- Ted makes a final attempt to win Robin's heart. Marshall and Lily's relationship is in jeopardy.
- Ted, feeling once again that Robin is the girl for him, decides to make one last ditch attempt to win her heart by performing a grand gesture. His plan entails waiting for her in her apartment, which he can only do by borrowing Lily's spare key. With one small glitch, Ted is able to pull off his grand gesture. Overwhelmed, Robin, doesn't know how to respond. Her answer - with Ted only accepting a "yes" or "no" with no in-between - takes into consideration a work issue. To help Robin make up her mind, Ted feels like he has to produce an act of God... with a little help from one of Barney's old girlfriends who would rather see Barney dead than help him. Meanwhile, Marshall finds out that Lily applied for a summer long art fellowship in San Francisco when he listens to a voice message left on their answering machine that offers her the position. As the two argue over what it means for their relationship and their upcoming wedding, neither has the heart to finish the argument for fear of its possible outcome.—Huggo
- Ted, having given up his previous date with his supposedly perfect match, has decided to pursue Robin yet again. Barney (acting on behalf of the Universe) slaps Ted, telling him it's a bad idea. That weekend, a storm front is moving over New York, with predictions of heavy rains, that causes Robin's office to cancel their annual camping off-site. Sandy is disappointed as he wanted to sleep with Robin.
Ted tells them that he will try only one more time, and if it does not work out, he will accept that it is not meant to be. Ted then surprises Robin in her apartment with candy, flowers, and a group of musicians with blue instruments (in reference to the Blue French horn he stole for her on their first date).
Robin, while surprised, cannot give Ted a definite answer, especially after he learned that Robin's company camping trip is back on (since the storm has changed directions and is now headed into the Atlantic ocean) and Sandy Rivers is trying to date her now that he is moving on to CNN. Sandy has recommended Robin for the lead anchor position to replace him. Robin agrees to have dinner with Sandy on the official camping trip. Ted finally accuses Robin of ignoring her true feelings and urges her to "touch the ground", but it fails to win her over.
Ted walks out frustrated, but breaks his promise by trying to get Robin again by doing a rain dance. He believes that he can make it rain over NYC with his rain dance, which will cancel Robin's camping trip and thus her date with Sandy. After he convinces Penelope (a girl Barney hooked up with twice) to help him (as she has a Ph.D. in Native American studies), Ted tries to do a rain dance (even though Penelope had never ever seen a rain dance, but had read extensively about it), which ultimately proves successful, and he then goes over to Robin's. Penelop & Barney end up having sex again. Ted yells up to her from the street, telling her to come down (alluding to his previous demands for her to "touch the ground"), and the two finally become a couple.
While Ted is finally finding success, Marshall is encountering the opposite. After having learned about Lily's acceptance into an art fellowship in San Francisco (from the answering machine), he begins to worry that their relationship is in danger. Marshall and Lily argue almost non-stop as to what will happen and Lily reveals that, despite having promised herself she would not go, she actually wants to, even though the wedding is only weeks away. She says she needs to do this before she settles down for the rest of her life. Marshall decides not to support Lily as he doesn't know if Lily will ever return if she finds success as a painter.
Due to the length of their arguments, Marshall and Lily have developed a "pause function", allowing them to temporarily drop the argument to do something else (like going to the Red Lobster and having lunch). As the argument reaches a head, Lily tries to pause the argument but Marshall refuses, which leads to the two having sex.
As Ted heads back in a cab from Robin's apartment, Future Ted tells his kids that although New York looked the same, in one night everything had changed. Ted's high spirits quickly dampen when he finds Marshall sitting on the steps of the apartment complex in the rain, with Lily having gone to San Francisco and called off the engagement. Ted comforts him, knowing that Marshall has lost the only girl he had ever loved.
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