Columns (How I Met Your Mother)
"Columns" is the 13th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on January 22, 2007.
| "Columns" | |
|---|---|
| How I Met Your Mother episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Rob Greenberg |
| Written by | Matt Kuhn |
| Production code | 2ALH14 |
| Original air date | January 22, 2007 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
Future Ted notes the differences between being an employee and a boss: Ted always used to make fun of the boss with and established alibis for his co-workers whereas now he is more awkward and condescending to them and is trying to deal with his former boss, Hammond Druthers, who now works for him. Things are not made any easier when his own boss wants him to fire Hammond. The first time he attempts to fire him, he is interrupted by fellow employees bearing a birthday cake for Hammond. The second time, Ted comes into the office one night and finds Hammond in boxers and a pajama shirt; his wife has left him, and he has been sleeping at the office. Once again, Ted's plan is thwarted, and he takes Hammond home to sleep on his couch.
Despite Ted's altruism, Hammond continues to belittle his ideas in the office. He tries to fire him again, but just as he is, Hammond is handed his divorce papers and learns that his dog has died recently. Then, the employees approach with another birthday cake, since they were in Montreal during his real birthday celebration days before. Ted decides to fire him anyway, but Hammond suffers a heart attack in the process. Ted thinks he is faking it to keep from getting fired, and continues to mock him. Hammond is taken away on a stretcher. Everyone in the office initially hates Ted, but forgive him when he comes up with the idea of "Margarita Fridays", complete with margarita machines, as a tribute to Hammond.
Meanwhile, Marshall is tormented by the picture Lily painted of him posing nude as a freshman at Wesleyan. Ted, Barney, and Robin find the painting behind the piano and have the bartender hang it up behind the bar at MacLaren's. Marshall manages to snatch it away by jumping at it.
To Lily's surprise, Barney proposes that she paint him in the nude, as he was impressed by the quality of the drawing. He offers her a sizeable sum of money, but Lily worries that it will upset Marshall. She talks him round by suggesting that they can use the money to spend their honeymoon in Scotland, rather than their original plans to explore caverns in the US. Marshall later finds a more expensive castle to stay at, and tricks Barney into paying an additional $5,000 by pretending to argue with Lily about painting another man in the nude. Barney is unhappy with the finished painting, complaining that Lily gave him the "Ken Doll" (not painting his genitals).
Critical response
Staci Krause of IGN gave the episode 7.7 out of 10.[1]
References
- Staci Krause (2007-02-13). "How I Met Your Mother: "Columns" Review. Barney pays for Lily and Marshall's honeymoon and Ted makes the best decision of his career in this funny, if not stand-out, episode". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-04-26.