'How I Met Your Mother' Season 9, Episode 7 Preview: 'No Questions Asked'

In last week's episode of "How I Met Your Mother," a text was sent from Marshall's phone to Lily's, and that text gave away the secret that Marshall (Jason Segel) has been keeping from Lily (Alyson Hannigan) since last season. The quest to keep Lily from seeing the text is the foundation of this week's episode, "No Questions Asked."

In the episode, Marshall calls the gang and asks them to delete the "last text" received by Lily's phone, but he refuses to give them details, instead invoking the gang's pact to help each other out "No Questions Asked." His request sets Ted (Josh Radnor), Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) on a covert mission to destroy the text, and predictable slapstick hi-jinks ensue. The fact that the gang doesn't know the subject of the text—and that they're simply trying to delete the "last text"—suggests that a misunderstanding might make the plan go awry.

This episode will presumably take us well into Friday night of the wedding weekend as the season creeps toward the actual wedding of Barney and Robin, as well as Ted's eventual meeting with the elusive mother (Cristin Milioti). Thus far, the season has elicited significant grumbling from fans on discussion boards who are eager to get another glimpse of Milioti's character. That's unlikely to happen this week, though, and it could be after mid-November before we see her again. Episode 10, titled "Bass Player Wanted," is scheduled to air on November 18, and its title presumably refers to the guitar-case-toting mother.