How I Met Your Mother: All Halloween And Thanksgiving Episodes Ranked Worst To Best
6. Slapsgiving 2: Revenge Of The Slap
Not only is Slapsgiving 2 one of the weaker Thanksgiving episodes, it might actually be among the weakest slap bet episodes next to the controversial Slapsgiving 3 (which, despite its misleading title, does not actually take place on Thanksgiving). Ted's back and forth with Robin over who gets to slap Barney is hilarious, as is the run of fakeout slaps near the end, but the lead-up is so great that the slap itself feels unfulfilling when compared to the last Slapsgiving.
The worst part of this episode, however, is Lily's father. Chris Elliott plays Mickey well enough, but the episode's insistence on treating his parental neglect as a punchline ultimately makes him one of the most irritating guest characters on the series. Worse, the episode fails to achieve any sort of truly meaningful resolution. Lily supposedly learns a lesson about resentment and forgiveness due to the death of a Korean bodega owner, but even her epiphany scene casts her in a fairly shallow light.
Fortunately, the episode does still contain a few gems. Mickey's failed board games make for a pretty funny running joke, with an excellent payoff at the very end.
Although it's a bit disappointing you can't buy the Slap Bet board game in real life. Etsy sellers, make this happen.