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(S05E09) Let me start off by stating that any HIMYM episode involving the famous slap bet between Marshall and Barney is going to be funny. Just the act of Jason Segel's exaggerated slapping and Neil Patrick Harris' equally exaggerated pratfall in reaction is enough to get me rolling. I just wish the slaps weren't telegraphed so much in advance.

You have to remember that tonight is a sequel to the original Slapsgiving from two years ago. As sequels go, it's not bad; not as good as the original but satisfying nevertheless. But you knew at some point, Marshall was going to say "That's four!" and Barney was going to rub his face. So we have to examine the journey to get there. That journey started off well, but got a little predictable. Still didn't make the slap itself any less funny.

Hopefully, the fifth and final slap will be a complete surprise with no build-up. I always thought that was the beauty of the slap bet; Barney living his life completely paranoid that a slap is coming. While torturing him with the threat over an entire Thanksgiving is funny the first time, it's not quite as funny the second. I want the final one to be so completely unexpected that it lifts ol' Barn out of his Bruno Maglis.

Anyhoo, let's talk about that build-up. It was fun to have Marshall bequeath the slap to Ted and Robin out of gratitude for getting the magical turkey back from the TLC. And it was equally fun to see Barney twitch every time the two of them moved ("I'm getting crow's feet. Crow's feet!"). I kind of hoped Barney would have tried to manipulate the two of them more in order to make the Marshall-imposed sundown deadline. Though his speech to Robin about needing a man to do her slapping for her was pure Barney genius, touching on all of his recent ex's hot buttons (he even invoked images of her hockey-playing days). That's why I give it my Best Barneyism of the week.

But you knew that the slap was eventually going to get back to Marshall, even when Robin and Ted give it to Lily's dad Mickey. But the saccharine Full House-y music made those transfers funny. Even Marshall saying "there will be no slap today" rang hollow, because he was aching to do it.

What to say about Mickey Aldrin? First of all: Is it me or has Chris Elliott gotten skinny? He's always been a doughy guy, so to see him rail thin was a bit of a surprise. But he did a nice job as Mickey, because it was in his wheelhouse: creepy but almost lovable.

The funniest part of that storyline was keeping track of all the oh-so-wrong board games that he invented: Tijuana Slumlord, Car Battery, Landmine Lunge, There's A Clown Demon Under Your Bed, Sleepy Tombstone Maze, Dog Fight Promoter, Diseases. None of them will be at your local Toys R Us, or even your local Spencer Gifts. Of all the games, Slap Bet (a fake ad for which was shown at the end, complete with "don't try this at home, kids!" disclaimers) was the safest one he ever invented.

Good to see a Lily-oriented story, though; Alyson Hannigan has been on the sidelines too long. Let's hope she didn't get Lily's "dead to me" stare from real-life experience. That look could make people dissolve into powder for real.

More fun stuff:

• Of all the puns including the word "slap," I'm torn between "slape diem" and "Eric Slapton." What's yours?
• Ted tried to stoop to saying he still loved Robin in order to get the slap. Luckily, he was just doing it for selfish reasons.
• The Swarkles relationship was brought up, but only as a motivation for Ted to give Robin the slap. Robin still couldn't do it. It really feels like the whole relationship is being treated as a storyline mistake, doesn't it?
• Oh, wait! I think I like "poison slapple" better than any of the other puns.
• Lily let loose with another "Yoouuuuu sonofabitch" to the poor bodega owner Mr. Park (played by Charles Chun, who plays Dr. Wen on Scrubs). Wonder where that came from?
• Marshall's participation in the Eriksen family dinner via webcam was predictable. Holding the dummy hands for grace was not.
• When Barney was saying things like "Soft!" as people were coiling for the slap, he was saying it to himself, right?
• At this point, can we agree that Lily has become thoroughly corrupt in her role as Slap Bet Commissioner? She almost performed the slap herself!

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