Atlantic City (How I Met Your Mother)
| "Atlantic City" | |
|---|---|
| How I Met Your Mother episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 2 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Pamela Fryman |
| Written by | Maria Ferrari |
| Production code | 2ALH08 |
| Original air date | November 13, 2006 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Richard Gant (Judge) | |
"Atlantic City" is the eighth episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother. It originally aired on November 13, 2006.
Plot
Marshall and Lily are now back together when Lily makes an off-hand comment about "the man I'm going to marry", then realizing they hadn't yet talked about still getting married. After Lily proposes to Marshall and having hot, passionate and amazing sex on the kitchen floor (with a creative use of Mrs. Butterworth's), Marshall tells Lily of how his family had harsh words about her when she left for San Francisco and cancelled the wedding plans. Lily is embarrassed to have a ceremony in front of Marshall's family, out of fear that they will judge her harshly, so they decide to elope to Atlantic City, New Jersey. They immediately go and find Robin at the news station, Ted at his architecture firm, and Barney at a salon getting a pedicure. After all five get a pedicure, they go to Atlantic City. Lily goes looking for a bouquet and sends Robin to find some clothes that don't make her look better than the bride. Barney, after finding Lily a veil, takes Marshall and Ted to a strip club for an 18-minute bachelor party. When they approach the receptionist at the casino's wedding chapel, they find that the waiting period for a New Jersey marriage license is three days. They go to the courthouse to find a judge who will waive the waiting period, and finally manage to get into a judge's chambers after staking out a bathroom. The judge, impressed by Marshall and Lily's committed, nine-year relationship, almost grants the waiver on the waiting period, but Barney reveals that Marshall and Lily broke up for six months, causing the judge to change his mind. Running out of options, Lily suggests that they get married in international waters where they don't need a marriage license. They find a boat captain willing to marry them, but he wants $5,000 to perform the ceremony.
Throughout the episode, Barney runs into a few Chinese men who he has brief but familiar conversations with, leaving the rest of the gang puzzled. He finally tells the group that he used to visit 'the AC' on a regular basis, but he developed a serious problem and stopped. Barney is sure he can win them the money. He enters a confusing Chinese game ("行還是不行", Pinyin: xíng háishì bùxíng, Chinese for 'Deal or No Deal') that no one else understands. However, after watching the game in action Marshall catches on, and counsels Barney to win enough money to pay the boat captain. Marshall's advice proves sound when Barney wins the game and the gang gets the money.
Marshall and Lily are in the middle of their wedding when they decide they want to (and have to) face Marshall's family. They call off the wedding, however, the captain accidentally marries them. They ask him to undo the marriage, and the event becomes the story of the time that Marshall and Lily were married for 12 seconds.