How I Met Your Mother: The Pineapple Incident

I too have often tried to "out-think" alcohol, and while I've never quite had a "pineapple incident" like Ted did, the last time I really drank was quite a story. The beginning wasn't  that extraordinary, but the night ended with me bribing a Kroger's stock boy $20 to throw as many pumpkins as he could into the back of a truck in 30 seconds. While Ted didn't bribe any stockboys that we know of, his best friend did light him on fire, so we have that in common. Now that you all know more about this humble reporter than you ever wanted to-- on with the show!

Many stories and misadventures have started with bartenders creating new drinks; unfortunately for Ted, that's exactly how his evening began. Carl the bartender brought Barney, Robin, Ted, Marshall and Lily each a shot of his new concoction. Ted's friends egged him into downing them all himself-- an act they orchestrated to help him turn off his brain. What did we learn in D.A.R.E. kids? If someone starts pressuring you to take drugs, suggest you go ride bikes. The group's plan definitely worked, though. The next morning, Ted woke up with a sprained ankle, a pineapple on his nightstand and a strange girl (Winnie!) in his bed. How did all this come to be? Well, no one quite knows for sure, but everyone seems to have a little piece of the puzzle.

Through a series of flashbacks from everyone else, we find out what happened the previous night. After downing the shots, Ted did a song and dance routine on the bar, and then made many drunk dials to Robin, who left for her date with the mystery millionaire. Later, Marshall and Lily brought Ted back home and put him to bed. He snuck out. After more drinks and more calls to Robin, Barney brought him back to the apartment and put him in bed. He snuck out. Throughout the night, Ted had managed to charm a young woman named Trudy, who ended up coming along for part of Mr. Ted's Wild Ride. She's also ended up the mysterious woman in Ted's bed, but because Ted felt the need to hide her from Robin, she ducked out of the window before he could ask her just what else happened the night before, or anything about that damn pineapple!

I said it a couple of weeks ago during the "sword fight" episode, but I absolutely love the way the writers for the show play with the medium of flashbacks. It's like a little mini-Tarantino in every episode. For me, this was yet another great episode. This show has provided me and my group so many new words and phrases for our lexicon, it's almost better than that word-a-day toilet paper I got last christmas. I'm sure the next time someone's really drunk, "the pineapple incident" will be muttered. Let me know what you think.

Oh yea, in case you were wondering: 12. That's how many pumpkins a teenaged stock boy can throw into a truck bed with no warning in 30 seconds.