while, as Robin goes up onto the roof, Ted decides that he has to confront and confess his love to her and thus try to win her affections.

On the roof, they decide that they both want different things and since Robin is new to the town, Ted agrees to be friends with her and they go to buy a drink. Robin then tells Ted that she will help him find ‘the one’ for him.

Meanwhile, due to the repeated parties, Lily has an increased sexual desire which is also partly due to the new ring on her finger given to her by Marshall. This troubles Marshall as he has to submit a 25 page paper for a class in his law school. After someone uses one of his law books as a coaster in the party, Marshall appears to get angry but drinking two beers at the bar with everyone else increases his confidence and he ends up doing fairly well on the paper, especially considering that he wrote the 25 pages in the night before the deadline.

Barney, on the other hand, is also facing his own relationship troubles. After finding the one girl at the party who does not know anyone else (which is the norm in parties in the city), Barney decides to pursue her. However, this woman returns to the parties in the subsequent nights and deciding that the best way to get rid of her was by following Ted’s “I think I’m in love with you” line, he manages to end their impromptu relationship. Nevertheless, she appears on the party for Sunday night as well and he eventually finds that she is with the guy who Ted tried to setup Robin with.

 

Conversations:

• Marshall: So, Gatsby, what are you going to do when Robin shows up?

  Ted: OK, I got it all planned out. She steps through the door, and where’s Ted? Not eagerly waiting by the door. No, I’m across the room at my drafting table, showing some foxy young thing all my cool architecture stuff. So Robin strolls over and I casually give her one of these “Hey, what’s up?” She says “Hey, nice place, et cetera, et cetera .” And then I say “Well, make yourself at home” and I casually return to my conversation. Then, an hour later, “Oh, you’re still here,” I say, like I don’t really care, but it’s a nice surprise. And then, very casually, “Wanna see the roof?”

• Ted: You know it’s so funny I ran into you. We’re having a party next Friday if you’d like to swing by, but, you know, whatever.

  Robin: Oh, I’m going back home next weekend. Too bad it’s not tonight.

  Ted: It is, it’s tonight. This Friday. Did I say next Friday? Sorry, ’cause I’ve been saying next Friday all week. But yeah it’s tonight; the party is tonight. But, you know, whatever.

• Robin: You can’t turn off the way you feel.

  Ted: (pantomimes turning a dial on his chest) Click. Off. Let’s make out.

  Robin: What?

  Ted: What, that was the off switch! And I turned it off… I mean, yes, sure, I wanna fall in love, get married, blah blah blah, but… on the other hand, you, me… the roof…

  Robin: There’s no off switch.

  Ted: There’s an off switch. And it’s off.

  Robin: (leaning in) No it’s not.

  Ted: Yes, it is.

  Robin: No, it’s not.

  Ted: Yes. It is…

  (they kiss passionately)

  Ted: …No it’s not… You were right. There’s no off switch… God, I wish there was an off switch!

• ” Hello?”

  “Hi, Ted.”

  “Amanda? Oh, Denise, sorry, you totally sounded like Amanda…”

  —Ted tries to act casual on the phone with Robin