Everything Must Go

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of How I Met Your Mother episodes. (Discuss)

Everything Must Go is the 19th episode of the third season of the CBS television show How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on May 12, 2008.

Plot

Marshall and Lily learn that it will cost $1,500 to fix the slanted floor in their new apartment. Marshall suggests that they sell some of Lily's designer clothes to raise money on the web on a site called lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com. Lily counters that it should be named "guyforceshiswifetodressinagarbagebagforthenextthreeyears.com" (and, to their surprise, the site already exists), and instead suggests selling some of her paintings. After many failed attempts to sell one painting, it is finally bought on the street by a G-CWOK (gay couple without kids), an integral demographic in the art world. A thrilled Lily calls the G-CWOK later that night about hosting an art party to sell more of her paintings, but is devastated to learn that the couple only bought her painting because of its vintage and valuable frame; when Lily asks if she could at least have her painting back, she learns that the couple had thrown it away.

Marshall and Ted confront the G-CWOK, which leads them to a nearby veterinarian's office. The veterinarian tells them that he took the painting out of the dumpster and hung it up in one of his examination rooms, excited over finding a free painting. However, he was surprised and excited to find that Lily's painting had a soothing, almost hypnotic effect on the dogs being examined (birds, on the other hand, do not get the painting at all). The veterinarian offers to buy more than enough of Lily's paintings to pay for fixing the slanted floor.

Meanwhile, Barney is still plagued by the mysterious woman who has been informing women he is picking up of his true intentions, leading to a slap from whoever he is attempting to woo with his lies and stories. However, he is on to the saboteur and follows her from the bar and to a taxi. Upon confronting her, he discovers that it is Abby, Stella's secretary who is in love with Ted and was subject to one of Barney's one-night stands.

The two reconcile after learning of their mutual hatred for Ted, who has "dumped" Barney as a bro and wingman and is in a relationship with Stella, which angers Abby. They plan to destroy Ted by showing how terrible he is to others when he is in a relationship, but Abby thinks her fake relationship with Barney is more than just a ruse, especially when he proposes to her in front of Ted.

Continuity

• The mystery woman sabotaging Barney's attempts to pick up women was first introduced in The Bracket, leading Barney on a wild goose chase to discover her identity.
• In a continuity error, the two scenes of the mystery woman talking to Lily are different between The Bracket and this episode. In The Bracket, the woman has curly hair while in this episode, the mystery woman has straight hair. Lily's wine glass is also on the opposite side, and she doesn't have her bag on the seat next to her. The scene was reshot after it was decided that the mystery stalker would be Britney Spears's character Abby.
• Lily and Marshall first purchased their new apartment in Dowisetrepla and discovered the slanted angle of its floor in No Tomorrow.
• The cafe where Lily displays her "art", is the same cafe that Marshall, Ted & Barney hung out in the season two episode, Swarley.
• Lily says to Robin that one of the dresses that she's giving up is her favorite one cause she'd got a "two syllable damn" from a guy when she was wearing it in the spring of 2004. But, when it flashes back to show the guy saying the "two syllable damn", it shows Lily with her current brown hair style, and not the red one she used to have in 2004.

Music

The Painter- I'm From Barcelona

External links

• "Everything Must Go" at TV.com
• "Everything Must Go" at the Internet Movie Database
• lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com (Auction of HIMYM memorabilia to benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles)
• guyforceshiswifetodressinagarbagebagforthenextthreeyears.com (Site mentioned in show; owned by 20th Century Fox)