How I Met Your Mother: Season 5
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of How I Met Your Mother Season 4.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Definitions
Sep 21, 2009
After sharing a kiss at the beginning of the summer, Robin and Barney are unsure how to handle their mutual attraction. After some consideration they tell the gang they have decide
Double Date
Sep 28, 2009
Barney takes Marshall, and Robin to a strip club where they find a stripper who looks almost exactly like Lily. Meanwhile, Ted discovers he had been fixed up with the same woman, J
Robin 101
Oct 5, 2009
When Robin fears that Barney is cheating on her, she soon discovers that he is spending his evenings with Ted learning everything there is to know on how to date her.
The Sexless Innkeeper
Oct 12, 2009
Marshall and Lily want to hook up with Barney and Robin for double-dating and fun, but their desperate eagerness to please is a huge turn-off. Meanwhile, when a succession of girls
Duel Citizenship
Oct 19, 2009
Barney tries his best hoping to convince Robin into becoming an American citizen, while Ted and Marshall's road trip takes an unexpected turn for the worst when Marshall invites Li
Bagpipes
Nov 2, 2009
Even though they do their best in order to be the perfect couple, Barney's attitude of know-it-all lands him in trouble with Robin and they are forced to seek Marshall and Lily for
The Rough Patch
Nov 9, 2009
Lily comes up with a perfect plan to break up the relationship between Barney and Robin when they have a rough patch, but she needs help from Robin's famous friend, Alan Thicke, in
The Playbook
Nov 16, 2009
After his relationship with Robin ends, Barney dusts off his "playbook" to help him back into the dating scene
Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap
Nov 23, 2009
Barney freaks out when Marshall bequeaths a "slap bet" slap to Ted and Robin. Meanwhile, Lily's estranged father shows up for Thanksgiving.
The Window
Dec 7, 2009
When a perfect girl finally shows up, the gang tries everything to help Ted, while Marshall takes action when he discovers a letter written by younger himself.
Last Cigarette Ever
Dec 14, 2009
When Marshall picks up smoking again, it prompts Lily, Ted and Barney, ex-smokers all, to succumb as well. Meanwhile, Robin gets a new co-anchor at her show...
Girls vs. Suits
Jan 11, 2010
When Barney debates giving up wearing suits in order to land a hot bartender, his conflicted feelings lead to an amazingly awesome musical number. Meanwhile, Ted gets one step clos
Jenkins
Jan 18, 2010
When Lily refuses to believe that Jenkins, Marshall's attractive female colleague, kissed him, Marshall insists Jenkins tell Lily what really happened. Meanwhile, Robin finds out t
Perfect Week
Feb 1, 2010
When Barney is about to complete the perfect week - landing seven different girls in seven days - the gang roots him on in order to forget about their own miserable week.
Rabbit or Duck
Feb 8, 2010
When Lily and Marshall forget to fix up Ted on a blind date for Valentine's Day, they use one of Barney's many discarded girls to see if they may become Ted's future wife. Meanwhil
Hooked
Mar 1, 2010
When the gang tries to convince Ted that he is being strung along by Tiffany, they reflect about relationships where each of them has been in the same situation.
Of Course
Mar 8, 2010
When Robin confesses that she is still angry with Barney for the way he handled their break-up, she enlists the help of Anita, a self-help author who plans to beat Barney at his ow
Say Cheese
Mar 22, 2010
When Ted ruins Lily's birthday dinner celebration by bringing a date, Lily goes to great lengths to keep her out of the traditional photo she takes every year of the gang.
Zoo or False
Apr 12, 2010
When Marshall gets mugged, Lily decides she wants to get a gun for protection, so Marshall comes up with a convoluted story about the mugging to deter Lily from following through.
Home Wreckers
Apr 19, 2010
When Ted attends his mother's wedding, he is extremely disturbed by her overly affectionate relationship with her fiancé, which forces him to think about his own life and make an i
Twin Beds
May 3, 2010
When Ted and Barney jeopardize Robin's new relationship by professing their love for her, Robin realizes that she is finally over them. Meanwhile, after spending a weekend sleeping
Robots vs. Wrestlers
May 10, 2010
When Ted, Marshall, Lily and Barney crash a highfalutin party at a swanky New York apartment, Ted gets the chance to mingle with the snooty guests and show off his intellectual sid
The Wedding Bride
May 17, 2010
When Ted takes a date to see a new hit movie, "The Wedding Bride," he is shocked to learn the story is loosely based on his life, and that it was written by Tony, the man Stella le
Doppelgangers
May 24, 2010
Marshall and Lily make a secret pact to start trying to have a baby if they ever finally see Barney's doppelganger. Meanwhile, Robin finally gets an offer for her dream job.