'How I Met Your Mother' recap – Episode 14: '46 Minutes'

The episode starts with Kevin walking into McClaren’s where he finds Lily and Ted, Robin and Barney. Kevin asks where Lily and Marshall are and Robin tells him that “something terrible has happened.” Kevin asks if they’re hurt or in the hospital and Barney replies, “No. Something much much worse.”

Shoot to 10 minutes earlier as Lily and Marshall are telling Ted, Robin and Barney that they have officially moved into Lily’s parents’ house in the suburbs and giving them a set of spare keys. They worry that they won’t see them anymore but Lily assures them that they will, that they are only a 46 minute train ride away and that they’re always welcome.

Shoot back to Kevin asking if he can now sit in Lily and Marshall’s spot in the booth. The gang says no so Kevin goes to get a chair. Meanwhile, Ted, Barney and Robin moon over “losing” Lily and Marshall. But, then Barney proclaims himself the “new leader of the gang.”

Shoot to Ted narrating and we see that Lily and Marshall were almost done decorating their new house. Then, Lily’s dad, Mickey, barges in saying Lily can’t put certain furniture where she wants to put it.

Shoot to flashback of Mickey showing up at the house, unexpectedly with a huge teddy bear, after Lily called him to tell him that she was pregnant. Ted narrated that Lily was glad for the gesture but after two weeks, “they had had enough.”

Shoot back to Mickey telling Lily and Marshall where he thinks certain furniture should go in the house. Once alone, Lily tells Marshall she can’t take Mickey’s presence anymore, that he won’t leave and he’s making it like it’s HIS house. Marshall complains about the little notes that Mickey keeps leaving around the house for them like, “I need absolute silence when I’m practicing the drums.”

Shoot back to McClaren’s as Ted continues to wallow about Marshall and Lily’s absence. Then, Barney announces that and Robin have to end their wallowing and Kevin agrees that they “can’t stop living because two of your friends moved away.” Barney then suggests as “new group leader that they do something we never would have done with Marshall and Lily here. Remember that idea I had that one time?”

Shoot to flashback of sometime in 2002 when Barney suggested they go to a strip club.

Shoot back to Barney proposing that they “declare their independence” by going to a strip club. Ted reluctantly agrees and Barney asks Robin and Kevin if they’re “in.” Ted then narrates to this kids that “early in every relationship there’s a time when you’ll agree to anything because you want to seem interesting, adventurous…Or what I like to call ‘Relationship chicken.’” Robin and Kevin agree to go but hear them each saying to themselves that they don’t want to go to a strip club.

Shoot to all of them at the strip club drunk.

Shoot to Marshall complaining that he wants to call Ted but he’s not getting any cell reception. Then, Mickey comes in the room and tells Marshall not to plug his cell phone charger in a certain outlet. Marshall tells him that he’s going to plug it in there anyway. Mickey tells Marshall that this was “his room growing up so I think I know it a little better than you.” Marshall finally gets fed up and tells Mickey that it’s time for him to leave, Mickey protests saying that he was just trying to help but Marshall tells him that they don’t need his help. Mickey leaves the room without uttering a word. Lily tells Marshall asking Mickey to leave “had to be done.” Marshall plugs in the charger and the house goes dark. Mickey talks over the intercom system he got new batteries for that “the one person who can help you avoid problems like that was asked to move out next month.” Lily and Marshall say in unison, “Tomorrow!”

Shoot back to the strip club as one of the strippers asks Robin and Kevin if they want a dance. They fervently say they do but in each of their minds we can hear their distaste at the idea but the stripper starts dancing. Meanwhile, Ted is calling Marshall and leaving him a voicemail to call him if he “wants to gab.” Barney then yells at Ted for continuing to wallow over Marshall and tells him to “put this 5’er in your mouth so the stripper with the lazy eye can come over and vacuum it up with her…” Ted stops him from finishing the sentence. Ted protests that can he can’t stop missing Lily and Marshall. Barney insists to Ted that you can “stop missing something by replacing it with something better.” Then, a stripper named Jasmine, who looks just like Lily.

Shoot to two years ago as Ted narrates and we see that he and Barney came to the same strip club and found a Russian stripper there that looked exactly like Lily.

Shoot back to Ted telling the stripper who he calls “Better Lily” to give Ted a lap dance. Ted tells Barney that a lap dance will not make him stop missing Marshall. Then, “Better Lily’s” large boyfriend demands $50 if Ted wants to “touch his girlfriend’s breasts.” Barney then calls “Better Lily’s” boyfriend “new Marshall” and tells Ted that this is their “new gang.” This notion prompts Ted to call Marshall again. When he doesn’t call back, Ted gets mad that it looks like Marshall has “cut me out his life completely” and proclaims that he doesn’t need him anymore.

Shoot to Marshall, Lily and Mickey in the dark since the house’s fuses blew because Marshall plugged his cell phone charger into a socket Mickey told him not to. Marshall comments how dark it can get in the suburbs. He then wonders where the fusebox is. Mickey, over the intercom, says he would fix the problem if “he wasn’t busy packing!” Marshall says the fusebox must be in the basement and goes to fix it himself. He bangs into a desk and Mickey, who has a flashlight chuckles.

Shoot back to the strip club as Kevin is trying not to look at the stripper’s breasts but does and says to himself that he hopes Robin didn’t notice. We hear Robin saying to herself that she saw Kevin look at the stripper’s breasts. As the stripper gets on top of Kevin, Robin loudly cheers her on while saying to herself how uncomfortable she is. Kevin makes like he’s enjoying the stripper’s attention but tells himself to just look her in the eye. Robin thinks Kevin is “falling in love with the stripper” and in an attempt to look cool puts money in the stripper’s g-string then regrets it and says to himself that he accidentally gave her a $20.

Shoot back to Marshall trying to make it down to the basement in the dark while Mickey is taunting him over the house intercom.

Shoot back to the strip club as Robin tells Kevin that he has some “boob glitter” on his eyebrow. He acts likes proud but when he turns away from Robin we can see he’s not. Robin also tells Barney that he has “boob glitter” on his face but he has it ALL over his face. “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” want to leave the strip club and as “new group leader” Barney says that Robin, Ted, Kevin and him should go with them because they’re “best friends now.” “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” say they are going to an “underground poker game in an abandoned insane asylum.”

Shoot to Ted, Barney, “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” at the underground poker game with some other unsavory looking people as Ted is winning all the chips, bragging and getting drunk.

Shoot back to Lily telling Marshall over the intercom that she remembered “that there are matches in the drawer by the trash can.” Mickey steals the matches from the drawer before Marshall can get them, taunts him but remembers that he can’t see him and burns himself on a lit match. Then, Marshall announces that he’s found the basement stairs and says when he gets down there and finds the fusebox he’ll “be able to figure out how fuses work and we’ll be fine.” Mickey tries to warn Marshall about the second basement step but Marshall tells him he doesn’t want to hear it. Then, we hear Marshall fall down the basement steps.

Shoot back to the poker game as Ted continues to brag about winning all the chips. One of the other more unsavory looking players pounds Ted’s hand causing him to scream in pain. The other unsavory players are about to attack Ted but “New Marshall” stops them and Barney and Ted quickly exit the game. “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” then ask them if they want to go with them to a party at a slaughter house. We see Robin and hear her thinking that she doesn’t want to go, we see Barney and hear him thinking that he doesn’t want to “in charge of the gang anymore,” we see “New Marshall” and hear him thinking how he can’t believe Kevin doesn’t remember him from their sessions three years ago, we see Kevin and hear him thinking “is that the lunatic who stabbed all those prison guards?” and we see Ted and hear him thinking that he wants to go to the party and that he’ll “never find love.” They all weakly agree to go to the party.

Shoot back to Marshall telling Lily that he thinks it was a mistake for them to move to the suburbs and how he “misses our home and our friends” and how he thinks he fell on a drumstick and now “its somewhere…bad.” Meanwhile, in the dark, Lily asks Mickey why he’s been taunting Marshall. He explains that he just wanted to help but since “you guys want me out by the 4th of July…” Lily interrupts him and says, “Tomorrow.” Lily then tells Mickey that “what a helpful father and grandfather might do is to get these lights back on.” Mickey pauses then gets on the intercom to Marshall and tells him he’s going to guide him to the fusebox. Marshall then asks Mickey to come down himself because he “doesn’t know anything about this house.” Mickey replies, “Marshall, you don’t know anything about YOUR house” and begins to walk him through fixing the fuses.

Shoot to everyone arriving at the slaughterhouse party. “Better Lily” tells the gang that they’ll get them on “the VIP list for party” then “New Marshall” asks for $300 cover charge per person. Ted says that’s a “pretty steep cover charge” but then “Better Lily” lies and says the party is a “Yankees and Coca-Cola party” and since Ted is drunk he believes her and gives “New Marshall” the money.

Shoot back to Mickey guiding Marshall to the fusebox in the basement. After some elaborate steps, Marshall makes it to the fusebox and gets the lights back on. Ted then narrates that the experience inspired Mickey’s one and only successful board game.

Shoot to a commercial about a board game where you see kids playing a board game where they have to navigate around the obstacles of a dark basement called “Lights Out!”

Shoot back to the gang minus “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” after they robbed them. Standing in the cold, Barney admits that “Better Lily” and “New Marshall” were poor substitutes for the originals. Then, Robin says that they’ll see each other for a while but it will eventually just be for the holidays. Ted proclaims that he won’t let that happen and says they are all going to take the train to see them right then “because there are best friends and they’re only 46 minutes away.” Barney and Ted are gung ho and Robin asks Kevin if he wants to go, he says no and asks her if it’s okay. She says that it is and they admit to each other all the things they hated about the whole evening and kiss.

Shoot to the next morning as Ted narrates that “Marshall and Lily woke up to a surprise.” We see them wake up and hear keys jiggling. They go into the living room and see Ted, Robin and Barney and ask them what they’re doing there. Barney says, “We wanted to make sure this key worked.” Then, Robin admits that they missed them. Then, they all hug. Then, Ted tells Marshall to not check his voicemail because he left him a few “weird ones.”

Shoot back to Ted at the strip club leaving Marshall drunken voicemails.

Shoot to Mickey walking in the room asking if anyone wants pancakes. Everyone but Lily rushes into the kitchen. Mickey then apologizes to Lily and says he’ll leave after breakfast. Lily then says he can stay for which he thanks her and says he’ll be there “two weeks tops.” Ted then narrates that “it wasn’t two weeks.”

Shoot to the gang’s booth at McClaren’s as Ted continues to narrate that they wouldn’t always live so close to that booth. “That’s life, kids. But, here’s what I discovered. ‘Our booth’ was wherever the five of us were together.’” We see the gang sitting in the kitchen of Marshall and Lily’s new house eating breakfast together.