15 Best How I Met Your Mother Episodes
6. The Playbook (Season 5, Episode 8)
"For those of you keeping score, the Ted Mosby works."
The Playbook sees Barney Stinson at his most insane, manipulative and entertaining. The titular book details every ploy the serial womaniser has ever used to pick up women, from dressing up like Mrs Doubtfire, pretending to be left at the altar (like Ted), and pretending to be an inappropriate genie.
As a whole, The Playbook hasn't aged particularly well, but watched as a ridiculous and fun slice of comedy is close to unrivalled. Barney tricks his friends, shows no real sympathy for his actions, and yet thanks to the energetic performance and general likeability of Neil Patrick Harris, it's pretty hard not to love him as he struts his stuff.
The episode also teases Robin's next major relationship with her co-host Don (Benjamin Koldyke) and gives a deep - albeit nuts - look at how the pair cope with their big break-up.