Ted and Robin try to solve their noisy neighbor problem while Marshall mistakenly takes love advice from Barney.
This episode provides examples of:
- Apple of Discord: Barney's advice to Marshall about who will wash the dishes.
- Badass Boast: Marshall lays down an epic one on Barney when the latter asserts he is a relationship expert.Marshall: "Son, I've been in a relationship since you had a ponytail and you were playing Dave Matthews on your mama's Casio, I'm a good boyfriend in my sleep. I can rock a killer foot rub at one hand, and brew a kick-ass pot of camomile on the other that would make you weep. Hell, I've forgoten more about microwaving fat-free pop-corn and watching Sandra Bullock movies than you'll ever know, but thanks for your concern rook."
- Everyone Has Standards: Barney may be chauvinistic and give terrible relationship advice, but even he knows that telling a woman that they should have to do the chores because the man makes more money is a bad idea.
- Hates Being Nicknamed: Robin.
- The Nicknamer: Ted. Robin hates nicknames, even Ted's own.Ted: I knew you were lying, you gotta wake up pretty early to slip one by the T-Mose.Robin: Okay, seriously, stop it.
- Old People are Nonsexual: Averted for the sake of a twist. Ted goes upstairs to confront his new neighbors for their constant loud... "bagpipe playing" right above his head. However, when he sees that it's an old couple, he simply welcomes them to the building and lets them do their thing, as he's just impressed that they're doing it at their age.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "You say you don't fight? Horseapples. You fight all. the. time."
- Racist Grandma: Ted mentions silently nodding along to his elderly neighbors' racist comments.
- Right Through the Wall: A running gag is that Ted keeps hearing his upstairs neighbors have sex, represented by bagpipes playing.
- Sickeningly Sweethearts: Barney and Robin. Subverted when Ted notices that it was all a ruse, because Robin is not the lovey-dovey nicknamer kind.
- Spoof Aesop: Marshall agreeing to wash the dishes focuses on just a couple's spat, and ignores the larger issue that women are expected to do the lion's share of the housework, to emotionally support their partner far more than men are expected, and to work a full time job. In other words, Lily has to ask Marshall nonstop to step up and do his share.
- Spotting the Thread: Barney and Robin being Sickeningly Sweethearts is what clues Ted in that they're lying about being a perfect couple.
- Stepford Smilers: Barney and Robin's relationship as they act blissfully happy. However, when Ted speaks to their downstairs neighbor he learns they actually have loud arguments all the time.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: The smooth-talking Barney carefully lays out to Marshall how to get away with not cleaning the dishes for his wife. Sure enough, Barney's well-thought out lines become garbled and only succeed in making Lily hate him for an episode. Plus the fact his fantasy never accounted for Lilly having any sort of response beyond immediately agreeing and making out with him.Barney's Plan: If one day, I look up at the living room ceiling and think, "Hey, I'd like a replica of the Sistine Chapel up there," would it be your job to paint it?Marshall's Execution: You want me to go ahead and wash my dish. But maybe... I want you... to paint the ceiling, right? Like, maybe I should say, "Okay, yeah. I'll wash my dish if you get up there and just—you paint naked babies on the ceiling." You know?
- Unusual Euphemism: "Bagpipes" is apparently one for sex or the f-word in general (based on the "shut the bagpipes up" comment).
