Remember when Barney and Robin’s minister died? Well two days before the wedding, the couple is actively searching for a replacement, when James presents, Reverend Gibbs. “I now pronounce you’re ass’s saved,” declares Sam, who is James’s long lost father he met last season. Reverend Gibbs is not the only long lost father in town for the wedding, Barneys dad has also arrived, proudly declaring he bought two items off the registry.
When Barney’s mom and dad share a friendly greeting, Barney assumes the two are in love since he expected more tension after not seeing each other since his father left. Barney’s mission then becomes, “I’m going to get my mom and dad back together they’re totally in love, I know it’s amazing, I’m walking on air my family is going to be whole again.” Ted, who Barney had just asked to keep an autographed photograph of Wayne Gretzky hidden from Robin until the rehearsal dinner, decides to let Barney attempt his mission instead of trying to stop him.
Of course Barney has already put a “crazy scheme” in motion which includes forcing the estranged parents into an elevator that breaks down and sends Jerry’s wife parasailing with Ranjit (she thinks she’s meeting her husband there.) Barney sends down a candlelit dinner and Champaign for his parents (who have already caught on to his goal) to share. They of course escape the elevator trap only to fall into James’s own reunion plot in which he attempts to reunite Loretta with Reverend Gibbs. This turns into musical number envisioning what life would be like if Loretta were married to either father. In the end the two call a truce and agree to share a drink of Barney’s replacement bottle of whiskey only to find Loretta and Sam making out on the deck (Barney shatters another bottle of 30-year-old Glen McKenna.) The two had been dating for a couple months, but had not told the brothers.
Ted of course, fails to guard Robin’s childhood hockey-hero’s headshot and finds it covered in ink. Detective Mosby begins his quest to find the culprit narrowing his suspects down to, Karate Kid Bad-Boy, Billy Zapatka, a shifty-eyed bell hop and Robin’s cousin, Claude from Quebec with the neck trouble (I have always loved the attention to character details the writers have always included). After an entire day of Detective Ted-isms, It turns out, Zapatka stole the headshot and replaced it with his own so he could be the weekend hero and return it to Barney. Barney’s own childhood hero was tired of being the bad guy in stories and admitted to “Zapatka-tage” in an attempt at being the hero for once. Ted of course, tells Barney Billy Zapatka had indeed saved the photo granting Zapatka the honor of a Barney’s praise, “Billy rules, Ted drools, Stinson out.”
Back in the car with Marshall, Daphne and Marvin, the road trip trio is happily singing along to, “I will be” as if it was the first time it ever played. Surprisingly, Daphne isn’t sick of Marshall controlling the music selection, which only includes the HIMYM staple-road trip song. That happy moment doesn’t last very long after, Daphne inevitably grows tired of the track. Daphne is not only irritated with Marshall’s quirks, (leaving her oranges on the car roof and flagging down a cop to report her speeding,) but also for being forced to miss her daughters Model U.N Speech. Marshall surprises Daphne by making a stop at her daughter’s school so she can watch her speech. A speech, which included Daphne’s own favorite phrase concerning the oil industry, “drill, baby, drill.”
At the end of the episode, Barney comes to terms with Loretta and Sam getting back together because he at least has Robin whereas, James doesn’t quite have a family at the moment. As Robin puts it, “maybe he needs mom and dad more than you.” Sweet.
Photo Courtesy CBS