- Ted throws a party in hopes of seeing Robin again, but when she doesn't show up, he throws another... and another.
- After telling Robin that he loves her, things fall apart for her and Ted and he figures that it's all over for the two of them, but not for long as Ted finds out from Lily after she met Robin that she (Robin) likes him and Ted tries once again to win her affections, by throwing a party at his and Marshall's place, but it turns into 3 parties in 3 nights, when Robin was a no show for the first 2. Meanwhile, after Lily said yes to Marshall's marriage proposal, she has become extra affectionate to him in the bedroom and Marshall is worrying about finishing a huge paper to write for law school, that is due soon.—goleafs84
- After starting the story of how he met who they know now as their Aunt Robin, Ted continues to tell his kids about his initial pursuit of her. After he confessed his love for her at the end of their first date, he decided not to call her for a while, believing that he was not in love with her but was in love with the want to be in love. But after running into her at their local bar, he did come to the realization that he loved her. Lily learned that Robin wasn't disinterested in him because of his declaration of love, but knew that they both wanted different things in life, he wanting to be married, whereas she didn't know if she ever wanted to get married and as such was only looking for something casual. Knowing that, Ted decided to plan to the minutest detail how to appear casual in his pursuit of her. As his plan got extended and extended further, Marshall's need to work on a school paper may have thwarted Ted's casual plan. Meanwhile, Barney had his own plan for a one-night stand with a woman he knew only as Carlos' co-worker (with he nor anyone else in his social circle knowing who Carlos was) who he knew he would never see again, but she had a different idea.—Huggo
- Ted continues to try to impress Robin, throwing 3 parties to make himself seem more casual. Marshall cannot return Lily's heightened affections, stressing over an essay. Barney needs to get rid of a girl who keeps showing up at every party.—Tom Polite
- Future Ted quickly recaps the time he met Robin (Cobie Smulders) and accidentally told her that he loved her. A week has gone by since that incident, and Ted (Josh Radnor), hoping to avoid any awkwardness between them, decides not to try to call her. However, he and Marshall (Jason Segel) find Robin in MacLaren's hanging out with Lily (Alyson Hannigan) who recognized her from the news. After Robin leaves, Lily lets slip that Robin told Lily that she was interested in Ted, but she's looking for something "casual" and he is not. Ted decides to try to be casual in his pursuit of Robin.
On Friday afternoon, Ted sees Robin on the news covering a kid stuck inside a crane machine at a bodega nearby (he was trying to win a purple giraffe), and sprints over to meet Robin. When Robin sees him, he casually says that he's buying dip for a party they're hosting and invites Robin as well. The party was scheduled for the following Friday, but he changed it to the current Friday when Robin says she is visiting her family the following weekend. This puts Marshall in a bind, as he has a 25-page paper on constitutional law due on Monday that he hasn't even started (and he must also contend with Lily who is so happy to be engaged that she is always in the mood for love), but he gamely goes ahead with the party.
Ted plans to play casual with Robin and get her to the roof. The roof takes care of the rest (the moon, the stars, the shimmering skyline) Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), meanwhile, tries to convince Ted to pick up a random girl at the party, since as a rule there is always one person at every New York City party who does not know anyone else, the perfect one night stand. Ted declines, so Barney finds said random girl and hooks up with her himself. In the end, Robin doesn't show up.
Ted impulsively tells Robin that the party will continue Saturday night as well, putting Marshall further behind the eight ball and subjecting Barney to a reunion with his random hook-up. Barney gets rid of her by telling her he's in love with her, as Ted did with Robin. Once again, Robin fails to come to the party, and on Sunday morning, Ted tells her the party will continue that night as well in a final, desperate Hail Mary attempt to woo her.
The party on Sunday is sparsely attended, and Marshall loses his temper when his law book, which he needs for his paper that is now due the next morning, is used as a coaster. He angrily lashes out at Ted for throwing three parties for Robin, realizing too late that she is present this time. Ted covers by lying to Robin and telling her that he wanted her to meet another guy, Carlos (who had been mentioned but who none of the main characters knew). After a time, Ted talks to Robin on the roof, and Robin is able to recognize his true feelings: he wants them to "fall in love, get married, have kids and drive them to soccer practice". Those are good feelings, she says, but he's looking at the wrong girl; and even though she doesn't want to get married at the moment, she doesn't want to break his heart either and he can't just stop feeling what he feels. In an attempt to prove to her that he doesn't necessarily have the feelings, he kisses her, but he realizes he does have those feelings and can't take them away. Robin suggests that they can be friends. Ted isn't sure because he's worried things might become awkward between them, but he comes around and takes Robin to formally meet his friends.
They go for a drink with the gang, where Robin fits perfectly in the group - by mocking Barney's jealousy and inability to get a date for the night while Carlos is making out with the random hook-up. Marshall announces he will drink two beers, go upstairs, write a 25-page paper, and get an 'A'; Future Ted tells his children that, in fact, Marshall got a B- on the paper, still impressive considering he wrote it all in one night.
While helping Ted get another round of drinks, Robin reminds Ted that he's a good catch and he'll make some girl very happy, and offers to help him find "the one".
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