‘How I Met Your Mother’ Review: “The Broath”

‘How I Met Your Mother’ Season 7 lovingly recounts the tale of its nineteenth episode of the season, as the gang stages an intervention believing that Barney is moving too fast with Quin (Becki Newton), while Robin and Ted clash over an apartment and Marshall and Lily clash over sex stories.

Last time’s ‘How I Met Your Mother’ “Karma” saw Robin learning about life in the suburbs as Marshall and Lily confessed their boredom, while Ted attempted to point out to Barney that Quinn, or "Karma" was only scamming him for his money, 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’ “The Broath!”

Though Barney’s been somewhat off the grid the past few weeks, he texts Ted to his apartment, where he theatrically forces Ted to make a “Broath” that he won’t reveal to the gang that Quinn is a stripper, as he fears the gang will judge her no matter how much he likes her.  Of course, in spite of the “broath,” Ted immediately tells the others.  We were expecting different?

Prior to meeting Quinn and Barney at her place, the gang plot to give the girl a fair shake, but return 3 hours later having observed her domination of Barney and somewhat excessive drinking.  Meanwhile, Ted and Robin clash over Quinn’s apartment, as both need a place having given their digs to Marshall and Lily, and Quinn needs a sublet for her gorgeous, rent-controlled location.  Concurrently, Marshall keeps trying to tell sex stories to fit in with the guys, though each girl invariably turns out to be Lily.  Minus a certain one, anyway...

After learning that Barney’s bought her an expensive trip to Hawaii and the pair’s plan to move in together, the gang decides to stage a “Quinntervention” for their friend.  Barney’s immediate reaction is that Ted broke the “Broath,” as Barney describes the scene of the horrible consequences of betrayal as befell Julius Caesar, with ninjas!  Quinn turns out to have overheard the “Quinntervention,” and reveals that the Hawaii trip was actually her gift to Barney.  Barney attempts to explain the intervention, but Quinn realizes that Barney is actually the one ashamed of her, and slaps him for taking things one comment too far, ending their relationship.

Quinncidentally, The gang commiserate about having destroyed Barney’s happy relationship, but Robin and Ted quickly turn the conversation to themselves re: their battle for the apartment.  She believes Ted doesn’t grasp how much she’s been hurt as well, having lost her fiancée, her best friend, her apartment, and soon to likely be her job as well.  Though she wishes things to go back to normal between the two of them, Ted doesn’t believe they can anymore.

The gang travels to Barney’s to apologize, which he concedes to only do if they all take “Broaths’ swearing never to interfere in his life again unless it’s for health, national security, or he’s about to “get on a fattie.”  Robin and Lily swear their oath on a kiss, as do Ted and Marshall, when Quinn suddenly appears revealing that she and Barney staged the entire ordeal, bit by bit to mess with the judgemental group.  They then reveal that they really will move in together, leaving Quinn’s apartment available, though neither Robin nor Ted opt to take it.  Did we mention that Lily and Robin kissed?

While Marshall later reveals to Lily that his one sex story not about Lily wasn’t actually anything worth talking about, Robin reveals to Ted that she was actually promoted to on-air talent at her job, with enough money to get her own place, leaving Quinn’s place free for Ted.  The two profess that they’ll get back to a normal friendship, though Future Ted remarks that they in fact wouldn’t see one another again for some time, though “that’s another story.”  It's always another story!

Later, Quinn thanks Barney for not judging her for stripping, though when he inquires about what would make her stop, she slyly retorts that she’d stop stripping when she got married.  Meanwhile, Ted tells the story of he and Robin to facsimiles of “Ned, Martin and Millie,” at the college where he’s staying, and they profess to feel bad for his future kids that have to hear his long stories.  No arguments there, kids.

That’s all fun, but will we see any movement on the titular mother before the end of the season?  Might Ted’s new apartment put him a few steps closer to the woman of his dreams?  And is Quinn the woman Barney Stinson is destined to marry, or has it really been Robin all along?  And when will Robin and Lily finally get it on?

Did you get your jollies from "The Broath?"  What did you think about the episode? Join us on April 16 for an all-new episode recap of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ “Now We're Even” on CBS!

Sheesh, what's with all the hiatuses?