Barney's brother James stops by New York for a visit, but Barney learns some shocking news about him.
This episode provides examples of:
- Babies Make Everything Better: Barney only starts supporting James engagement once James announces that he and Tom are adopting.
- Blatant Lies: According to Barney and James, their mother had a different response to why they looked different, which became lazier with each passing year. The first time, she said "she ate vanilla ice cream when she had Barney, chocolate when it was James, and tons of coffee for both". The second time, she just handwaved it with a "Things that happen". Then the third time she just exploded and accused them of being racists.
- Body Language: Future!Ted explains that one can tell apart single people from couples by observing their behavior in social events. The singles are often standing up, socializing and remaining active, while couples usually try to find a free spot to sit the whole night, either furniture or the floor.
- Camp Gay: Invoked and downplayed; as Barney's wingman, James, puts on a bit of this persona to disarm a woman. He also orders himself a fruity pink cocktail to tease Marshall over the fact it's socially acceptable for him to.
- Chekhov's Classroom: Narrator!Ted breaking down the difference between single people and couples (single people have way more energy than people in a couple, couples aren't on their feet as much and complain about not being at home, so on and so on) factors into the plot in two noticeable ways: the others take notice that James isn't as into being at the gay bar like Barney is, and the scene at James and Tom's wedding where we see Ted and Robin not tired.
- Depraved Homosexual: Many gay men at the bar were hitting on Marshall and Ted.Ted: They are always the losers and never the hot ones.
- Discriminate and Switch: Barney is initially unsupportive of James' engagement. It's not because it's an interracial and/or gay marriage, it's because Barney doesn't like marriage in general and he feels like James is turning his back on being single.
- Double Standard: Lily and Robin complained about guys always hitting on them, while Ted and Marshall thought they were just being whiny. Then it happens to the guys at the gay club and start complaining just like the girls while Lily and Robin realize they miss being hit on.
- Foreshadowing:
- When we cut to James and Tom's wedding a year later, Marshall is calling Lily "his wife", but Robin and Ted still stay at the party, not being tired yet, as indication that the two are no longer together.
- Barney's love of babies here foreshadows his happy ending in the Series Finale.
- Mistaken for Gay: When Marshall gets himself a fruity girly drink at the gay bar, he gets hit on.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Marshall comments on how it's embarrassing to a guy to order delicious pink fruity cocktails because others can make fun of him. When he did a cocktail for himself, they thought it was for Lily; and then at the gay club he gets hit on because of his drink.
- Rousing Speech: James lures the gang out of the apartment with one.
- Sibling Team: James and Barney have been each other's wingmen in multiple occasions, even scoring a brother-sister hook up once.
- Suddenly Ethnicity: Barney's brother is black, which the gang neglects to tell Robin. Ted just wanted to see the look on her face.
- Troll:
- Ted warned Robin about James being gay so she won't look surprised. Cue to James appearing and Robin not expecting him to be half African-American. At first Ted starts to mess up with her by calling her a racist, only to handwave it by wanting to see her face.
- After Marshall complains about the fact he can't order a fruity pink cocktail at the bar because it's socially unacceptable for straight men like him, James decides to order one for himself just to rub it in.
