'How I Met Your Mother' Season 8, Episode 6: 'Splitsville' Recap

Robin is annoyed that Nick won’t have sex with her because he pulled his groin muscle playing basketball with Marshall, who is working out hard, his baby in a sling.

Ted reveals that after he and Victoria broke up he and some architect friends made a basketball team called the “T-Squares.” Lily can’t stop turning everything into a sexual fantasy.

Robin explains that the problem with less sex is she’s talking to Nick more now, and he’s dumb. Apparently she was the only one who didn’t realize it. Like how Nick didn’t know that Gypsies were an actual ethnic group.

“I always thought they were made up like goblins, or trolls, or dolphins,”

Marshall insists Robin not break up with him or ruin anything—they need Nick on their team, he is the best player.

Later at the bar, Robin explains that she tried to break up with him, but gets distracted by his abs and made him do sit ups instead.

Barney has arranged the incentive—an invite to Patrice, who is obsessed with Robin, to BFF Fun Day. If she doesn’t break up with Nick, he will release it, and Patrice will be inescapable.

Marshall continues to exercise heavily while Lily seems weirdly sexual about everything.

Robin takes Nick to the Barney-recommended Splitsville, a dessert place where people break up with their significant others. Nick doesn’t take the hints. When she says they’re not working out, he asks if they need to go to the gym together. Nick gets a phone call… and begins to get emotional. He cries, but he can’t talk about it. Robin skirts the breakup talk.

Ted comes home to tell Lily about his epic basketball shot… although they still lost by about 110. Robin calls from the bathroom and tells Barney she can’t break up with Nick at the moment. Barney tells her that the invite will still go out unless she dumps Nick on speakerphone.

She goes back to the table, and Nick tells her the bad news about his MRI results… his groin injury is worse than he thought. Marshall is in a tizzy that Nick won’t be in the tournament. However, when she begins to break up with him again, he says that since his injury will take longer to heal anyway, they should probably start having sex again. Nick kisses her neck, distracting her from her purpose, and they prepare to go home and catch up.

Barney storms in, breaking the mood. He tells her that he and Robin are in love.

Robin is shocked and annoyed, and tells him to stop. Barney tells Nick she thinks he’s stupid and she hates him, and insists that he loves her. He continues on, and the fakeness of his story disappears, and Barney is standing there, telling Nick that he loves Robin with all his heart no matter how much he tries not to. Nick finally gets it, and cries at a table. Then he leaves with two other ladies who have been dumped, so he’s probably going to be fine.

Ted asks Marshall and sex-crazed Lily why they’ve stopped having sex. They tell him about how every time they try to have sex, Marvin starts to cry. They haven’t slept together since before he was born. Ted takes Marvin for a walk.

Barney and Robin walk home, while Barney praises himself for his fake romantic speech.

“You were pretty convincing,” Robin tells him, but Barney just says he was helping her… any longer on waiting though, he’d have had to kiss her. They move close, but Robin gets a call from Patrice, screamingly excited for BFF Fun Day, and the mood is broken.

Ted meets with his T-Squares group at Splitsville… and gets dumped.