"The Fortress" is the 19th episode of the eighth season of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

'' How I Met Your Mother'', and the 179th episode overall.

Plot

Robin asks Barney where they should live after the wedding. Barney said they are going to live in his apartment, but Robin refuses because he has bedded countless women there. Barney agrees to find a new place, but also wants the apartment to go to someone who will appreciate it. When Ted rejects Barney's offer, Barney tells Robin that he could not find anyone to take the apartment. Robin arranges for an open house and Barney explains the features while recounting his sexual escapades. Robin accuses him of trying to scare off potential buyers, which he denies. Despite his efforts a couple declares that they want the apartment.

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

is growing frustrated that

Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

's new job as the Captain's art consultant is stopping them from spending time with each other and Marvin. Ted convinces Marshall to break his promise not to watch ''Woodworthy Manor'', a British drama (a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

''), without Lily. When Lily arrives late to Robin's open house, she finds that Marshall and Ted are posing as a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

couple Couple or couples may refer to : Basic meaning *Couple (app), a mobile app which provides a mobile messaging service for two people *Couple (mechanics), a system of forces with a resultant moment but no resultant force *Couple (relationship), tw ...

with Marvin as their child to help encourage potential buyers. While maintaining his gay

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...

, people mistake his argument with Lily as her scolding him for being a gay man. The ruse falls apart when Ted is caught making out with a woman. At the bar, Marshall scolds Lily for abandoning him. When Lily receives a call from the Captain about another assignment, she asks to put it on hold for now to reconcile with Marshall. Barney agrees to sell the apartment because he wants Robin to be happy. She reveals she rejected the couple after learning they were going to tear the place down and rebuild it because she loves him. The woman Ted met at the open house leads Ted away, claiming she will show him what it is like to be with a woman. The gang gathers at Barney's apartment to watch another ''Woodworthy Manor'' episode, but Robin and Barney use a secret chute in the kitchen to escape.

Critical reception

Donna Bowman of ''

the A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the episode an A−. Max Nicholson of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

praised some scenes as enjoyable and funny but complained most of the episode was "outrageous" things from Barney.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortress 2013 American television episodes American LGBT-related television episodes How I Met Your Mother (season 8) episodes