TV Recap: ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap”

Image courtesy of TV Guide

Marshall managed to leave a huge Thanksgiving turkey in a taxi and is really upset about it. So when Ted and Robin pick it up, he’s so grateful that he gives them one of his slaps – one of them gets to slap Barney really hard.

Lily gets upset when her ne’er-do-well, boardgame-obsessed father shows up at Thanksgiving. She hasn’t spoken to him in two years because she’s so upset with him. In fact, she had given him her death glare: he was dead to her.

She’s even more upset when she learns that he’s here because Marshall invited him.

Robin and Ted enjoy freaking Barney out by moving their hands and talking about the slap, but when it comes down to it, they can’t decide who should give the slap because they both want to do it. The continue to fight about it, and Barney eggs them on with the hope that they’ll fight so long that their slap time – up until sundown – runs out.

Lily is so mad that she leaves the apartment, and the others sit down to play her father’s latest boardgame invention. Robin and Ted continue to argue about the slap, until the game spews sludge over the meal and ruins it. Marshall is furious at Lily’s dad and goes to find Lily, telling her that he’s kicking him out. However, Lily is so upset at the thought of never speaking to him again that when they get home, she hugs him and lets him stay.

It finally comes time to give the slap, but neither Robin nor Ted can bring themselves to do it instead of the other. They gift their slap to Lily’s dad, who then gives it to Lily. Marshall says that he had wanted this all along – that the slap would bring unity (to everyone but Barney, presumably). He tells Barney that in the spirit of the holiday, he won’t give the fourth slap and helps a grateful Barney up – thehn slaps him so hard he falls to the ground.

The slap thing was awesome – very previous-seasons HIMYM – but Lily’s dad was annoying and pretty much ruined the episode.

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