Flashback: How That Wasn't Moby | S1E11 "The Limo"

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Flashback: How That Wasn't Moby"

Podcast: How We Made Your Mother
Episode: S1E11 "The Limo" (Re-release)
Air Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Josh Radnor & Craig Thomas

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Episode Overview

This episode is a special re-release focusing on the iconic "The Limo" episode from How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) Season 1. Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby) and co-creator Craig Thomas revisit the making of the episode, digging into its production challenges, storytelling beats, and its enduring popularity—especially as a New Year’s tradition for fans. The conversation reflects on the deeper resonance of HIMYM, the power of storytelling, technical behind-the-scenes tidbits, and the “Not Moby” subplot that became a fan-favorite meme.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Legacy of "The Limo"

• Fan Testimony: The episode opens with a heartfelt letter from Andrea in Mexico, who watches "The Limo" every New Year's. She highlights how the episode teaches the importance of cherishing loved ones over seeking a perfect party.
  • Notable Quote [03:41, Andrea via Josh]: "It's not about what party you go to or gifts, but about the people you actually spend it with... that's just one of the things I love most about the show."
• Thematic Resonance: Both Josh and Craig discuss how fan stories reaffirm the show’s emotional reach—even years later.

2. Reflections on Watching & Creating HIMYM

• Midpoint in Rewatch: The podcast episode marks the midpoint of Season 1, causing the hosts to reflect on their changed perspectives over time.

  • Craig [05:49]: "I have not watched a lot of these episodes in years... I feel like a different person watching it."
  • Josh [08:03]: "I watch with so much more forgiveness... I was involved in this charming show that continues to delight people."

• The Importance of Storytelling:

  • Josh [07:39]: "There’s this human ache for stories. We need them... this show changed my life, it taught me how to talk with my dad, got me through my divorce."

• The Memory Album Effect:

  • Josh [08:25]: "Most people don’t have their jobs filmed and then teamed out to the rest of the world."

3. Behind-the-Scenes: Shooting "The Limo"

• Production Nightmares:

  • The episode, intended as a "simple" bottle episode to save time and money, turned out to be a logistical challenge.
  • Craig [15:12]: "By the end of shooting this episode, everyone was like, fuck you guys. This was the hardest one to shoot."

• Technical Triumphs & Emmy Win:

  • Cinematographer Chris LaFontaine won an Emmy for this episode’s crafty shooting under tight conditions ([14:20]).
  • Josh [14:44]: "It’s hard to get cameras into a limo and it’s hard to light a limo... technical challenges that were kind of triumphant."

• The Sunroof "Balcony":

  • Josh [10:25]: "The sunroof becomes this other playing space, like stepping out onto the balcony."

4. The Episode’s Plot and Emotional Beats

• Brief Recap [15:00]:

  • Ted rents a limo to give his friends a perfect New Year's. Hijinks ensue—relationship dramas, party-hopping gone awry, and the famous "Not Moby" sequence.
  • Key Dynamic: The push/pull between Ted's Type A planning (the night’s printed schedule) vs. his willingness to break the script for Robin ([18:12]).
    • Josh: "The one person he’ll deviate for... is Robin."

• The "Not Moby" Gag ([20:00]):

  • Cultural Afterlife: “Not Moby” became a running joke both on the show and among fans—in real life, Radnor even became Moby’s neighbor.
  • Craig [21:29]: "We needed someone you could plausibly get wrong... Moby was the platonic ideal."

• Music Licensing Battles:

  • Iconic Use of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”: Debated in the writers’ room vs. Journey’s "Any Way You Want It".
    • Craig [24:44]: “Probably the closest we came to actually having discord in our relationship... I might have made the final call.”
    • Josh [25:00]: “It’s funny every time, and it gets funnier... when Cobie starts singing it, it’s hilarious.”

5. Character Moments and Guest Stars

• Ranjit’s Return ([26:56]):

  • Only his second appearance, yet a character who “looms large” in the show’s psyche.

• Kathleen Perkins as Mary Beth:

  • Nailed the sweet-yet-insightful guest role ([19:09]).

• Iconic Bits:

  • The “circuit’s are jammed” phone line joke—now intentionally retro ([35:02]).
  • Marshall’s “hell of a woman, let’s get some hot dogs” ([32:34]).

6. Realism and Magic in Storytelling

• Magical Realism:

  • The show’s relationship with plausibility vs. fun—e.g., Marshall hearing Lily through city noise, or Marshall miraculously retrieving the CD.
    • Josh [44:29]: “New York is this intensely small village, and it’s one of the biggest cities in the world.”
    • Craig [46:08]: “There is magic... NotMoby’s at the same party, Marshall finds Lily, the show trusts the audience to have fun.”

• Ted’s Emotional Arc:

  • Realizes "the party" is being with friends, not chasing the next best thing ([51:34]):
    • Josh: “Your 20s are about chasing experiences... maturity is realizing it’s about what’s inside you and what’s right in front of you.”

7. Deeper Themes and Series Meta-Commentary

• Spiritual/Moral Lesson (Jordana, psychologist and Josh’s wife) ([55:34]):

  • “We make plans, the unexpected happens… but [it’s] all important. It’s all leading you somewhere... and that somewhere is where you belong.”

• The Series as Honest Memoir ([57:45]):

  • Josh: "Never trust a memoir that doesn’t have scandal... We trust a narrator who leads with vulnerability."

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Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• Andrea (Letter):
  [03:41] “It’s not about the party or gifts... it’s about the people you spend it with.”

• Craig Thomas (Production Woes):
  [15:12] “We thought [a bottle episode] would be a gift. By the end... everyone was like, fuck you guys!”

• Josh Radnor (Sunroof memory):
  [10:25] “The sunroof becomes this other playing space, like stepping out onto the balcony.”

• Josh (On Show’s Impact):
  [05:53] “Now I watch it with so much more forgiveness... I continue to be moved to have been a part of something that affected people this way.”

• Craig (On the Emmy-winning Cinematography):
  [14:20] “Chris LaFontaine won an Emmy for this episode... When you watch this one, it really looks beautiful.”

• Craig (On Bon Jovi Song Debates):
  [24:44] “It was a death match between those two songs [Bon Jovi vs. Journey]... I might have made the final call.”

• Craig (On “Circuit’s Are Jammed” Joke):
  [35:16] “Are we radar from MAS*H? What’s happening... I got it. That made my skin crawl so much! Is it 1874?”

• Jordana (Psychologist Observation):
  [55:34] “All of it is important. All of it’s leading somewhere. For a sitcom, this is a truly metaphysical, spiritual lesson.”

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Important Timestamps (Selected Highlights)

• [03:41] – Fan Letter opening: Emotional impact of “The Limo” as a New Year’s tradition.
• [05:49] – Personal reflections on the HIMYM rewatch.
• [15:12] – Behind-the-scenes: the production headache of the limo episode.
• [14:20] – Cinematography and Emmy win for the episode.
• [20:00] – Origin and cultural legacy of the "Not Moby" gag.
• [24:44] – Writers’ room debates over the “Get Psyched Mix” song.
• [35:02] – The retro “circuit’s are jammed” joke: comic self-roasting.
• [46:08] – The show’s playful magical realism.
• [51:34] – The episode’s deeper lesson: valuing the present over the chase.
• [55:34] – Jordana’s philosophical summary of the episode’s spiritual theme.

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Closing Reflections

The episode ends on a philosophical note: the characters’ growth is mirrored by the show’s creators, who recognize both the timelessness and specificity of HIMYM. Listeners are reminded that “The Limo”—claustrophobic shoot and all—is a perfect encapsulation of HIMYM themes: love, friendship, plans going awry, and the small magic of ordinary moments. As Andrea’s letter and Jordana’s observation underscore, more than chase the ideal night (or life), the show invites fans to notice what’s already in the limo—a message that’s become a New Year’s comfort for viewers worldwide.

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Additional Listener Question

A letter from Jessica in Canada closes the episode ([61:33]), asking if there are shows or movies that mean as much to Josh and Craig as HIMYM does to its fans. Their answers reinforce the theme of story-as-campfire:

• Craig: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Cheers, Buffy, and Conan O’Brien.
• Josh: Sing Street, the before trilogy, Cheers, Family Ties, and author Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files.

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Recommended for:
HIMYM fans, TV production buffs, anyone reflecting on the unpredictability and sweetness of life’s journey, or those seeking pop culture comfort during the New Year.

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Memorable Sign-off Quote:

"It’s all important… it’s not all good, it’s not all bad. It’s important. It’s your story." — Craig Thomas [57:10]

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Transcript

[Josh Radnor]

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[Craig Thomas]

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[Josh Radnor]

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[Craig Thomas]

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[Josh Radnor]

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[Andrea]

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[Josh Radnor]

Happy New Year everyone. Josh and Craig here. We are taking this week off to ring in the new year, but we don't want to leave you without an episode to ring it in with. So we are replaying, repeating.

[Craig Thomas]

It's a rerun.

[Josh Radnor]

Let's just call it a.

[Craig Thomas]

Let's say what it is. We don't want to disrespect.

[Josh Radnor]

We're rerunning a great episode from season one called the Limo. We hope you enjoy it. We loved revisiting this episode. It was hard to shoot, we remember, but it turned out great. And what else to say about the limo, Craig?

[Craig Thomas]

It's one of our own. I mean, we didn't do a New Year's episode every year. I don't think we had one in season two, for example. So it's kind of. It's cool. I love this one very much. Not Moby. There's so many things from this episode.

[Josh Radnor]

It's our only episode, I think that takes place almost exclusively in a limo.

[Craig Thomas]

Which we thought would be easy to shoot and was a nightmare to shoot. So please enjoy us remembering what a nightmare it was to shoot and the amazing came out of it.

[Jordana]

Hi guys. My name is Andrea. I'm from Mexico and I really do love the episode about the limo. I've actually watched it every single New Year's eve right after 12. And honestly, the funny thing is, New Year's Eve is, like, my least favorite holiday of all. But I don't know, this episode just says to me what's important about a holiday. You know, like, it's not about what party you go to or about gifts or about, you know, making extraordinary, but about the people you actually spend it with, about reflecting, about being thankful for one another. And I don't know, I guess that's just one of the things that I love the most about the show, that it makes you come back to the people you love and making sure you spend more time, the most time as possible you can with them and cherish each other. Thank you so much for doing this podcast. This is amazing. So thank you and thank you for changing my life for the better.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm alone. What a pity I won't be soon in New York City when I see you. Please permit me to tell you everything in New York City. Well, hello. Welcome to another episode of How We Made youe Mother. I'm Josh Radner, and I am joined by my friend Craig Thomas. Hello, Craig.

[Craig Thomas]

Hey, Josh.

[Josh Radnor]

Hi.

[Craig Thomas]

I almost cry every time at the openings. Now. I know producer Alec puts together. I literally almost start to cry every time.

[Josh Radnor]

Andrea, I kind of thought, so beautiful. We could just play that letter. It's like that's pretty much that's the episode. In some ways, we summed it up.

[Craig Thomas]

So thank you for joining us on today's episode. This will be the shortest one.

[Josh Radnor]

So if you're just tuning in, Andrea from Mexico, I just love that letter. Thank you so much for that, Andrea. She was talking about episode 11 of how how I met your mother. I'm getting confused about titles. Like I say, how I met your mother. How we met made your mother very tricky. But on this podcast, we are doing a rewatch. I played Ted Mosby on the show from, what was it, 2005 to 2014. I was in every single episode. Craig Thomas probably had a line or two or every line in many of the episodes he co created.

[Craig Thomas]

I got in two jokes in the series.

[Josh Radnor]

You got in two jokes?

[Craig Thomas]

I got two jokes.

[Josh Radnor]

He co created the show with Carter Bay. And we're working our way through it and we're unpacking this mystery of why the show has endured, why people love it so much, why people watch the limo episode every New Year's Eve and what the show just has done to people and continues to do. But before we started, we start today, Craig, talking about the limo episode 11. I did want to do a Little State of the Union. And I just wanted to ask you, how's it going doing this podcast for you?

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, I love it. And you've chosen the perfect moment to do State of the Union because this is episode 11 out of 22. Almost all of the seasons were either. All the seasons were either 22 episodes or 24. 24 in success. Once we became sort of more of a hit, they're like, give us a couple extra a year. And that's when. That was a very good sign. When I went up to 24 and one year because of the writers strike in 2007, eight, it was only 20. But so right now, we're at the exact midpoint. And I am loving it. I have not watched a lot of these episodes in years. Getting to watch it and sort of share it with fans and hear, like, we just did that amazing opening of this episode. Hear what it means to people. I just find it so moving. It's just. I feel like I'm watching it. I feel like a different person watching it. I was so close to it when we were making it. I saw it through such different eyes. And I'm loving it. I'm loving it. It's wonderful. And sort of I'm marveling at what we did 20 years ago.

[Josh Radnor]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

I sort of can't believe a lot of it. I'm like, how do we do that? We didn't know what we were doing.

[Josh Radnor]

I think when you're in it and you're close to it and an episode's airing six weeks after you just made it for me, my ego was just tied up in it in a different way than it is now. I watch it with so much more forgiveness. And I'm marveling at the fact that I was involved in this charming show that continues to delight people. And I told you, I've just gotten back from one leg of my tour, and I'm meeting all of these people who just. The waitress at the restaurant I was at last night said, you. I got my whole sense of humor from you is what she told me, which I thought was fantastic.

[Craig Thomas]

And I said to her, that's so cool.

[Josh Radnor]

I said, well, let's see. So let's see what you got. Let's. I'll. I'll be the judge of that.

[Craig Thomas]

Do a Tide 5.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, let's do it. But, you know, I was thinking, sometimes I think that there's a tendency to dismiss tv, and I've been guilty of this, too, as a kind of popular medium that maybe. Well, I think, you know, there's been so much quality television in almost novelistic ways. Our show the Wire, the, you know, the Sopranos, like, TV has really been elevated to high art, but it's also a populist medium. Right? It's in everyone's home and now pockets, living rooms. But, you know, if you think about our need, our human need for story, I'm sure people were, you know, stopping Sophocles on the street in the Agora or whatever and being like, I don't remember what he wrote, but you know what I mean?

[Craig Thomas]

Like, saying, like, smoking in the Bandit too, is what he wrote.

[Josh Radnor]

Not the saying, you know, stopping. A playwright agrees. Saying, the Oresteia trilogy really floored me.

[Craig Thomas]

But I've got a few notes.

[Josh Radnor]

But I got a few notes. Can you sign just.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Elektra on my arm. Because I'm going to get a tattoo. That's what people want me to write. People will dance on their arms, they get a tattoo. But I think there is a human. I really maintain there's these human ache for stories. We need them. And when people say to me, like, this show changed my life. It taught me how to talk with my dad, it got me through my divorce, and it, you know, gave me my sense of humor, I take that really seriously now, and I really am. I continue to be moved to have been a part of something that affected people this way. But I also, you know, it's so strange to be watching this with my wife. I'm watching almost every episode with her except this episode. We were. We were separate because I was on tour, but just, you know, have a little. Just to look back. It's weird when you do something on camera for this long. It's almost like you have this weird moving. Moving in both senses of the word, like, photo album of your life. It's like it's this weird documentary snapshot. And even though that wasn't what was going on in my life, it was partly what was going on in my life. At least that was my job. But most people don't have their jobs filmed and then teamed out to the rest of the world.

[Craig Thomas]

It must feel so weird. I think about this from your perspective in this rewatch so often. I'm like, well, Josh knows where he was that day. That's him popping out of the top of a limo. He's like, that's what I was doing that day of work of my life 20 years ago. No one gets that. And that's you. That's you at that age, at that minute, existing on Planet Earth in that moment and watching it again and kind of going back into that. Like, I'm having a little bit of that kind of vertigo of like. I remember I was standing off to the side at Video Village watching the four cameras, you know, the. The four monitors showing the four camera shots. But what is it is. Is there kind of like a weird emotional vertigo of trying to, like, remember your way back into, like, what it looked like, say, within that limo scene?

[Josh Radnor]

That just occurred to me. I remember. I think sometimes when you're in the apartment or you're in the bar, we did so much in there that it's hard to isolate. Oh, I remember that day. Unless something really particularly strange happened. But the limo became shorthand for this prison that we all shared together. Like, I remember us saying limo. Like, whatever was going on, we'd be like, well, at least we're not in the limo. Because it was so intense. And I think, did it. Remind me, was it all shot in an actual limo or was some of it tricked out, like, to look like a limo? Did we shoot some of it on the stage? I can't remember.

[Craig Thomas]

Well, I. It was an episode that Carter was on the set for. And he probably have more memories than me, so I wish we had him in this one. But I think. No, I think we had. We were shooting the inside of the limo. I think it was.

[Josh Radnor]

A lot of.

[Craig Thomas]

It was really in that limo, I think, and it was really hard to shoot.

[Josh Radnor]

It was cramped. I mean, a lot of times there were like four people in like a three person backseat. I did. I do have very strong memories of. One thing I really loved was how the sunroof kind of area becomes this other playing space.

[Craig Thomas]

It's like another room.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, it's like stepping out onto the balcony.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes, Right.

[Josh Radnor]

Like, it has that feel. And I just love. I remember very strongly, like one. It was joyful to get out of the limo, kind of get some air and pop up. But I really liked all the scenes that were played up there. I found it really. And I remember that final scene with Kobe. And maybe it was because it was episode 11, but this episode, I think, does a very good job. And we'll summarize what the episode is in one second. But it does a very good job of being, like we said, a self contained episode. You could just tune in and you get it. You watch this gang of friends try to navigate this crazy New Year's Eve. But also the Ted and Robin thing, it's like you move the ball down the field like it really, it really does. That thing you guys were trying to do, you were, you were having your cake and eating it too, I think in a really nice way here.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, the very end of that episode where he walks across the street and the light changes to like walk as he, as he walks.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh, I love that so much.

[Craig Thomas]

I love that shot. First of all, Pam Freyman, when Pam Freyman would do put together a shot like that, we'd say that shot was deep fried for Pam Freyman. And that is a deep fried shot. That is a classic. And it feels like he's walking into a new year. He's walking into a new chapter. We don't know what's gonna happen. It's a great way to say to the audience, hey, keep watching, you're gonna see some cool stuff.

[Josh Radnor]

And it's also, it's a cinematic moment. Like I'm always looking for moments like I'm going to quote, I'm going to reference my own work, but in liberal arts, it's. There's this somewhat of a romance, but not quite between a 35 year old and a 19 year old. And he's obsessed with their age difference, as he should be. And he works out the math. He says, when I was, you know, 15, you know, 16, she was zero when I was 19, she was three when I. But then he goes, well, when I'm so and so, she'll be so. And then the age starts seeming like less of a problem. But it's a totally silent scene and it goes back and forth. It's just an inner, a close insert shot on the page and his face, boom, boom, boom. And the thing I loved about that is you cannot do that in a theater. That is a purely like cinematic shot. And I love the last shot of the limo because him walking away with that little grin on his face and the camera pulling up and just catching the go. The pedestrian go sign is. That is movie making. Like, that is like. It tells you everything you need to know and you feel it in your chest. It doesn't, it's not words. And I wrote you this little ditty to sing to you in New York City. We'll be right back. Ah, dsw. Earth, place of the humble brag here. The shoes are so good.

[Andrea]

No one would ever know how little.

[Josh Radnor]

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[Andrea]

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[Craig Thomas]

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[Andrea]

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[Craig Thomas]

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[Josh Radnor]

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[Craig Thomas]

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[Andrea]

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[Craig Thomas]

That's why you rack.

[Josh Radnor]

And now back to the show.

[Craig Thomas]

And also, I should say I found this. I looked up some fun facts about this episode. Our cinematographer, Chris LaFontaine won an Emmy for cinematography for this episode. This was his Emmy winning submission. So he won. And when you watch this one, it really looks beautiful. The night stuff outside on New York street and the ending we just talked about, it's really quite moving to look at. It's a beautiful, beautifully shot episode.

[Josh Radnor]

It's also hard. I don't think people understand. It's hard to get cameras into a limo and it's hard to light a limo like it's there. There were technical challenges that were kind of triumphant in this episode. And people don't understand. I don't think that the truly, and.

[Craig Thomas]

I will say the irony we should say. I mean, we've sort of summarized the episode. It's our big New Year's Eve episode. Ted rents a limo to try to steal back a good New Year's from what is a sea of terrible New Year's Eves. New Year's Eves are often terrible. As Ted says to the coat check girl in okay, awesome. When they're listing stuff that's supposed to be fun, that is not New Year's Eve. Which is a wonderful little sort of set for Ted saying, okay, we're taking back New Year's Eve tonight. We'll make this one fun. And he tries to do that for his group of friends. But there's this element of Robin dating this new guy who's super rich. And Ted has a date that night. And Ted's date sort of goes away. Says, you're in love with Robin, which is a great thing to Hear in episode 11, the dead middle point of season one for where the rest of season one's going. She leaves and then Ted and Robin. Is something going to happen? No. The billionaire guy comes back, finds Robin. He wasn't supposed to be available. That Night, he kind of gets in Ted's way. But then Ted and Robin have this wonderful moment at the end that promises more. I will say the ones. All of that summary to say. We tried to make an episode that was simple to shoot. That was how this idea came about. We had been asking so much of the crew. We had been spending too much money. We had been doing so many 60, 70 scene episodes that our wonderful producer, Susie Greenberg, whose praises we were just singing earlier today, and Pam Freyman and everybody who made these episodes happen, we said, here's our gift to you. We're just gonna make an episode mostly in this limo. Everybody's together for the most part. You're welcome. It's so simple. And by the end of shooting this episode, everybody was like, fuck you guys. Yeah, you made. This was the hardest one to shoot.

[Josh Radnor]

I was like, it was hard. And I'm. You know, I run a little claustrophobic, you know, like, it's. It was just. It was a real. I remember on breaks when we would have a moment to step out and we'd be like, you know, coming out of the.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, Josh, correct me if I'm wrong, we drove a limo into the soundstage, made it sort of poor man's process, as they say, right? Just black out the windows and shot it on a soundstage. Mostly only the exterior limo stuff was actually shot on exterior New York street. But the limo that we were shooting in was the same limo, question mark. Or was it a special limo where it was tricked out to have a different limo where seats lifted out and walls lifted out? I'm sure it was something clever like that, but God damn it, I can't remember.

[Josh Radnor]

I don't remember either.

[Craig Thomas]

I wasn't on set. That was.

[Josh Radnor]

I do have memory of an actual limo being in stage 20.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, so all the stuff that was inside was shot inside of a soundstage in this limo. I don't know if it would have. It was probably a special limo where stuff moved in and out. And then the limo that actually, you see exterior on the street was not that limo, because it was just a normal limo that actually drove and didn't have seats. But it was incredibly complicated, as it turned out, by the cluster.

[Josh Radnor]

Like I said, it became a kind of shorthand, like, well, would you rather go back to the limo? It was, like, brutal. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

It was supposed to be simpler.

[Josh Radnor]

We were a little scarred by it, but I mean, scarred relative to, you know, still a good job. But I did, I did. I do think you picked up in here the Runner of Ted and his schedule. You know, his, like, needing to plan, his needing to have. They're like, no, no, no, no. We're 10 to 45. We're supposed to be at this party.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

But the one person he will deviate from and improvise and go into, like, well, let's see what happens is Robin. He will throw. He will tear up the schedule. He will chew the schedule and swallow it if Robin calls.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes. Which his date very much picks up on by the end. Ted's poor date, who's the hugger and gets. She's very sweet about it, but she's like, you're in love with Robin. And it was just really exciting to hear someone say that to Ted's face in that moment on New Year's Eve. I loved that moment because it was like, well, yeah, that's what the rest of the season's gonna be about.

[Josh Radnor]

And I thought that was. I thought it was so funny. When he denies it. She says, you're clearly in love with Robin. And he's like, no. And he's very sincere. She says, and it's clear she's. She's into you, too. And he's like, wait, really? Like, he can't.

[Craig Thomas]

That's so great. He can't not get there. Yeah. It's so funny.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

And he's yelling at everybody else for daring to deviate from the schedule. But anything. You're right. Anything related to Robin, he's like, all right, we're off book here.

[Josh Radnor]

Just a shout out to Kathleen Perkins, who played Mary Beth, the hugger, the co worker. The hugging co worker, who was so wonderful. And also, if you've ever seen the TV show episodes, she was at, like, a network executive or like the head of the. Yeah. She was so unbelievably funny in that. I remember years later, just seeing her crush that show. She was fantastic.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And had clearly encountered a bunch of executives.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, she.

[Josh Radnor]

She understood the essence of that. Yeah. But I thought it was really funny. Like, well, she hugs me a lot. Maybe that means she's into me.

[Craig Thomas]

She just.

[Josh Radnor]

She constitutionally incapable of not hugging people.

[Craig Thomas]

She has to hug everybody.

[Josh Radnor]

She hugs everyone.

[Craig Thomas]

It's her thing.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

She was great. And we should say JP Minu as not Moby was great and iconic in this episode.

[Josh Radnor]

Not Moby has stuck in the culture.

[Craig Thomas]

Hey, can you tell the story? Don't you have a real life story about the sort of intersection of reality?

[Josh Radnor]

Well, I know Moby a bit. I mean, if you live in LA long enough, you you get to know Moby.

[Craig Thomas]

He's the Richard kind of la.

[Josh Radnor]

He's just. He's around.

[Craig Thomas]

Isn't Richard kind also the Richard kind of la? Anyway.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, but I ended up. I used to go to these parties when he lived not far from me. But then we both. I moved not long after, like, three doors down from him. So I. He was my neighbor. I would see him, you know, we'd be walking dogs and just have a conversation. But I remember at some point I said, hey, do you get. Do people ever tell you about this how I met your mother episode? And he was like, yeah, all the time. And it's funny because when people run into him, I'm sure they were like, are you Moby or not Moby? You know? But he definitely was feeling the. I don't think it was a burden, but I think he was feeling like, yeah, I know this episode is out there. I don't know if he'd ever seen it, but I think he had pieced together what. What the gist was.

[Craig Thomas]

It's hilarious. What does that mean?

[Josh Radnor]

Why.

[Craig Thomas]

Why are people saying the phrase not Moby to me?

[Josh Radnor]

Where did you come up with, like, how, How? And not Steven Tyler? Like, where did that come from?

[Craig Thomas]

I think it was just that we thought it had to be a guy that you could. You could conceive. You could conceivably get it wrong. Do you know what I mean? Like, Moby had. You do sometimes see guys that look like Moby, right? He had that just. Alec Lev, our producer.

[Josh Radnor]

Alec looks like Moby.

[Craig Thomas]

Who could look like Moby? You got the glasses on. You get the sort of, like, hipster track jumpers. I'm not saying that's what Moby in real life does now, but for a certain time in the late 90s, early 2000s, there's a very iconic Moby. Look. There he is, Alex, replicating it with splashes. And I think it was just. We were pitching on who could you plausibly really get into a limo and spend a bunch of time with before realizing it's not that person? And Moby was somehow. It was just the platonic ideal. Do you know that idea? It just was perfect.

[Josh Radnor]

Do you know how. It's like we were talking in the last episode, like, the pineapple was the perfect fruit, and Moby was the perfect rock star for this.

[Craig Thomas]

Perfect rock star. I don't know. Yeah. If you just spend enough time and you have to sit around for, like, half a day in a writer's room just pitching on stuff and to Land at Moby or to land at Pineapple. And you go, I can't believe this is what I'm doing with my life. I can't believe I'm being paid to do this. To talk for half a day about who's the best person. Then, like, five hours later, it's like, Moby. But then you're glad you spent the time, because not Moby was. I don't think we could have beaten it.

[Josh Radnor]

Fantastic. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

It's perfection.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And it also, like, it made me feel again, almost like the Belle and Sebastian song. It made me feel like we're on a show of the moment. You know what I mean? Like, we're not on a show that's, like, talking about Lawrence Welk. Like, we're. We're like, really. We're really happening in real time. And now it's a period piece. Like, now it feels like, okay, we look back, that was 2005. There are a couple things I wanted to. That just delighted me, that I just wanted to say, barney, CD is hilarious. And the fact that it should rise and fall. But no, it should just rise and rise and rise. And that NotModi agrees with him.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh. When they link up about it and not Moby is saying insightful things about music, it's like, clearly, this is Moby.

[Josh Radnor]

This is Moby.

[Craig Thomas]

Moby agrees with my music. Moby's second and burning.

[Josh Radnor]

But was it hard to get the rights to you Give Love a bad Name? Is that what the song's called?

[Craig Thomas]

First of all, yeah, that's the song. You give love a bad name. First of all, I think it's the most we've ever played a song in an episode, because that song starts and stops, like, 14 times, and I can't. I think you have to pay more for that. I wish this would be a good Andy Gowen question. If we ever talked to our music supervisor, Andy Gatwan, I think you probably paxed her. You're like, we're gonna play it 15 times. Is that okay? I think there's probably an upcharge there, but it was expensive. It was probably our most expensive one today. It's a Bon Jovi. It's an absolute classic Bon Jovi song. I don't remember. It was a lot of money. But you wanna know something? Talking about spending half a day debating Moby, I cannot tell you how much of a debate there was about what song this should be. It had to be a song that right when you hit play, it's just all the way in. It's all the way. There's no slow build. There's no intro piece. It's right. It has to be a song that starts. And Phil Lourd and I, it's probably the closest we've come to actually having discord in our relationship because Phil Lord, whom I adore, Lord Miller, they were writers on the show on season one. Phil was going to die on the hill of Any way you want it by Journey. Is that what that song's called? You know, when you. The song comes in, it's like, yeah, that's. Yeah. And it comes in so hot. Just like, shot. Shot through the heart. Like, it comes. It's another song that comes in like that. So it got whittled down to this, like, death match between those two songs. And we were almost shouting at each other about, like. And I was, of the moment, Bon Jovi. You know, I was like a teenager preteen at that moment. That song just hit at that point for me, much more than Journey was, you know, 10, 15 years before that. And so I think I might have made the final call. Like, it's gotta be.

[Josh Radnor]

It's gotta be done. I do remember in the network run through. I think Dave Baker's was. Was just pressing play every time, you know, off. And I do remember it killing. Like, it's funny every funny time, and it gets funnier. And it's also, like, when Kobe starts singing it. When Robin starts singing it to try to amp up the car is so funny. That would be also a good Andy Gowen. We should have Andy Gowen on to talk about.

[Craig Thomas]

We should do an Andy Gowen episode.

[Josh Radnor]

It'd be very funny to say when. When Robin starts singing it. Was that another $15,000?

[Craig Thomas]

How much do we pay for that?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, how much did we pay for her just to sing it?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, I think you have to. I think it's. I. Yeah, we gotta ask him that. I'm almost positive we would have had to pay extra for that, too. But it's just. It's the perfect song. It comes in on 11. It just comes in at a. It comes in. In the red.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Well, also, there's. There's music like needle drops, which. Which is an industry term, but they're so important. Like, sometimes you can introduce like, a. Below, like a. A song like you love, like, not a surf, which maybe a lot of people hadn't heard. This is one. It's dependent on it being in the cultural bloodstream for 20 years. Like, you need something that everyone. That's part of the Comedy about it is it's just like. It just does the thing it's supposed to do, and it also does it at moments that it's inappropriate, you know?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Oh, there's. When there's like the awkward sort of downbeat silence, and then it pops in again. That was a laugh out loud moment for me watching it. And also that bar. Ronnie's entire psyche is like, as soon as that cd, his get psych mix goes away, he becomes Emily Dickinson. As soon as he doesn't have that anymore, he just spirals into darkness, which was.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, it's almost like it's his drug for the night. It's his way to stay psyched. And once he has it, he falls into an existential pit. So is this the first Ranjit reappearance since the pilot? Yes.

[Alec Lev]

Ron Jeet appeared in two episodes in season one, episode one, pilot, episode 11, the limo.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay, there it is.

[Alec Lev]

Wow.

[Josh Radnor]

It's so funny how sometimes characters loom large in the psyche of the show. But, I mean, it's amazing that he was only on two.

[Craig Thomas]

He has so much presence.

[Josh Radnor]

He has so much presence.

[Craig Thomas]

He hops on screen.

[Josh Radnor]

And he is also the kindest, sweetest human. Like, every time you show up, you were never not delighted to see Marshall come on set. He was so wonderful. I also love. I don't want you to see me pissed.

[Craig Thomas]

I love that. I don't want you to be pissed. Ted. It's so great. He's like, they've struck up a friendship. You know what I mean?

[Josh Radnor]

He's a gentleman. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Was Ranjit driving for the limo company and Ted found him? Did Ted rent a limo and hire Ranjit to be the driver? Like, how does this work? And how did Ted track him down? Do we just assume at the end of that champagne night, they were like, let's all stay in touch.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, let's all stay in touch.

[Josh Radnor]

Let's.

[Craig Thomas]

They probably. Let's, let's all buy a bar type of moment, I think. Yeah. It's definitely strongly implied that Ranchi now drives for the limo company too, because he says, I'm moving up in the world. He's moved up from cabs to driving a big old limo for a special event.

[Josh Radnor]

A couple other things. This is the first time I ever heard the phrase, and I love it. But when Lily said, these dogs are barking, was that a Courtney Kang line? I feel like that might have been a Courtney Kang line.

[Craig Thomas]

That is an old. That phrase pre exists.

[Josh Radnor]

No, I know. I know it existed, but I had never heard it before.

[Craig Thomas]

Did Courtney pitch it? I could see Courtney pitching that. God, I can't remember. I love these dogs. I love when Lily would just say weird shit like that. These dogs are barking.

[Alec Lev]

These dogs are barking.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. It's so funny. Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And, yeah, Natalia's great. The drunk.

[Craig Thomas]

Very funny. I super love you.

[Josh Radnor]

I super love you. I mean, sometimes guest stars, I. It's actually very hard to guest star on a show because we, the five of us, we live there, right? They're coming into our house. We know the whole crew. It's the warmth that you feel and the ease and comfort you feel when you're a series regular is so different than what a guest star feels. They get cast very quickly. They go into a wardrobe fitting. They're on set maybe the next. That afternoon or the next day or two days later. Maybe they haven't even been. I don't remember. I don't think she was at the run through. I think she got cast later. So. I'm always amazed when actors can come on and just crush it as a guest star because you're. It's not your home. You're really coming in. I remember someone said, here's what guest starring in Law and Order is like. It's like, I'm unloading groceries, My wife is dead. Like, you just have to pivot from this insane, like, banal task to, like, the most emotional thing. And the series regulars are just like, that's right, your wife is dead. Like, they get to be stoic and kind of, you know, chill. Right?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. It's really hard to fly in and do that. And this was a great episode for that, right? Everybody in this episode was great, and they needed to be, because everyone's stuck in a fucking limo. I love that. It's an episode about New Year's Eve parties, and you don't see one second of a single New Year's Eve party. It's very like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Like, the Hamlet story is happening somewhere else else.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, also, you know, the thing about New Year's Eve being miserable. Like, this is another thing where the. What was actually happening in the fictional world was mirroring what was happening in our world. Like, we weren't happy in that limo. Like, it started to feel incredibly claustrophobic. You. You needed to get out and stretch your legs. And it was just. It was just. It was just like a pressure.

[Craig Thomas]

Must have been hot in there too, right? And you're maybe. And I wonder if that's why Because I did one. Okay, I have one. Ding. I like to give notes on the episodes when I watch them now. And no one was dressed warmly enough for New Year's Eve in New York. It felt a little la. It felt a little la. Right? There wasn't evidence of big bulky jackets. And then, like, even what they were wearing, maybe the jackets were all in a corner somewhere of the limo in a pile, maybe. But even what they're wearing, like Robin's in this, like, sleeveless. Like, it's like the whole time. Like, they would be so fucking freezing. But I bet part of it is how hot it was in that limo. And wardrobe was like. Like they're going to be sweating balls in there if we put them all in sweaters.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm almost sure we had that conversation and I'm almost sure that was a consideration. Like, we. And you don't want to have bulky jackets that you're carrying in and out of the car. I think we just made a game time decision. Like, we're not going to. And also the plant. Maybe the planet. Yeah. Was. Wasn't as warm as it is now.

[Craig Thomas]

So it would have been cold.

[Josh Radnor]

You know what I mean?

[Craig Thomas]

Throw back on. She was like, no, I call. They would be. They would be much more bundled up here. I was like, all right.

[Josh Radnor]

Do you know what made me laugh? Which was something that I can't remember. Who was the big champion of this? I think Jason was in on this. But we had this the whole nine years. But when the car stops, we would go like that.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And I noticed there was one that I kind of missed. Like, I was like, oh, yeah, we're supposed to. But everyone was really into doing it. But I always thought it was silly because you're not going that fast. It's New York City, right? Like, you're going 15 miles an hour and you stop. You don't.

[Craig Thomas]

Bumper to bumper.

[Josh Radnor]

But everyone was really into doing it and it was just like this, like, funny little joke that is. Not that it's not funny in the episode. It's just. It was funny on set. You know, it's almost getting, like, getting the generals.

[Craig Thomas]

It's trying to get the general. Yeah, that's really funny. I love those things that could become runners over nine years. Just in your own mind as actors. Like, you guys are working in Guys, Guys, Guys a lot for a while. Because Michael Shea always used to say, guys, guys, guys. You're like. If there's just the word guys in a script, you would always change it to guys.

[Josh Radnor]

Guys, guys, guys, guys.

[Craig Thomas]

As a shout out to R and.

[Josh Radnor]

D, Michael, this is a sentence that I don't think had ever been uttered on national television before, but I think we were the first to say, hell of a woman. Let's go get some hot dogs, right?

[Craig Thomas]

It's such a weird turn. This is this very hell of a woman.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, in some ways, Marshall's entire personality is encapsulated in that whole line. So he's got like, his. His like, romantic kind of like, I love this woman and I'm going to always be here for her. And also, God damn it, let's get some.

[Craig Thomas]

Let's get those crispy hot dogs I love. After that moment, the cut to the next scene is him saying, wow, we're riding around in a limo eating hot dogs. It's like, we're the president. We're the president. But you know what the president does?

[Josh Radnor]

That's now what our president does, that is. But back then it was kind of absurd. But now, literally, like, our president is in limos with big Macs.

[Craig Thomas]

He's 100% doing that as we speak.

[Josh Radnor]

And this old man, he must admit he fell in love with you.

[Craig Thomas]

New York City and now commercials.

[Andrea]

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[Craig Thomas]

End of commercials. Back to show.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay, this is where I got to call out a. This is where I got to call out a dated thing. And it made me laugh every time.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Oh, the circuits are.

[Josh Radnor]

You can't get through. The circuits are jammed.

[Craig Thomas]

What the was happening. We said that that so many times, so many times. Embarrassing.

[Josh Radnor]

You picture like the. The old timey operator, like trying to plug in the things and get the calls through.

[Craig Thomas]

I was like, are we radar from mash? What's happening. Are they tr. We're trying to get to Tokyo on the line to see if they've got some extra.

[Josh Radnor]

Do you know what? This exchange made me laugh cuz Marshall goes, I can't get through. The circuits are jammed. And you made me say well that's New Year's Eve for you.

[Craig Thomas]

That's New Year's Eve for you. What the fuck? Was that a note or did we do did where we asked to. I got it. I that made my skin cr so much. I'm like is it 1874? Like what's happening right now?

[Josh Radnor]

The pony express. I can't get through to Lily.

[Craig Thomas]

Lily, hi Lily, it's Marshall. Stop. We're trying to meet you for New Year's Eve. Stop. And then at the end there's a nice daguerreotype photograph.

[Josh Radnor]

Whoosh.

[Craig Thomas]

With the big like. Yeah, that's. It's. Everything about those moments were so I was sitting there going why did we act like it was. I can't explain it. It feels like it was a note that we got.

[Josh Radnor]

If enough people in the not enough whim yam listeners want this, I think a funny T shirt would be I can't get through. The circuits are jammed.

[Craig Thomas]

The circuits are jammed. It's like three times we've had that phrase.

[Josh Radnor]

I think it's four. I think it's four. It really. It really is a runner in the. In the thing. And it really. It makes it us look like we were. Yeah, like mash. Like it makes it look like a hundred years ago.

[Craig Thomas]

And it's like were we so concerned that people would be like ah. Why can't they get something to cell phone? Sometimes you don't hear your ringer. The call didn't go through. That happens now in 2025. There was no need to explain that at any moment. And yet we're like really over explaining that one. Oh my God. Sorry. Sorry everyone. That was a mess on our part.

[Alec Lev]

Can I ask if there was mix of broken logic with Marshall's phone?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, I think there was because I think she did. I think one of those like the circuits are like. I think one of those. His phone was still stuck in the limo, right? And she said she's still saying that stupid line when that we didn't have to say it there because her. Anyway, I'm sorry everyone.

[Josh Radnor]

No, no. I mean these are the kind of funny things that it's almost like, you know, like famous when props get misplaced shot to shot. Like famous in great movies, right?

[Craig Thomas]

Oh yeah, it happens in Everything. It happens in everything. You can't avoid it. I think in this one, too. I think not. Moby leaves with the disc. Leaves with, like, the case of the Get Psyched mix, not just the CD itself. But then all of a sudden, it's back in the limo, empty as proofs that he's taking the disc. I think that was a glitch. I think I REM call down on that. And being like, yeah, that feels, like, weird.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, when I was editing one of my movies, I worked with this great editor both times named Michael Miller. And he had edited Raising Arizona and Ghost World and all these really incredible.

[Craig Thomas]

You want to talk about editing?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And he. He did a couple Cohen brothers, but he was a great editor. I learned a lot from him. And I was. We. We had lost a scene. We had edited out a scene, and then it made it look like they changed clothes in the middle of the day. And he said to me, I'll never forget this. He said, audiences don't pay attention to that. And do you know the Robert Redford movie Three Days in the Condor?

[Jordana]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Originally, the original script was called Six Days in the Condor. And in editing, they were like, we need to compress the time. It works better as Three Days. And if you watch the movie in the middle of the day, they just switch.

[Craig Thomas]

They're just.

[Josh Radnor]

They're just changing clothes. And he said, no one has ever brought it up in movie history. Like, no one says anything about it, which I think is an incredible thing. Like, what are we. What are we watching and what are we paying attention to, you know? Yeah, but I think. I think some of these things, like, I think there's a timeless aspect to how I met your mother that is why it's so widely beloved, because teenagers right now are watching it, and it feels relevant to them. They can relate to it. It's not too. It's not so far like, it's been swallowed by the past, but there are these markers that it was 2005. And I think that they're sweet and cool and not to be apologized for, actually.

[Craig Thomas]

No, no, it captures it. And look, it's a story being told from 2030, about 2005. And in 2030, you'd be looking back at it, saying, what we're saying right now. We're in 2025 right now.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. You almost, like, created a context where you can get away with all of it.

[Craig Thomas]

It's okay to say the year. It's okay, because it's a story about that year. What'll be Weird is when we, the real world passes 20, 30, if. If we all survive that long, who knows? TBD. And then it's going to be like, oh, shit. That's adding another level of weirdness. But at the moment, it's still, yeah, it's happened in that year of Ted Mosby's life and future. Ted gets to talk about it, and he's not going to upgrade anyone's phones in the story. Although I don't think anyone was saying the phrase, the circuits are busy even in 2000.

[Josh Radnor]

I don't remember ever saying that except on the show. Well, that's New Year's Eve for you.

[Craig Thomas]

That's New Year's Eve. That line jumped out at me too, Josh. And I was like, poor Josh, having to say that line. What?

[Josh Radnor]

You'll notice that I really try to make short work of it. I was like, well, that's New Year's.

[Craig Thomas]

Is that what you do when you get a real clunker?

[Josh Radnor]

You're like, yeah, you just try to act like it's. You just throw it away, you know.

[Craig Thomas]

I'm going to look for more of those as we can continue the rewatch.

[Josh Radnor]

I think if it was like the third or fourth season, I would have gone up to you and said, I'm not saying this line.

[Craig Thomas]

Can I get rid of this? You should have. You and you damn well should have.

[Josh Radnor]

I know. I think I was still trying to.

[Craig Thomas]

Why those lines are in there.

[Josh Radnor]

I was still trying to be a good student. You know, I was still trying to get the A. I, I. What? I thought you said when Mo. When not Moby says, I thought you said Tony. And then he says, so your name is Tony? And he says, no, no. It's so funny.

[Craig Thomas]

He is so crazy. And. And we. And he's in that episode. And then what I love about that moment is you figure, well, that's it. We're never going to hear know this guy's name. And then there's that wonderful way later in the episode, Marshall says, moby signed my shirt. He turns around and says Eric on the top of the shirt. Like we did get to solve that mystery. The guy's name is Eric, which, as you put it out, Josh sounds not at all like Tony or Moby or Moby. He's on the bench.

[Josh Radnor]

And also like Eric. It's just like really crudely drawn. Like, it's not like a signature. It's just like the guy's a proper psychological go Eric. He's.

[Craig Thomas]

He's a psycho. He's waving that Gun around. He JP Manuk captured that unhinged energy very well.

[Josh Radnor]

Speaking of waving the gun around, I did catch something I did that I thought was delightful. When he's waving the gun around, I hold the party schedule note card up to my head to protect me from an errant bullet. If you look, I'm holding it up.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, oh, God, there's a metaphor there. Because Ted thinks plans will save him.

[Josh Radnor]

Plans will save him.

[Craig Thomas]

Plans will save everything.

[Josh Radnor]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, my God. So, yeah, I think it's the most we've ever played one song in the Bon Jovi song. I know there's probably no other episode where a song starts and stops a dozen times. And very. I will call one out. One other cool song out in there. The song Major Leagues by Pavement plays for also in the major leagues. Or maybe it's just Major league singular. Great song from Tara Twilight by Pavement that is about being ready for great things. That is a great love song that sort of talks about, I'm gonna screw up and I'm ready, like, bring on the major leagues. Like bring on a real love now. And that's near the end. Near the end. That great ending where Ted walks off kind of into the future, but it's sort of great. Cause you think that's the ending song. But then it gets cut off by Robin's billionaire hundred millionaire boyfriend showing up and he kind of cuts off that song. I like the kind of fake out where you think that song's kind of gonna carry you through to the happy ending. And it doesn't. It gets cut off. And Ted has a very bittersweet New Year's with this little moment of hope from Robin. But that was a little fake out ending song of Pavement that didn't turn out to actually be the ending song. I like that.

[Josh Radnor]

I did. We talked about this. But I loved the sunroof being this other playing space. And I just enjoy. There was something so pleasurable. Maybe it was just I got to leave the limo, but there was something so nice about popping up and having a scene up there. And also we had talked about this when Mary Beth says she can tell Rob Robbins into him. And he. And he says, wait, really? And it occurred to me, like, Ted is a bad actor. Like, like, I hope I'm a good actor, but Ted is a bad actor. He's.

[Craig Thomas]

It's true.

[Josh Radnor]

He's not a master of disguise. Like, Barney's a pretty good actor and most of his life is somewhat of an act, or a lot of it.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radnor]

But Ted is Just, he's. He's. Is a. Guileless. Is that the word? Like, he's.

[Craig Thomas]

He's guileless?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

There's no. There's no. There's no smokescreen. There's nothing he's not masking. He can't help but ask his date if she really thinks Robin likes him. It's that there's something. So it's sort of shitty and great at the same time because Ted just can't lie. He can't cover that up.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. I love that. I love that you play that moment. Great.

[Josh Radnor]

Speaking of smokescreens, I love Marshall emerging from that steam.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, my God, Lily, I'm gonna go call Marshall. And she just means calling his name out. I love when we have those little magic New York moments. And that entire scene, she can call his name echoing through the buildings, through the canyons of New York, and he will come running out of the smoke. That I love. The metaphysical weirdness of that.

[Josh Radnor]

New York is a very strange place. It's this intensely small village, and it's one of the biggest cities in the world. All at the same time.

[Craig Thomas]

All at the same time.

[Josh Radnor]

And there's something like. If you really understand New York and the geography of at least Manhattan, that's impossible.

[Craig Thomas]

It's impossible.

[Josh Radnor]

It's too loud. It's too crazy. Like, even if he was half a block away, you can't hear someone screaming half a block away in New York City. But it was. It's magic. Like, I. Alec and I talk about this, like. Like, just adding magic into scripts. Like our. Alec, I'm going to tell something you told me, but about Fargo. Speaking of the Coen brothers, you said a. A female police chief investigating a murder in. In. Where was it? Minnesota? Yoda is great, but that she's pregnant is magic, right? Right?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Yes.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's. There's just these little details that. That enchant a script a little bit more. And that's one of them.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

I also. Oh, I remember Jason loving emerging. I mean, it's almost like a professional wrestler coming out of the dressing room. Like in the fog. Like, he. There was something he. You could tell he was. In the same way. Like, okay, awesome. He loved the D. Like, he loved coming out of that stage.

[Craig Thomas]

No, he runs. He appears out of the smoke. The Bon Jovi song for the first time becomes full score. It's not being played in the limo. It's actually the score. And it plays him in. And it is a very get psyched moment. And Jason leaned into it. I love that moment so much. And there is magic. Like the fact that NotMobi is at the same party they were gonna go to. The 100 Millionaire Finding Robin at all. Marshall's name somehow magically calling him out of the mist. His wife calling his name sort of makes him appear. I feel like he was way far away from them. And a portal appeared. And he ran through the portal towards Lily's voice.

[Josh Radnor]

And he jumped down three floors.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, he jumped three floors. But Lily's voice made it all possible because he loves her so much. I love that moment so much.

[Alec Lev]

What's wonderful about this show's use of that kind of magic is that it's almost leaning on the fact that you have purchased a kind of trust from your audience to then allow to break all the rules that you have. Because certainly if you mess up continuity somewhere and you're wearing the wrong clothing. You're wearing the wrong.

[Josh Radnor]

That.

[Alec Lev]

That's almost. That's like a ding for. For an audience. They'll sort of notice that if all of a sudden you just break reality and just say the same. What you're saying is, do you want to have fun or not?

[Craig Thomas]

Right.

[Alec Lev]

And I. And I think that once you.

[Craig Thomas]

You've. You've.

[Alec Lev]

You've got them. They love these people and they know what the show is.

[Josh Radnor]

And.

[Alec Lev]

Oh, it's not a show that's supernatural. This is a real life show. I'm in. But now you're asking, hey, do you wanna do something crazy with me? Come jump out a window with me and land three floors down. And you had them at that point. And so you could introduce this kind of thing.

[Craig Thomas]

We trust the audience to make these magical realism based leaps. Except in the case of not being able to complete a cell phone call. In which case we have to say the circuits are busy. That one we had to explain Marshall appearing out of the sm. That's fine.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, Howie. Mary. Mother. Like. Because it's this memory play. You're allowed to bend time and space and defy the laws of physics in a different way.

[Craig Thomas]

What a trick. What a magic trick to get to use. The trick of the unreliable narrator. The unreliability of memory itself.

[Josh Radnor]

This is another magic moment. Is that Marshall steals back the CD from NotMobi. Like one. How would he know? Like the amount of leaps that Marshall would have to make to figure out that this is Barney's cd. Not Moby stole it.

[Craig Thomas]

How could you see that?

[Josh Radnor]

But he thinks he's still Moby. He still thinks he's Moby, but he steals it back. And it made me feel. Because we get it. I don't remember when telepathy appeared, but it's one of my favorite How I Met yout Mother jokes is that they can speak telepathically to each other.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes, they speak telepathically, but it made.

[Josh Radnor]

Me realize that, like, they actually already have telepathy.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radnor]

Like they know what they need. They anticipate each other's needs. They. They can.

[Craig Thomas]

They.

[Josh Radnor]

They're sensing something about each other. They're. They're. They're an ecosystem or a biosphere. You know, it's even better that he.

[Craig Thomas]

Thought it was really Moby. He's like, I'm stealing that thing back from Moby. Moby cannot steal. Moby may think he's a big famous star, but he cannot steal. My Friends Get Psych Mix. Yeah. And he's. And Barney is like, suddenly whole again when he gets that back. It's. Yeah. I really. I really. I really loved rewatching this one. This is a fun one. We didn't do a Christmas episode in season one. I can't quite tell you why. Maybe it had to do with air dates. Maybe we just didn't have a good idea for it. We had a good idea for a Thanksgiving episode and a good idea for a New Year's episode and a good idea for a Halloween episode, but we skipped Christmas. I'm so glad we did a New Year's one. What I loved about the comment that began this episode, I forget her name. Forgive me, Alec, do you remember a person's name at the beginning? Andrea from. Reminded me of everything about Andrea from Mexico. Andrea from Mexico. I know. I just wanted to make sure I was getting it right. What I loved about her comment was that she says she watches it every year right after midnight. I love that. That's part of her tradition. You know what I mean? She hits play on that. Just like starting up the Bon Jovi song. So thank you, Andrea. Sorry I forgot your name briefly. From Mexico. Your comment was amazing. I love that it's part of your New Year's tradition. We didn't do too many New Year's episodes, but this one, this one was a good one.

[Josh Radnor]

I feel like we're actually up to the point, plot wise, where Daniel, Derek comes back and Ted is crushed. And I will say, I don't know. There was something. I really believed Ted's devastation when Derek hops in that limo. Like, there was something about my. There was something about my face that I was like, that was good film acting, Radner.

[Craig Thomas]

I like hearing you say that. I like hearing you admit that you've been good on this TV show.

[Josh Radnor]

I felt like. I really felt for him was like, oh, this is such a bummer for him. And the night was going particularly well, you know, for him, vis a vis Robin up until that point. But I think he says the line, or maybe the narrator says, all. All night long, I've been trying to chase something down that was right there in that limo. Does he say that?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, that's it.

[Josh Radnor]

And it. And it made me think about. You know, you really watch these people from their mid to late 20s to their early to mid-30s. That's kind of the. The arc. And it's a really pivotal time. That decade. 25 to 35, let's call it huge, is huge, right? And. And there's a huge transition. And I think your 20s are really about chasing experiences. That's why it's like, we have five parties to hit. We're going out. We're going to. We're going to, like, go west, young man. Like, we're seeking our fortune. We're seeking romance. We're seeking connection, you know, all of it. And it's out there, right? Everything is outside of you. But then maturity, I wrote this down, is realizing it's about what's inside you and what's in. Right in front of you, Right? Like, it's like there's not a better life lurking out there. It's like the universe is inside me, and also the people I love are in front of me, and it's best to be present with those people. So I think that in some ways, that's the moral of the episode, which is like. Like.

[Craig Thomas]

And Ted changes Ted. Ted learns that in that episode because he's driving them all over the city. And he says, no, the best part is right here. I loved Ted in that moment when.

[Josh Radnor]

He said it is. It's. This is. This is as clear an illustration of. It's about the. The journey, not the destination, because they literally never get to their destination.

[Craig Thomas]

You never get out of the limo.

[Josh Radnor]

It's all Journey.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, it's.

[Josh Radnor]

It's all Journey, but not the Journey song.

[Craig Thomas]

Except for the. Not that song. Sorry, Phil Lord.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

To be fair, it also would have worked great.

[Josh Radnor]

To be fair. No, no, I. I could. I could. You could make a case for that. But there's something. Because shot that. The shot through the heart really just.

[Craig Thomas]

Works every time, you know, Just pops so hard. Comes in at a million I will.

[Josh Radnor]

Say that I thought the last scene with me and Kobe was pretty perfect. The writing of it was perfect. There was no fat on it. It's just so simple.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And you have enough history fueling them at this point. 11 episodes in where not much needs to be said.

[Craig Thomas]

Yep.

[Josh Radnor]

It's like, it's this, you know, and you could almost plausibly make the case. Let's say Ted thought it was a bigger deal than she did. You. You could almost make the case. Like, you could interpret that as romantic or not. Like, it was actually. We threaded an interesting needle there.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. It was enigmatic. There was something charged to it. It was there. I love that moment. It tees up the entire rest of season one in the best possible way. Pineapple kind of brought it back. Sort of, like, got those embers going again a little bit with Te sort of calling her and bringing this back up. It had been a little bit on the back burner, the Robin thing for a while. And this is bringing it back forward. And this launches. I would argue this is a really good midway point of a season episode because it really launches the second half.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Yeah. It also made me feel like, when I was watching Ted, really, through the first 11 episodes, like, I think there's a pattern. I don't know if this is, like, a. If there's a term for this, but I hear from a lot of people who say, oh, I was very dear friends with my husband. He was just in my friend group, but I never thought of him that way. Way. And then you kind of like, you know, when the lights come up at the end of whatever your. Your age you are, and you. You go, oh, this is the person I like the most and feel the most comfortable around. I feel like Ted's kind of like the prototype for the guy, like, in your friend group that a woman eventually realizes is, like, the best and kindest guy and falls for him, but. But he's easy to overlook. When you're on that experience hunt, you know, you kind of don't see that guy. And I think that's what he said in his first monologue. Like that monologue in the pilot. Like, I'm not good at this stuff, but I'd be a really good husband.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Once you realize it's not about getting to the five parties, the party's right here.

[Josh Radnor]

This is it. The party is here. You know, And I think, like, they get so excited, like, when Marshall comes back or Lily gets back, because it's like, it doesn't feel right unless they're all together. And in some ways, ways, this episode, more than any other episode is the five of them are a gang. Like, they're an absolute gang. And Robin has been fully folded in. So, yeah, I was actually. I was pretty delighted by this episode. I remember loving the script and it being a hard shoot, but I think it endures. It was worth it. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

We thought we were giving everyone the simplest shoot of the year, and everyone was cursing our names by the end of the week, but it was a good one.

[Josh Radnor]

So we're up to our very special section, which I think I'm gonna amend this, Alec, but I'm going to call this questions and observations from a clinical psychologist who's never seen how I met your mother and also happens to be married to Josh. I just cut out relationship expert because I don't know. I don't know that she would describe herself that way. And I don't know that anyone could describe themselves that way.

[Craig Thomas]

You know what I mean?

[Josh Radnor]

I'd be wary of a relationship expert except Terry Real, who's a very interesting psychologist if you've ever listened to him. But he. He's very smart about relationship.

[Alec Lev]

But anyway, all right, we will amend it. We will have amended it in our graphic. As you are, if you're watching this on YouTube, be removed. And here she is, the not relationship Expert.

[Andrea]

This episode almost felt like a microcosm of a macro theme of the series, which I think is summed up by what Ted said at the very end of the episode. And I wrote it down, so he said, you probably want to feel bad for your old man at this point in the story. Well, don't. Not every night has a happy ending. But all of it's important. All of it's leading somewhere. And for a sitcom, this is truly a metaphysical, spiritual lesson. We make plans, the unexpected happens. We have a small degree of control, and then there's a massive amount that's beyond our control. In this case, the traffic, Lily's feet hurting, Marshall forgetting his phone, not Moby waving around a gun in the limo. But the message of the episode that I took home was to have faith that whatever happens, even if it seems absolutely awful at the time, it is indeed all important. It's all leading you somewhere. And that somewhere is where you belong. And for Ted the planner, whose plans were undone, it still ultimately led to that moment that we were waiting for, that kiss with Robyn. And though this is only episode 11, and I have just shy of 200 more to go, my best guess is the entire show is going to unfold following this spiritual lesson in a very similar way.

[Josh Radnor]

Wow.

[Craig Thomas]

That'S too good. That's better than anything we've said so far. Can we just. Alex, reedit it down to that one?

[Alec Lev]

It's just gonna be Andrea and Jordana.

[Craig Thomas]

That's the one. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a good cut out. Everybody cut out all the dudes. That's such a great comment. I love that she singled out that ending narration. And I love that idea of it's all important, which is different than saying it's all gonna work out. I'm happy with that wording and that narration. Cause it's true. It's important. It's not all good. It's not all bad. It's important. It's important because it's part of your story. And it's the accumulation of those sort of story beats of your own life that lead you where you need to be or where you want to be or where you hope to be or where you never thought you would be, but then you're happy, happy there.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, it reminded me of something I'd read that said, like, never trust a memoir or a biography that doesn't have, like, some scandal in it or the. The protagonist doesn't look bad.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Like any. Any biography where it's just. That's hagiography.

[Craig Thomas]

Right.

[Josh Radnor]

Where, like, is that, like, how they describe, like, the lives of saints? Like, no one's that interested in reading how it all went.

[Craig Thomas]

Great.

[Josh Radnor]

Like, we want to hear struggle. We want to. And you trust a narrator writer when they actually. Jason's really great at telling stories where he's kind of the butt of the joke. Like, he loves it when he has been humiliated. Like, he loves telling those stories. I always admired that about him. You know, he's really good at telling stories where it's like, he doesn't look that great in the story.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

But him telling it is charming. And you forgive him, whatever his behavior was, because he's. He's willing to share it. It's almost like one of the things this is. This is going deep in the weeds. But one of the reasons that the. The Tora Old Testament was a revolutionary kind of earthquake and narrative is because every story of a people was written by the victors, and it was written about how great everyone was. And yeah, the Torah and the. The. The story of this little tribe that got knocked around is just one idiotic move after another. Like, they. They really cataloged their own folly. Right.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And their own. And how, how they didn't listen to the Lord this way, and they didn't, you know, and it's. And, and it's. It's. It's. Maybe it's endured because it's honest.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

And it's not hagiography. Hagiography. It's. I think we trust people. You. Where did I hear. When you. When you list your accomplishments, you breed competition. When you lead with vulnerability, you breed community, you know?

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radnor]

So I think.

[Craig Thomas]

Think. Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, even though, Ted, sometimes you can go like, oh, God, why won't this guy get it together? It's actually his superpower that he is leading with. Here's another way I messed up. Oh, my God. Let me tell you about this night. I really put my foot in my mouth. Let me tell you this.

[Craig Thomas]

The embodiment of this.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes.

[Craig Thomas]

All getting dinged up.

[Josh Radnor]

And in some ways, that's actually. It's occurring to me now. It's an incredibly loving thing to tell your children when they're ready to heal here. I'm a human. I'm an imperfect human being. Your dad's a screw up, but also, he. He landed on his feet and he did okay. So I think. I think it's a great observation that there's a kind of. Oh, yeah, yeah. Microcosm, macrocosm thing going on here that Jordana pointed out.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, it's a great observation.

[Josh Radnor]

Isn't my wife smart?

[Craig Thomas]

Your wife's really smart. Yeah, she's really good. You should hold on to that one. Whether or not she's officially a relationship expert, I think she. You should keep her around.

[Josh Radnor]

I think she may be a relationship. Whether. Whether or not she's officially your wife. And I was like, yeah, she's officially my wife. Back off, man. Well, that was. That was super fun, Craig going deep on that episode. I really enjoyed that.

[Craig Thomas]

I like that one.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, it's a good one. Isn't it funny that we're going to have favorite episodes of this show that won't necessarily correspond to our favorite episodes of How I Met yout Mother. They're just like the conversation and it led somewhere cool. Right? Like, it'll be.

[Craig Thomas]

The him episode was garbage, but this podcast episode was really fun.

[Josh Radnor]

The circuits were jammed, though.

[Craig Thomas]

The circuits were jammed.

[Josh Radnor]

If we can't get anything going, like, we're just like, the circuits are jammed.

[Craig Thomas]

The circuits are just jammed today. Look, that's New Year's Eve for you. You're welcome for that turn of phrase.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Well, we like to end our episode with some viewer listener Mail. And we have a lovely letter today from Jessica, and Craig is going to read it for us.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes, this is lovely. And a little conversation talking point emerges at the end of it. So here we go. Ready? This is. Yes. From Jessica. She says, hi, Josh and Craig. Jessica here from New Brunswick, Canada. Shout out to Canada. We love our Canadian fans and we love our Canadian characters. Is a plural or. I think we had a few over the years, but mainly Robin. My husband Tristan introduced me to himyim when we first started dating, and it quickly became a cherished part of our lives. The show holds such significance to us that it actually played a role in our wedding day. From gifting my soon to be husband a blue French horn to open the morning of the wedding to having heaven by the Walkman play during our receptional. Great song. You have to wait till the end of the series to get to it. And the unforgettable moment of our bosses surprising us with a cameo of Josh during their heartfelt speech. I know cameos might seem like a small gesture to celebrities, but hearing Josh say, as Ted Mosby said, love is the best thing we do on our wedding day was nothing short of legendary, Captured beautifully in the photos and video footage of our reactions. Please send us those. By the way, Jessica, it warms my heart to see how both of you remain humbled and perhaps a touch astonished by the profound impact your creation has had on countless lives. My question for both of you is this. Is there a show or film series that evokes the same feelings in you that Himyum does for its fans? I eagerly anticipate this journey of dissecting every last episode. Please know that you both and Carter have conjured something truly spectacular, a treasure that will continue to resonate for years to come. Thank you, Jessica.

[Josh Radnor]

Wow. Thanks, Jessica.

[Craig Thomas]

What a lovely. Every part of that. Being part of their wedding. I love that you did that cameo. Did you? I don't know if you remember doing that specific one years ago or not. Did you know it was gonna be part of a wedding? I don't.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm asked to do. You've done a bunch of things. I always make a joke about being underdressed. That's kind of my. But yeah, I mean, I. Sometimes they'll say, can you throw in a Ted Mosby quote you love? And for me, that's like the one, you know, from For a Wedding. I think that's the. The best one.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the whole series. Right? That's that. If you had a distilled series down to one line that could. That could be in the running to be.

[Josh Radnor]

And I think. I think it's. You know, there's different kinds of. Kinds of love. Like, we have that one word, but like C.S. lewis has this book called the Four Loves. Right. And it's like Eros and Philos and like there's different. But I think love more broadly speaking is. Is kind of how I made my. Because there's certainly friendship. Love.

[Craig Thomas]

It's so much about friendship. It's mostly that right. In the end. It's a lot of dates, but the friendship's there the whole time.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Do you have. Do you have pieces of art that live and take residence in your heart the way that Himyom has for these fans?

[Craig Thomas]

I mean, for me, I feel like what Jessica's talking about, and I think the feeling she's talking about can only be achieved through a franchise, a series, something that goes on a while that you can spend that much time with. Your favorite movie that's like an hour and a half long, two hours long. You can go back into that world over and over. But it's kind of always that one thing. It's hard to replicate that. What she's talking about, what a TV series can give you. It's such a gift to get nine seasons to do a show. So for me, what comes up for me when she says that is like Star wars. The Star wars franchise. Just getting to that. Stretching across my entire childhood into my adult life. The Harry Potter books and movies give me some of that feeling. And then sitcom wise, what made me want to write sitcoms was Cheers, mostly to show Cheers. Buffy gave me some of that in my 20s and led into the show and casting Allyson Hannigan. And it's funny, I had one other thing that came up for me from her question was I just watched the Conan o' Brien Mark Twain Prize show on Netflix, which is great. Is that where everybody brings their A.

[Josh Radnor]

Game in their Will Ferrell's so funny. I saw that clip.

[Craig Thomas]

Will Ferrell's so funny. Watch it. Watch the whole thing. It's all killer, no filler. It's like everybody comes and brings their A game. Cause they love Conan so much. And why am I bringing that up? It's because watching that made me realize how much Conan O' Brien has meant to me. From 1993, premiering at Dave Letterman's old slot. Dave meant Dave Letterman a lot to me too. I wrote for Dave Letterman a few years after that. I wanted to write for Conan Carter And I both really were angling to write for Conan, and they were not hiring, but Letterman was. We're incredibly lucky. And I love Letterman equally as much and in a different way. But Conan, just watching the Netflix special about his sort of totality of his, I felt like, emotional watching it because I'm like this. I just feel like I've lived 30 years with this guy. And I got this brief little intersection with him where he came in spoilers was a background extra in an episode of How Much a Mother. We will explain that more when we get to it many years from now. And after that, he knew that Cardinal and I were big fans, and we asked him to lunch. And so a few weeks later, we got to spend a couple hours having lunch with Conan. And, and it was just, I just had this feeling in watching it that I think is what Jessica's talking about, which is you just can't. Not many things can give you the feeling that you spent your whole life with somebody. You've spent years and years and years in this world or with this energy. And so I'm so happy himyim was that to her. What is it for you, Josh? What comes up for you of that? Like, what have I held with me across such a long time?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, well, we've talked about the movie Sing street, which is one of my favorite movies. I've just seen so much.

[Craig Thomas]

I love that movie. I just rewatched that movie.

[Josh Radnor]

I bet Elliot likes that movie, too. Has he seen it?

[Craig Thomas]

He hasn't seen that. Yeah, that would be a great one to watch. What a music movie. One of the great music movies. And such a good brother movies.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes, Sibling movies. It just works on all levels for me. I also, I, you know, I'm a huge fan of the before trilogy, the Link Letter.

[Craig Thomas]

See, that's a trilogy because you have years and years that spans 15 years, those three movies, and you get to.

[Josh Radnor]

Watch them age, which is always so moving to watch people get older. And yes, I just think there's something. He really catches something in those movies. The last one's almost like, impossible to watch in some ways because it's so tragic but also so beautiful. But I love those. I'm trying to think. I mean, there's certain authors that I just am always coming back to. I love, I, I, I've talked about this before, but Nick Cave does this weekly. It's called the Red Hand Files. And he just answers kind of like reader mail. And he's, he's the most beautiful writer. He's really funny. And it's reliably the best thing I read every week. And I feel like I get to sit around this camp with Nick Cave and have him tell. He wrote one today that was so funny about him and Nick Cage getting confused. And he was drinking with this guy whose wife was leaving him, and he was like, my wife loves you, man. I need to tell her. And he realized he thought he was Nick Cage the actor, not Nick Cage the rock star. So he ends up, like, writing an autograph for her, and he ends up talking to about, you know, like, Raising Arizona was a tough shoot, but the Coen brothers is so great. And he was so drunk, you know, just imitating Nick Cage. But I love those so much. And I think. I don't know, I. I think the campfires I tend to gravitate around are a little more probably movies or books, but I. You know, I grew up watching Cheers and Family Ties. And Family Ties that. You know, that Thursday line up. Yeah, that night. Court LA Law. I mean, so I feel I watched so much more TV when I was a kid than I do now, much to my wife's chagrin. But, yeah, I mean, I don't think anyone gets in this business that we're in without having things that have really taken up residence in their psyche, you know, And I'm sure I'll. We'll. We'll end this and I'll. And I'll think of eight more than one at a time.

[Craig Thomas]

Well, I think. I think you hit the nail on the head by saying the word campfire. I think Jessica feels like she was around this campfire with us for all these years. We're all telling stories, and I think it's such a gift to get. To have that campfire kind of burn for as many. For enough years to sort of tell enough stories around. I think it's so rare to get to do that. That's why my brain went to things I've spent lots of time with. I think that's what she's talking about. So, yeah. Thank you, Jessica, for the question. Thank you for spending that much time with us around the campfire and this new campfire, too. So thank you.

[Josh Radnor]

I am guilty. Please acquit me. All sins are forgiven in New York City.

[Alec Lev]

How we made your mother is hosted and executive produced by Josh Radner and Craig Thomas and is presented and distributed by the Office Ladies Network and Odyssey. This episode is also executive produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey. The show is produced and edited by me, Alec Lev, and our co producer is Doug Matica. Our audio producer and mixer is Alex Reeves at Point of Blue Studios. Our digital content producer, AKA Gen Z Master is Emily Blumberg. Artwork by John Morrow. Please follow random and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your podcast player of choice. It really does help the show. Our theme song is New York City by our own Josh Radner with additional music by Craig Thomas and Andrew Majewski. Special thanks to Lola Kennedy and Elliot Connors. Visit how we madeyourmother.com to learn more and click on the contact page to send us an email or a voice message. Your stories and questions are an important part of the show. Subscribe to Josh Radner's Muse Letters on Substack and check out his music and everything [e-mail] order Craig Thomas's debut novel, that's Not How It Happened, wherever books are sold and check out his other published writings at craig thomas writer.com and you can subscribe to My own Dead Fathers Society, also on Substack, to list to learn more about how you make a difference, this show's ongoing campaign to raise money for congenital pediatric heart disease research. Check out the Make a Difference tab at the top of our website. People will in fact dance.

[Josh Radnor]

The real question it just hit me. Am I in love with you or just knew you're city.

[Alec Lev]

Monster Energy? Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra.

[Craig Thomas]

That's the og.

[Alec Lev]

It kicked off this whole zero sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch. So if you've been living in the White can branch out. Ultra's got a flavor flavor for every vibe and every single one is Zero Sugar Tap the banner to learn more.

[Craig Thomas]

Hi, I'm Andy Staples from Andy and Ariane three and another five star quarterback just entered the Transfer portal. That's what college football is now, a non stop adventure and we cover it every day at Andy and Ariane 3. Whether it's the transfer portal, the College Football playoff, the coaching carousel, you name it. And guess what it it doesn't stop even when the season ends. So join us every day, Monday through Friday. New episodes drop at 3pm wherever you get your podcasts.