Over the nine seasons How I Met Your Mother has been on the air, Neil Patrick Harris' portrayal of the womanizing magician Barney Stinson led to him becoming a breakout character and a true fan favorite. Throughout the run of the series, Barney continually runs complex schemes on women, referred to as plays. Almost every one of Barney's plays involves elaborate costumes and no small amount of devious lies intended to get women to sleep with him. Barney has a collection of these plays in a leather-bound, hand-written tome called The Playbook, first featured in Season 5 Episode 8 (appropriately titled, "The Playbook"). Now that the show is in its ninth and final season, and Barney and Robin's wedding is quickly approaching (although whether or not they actually will get married is up in the air and has been subject to much debate), it seemed like a good time to look back and select the ten best plays, not only from "The Playbook" episode, but plays featured in other episodes as well.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
