notgoodwithadvice:

I LOVE TO READ THESE KINDS OF POSTS AND SPECULATIONS AND THOUGHTS. 

Found this post at LJ: BrOTP shippers corner 

“I recently rewatched ‘Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap’ and it got me wondering about the slap bet and what its significance is within the show. Of course on one level it’s just a funny running gag, but like most things on HIMYM I believe it has a deeper meaning as well.

I think that the slaps represent ‘conflict and resolution’, particularly with regard to the B/R/T love triangle. I feel that with CB saying the finale will “pay off something which we set up in ‘Disaster Averted’”, there will be another slap in the finale which will somehow resolve, or help to resolve, the current situation. To explain what I mean, let’s look at it in the context of each episode in which the slaps have so far been delivered.

Slap #1. Occurs in 2.09 ‘Slap Bet’. At this point, T/R are dating, and up to this episode their relationship has appeared pretty much perfect. However, in ‘Slap Bet’, they start fighting about her secret past and her lie about being married (=Conflict). There is also conflict between Barney and Marshall who argue over what Robin’s secret might be and thus create the slap bet. When Robin Sparkles is revealed, T/R stop fighting, and Marshall slaps Barney (slap=Resolution). However, future conflict is set up (unknown to the characters or audience at that time) because it is Robin Sparkles who will lead to B/R sleeping together and B/T falling out in S3, thus kicking off the love triangle.

Slap #2: Occurs in 2.16 ‘Stuff’. This episode sees T/R’s first and most serious fight as a couple, over him getting rid of stuff his exes have given him and then Robin getting rid of her dogs (Conflict). At the same time, Barney and Lily are in conflict about her play, with Barney attempting to prove his point by staging his one-man show starring the robot who falls in love with the toaster oven (which we all know represents himself & Robin). Marshall slaps Barney after Lily concedes defeat about the play, but the T/R conflict escalates, only to end with them abruptly deciding to live together. However, this apparent resolution proves to be short-lived only two episodes later, when T/R are prevented from moving in together by a clearly jealous Barney. This continues the pattern in which the slap = ‘Conflict – Resolution - Setup for future B/R/T conflict’ as seen in ‘Slap Bet’.

Slap #3: Occurs in 3.09 ‘Slapsgiving’. T/R are unable to be true friends in the wake of their breakup. They sleep together in a backslide, causing further conflict between them and within the group as a whole, as Lily becomes angry with them for ruining Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Barney and Marshall are in conflict over the third slap (it all goes a bit meta here!) and the Slap Countdown, which also angers Lily. At the end of the episode, everyone makes up, Lily allows Marshall to deliver the third slap and everything appears fine, with no future conflict being set up. This is because Ted is now in denial about his feelings for Robin. However in 3.16 (note the pattern of episodes – don’t know if it’s coincidence or not) ‘Sandcastles in the Sand’, the setup from the first slap comes back when B/R sleep together and Ted is angry. This is resolved in the S3 finale just a few episodes later, however, and we see no further slaps until S5. This plot device permits Ted to discover that Barney is in love with Robin in S4 without getting angry, and give his apparent blessing to them dating.

Side comment – I think that slapcountdown . com is a message / joke to the audience about ‘spoiler culture’. Barney first tells Marshall he’s blown it by ‘taking all the suspense out of it’, but later admits that knowing what is about to happen, and when, is ‘mental torture’. I think they’re trying to tell us here that they believe spoilers aren’t always a good thing. Ironically, this episode follows directly after the one called ‘Spoiler Alert’. Coincidence? Hmm, I think not.

Slap #4: Occurs in 5.09 ‘Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap’. This episode has multiple conflicts – M/L, Lily/Mickey, and of course T/R, who are set up by Marshall to fight over slapping Barney. The contest between T/R rapidly escalates into an actual fight, during which Ted suddenly blurts out “You slept with one of my best friends!” Robin says “You said you were OK with that”, to which Ted answers “Well I’m not”. When she asks why he didn’t say anything at the time, he yells “Because I’m still in love with you!”, causing Robin to look stunned and Barney to stare at Ted in shock. Robin asks Ted if he’s lying so that he can win the slap contest, to which he replies “I just really wanna slap him”, neither confirming nor denying the truth of what he’s just said. B/R clearly choose to believe it was a lie; however, Ted plays it pretty real, so I think it’s a true expression of his feelings suddenly coming out in the heat of the moment.

Note that this takes place just two episodes after ‘The Rough Patch’, so it’s as if the show has been waiting for B/R to break up before hinting at Ted’s feelings again. The slap is delivered at the end of the episode when all the conflicts have been resolved, and Marshall (parodying a ‘moralizing dad’ character from an oldstyle sitcom) talks of how the slap has brought them all together. But in the same pattern as S2, it also kicks off the return of the B/R/T love triangle, setting up the events of 5.21 ‘Twin Beds’, where we see B/T fighting over Robin and her rejecting them both in favour of Don. After this, there are no more slaps for two whole seasons. This coincides with both Ted’s and Barney’s feelings disappearing off the radar (Ted’s a little more convincingly than Barney’s) while all three characters move in different directions romantically throughout S6, so there’s no real conflict between them.

Which brings us to Slaps #5 & 6, in 7.09 ‘Disaster Averted’. (Note episode number yet again). This is the most subtle use of the slap bet so far, in a hugely complex and important episode whose full significance I don’t believe we can understand yet, but I believe it follows the same Conflict/Resolution/Setup pattern which I’ve described above.

Conflict/Resolution: The flashback part of the episode contains multiple, relatively minor, conflicts, which are all resolved very positively. M/L are bickering, but they reconcile and conceive their baby. Robin is upset that her father hasn’t called her, and gets angry with Barney for the fake phone call. The next morning, Barney apologises, she forgives him and they almost kiss, and her father calls. There’s some other minor bickering within the gang, but they are all brought together in the end. The hurricane raging outside may also represent conflict, which - literally - ‘blows over’ the next morning. Meanwhile in the present day, Barney is fighting conflicts on several fronts – with Marshall over the ducky tie; in his own mind about meeting Nora’s parents, and (very subtly) with Kevin when he calls him on this. All of these are resolved when Lily awards Marshall the three extra slaps.

Setup: However, it is Marshall delivering two consecutive slaps which leads to B/R sleeping together and thus to the rest of the season’s events. The slaps therefore a) directly bring back Barney’s feelings, and b) indirectly bring back Ted’s feelings, because if B/R hadn’t hooked up then Robin wouldn’t have discovered she is infertile which led to the R/K breakup and Ted’s declaration in ‘No Pressure’. I believe this is one reason why there are two slaps and not one (one representing each of B/T). Another reason may be that these events are far more important than any that have gone before, so there’s an extra slap for emphasis, so to speak!

As things currently stand, we have an effectively unresolved B/R/T triangle, with none of them involved with each other but just kind of circling each other. I believe that there will be a Slap #7 in the finale which will bring about the resolution of this. It may possibly be connected to the ducky tie and Barney’s ‘tie’ conversation at the wedding. Or maybe the person who jokingly suggested that Marshall would slap Barney into dumping Quinn wasn’t so far wrong! Also, it will most likely coincide with killing off Ted’s feelings for Robin once & for all.

Finally, we know that Slap #8 will occur in the S8 finale (eight seasons, eight slaps) and I think it will be the one which will finally wrap everything up – maybe get Barney out of his wedding jitters, and possibly somehow lead to Ted meeting the Mother. There will probably be a Robin Sparkles connection of some kind as well, just to link it back to where it all started (or maybe that part’s just my wishful thinking!) :-)”

My thoughts? I hadn’t made such a strong connection between the slaps myself, but this is a great point. I have believed for a while now that the last/one of the last slaps will occur sometime when it’ll be related to Barney’s engagement/wedding events. But this person has made a good point with the [possible] connections. 

I do think that part of the reason between the same episode numbers in different seasons having the same tone is because of when those episodes air. Like the sweeps episodes and such. Plus who is the writer of these4 episodes. But I am also certain that part of the reason is the writers/cretors master plan. These are all parts of the main puzzle.

There are much more connections between different seasons. With the same episode numbers and such. 

• 2x09 and and 3x09 and 5x09 and 7x09 [you just got slapped]
• 1x14 and 3x14 and 4x14 [BrOTP are ready to help the other. To score a date, to find the blonde mystery stalker, to get a job and not get deported]
• 2x18 and 7x18 [T/R and B/Q moving planning to move in together] 
• 6x04 and 7x04 [BrOTP are being good friend to the other. He helped her win the race, she helped him to get rid of his past] 
• 6x12 and 7x12 [a false assumption that someone’s pregnant] 
• 5x12 AND 6x12 [codeword: suits. Barney chooses the suits/girl. Barney gives away his other suits] 
• 6x11 and 7x11 [theme of the episode: pregnancy and babies] 
• 6x16 and 7x16 [Barney meets a new girl] 
• 6x01 and 7x01 + 6x24 and 7x24 [future wedding reveal. Groom/Bride reveal] 

…. there’s more, I know. I just can’t think of any more right now. Feel free to add, though.

notgoodwithadvice:

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s my guess what those 18 unfinished story lines/things could be:

1. It’s creepy! aka Never date your therapist: When and how [and for what reason] will Robin and Kevin break up? [see season 7]
2. The mystery of the “Ugly Shirt Guy”: Whatever happened to the guy…