Swarley

"Swarley" is the 7th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 6, 2006.

Plot

The guys go to a coffee shop, where Ted points out that Chloe, the girl working there, has drawn a heart next to Marshall's name on his cup. Ted insists that Chloe has a crush on Marshall because she always laughs at his lame joke about how they fit a pumpkin into a pumpkin-flavored latte. When Marshall approaches Chloe, she gives him her number on a coffee cup. When Marshall introduces Chloe to Ted and Barney at the bar, they tell him that she has the "Crazy Eyes," an indicator of future instability. Both Ted and Barney give Marshall examples of their experiences with girls with crazy eyes; Barney's crazy-eyed date wanted a threesome with a teddy bear; Ted's crazy-eyed date picked up a long metal rod and repeatedly hit a car that nearly hit them as they were about to cross the street. Marshall shrugs it off. The next day, as Marshall is taking a test, he receives a call from Chloe who says that she is being followed by a hunchback with a limp. Later, Marshall takes Chloe back to his apartment and suspects that she broke a picture of him and Lily that was sitting on the end table. However, it turns out that Lily has been hiding in the apartment, and pops out (much to Marshall and Chloe's surprise). She introduces herself, and leaves the apartment dejected and crying. Marshall follows her out to the steps.

Lily confides in Robin that she is scared by the idea of Marshall going out on a date with another woman. Despite hearing that Ted believes she has crazy eyes, Lily wants to see what Chloe looks like. It turns out that Lily was the hunchback following Chloe -- she was carrying a bookbag, then covered herself with a coat to shield herself from the rain (the hump), and limped because she hit her knee. Lily, while visiting Ted and Robin in the apartment, realizes that Marshall has moved the picture of the two of them. She then sneaks into the apartment before Marshall brings Chloe home to put it in a more conspicuous place, and it breaks. While hiding from Marshall and Chloe, she gets upset and then pops out. Marshall realizes that he should get back together with Lily even though he says that Lily has the craziest eyes he's ever seen. 6 months after Ted came back to the apartment and found Marshall alone and upset after the engagement ended, he returns to find Marshall and Lily happy and back together.

Meanwhile, Chloe writes Barney's name as "Swarley," prompting everyone to call him Swarley for the duration of the episode. Barney protests, but variations on the nickname become a running gag throughout the episode. Later, Chloe calls Robin "Roland", and Barney tries to use it as an opportunity to stop everyone from calling him "Swarley." In the final scene, however, Barney walks into the bar, everyone shouts "Swarley," and he turns and walks out dejectedly as Where Everybody Knows Your Name plays.

Music

• Helen Reddy - "I Am Woman"
• Gary Portnoy - "Where Everybody Knows Your Name"
• The Explorers Club - "Forever"

External links

• "Swarley" at TV.com
• Swarley at the Internet Movie Database