The most compelling running gag throughout How I Met Your Mother works so well because it’s as mysterious as it is hilarious. While the entire show is building up to Ted Mosby’s recollection of meeting Tracy McConnell, HIMYM‘s consistent inside jokes are a celebrated element of the 2000s sitcom.
But there’s one humorous plotline that is more than just an inside joke, as it has a fantastic payoff later on in the show that no one saw coming. Along with how much the main characters care about each other and the struggles they experience during their 20s in New York City, this gag is something we’ll always remember.
Sorry Slapsgiving, Barney’s Mystery Job Was How I Met Your Mother’s Best Running Gag
Although “Slapsgiving” is a memorable running gag on How I Met Your Mother, the mystery surrounding Barney Stinson’s job is a smarter one. “Slapsgiving” is the kind of cheesy episode you would expect to see on a 1990s or 2000s sitcom, as the group’s ongoing “slap bet” comes to a head on this cozy fall holiday.
In contrast, you don’t expect a show to hide a main character’s job for almost nine entire seasons. While Friends pokes fun at Chandler Bing’s tech job, that’s more because the others don’t get what he does for a living. It’s funny because we understand their POV, as many of us have friends with complex careers we’re perplexed by.
How I Met Your Mother went one step further by refusing to share how Barney spends his time. The sitcom continued to surprise us because we likely thought that an earlier episode would finally explain his job title, but the further Ted got in his hopes to find love, the more vague Barney’s professional life became.
Sure, the “slap bet” is humorous, but there’s not much depth here. It’s better as a one-off joke than a continual gag, as it mostly serves as a reminder of how goofy the friend group can be together and how much fun they have. Barney’s secret job, on the other hand, makes him more interesting than your average businessman.
Barney’s Job Wasn’t Just A Running Joke — It Also Added Intrigue For Viewers
While it’s funny when someone asks what Barney’s job title is and he says “please,” it’s also one of the most engaging parts of How I Met Your Mother. We wanted to keep watching to find out what Barney does, and the more time went on, the more we wondered if we would ever know.
It’s not easy to keep viewers invested in a long-running sitcom, and you have to offer something more than just charming friend group scenes or bad dates. HIMYM entertained and excited us with the idea that anytime we watched a new episode, we might finally learn more about Barney’s career.
Like the continual narrative device of Ted’s tale of how he fell in love with The Mother, Barney’s job is another thrilling element. It was smart of the writers not to share the truth until close to the end, as the more time passed, the bigger the buildup became, and the more desperate we felt to learn more.
How I Met Your Mother’s PLEASE Reveal Made The Show Even Funnier In Hindsight
When Barney explains that his job title is literally “PLEASE,” which stands for “Provide Legal Exculpation and Sign Everything,” it’s a humorous and surprising moment. Who would have guessed that was why he kept saying that word? But when we look back, we can appreciate just how hilarious this scene is, and how the show often has perfect comedic timing.
This would be a goofy enough job for anyone to have, and other sitcoms might have stopped there. But How I Met Your Mother offers up an even more detailed explanation: Barney got himself hired at Greg’s company to get even since Greg convinced Barney’s ex-girlfriend Shannon to date him instead.
Again, that would have been enough to satisfy viewers, but then the FBI arrests Greg thanks to Barney’s hard work, which makes the gag more shocking. This reveal proves that the show is funniest when it pokes fun at small, quirky details in the main characters’ lives.
Besides Barney’s hidden job, the show laughs at Marshall Eriksen’s family’s beloved salad, which has mayo and gummy bears, and paints a great picture of the warm, caring place he comes from. Ted also refers to his cannabis consumption as “eating sandwiches” to shield the truth from his kids.
On a more serious note, the job gag works so well because there are some problematic aspects of Barney’s character, but this storyline is as enjoyable as it is intense. It’s also a reminder that How I Met Your Mother is funniest when it embraces its goofy nature and has fun with its characters.
- Release Date
-
2005 – 2014-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Craig Thomas
