Throughout How I Met Your Mother’s nine seasons, Barney Stinson acquired some pretty hilarious aliases. The highlights included The Commodore, Lorenzo Von Matterhorn, Arnie Linson, The Barnacle, and Barnabus Stinson. The best alternative name that Barney took on, however, was Swarley which was forced on him in How I Met Your Mother season 2. Here’s how Neil Patrick Harris’ character picked up the, nickname and how it made that episode so memorable.
Barney was known for his extreme confidence and major ego. He often poked fun at his friends for their choices and tried to instill his own ideologies on those around him. It was very rare for Ted, Robin, Marshall, and Lily to turn the tables on Barney with the chance at making him the target of a joke. The group finally got the chance in the episode appropriately titled “Swarley.”
The episode opened with Ted, Marshall, and Barney visiting a coffee shop. They learned the girl working there, Chloe (Morena Baccarin), drew a heart on Marshall’s cup in addition to writing “Swarley” on Barney’s cup. Barney questioned the name mix up, but his friends instantly jumped at the opportunity to mock his new name. This occurred for the duration of the episode with the rest of the characters joining in by mocking Barney’s new nickname. The gag didn’t let up but it did result in a noteworthy final scene that paid tribute to another hit series.
Barney’s Swarley Nickname Helped Create One Of The Show’s Best Gags
Barney tried to put a stop to his nickname but his attempt just fired up his friends to create more variations of Swarley. There was Swar-lay, Swarlos, Swarlitos, Swarshmallow, Swar–wait for it–Lee, Bob Swarley-man, and a handful of others. At one point, Ted even called McLaren’s Pub looking for Swarles Barkley. What Barney didn’t know while protesting the nicknames was that some taped a sign on his back that read “Call Me Swarley,” making for a hilarious revelation. In turn, Barney tried to get everyone to call Robin the name “Roland” after another flub by Chloe in the hope that the Swarley situation would end. The planned failed miserably but it made for one of the best on-going gags in How I Met Your Mother.
In the final scene of the episode, Barney walked into McLaren’s and was met by all the patrons yelling “Swarley!” much to his frustration. He turned to leave as the bartender turned on the Cheers theme song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” while the credits played. The font of the credit also matched Cheers’ to add to the amusing tribute. The episode is revered as one of How I Met Your Mother’s best and the Swarley joke had a lot to do with its reception. The Swarley nickname came up one more time in season 9 when Marshall used it as a comeback after Barney mocked his movie character’s name Narshall.
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