Chekhov: On the HIMYM wall

[idioticonion]

"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." - Anton Chekhov

This is an idea stolen shamelessly from Caffinekitty. I wanted to post a list of stuff I consider to be 'on the wall' for How I Met Your Mother. I'm asking for your help - please post additions and

Comments

[snogged]

I definitely agree with your wall.
And I'll have to think of some of my own to add to it.

[idioticonion]

I think this is something like the HIMYM Timeline, that we build up over time?

[bishojo_kitsune]

Do Robin's future job destinations count? She's been to Argentina and Japan so we have yet to see Moscow and France (and wherever else she was supposed to go, I don't even remember if those are right).

Also, in 'Ted Mosby, Architect', future!Ted mentions to his kids about a building he designs and that the first person he shows it to is Robin. I have no idea if he gets to it pre- or post-mother, but maybe we'll get another reference to it (I guess he's going to give up teaching at some point?).

[bishojo_kitsune]

Ooh, come to think of it, a fun little example of something that's been taken off the wall is the penny Ted finds in 'Scorpion and the Toad' and how it leads to the events in 'Lucky Penny'

[idioticonion]

Nice - I like the idea of a "previously used on the Wall" section. I've added this.

[idioticonion]

Have added Robin's future job destinations. They very much count.

As far as the "building in Spokane" that Ted showed Robin - I'm pretty sure that he actually built that. It replaced his boss's penis-shaped design. So it already happened?

[da_phoenix13]

Yeah, where the heck is Heather Mosby at?!

Don't forget the ultimate Chekhov's gun, the yellow umbrella.

[idioticonion]

Well exactly.

Now, do you remember every occasion the Yellow Umbrella was used? I've noted the obvious ones in the text now, but I know there were loads of red herrings.

I wonder if that's already on the internet somewhere?

[vimtastic]

- The end of the third season premiere (a woman with the umbrella walks by the bar)
- No Tomorrow (how Ted gets it)
- When he sees Stella again at the end of season 4 (As Fast As She Can and the episode before that one)
- Girls vs. Suits (the umbrella is now in the mother's apartment)

I know I missed some.

[idioticonion]

Brilliant. Thanks.

[vimtastic]

Cool idea. :)

We could add the goat under previous uses. And the spaghetti sauce stains in the TPIR episode.

As for current uses, how about Robin Sparkles' show with Alan Thicke? And would Robin's welcome mat way back from the end of Game Night work? We still don't know how she got it.

[idioticonion]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Episode that must not be named. Awesome.

Have added all of them. :-)

[biochemchick]

One thing I've been wondering about is the Scherbatsky doormat. I know it was way back in season 1, but at the end of game night future Ted said something along the lines of "Not every secret was told that night, but that is another story" in regards to the mat, and then it was never mentioned again that I can remember.

Of course, that was so long ago, they will probably never come back to it...

[idioticonion]

Very, very good point. It does sound like that story WAS told at some point...

[idioticonion]

You have blown my mind hole.

Basically, I've never looked at it like that. If the secret IS Robin's feelings for Ted, and it's as simple as Ted giving her the doormat to make up for vomiting on it... *bang* all my preconceptions about it cutting to that shot of lonely-barney and that being the start of BrOTP... *bang*

thanks for blowing up my brain.

And I think there are quite a few doormat stories out there. :-)