Symphony of Illumination (5 Dec. 2011)

After Robin tells Barney that she's pregnant with his child, she receives some shocking news from her doctor. Meanwhile, a neighborhood teen plays a trick on Marshall while he decorates his house with Christmas lights.

Director:

Pamela Fryman

Writers:

Carter Bays (creator), Craig Thomas (creator),

Stars:

Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Josh Radnor	...	Ted Mosby
Jason Segel	...	Marshall Eriksen
Cobie Smulders	...	Robin Scherbatsky
Neil Patrick Harris	...	Barney Stinson
Alyson Hannigan	...	Lily Aldrin
Vicki Lewis	...	Dr. Sonya
Chase Ellison	...	Scott
Todd Grinnell	...	Insane Duane
Danielle Weeks	...	Sheila
Andra Nechita	...	Robin's Daughter
Noah Schnacky	...	Robin's Son

Storyline

Child-hating Robin is dismayed at being pregnant, but is mildly surprised at Barney's reaction when she tells him that he's the father. Beyond how this situation will affect Robin's relationship with Kevin, they both go through a roller coaster of emotions about being potential parents based on encounters with other people, Barney's with his old pre-Ted wing man, Insane Duane, and Robin's with Lily's gynecologist Dr. Sonya, who provides her with some additional news about her situation. Ted, who can tell that something is bothering Robin, tries, against her wishes, to cheer her up without knowing the entire situation. Meanwhile, Marshall is determined to have the best Christmas light display ever in the tri-state area. He gets a taste of what it's going to be like to be a father when he gets help putting up the display from a neighborhood teenager named Scott.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bays Thomas Productions, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Marshall drops his cell phone from the roof, it only slides into the gutter, and can be seen there when the ladder is moved.

---

Quotes

Robin Scherbatsky: So kids, I settled in for Christmas alone. I appreciated that Ted wanted to cheer me up, but honestly, it wasn't necessary. So I can't have kids.
[scoffs]
Robin Scherbatsky: Big deal, this way, there's no one to hold me back in life, no one to keep me from traveling when I wanna travel, no one getting in the way of my career. If you wanna know the truth of it, I'm glad you guys aren't real.
[Kids and couch fade away to snow]
Robin Scherbatsky: Real glad.

---

Connections

References Rocky (1976)

---

Soundtracks

"Highway to Hell"
(uncredited)
Written by Bon Scott, Angus Young & Malcolm Young
Performed by AC/DC

User Reviews

Cobie Smulders is underrated

This episode was the best Robin centric episode yet. I always knew Cobie Smulders could act but damn, she was outstanding in this episode.

I also loved the fact that her response to not being able to have kids wasn't the typical "oh, I didn't want them anyway." She portrayed the true and raw emotion of finding out such news so perfectly. I guess when you know you can't have something, you realise all of the good things about it. Sort of like "Graduation Goggles." Similar anyway.

I really hope things pick up for Robin and get better. This episode truly was a heartbreaking one.

I gave it a 9 out of 10 and not a full 10 because I didn't enjoy Marshall's scenes on the roof. It wasn't that funny considering the main plot of that episode. We needed solid gold comedy to bring us back from the devastation of Robin's news.

The scene at the end with Ted was the sweetest thing ever. He's such a good person. Their friendship really is something special. The best friendship out of the whole gang.