How I Met Your Mother: Things You Forgot Happened In Season 1

How I Met Your Mother's series finale graced (or desecrated, according to many) TV screens in 2014. The pilot episode aired in 2005. Given all the suit-ups, challenges accepted, wait-for-its, and Ted Mosby pity parties that happened in the intervening years, viewers have likely forgotten most of what happened way back in the first season. We certainly had, until we went back, studied the footage, made notes, and wrote down the events we were most surprised to realize we'd forgotten.

All shows have to hit the ground running if they're interested in sticking around. The first season of How I Met Your Mother is no exception: A lot happens in these episodes. The series' subsequent nine-year run speaks for itself — a run that, may we remind you, goes toe-to-toe in terms of length with sitcom all-stars like Seinfeld – and is a testament to How I Met Your Mother's strong first outing. We're here to reacquaint you with the events of that very first season, from the blue French horns to the rain dances.

Viewers might remember that Ted meets Robin Scherbatsky in the first episode at MacLaren's, the bar the HIMYM crew spends countless Fridays, Saturdays, and pretty much every other day of the week within. But what they tend to forget is that on that same night, almost simultaneously, Marshall Eriksen proposes to Lily Aldrin.

Marshall proposes in the apartment that he, Ted, and Lily live in, while cooking dinner. During the proposal scene, he pops a bottle of champagne, which the six-foot-four "Marshmallow" was afraid to do just moments earlier, and the cork hits Lily in the eye. Lily goes on to wear an eye patch for the rest of the episode. Meanwhile, Ted goes down an overthinking wormhole involving mistakes he made on his date. He goes on to steal the blue French horn from the restaurant, before proclaiming he's in love with Robin — a typical conversation-killer as far as first dates go. Unlike Ted, who tends to romanticize everything, Marshall proposes to Lily in the place they live on a random night. This contrast serves to introduce viewers to the sort of low-key couple Marshall and Lily are ... and to the very much not low-key Ted.

After Ted, being Ted, tells Robin he loves her shortly after meeting her, he recalibrates and tries to take a more casual approach in episode two. Thus, he invites her to an apartment party — nothing, apparently, says casual quite like an apartment party.

In true sitcom fashion, Ted, Lily, and Marshall end up throwing back-to-back-to-back parties, while Marshall attempts to finish an important paper for law school. Things get worse when Robin does not show up the first two parties, necessitating a third. While these first two shindigs bring in lots of people, not many guests show up for party number three, as it takes place on a Sunday night (and, you know, people probably want a break after partying for three nights in a row). It is this party that Robin attends. Later on the roof, Ted and Robin kiss. Ted, utterly failing to be casual, comes to the conclusion that he wants to be with Robin long-term — but she's career-focused and might not even want to get married at all. They decide to be friends, as they're both on different relationship wavelengths.

In the third episode, Ted and Barney book a spontaneous flight to Philadelphia to chase two women who turn out to have boyfriends. Let's back up for just a second: Barney's idea is to pick up women at an airport. Leaving two bags  (filled with condoms and a sole PowerBar) on the baggage carousel leads to Ted and Barney being taken into custody by airport security. After being set free because their suspicious behavior isn't anything serious, Ted and Barney go to a makeshift party and leave shortly after. Fans get their first glimpse of Barney as a human with real emotions here: He tells Ted that he's his best friend and that's why he always asks him to hang out and occasionally go on wild adventures.

Barney might seem immature and like a stereotypical frat bro — and in many ways, he is. But he's also the type of person who performs acts of kindness and doesn't want any credit. He helps Ted live in the moment and not worry so much about living happily ever after. Alas, after proclaiming his best friendship to Ted, Barney tricks him into going to the Liberty Bell, and they lick it. As usual, they end the night at MacLaren's, locked and loaded with a memorable story.

Love Solutions is a matchmaker algorithm that claims to have a 100 percent success rating ... until Ted Mosby throws his name into the database. The compatibility rate for his matches isn't high enough to match Ted with another person — but he does manage to sneakily print out a 9.6 match. Ted, indulging his stalker-ish tendencies, makes a doctor's appointment with his 9.6 match, and discovers she's getting married that weekend. The episode ends with an optimistic Ted, who believes he'll end up on Love Solutions' love wall someday with the other happily matched-up couples. Later in the season, Love Solutions finds Ted a match. He sets a date, reschedules it, and then bails on his perfect match ... because he still has feelings for Robin.

In the same episode, there's an unknown creature, part mouse, part cockroach, terrorizing the apartment. On top of having whiskers and a hard shell, it can fly. The "cockamouse" deserves a mention on this list, as it is an odd and likely forgotten plot point that happens in the first season.

Ted and Robin stay in the city for Thanksgiving, because Robin is Canadian and Ted works on Friday. Marshall and Lily, having no such issues, visit his family in Minnesota. With Friendsgiving off the table, Ted and Robin go to a soup kitchen to volunteer and they — wait for it — see a gleeful Barney volunteering. They're further shocked to discover the volunteers love Barney's hard-working spirit, and that he even has an Employee of the Year plaque on the wall. As it turns out, Barney is volunteering out of court-mandated community service for public urination. When Robin and Ted get Barney kicked out, Barney makes them go to the strip club with him. Happy Thanksgiving?

While this is happening, Lily is having the worst Thanksgiving ever in Minnesota, with Marshall's loud, tall, and intimidating family. Ironically, Lily is also arrested for public urination, because the neighborhood convenience store doesn't have a bathroom and she doesn't want Marshall to know she bought a pregnancy test. After hearing the story of 15-pound Marshall's birth, the idea of bearing an Eriksen child is not an altogether pleasant one for Lily.

Nights when the group is separated tend to be the most momentous ones of all — but not always in the way you'd expect. Case in point: Lily and Marshall spend virtually an entire episode in the bathroom.

Because making plans and following through can feel overwhelming, Lily and Marshall bail on complex out-of-town anniversary plans and opt to stay home. As they're feeling introspective about their relationship and its future, this is a solid idea — too bad it's thrown into chaos when Ted and his then-girlfriend Victoria come to the apartment for a little alone time. This forces Lily and Marshall into the bathroom until Ted and Victoria move to the bedroom. Much embarrassing pillow talk is overheard and gagged at. Thus, for an entire episode and during their anniversary, Marshall and Lily celebrate ... in their bathroom. Now that's romance, baby.

Believe it or not, Barney wasn't always as, in his words, awesome as he is today. This is revealed during a game night, when Lily shows a mystery tape to the gang. Barney is shown in a ponytail and tie-dye, playing a song for a girl named Shannon while uncontrollably sobbing. This incident helps to show why Barney acts the way he does today ... and gets in a few laughs about this get-up.

Further details about Barney's past are revealed once the gang settles into their seats at MacLaren's. Barney was working at a coffee shop during his hippie days. He and his then-girlfriend Shannon were getting ready to join the Peace Corps, when Shannon stood him up because her dad wouldn't let her go on the trip. As it turns out, Shannon was actually cheating on Barney with a smug, suit-wearing dude seen earlier in the episode. As a result of Shannon leaving him for this man, Barney's whole life became about money in the bank, suits in the closet, and a string of one-night stands. People aren't typically born sleazy, of course, and just like all characters, Barney has his origin story.

Ted Mosby does arguably the stupidest thing he's ever done in season one, when he cheats on Victoria and lies to Robin. As any fan knows, there's a lot of competition for that title. After finding out Robin still has feelings for him (due to an inadvertent comment from Lily), Ted goes to Robin's apartment. He's keyed up from this revelation, and from tension in his relationship with Victoria. All of this results in him lying to Robin that he and Victoria have broken up. They kiss, Ted takes a breather in the bathroom, and emerges, convinced he's about to hook up with Robin — only to find Robin with his phone, finishing a conversation with Victoria. She tells him to get out. This ends Ted and Victoria's relationship, and imparts one of the series' most important lessons: Nothing good happens after 2 AM. With one careless and lustful swing of the bat, Ted hurts two people he cares about.

Marshall and Lily scramble to plan their wedding when their dream venue offers a date two months earlier than they'd accounted for. In search of a band, Marshall suggests a group, but Lily wants to listen to their work before committing. Because nothing is normal on TV shows, the only way for Lily to see the band play is by sneaking into the high school prom they're set to perform at. Lily, Robin, and Barney dress for the occasion and attempt to blend in.

The trio is denied entrance because, quite obviously, they're adults. Robin and Lily ask two students to prom and thus secure their ticket in. Lily talks to the band, and they agree to play Marshall and Lily's song, "Good Feeling" by Violent Femmes, if Lily can provide the sheet music. Ted and Marshall bring said sheet music to the prom, the band plays it, and Marshall and Lily decide to hire them. Lily starts to have doubts about marriage, however, as she hasn't done much of what she dreamed she'd do while in college. Though Robin is able to soothe Lily's anxieties, this ends up being a major problem for her throughout the series.

Season one ends with a split: Lilypad and Marshmallow break up after Marshall hears her accept an art fellowship in San Francisco. This might not seem like a big deal, but Lily applied to a fellowship in a different state without telling Marshall, despite the fact of their looming wedding. The easiest solution would have been postponing the wedding, but it appears both Marshall and Lily have their doubts about tying the knot. Meanwhile, Ted professes his love to Robin (again) with a blue orchestra and enough red roses to populate a garden. Robin initially says no, but Ted doesn't stop trying. Knowing that she's about to head off on a company camping trip and that one of her colleagues who is interested in dating her will be there, Ted attempts a rain dance ... which works. Robin and Ted reconcile, and once again become a couple.

Elated, Ted returns to his apartment .. to find Marshall sitting on the stoop, holding a ring and crying in the rain. Lily has left for California, and their engagement has been called off.