How I Met Your Mother: Barney's 10 Most Brilliant Plays

6. The Time Traveler

"Intervention" (S4E4) opened with the group debating over whether or not a plan of Barney's would be successful. Barney then entered disguised as an old man and approached an attractive woman at the bar and said he was from the future and that the girl (Cindy) was the only one who could change everything. He said he could prove it and said that in a few seconds, "the woman at that booth is going to slap that man" (Robin then slapped Ted). Barney told Cindy that she would have to sleep with the young Barney so he could find the solution to global warming in order to save the human race. He then left, saying he had to get back to "the reality accelerator before the vortex closes." After changing, Barney returned without the make-up. Cindy came up to him and offered to buy him a drink, much to the surprise of the group. This occurred before the introduction of the Playbook, but still qualifies as one of Barney's most successful plays (not to mention one of the most surprising given how ludicrous it was). This then led to Barney challenging himself to pick up a 22-year-old in his old man costume. He managed to complete the challenge, but as she was French, the group said it didn't count. As Robin said, "she's French, that's like playing tennis with the net down."