‘How I Met Your Mother’ Review: “Good Crazy”

‘How I Met Your Mother’ Season 7 challenges us to enjoy the tale of its twenty-second episode of the season, as Ted struggles to get over Robin by dating other women, Marshall start's going overboard in his baby preparations, and poor Barney just can't catch a break for dating a stripper.

Last time’s ‘How I Met Your Mother’ “Now We're Even” saw Barney dragging Ted out night after night in search of something legendary (secretly wanting a distraction from Quinn), while Robin struggled to achieve notoriety in her new job and Marshall and Lily squabbled over her latest sex dream, so what will the latest episode bring?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘How I Met Your Mother’ “Good Crazy!”

Marshall and Lily host a baby shower at their apartment, though not wanting to see Robin on account of their mutual awkwardness, Ted decides to show up three hours late.  Robin had the same idea, though luckily she tried coming three hours early!  Crisis averted.  Luckily, all they missed at the shower was an awkward moment where Barney gave a patriotic speech in defense of Quinn doing 50 laps a day, not realizing they’d bee n talking about swimming.  Wordplay!

Down at MacLaren’s (while trying to sell him on a “condolence high-five”), Barney assures Ted that all he needs to get over Robin is a palate-cleanser, and that utilizing a dating website should take care of his problem right quick.  Ted tries it later that night, but when the first dream girl turns out to be Barney (who’s coincidentally outside), Barney takes over the operation and reveals that he picked out three girls to help Ted get through his problem.

Meanwhile, Marshall drives Lily crazy with his overactive baby preparation, and Barney finds that he can’t keep silent any longer about his discomfort with Quinn’s job as a stripper, men recognizing her on the street everywhere they go.  She insists that she’s happy with her job no matter what, while across town Ted goes on the first of his dates.  You’d think Barney might have researched this, given that the girl’s name turns out to be Robyn (with a Y, folks), and she shares the genuine article’s love of scotch, guns, and mother Canada.  In fact, why not?  She’s close enough that Ted begins seeing her as the genuine Robin!

After Lily returns from the bar to find an irritated Marshall cradling their practice watermelon, the two find themselves arguing to the point of Lily storming out, while Ted goes on his latest date.  Different though she might be, it only takes talk of lasagna (which Robin half-assedly made once) to turn the latest girl into Robin herself once more, and Ted protests that he has to get over her.  Across town, Barney apologizes to Quinn in his office, but not before revealing that they're actually...in her office!  That’s right, for the same salary as a stripper (plus dental!), Quinn can finally quit her job at the Lusty Leopard.  Of course, she reminds Barney that she actually LIKES her job, that bankers are the real whores, and that Barney wants nothing more than to put her in a cage.  And not the sexy kind.

Later, Marshall and Lily manage to make up, as she’s decided to treat them to a “Baby Boot Camp” (please tell me these aren’t real), to which Marshall eagerly accepts.  When Marshall immediately falls asleep in the car however, Lily swaps out for Barney, who reveals upon Marshall’s waking that they’re actually headed to Atlantic City, on Lily’s insistence!  But Marshall and Barney aren’t the only ones getting lucky, as Ted’s third date ends rather successfully when both he and Holly decide to use each other as palate cleansers!  Of course, she still turns into Robin at first, through some impressively Batman name association, but why hold that against against her?

Of course while Lily seems to be living it up with Marshall in Atlantic City for the night, Ted quickly finds that the palate cleanser didn’t work, seeing Robin’s face everywhere, as she helps hims realize that with all the change going on in their lives, he should hold on to whatever love Robin has for him.

Meanwhile in AC, Barney and Marshall agree that some kinds of crazy, like getting your stripper girlfriend a fake job, or freaking out about baby preparation are a good kind of crazy, and proceed to get legendarily drunk.  How could one convince Marshall to turn off his phone for the hour, however, and enjoy the excursion?  By Barney offering to wear the infamous ducky tie, of course!  Still, what’s the one thing that was universally bound to happen if Marshall shut off his phone?

Ted finds Robin in the street outside, but before he can win her back in any capacity, something’s happened:  Lily’s gone into labor, and can’t get a hold of Marshall!  In the end, its Barney who gets the message, horrified how drunk he’s gotten his friend before the birth of his child.

Perhaps the plot of Barney having difficulties in moving forward with his relationship with Quinn has dragged on a bit long considering we're more interested in his future bride's actual identity, but look out, it's baby time!  And who knows what they're pushing by continuing to ship Ted with Robin, but if the writers can make it all pay off in the two-part finale next week, maybe we won't need to groan as much.

Did you get your laugh on from “Good Crazy?”  Are the relationships working, or do you think we're being jerked around?  What did you think about the episode? Join us next week for an all-new episode recap of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ season finale “The Magician's Code” on CBS!