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- [00:00]
Josh Radner
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.
- [00:20]
Craig Thomas
Welcome to How We Made youe Mother. This is part two of our interview with Ashley Williams. If you haven't heard the first part, go ahead and check that out. And do stay until the end of the episode. We left our microphones rolling after the interview was over. And now we join Josh, Craig, and Ashley already in progress.
- [00:36]
Ashley Williams
Here's the biggest. One of the biggest room debates, writers room debates. Certainly the biggest in season one that we had. And, well, one of them was for that limo show. That limo episode before Ashley was on the show. Should the song be, you know, the Bon Jovi song or the Journey song? And Bon Jovi went out. That was. Fist's almost flat on that one. But here was the second, the close, I think, even bigger one. Do couples pee in front of each other? Do couples pee in front of each other? Is obviously a big part of the zip, zip, zip episode. And it was very funny in the room. Cause I think whoever pitched that initial idea of Marsha and Lily have never peed in front of each other is probably me, because my wife and I don't do that and still don't. We've been together, like 30 years. And half the writers room was like, absolutely. What sort of an animal. What animals would be peeing in front of each other and were kind of with me on it? And then the other half of the room was, what the fuck is wrong with you? The fucking Queen of England. We're peeing, we're shitting. Everyone's just doing everything out in the open. And the divide in the room was like, crazy. And then we submitted this episode to the TV executives.
- [01:44]
Josh Radner
I thought you were gonna say, we submitted the list of who was doing what and which writers were on which.
- [01:48]
Ashley Williams
Side of the beat.
- [01:49]
Josh Radner
I'd love to see that list, by the way. I need to see that list.
- [01:52]
Ashley Williams
Alex. Show notes. So we'll list out all the writers.
- [01:54]
Josh Radner
We'll put that in the show.
- [01:54]
Ashley Williams
Notes, their significant other. And then we submitted the episode to the executives. And the executives were like, we have a note on this Marshall Lilly story. But it was the studio executive and the network executive. And the studio executive was like, I don't think this Marshall Lilly story makes any sense. And the network executive was like, yeah, I agree. It was really weird. And the studio executive goes like, I pee in front of my husband all the time. Or whatever. Boyfriend. And network executive was like, I was going to go the other way with it. No one should ever pee. It's like. And that was how we realized we had something because it was this incredibly divisive. So I'm just curious. Where do you fall. Where do you guys fall on this? I don't know. You don't have to answer. And let's get Neil back to tap dance. Before you answer, I do just want.
- [02:36]
Craig Thomas
To say that of course we collect questions from the Internet about this show, that we answer on general questions. That is the number one question.
- [02:42]
Ashley Williams
Of course it's. But guess what? Good pun. L. And the number two.
- [02:45]
Josh Radner
The number one and number two question.
- [02:48]
Ashley Williams
But let's. The number two is a deep cut. Let's say it's the number one question. My wife and I don't pee in front of each other. And a lot of the people. It was like a ferocious debate in the writer's room. I remember. Anyway, I just wanted to share that story if anyone wants to have an opinion on it. I'm curious.
- [03:05]
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeah, I love it. I love this question so much, and I think I do. I really love it. So I have to say that I moved in with Neil basically the first night of our first date. He came over and never left. And my father, little bit conservative. He was a philosophy major at Yale and Presbyterian upbringing. Was a little upset that we were living together right away, right? And he. And he said, I just. I wanted. Like, I remember we were walking on the beach one day, and he was like, I just want to know that you're saving something for marriage. And I went. I went back to Neil, and I was like, all right, this is really important to my dad. We need to find. We need to save. Something needs to stay precious, you know, so that it's. We can distinguish between married and not married. Like, what's the thing? And Neil was like, well, we've never peed in front of each other. Maybe that's the thing. And so I was like, okay. And I went back to my dad, and I was like, we've got it. And he actually. Thank God he thought I was funny.
- [04:14]
Ashley Williams
That's really funny.
- [04:16]
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeah. Yeah. But that was, you know, before I saw this episode. So to me, it rang very true. And I also really appreciate Marshall's distinction. Well, we always have the deuce.
- [04:28]
Ashley Williams
We always have the deuce. That line kills me every time. That line really killed me, even knowing new.
- [04:35]
Neil Patrick Harris
What about you? Josh is a newly married person. Where are you?
- [04:41]
Josh Radner
You know, I remember without even thinking.
- [04:45]
Ashley Williams
About it, you got very serious there we have this.
- [04:48]
Josh Radner
We have two sinks, which is like great for a marriage. Two sinks is great.
- [04:53]
Neil Patrick Harris
You know, and you pee. You both pee.
- [04:55]
Josh Radner
I pee in the sink. I pee in her sink. And I wash my. Brush my teeth in my sink. No, I remember one day, like we were just talking and I didn't want to stop talking, so I figured my backs to her and she was like, what the hell are you doing?
- [05:11]
Ashley Williams
Like, because I.
- [05:14]
Josh Radner
And I was like, oh, I guess we're not okay. Like we hadn't covered that in the. The rules, but it apparently we don't.
- [05:24]
Ashley Williams
You found out.
- [05:26]
Josh Radner
I found out the hard way.
- [05:27]
Ashley Williams
Oh my God. The only way in your couple. There's one of each. The only way. Oh my God.
- [05:32]
Josh Radner
It's like the Olive Theory but for pee.
- [05:36]
Neil Patrick Harris
Wait, what's the olive?
- [05:38]
Josh Radner
The Olive Theory is from the pilot that says every couple has one person in the couple loves olives. One person hates olives.
- [05:43]
Ashley Williams
Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You were the olive. The. Oh my God. So you found out by experience. I love that. That's an unbelievable.
- [05:53]
Josh Radner
So. But yeah, we know where Jordana lands. Great segue, Alec. Should we. Jordanas?
- [06:00]
Craig Thomas
What on earth segue is that? Yes, please, Josh. Ashley knows the show. She's listened.
- [06:05]
Josh Radner
But please, Ashley, maybe she can say it with me. This is a segment that we like to call Questions and Observations and Observations.
- [06:15]
Neil Patrick Harris
From the Critical Psychologist. Yes, yes, yes.
- [06:19]
Josh Radner
Never seen How I Met your Mother and also happens to be married to.
- [06:25]
Ashley Williams
Josh and does not want to pee in front of Josh.
- [06:30]
Josh Radner
Questions and Observations from a clinical psychologist who's Never seen How I Met yout Mother and also happens to be married to Josh.
- [06:37]
Unknown
I think this episode in part looks at how intimacy changes over time. So you see, Teddah and Victoria are deep in that beginning phase, the infatuation stage of a relationship. While Lily and Marshall, in stark juxtaposition, are in what's called the companionate love phase, which is much more grounded, steady, based on mutual trust and affection. You might even pee in front of each other at some point if you have to. And I like that. Marshall and Lily, while at first make fun of Ted for his sort of googly eyed connection with Victoria, eventually reminisce about what it was like when they felt that way towards each other. And I was reminded while watching of something my dad has always said. My dad is a couple's psychiatrist and he said that that googly eyed infatuation stage is so important in a relationship that it's fundamental to have had it at some point and that it's the fuel that you live off of, remember, and dip back into throughout the rest of your relationship, especially when things get hard. So I thought I'd ask all of you, if you're open to it, to share a quick memory from the infatuation stage of your relationship with your partner that maybe you look back on with both longing but also a bit of an eye rol like Lily and Marshall do.
- [07:57]
Ashley Williams
Josh, you hold onto. And don't pee in front of that girl.
- [08:02]
Josh Radner
You know, I can share something. This is. We were out to dinner. No, we were out to lunch in Columbus, Ohio, with my parents. And I don't know that we were engaged yet. I don't think maybe we were, but it was early on, and we. We were. We went to one restaurant, and I. There might have been too long a line, so we popped next door to this other one, and I ended up sitting next to my mom, and Jordana just somehow got seated across from me, diagonally across from me. My dad was next to her, and I was next to my mom.
- [08:31]
Ashley Williams
Yeah.
- [08:31]
Josh Radner
And I remember feeling like I was in that phase where I felt like I had to be holding her hand all the time. Like, if she was near to me, you know, And I kind of, like, reached across the table to hold her hand, like. Like, just, you know, dissect, you know, diagonally. And I was just holding her hand, and my dad looked at us like, seriously, like, you can't, like, not. He's like, do you want to sit here? And I was like, no, no, this is good. I'll just hold her hand across the table until the food comes. And it didn't seem weird to me, but I could tell my parents were like, huh? They, like, have to be holding hands at all times, you know? That's the first one that comes to mind.
- [09:12]
Neil Patrick Harris
I mean, I have one. I have a couple. This. Can I say one that we might need to take off of the podcast for public consumption in the edit.
- [09:23]
Craig Thomas
Up to you.
- [09:25]
Neil Patrick Harris
Okay. So I had to have this. I had to have this surgery one time. And when I woke up, this was, like, a long time ago when I could. You could wake up and the person could be there. It was, like, not a Covid situation. And when I woke up, I was, like, still a little bit under. And Neil goes, congratulations. The butthole widening surgery went really well.
- [09:51]
Ashley Williams
Oh, my God. Are you kidding? Neil's coming off like a goddamn prince in this episode. That's all I know.
- [09:57]
Neil Patrick Harris
It was one of those moments where I, like, looked in his eyes and I was like, this is the fucking guy, man.
- [10:03]
Josh Radner
That's the guy.
- [10:05]
Ashley Williams
That's the guy. Any tap dances?
- [10:08]
Neil Patrick Harris
Any tap dances? Another. Okay. So our first Easter together, Easter really kind of took off once we had kids. But when we were first dating, and we were sort of in the, like, courtship portion of our relationship, I woke up Easter morning, our first Easter together, and he had done, like, this whole Easter egg hunt all over the house just for me with, like, chocolates and all this stuff. And we'd gotten, like, these, like, roles that were. That he'd had every Easter growing up with his family. And, you know, we're, like, 25, and he's flirting big time, and I was super into it. And then we went to the beach, and we were going for a walk on the beach, and we stopped, and there was, like, a vendor. We were, like, over on Venice beach, there was this vendor, and he was like, oh, do you want anything? And I was like, no, I'm good. And he got a Snickers bar. Now, we'd had, like, chocolates. We'd had, like, these danishes. We'd had all these things. And I said, oh, are you on a health kick? As a joke? Because we'd had, like, nothing but junk food all morning. And he said, hey, I want us to be able to overeat in front of each other. And that was, like, the most romantic thing. He was like, let's. I don't. Like, what are we. What's the facade for, man? Like, let's just. Can we just get gross with each other? And I was like, yes. You know, and to me, that was so attractive.
- [11:33]
Josh Radner
You know, Someone told me a really sweet thing. My friend Courtney from college said she has a thing with her husband, which Jordana and I have started doing. Like, if you drop like a glass and it shatters, the other person cleans it up. Because it's like. It's already humiliating enough that you. You. You've already. You've already been hurt enough. So the other person kind of comes in and sweeps it up. I thought that was really nice, and I wrote you this little ditty to sing to you in new. So, Craig, I don't think we've talked about this, but at the start of my tour, I. I had a terrible sinus infection that turned into a respiratory infection.
- [12:19]
Ashley Williams
I hear that's great for singing.
- [12:21]
Josh Radner
It's great. It's great. And my high notes were just. No, I had to lower everything a half. So I had to really apologize to the folks in Seattle who were lovely, but I was Just not in my full voice. I got it back in Portland, but I reached out to my friend Kelly o', Hara, who. Who's a big Broadway superstar, and she knows everything about the voice. I said, what do I do? This is like an emergency, right? And then she told me about a nasal spray that I'm not gonna say the name of it. She said, get this nasal spray, but don't use it for more than three days or you'll become addicted to it.
- [12:48]
Ashley Williams
Oh, my God.
- [12:49]
Josh Radner
So I picked it up at a drugstore. I took it for two days. It absolutely unblocks you completely. But I also was like, how do you get addicted to a nasal spray? That's ridiculous. Okay. So I did it, and then I was able to sing, and another day went by. I did it, and I felt. I felt great. On the third day, I'm in San Francisco, and I could not find the nasal spray, and I lost my mind. I was tearing apart every piece of.
- [13:21]
Ashley Williams
Luggage, and I was like, oh, my God. Like a fr.
- [13:26]
Josh Radner
Like, I could not find it. And then I finally found it. I was like, sweet, sweet nasal spray.
- [13:31]
Ashley Williams
Oh, my God. You were riding the nasal spray dragon.
- [13:34]
Josh Radner
Yeah, because what. Because what happens is it. It opens you up, but then it ends up closing you down, and you need more and more.
- [13:41]
Ashley Williams
You need more. Oh.
- [13:43]
Josh Radner
But it was a physical dependency. I thought it would be like a emotional. And it was that, too.
- [13:48]
Ashley Williams
I guess it was also that. Did it help you sing better?
- [13:50]
Josh Radner
It works brilliantly. But I have to. I'm not on it right now because I'm in danger of ruining my life. So I need you to keep eyes on me. If you see me under a bridge with.
- [14:04]
Ashley Williams
This is a nasal spray intervention right now.
- [14:06]
Josh Radner
Yeah. Hang the intervention banner.
- [14:08]
Ashley Williams
How is the rest of the. How are the shows? I mean, I know you were. You were crazy. Probably barely remember them in the nasal spray fog that you were in. Yeah, but do you do. Were they good where you rally?
- [14:18]
Josh Radner
I was told they were good. Good.
- [14:19]
Ashley Williams
I don't know.
- [14:21]
Josh Radner
No, it was great. It was great. I met so many lovely people. People. They come bearing gifts. A lot of people. I sold a lot of vinyl and T shirts, which I was very happy about. I signed most of them. But it was so great because sometimes, you know, we make a show, or you make a show like how I made. And the. The fans, they're out there, but unless you bump into them, they feel like an amorphous mass of something. But when you go kind of. You go to their town, and they come to See you. Or they fly in from Fiji and the Philippines and Mexico, where I learned some people came in from. It was lovely, and I really did. You know, it was hard, it was challenging, but it ended up being really meaningful. I like shared experience. The more the world gets digital and strangely, kind of, there's a layer between all of us. It was really nice to be in a room with people, with live music, with faces, bodies. You know, like, it just felt really special. It was nice.
- [15:19]
Ashley Williams
Yeah, that's. That is lovely. Here's another shared experience. You ready?
- [15:24]
Josh Radner
Yeah.
- [15:25]
Ashley Williams
You could have shared your home. And here's what I mean. Here's what I mean. Here's where I'm going with this. You were out there gallivanting about in a crazy nasal spray fog. You didn't even. You wouldn't done anything for that sweet, sweet nasal spray. And you know what happened in your addicted fog? You forgot. You forgot what you should have been doing with your place back home, which I'm sure was sitting there uselessly doing nothing. You could have hosted your place on Airbnb and made some extra money to throw down the drain as you ruin your life with this nasal spray. Or hopefully, you could have used it for something better than that. But that would have.
- [16:00]
Josh Radner
You know, it's not cheap, especially how quickly I'm going through it.
- [16:04]
Ashley Williams
It ain't cheap.
- [16:05]
Josh Radner
So I need a little extra cash.
- [16:07]
Ashley Williams
This is not us endorsing. We're not saying you should use your Airbnb profits for this. Josh should have hosted his place in Airbnb.com during his tour. He's a fool. I tell him time and again. And he's always a fool about this. He never remembers it, but he could have made some extra cash. And you want to know something, Josh? Then we're going to write this down for you for next time. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host.
- [16:44]
Josh Radner
Craig. Can I offer both of you a couple of not necessarily Victoria related, but these are my little zip, zip, zip notes, which I try to do because I'm now taking notes on the episode. When does Lily jump over the couch? Oh, when they're. It's a great bit of physical comedy that Ally has when. When Ted and Victoria come back and she thinks they're gone.
- [17:04]
Ashley Williams
Yeah. Very cute. That's a very cute little jump.
- [17:06]
Josh Radner
Yeah.
- [17:07]
Ashley Williams
So funny.
- [17:07]
Josh Radner
What's 17 years, 11 months old?
- [17:10]
Ashley Williams
Oh, a super gross Barney joke about why you would wait a month to hook up with her with then an 18 year old girl. @ least he's waiting till that moment, I guess.
- [17:18]
Josh Radner
But it's pretty gross, Victoria making Ted wait. There's so much of Victoria that's like. She's so afraid of getting out of the anticipatory stage. Like, there's such a fear that, you know something will. She's obviously. I mean, I like that. It's a very character revealing things because you don't even. She doesn't talk about past relationships, but you know that she's. She's been up high and been low with them, you know?
- [17:43]
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeah, yeah. There's trauma there.
- [17:45]
Ashley Williams
There's definitely the drum roll. The idea of the drum roll and the idea of waiting. She is trying to not rush into this thing. There's. There's definitely, like, unspoken wounds there, kind of. But then she. Then she trusts Ted in the end, which is wonderful. Like, that moment of like. Or we could do it tonight is a very. You guys are very cute in that moment.
- [18:02]
Josh Radner
Craig, I totally forgot. And it delighted me no end that. What's taking so long? Girl comes back from the pilot.
- [18:09]
Ashley Williams
I totally forgot that too. What's taking the girl in the bar? The woman in the bar who's Coby's friend. What's taking so long? She says that in the pilot at one moment. And then we brought her back in this episode to say. That's her catchphrase. That's her only line of dialogue. She comes back again later.
- [18:22]
Josh Radner
She's also been broken up with Again.
- [18:25]
Ashley Williams
She's been broken up with. She's had a rough few months. She has had a rough few months.
- [18:28]
Josh Radner
She's drinking heavily and she's a complete social terrorist. Because when she gets broken up with, she makes her friends go out and not talk to other guys.
- [18:37]
Ashley Williams
That's right. That's right. But she herself will make out with guys who she just met.
- [18:42]
Josh Radner
So I would like to make a claim that she's the saddest character on How I Met yout Mother. I think she is the saddest character.
- [18:50]
Ashley Williams
Yeah.
- [18:50]
Josh Radner
There's something really.
- [18:51]
Neil Patrick Harris
The competition was steep.
- [18:53]
Ashley Williams
Yeah, she's steep. Competition. We should do a whole show about her. Like, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead style. Like, okay, that was Hamlet. Now we're gonna see what was going on for her this whole time.
- [19:04]
Josh Radner
You know what made me laugh is when they agree in the cab to have sex that night. And Ted says, 75th in Amsterdam, super fast.
- [19:10]
Ashley Williams
That was. I love that moment. That was very cute.
- [19:12]
Josh Radner
But I also love Ted's ability to, like, pivot quickly. When.
- [19:17]
Ashley Williams
Face. When.
- [19:17]
Josh Radner
When something he wants comes in, he's just like. He just. He'll change all his plans. For such a planner, he'll change all his plans. I liked when Marshall said, one of us is going to have to have sex with Ted, and it's not going to be me.
- [19:30]
Ashley Williams
Yeah, he played that so funny. That was. He elevated that joke by just being Jason Siegel.
- [19:35]
Josh Radner
Don't be a hero, Shcherbatsky. What was that?
- [19:38]
Ashley Williams
Laser tag. That's when they're jumping dirty.
- [19:40]
Josh Radner
Oh, yeah.
- [19:41]
Ashley Williams
Jump and die in slow motion in laser tag.
- [19:43]
Neil Patrick Harris
Didn't Koby get, like, injured doing laser tag?
- [19:46]
Ashley Williams
Shit. Ashley, was it that episode, do you think?
- [19:48]
Neil Patrick Harris
I think so.
- [19:49]
Ashley Williams
I mean, how many times did Koby play laser tag on the show? So, yes, it had to have been that episode. Maybe on that jump. Maybe on the. Don't be a hero. But she was a hero. Barney warned her. And then she got actually, in real life, got injured. You're right. She hurt her foot and was in a boot. We had to get the end of that. Hiding that injury, probably.
- [20:05]
Josh Radner
Craig, how many people do you think today watching understand. Quantum Leap marathon.
- [20:09]
Ashley Williams
Oh, my God. Quantum Leap marathon. And then Marshall says, oh, boy. Which is the catchphrase from Quantum Leap.
- [20:16]
Josh Radner
Oh, I didn't mean that exactly.
- [20:17]
Ashley Williams
Three people. Remember, every episode of Quantum Leap would be the guy, you know, jumps. He's jumping through time into become someone else. He jumps into someone else's body, and he wakes up and he sort of looks in a mirror and he realizes he's an old man in 1952 or whatever it is. And he goes, oh, boy. And so we thought, because six people know that in 2005 and now no people know that, that would be a.
- [20:39]
Josh Radner
Real timely unless Scott Bakula is watching and he'll be delighted.
- [20:42]
Ashley Williams
Scott Bakula was like, that's me. They're doing my bit.
- [20:45]
Josh Radner
Yeah, Ashley, we're talking about. You know, there's something about dated references that actually work quite well on How I Met yout Mother because it's so firmly grounded in its place.
- [20:56]
Ashley Williams
It doesn't claim to any other year other than. It's like, kids, it was the.
- [20:59]
Josh Radner
It was this year, and we were talking about the Quantum Leap marathon.
- [21:02]
Neil Patrick Harris
When else can you get away with that? Yeah, it's amazing. And it helps. Like the cell phones.
- [21:07]
Ashley Williams
And this is a historical document.
- [21:09]
Josh Radner
Craig, can we go back a little bit to this? Because I remember that during this episode, or maybe after this episode, I pulled you and Carter aside and I said, I'm getting whiplash. From going from an episode where Ted is the romantic hero, and it seems like his worldview is being validated and embraced by.
- [21:30]
Ashley Williams
And he's also a fucking badass in that episode. He is like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. We were making a lot of Star wars references when we talked about it. He's very badass in that episode.
- [21:41]
Josh Radner
I was less startled by it watching it now, 20 years later, but I remember at the time feeling like Ted's romanticism in this episode and even Victoria's romanticism is really held up for ridicule.
- [21:53]
Ashley Williams
Yeah, I know. And it's back to back with the best romantic comedy episode we arguably ever did, which is. I agree with this. I agree. It was whiplashing.
- [22:00]
Josh Radner
I think in some ways, you were using this episode as a treacle cutter against. Drumroll, please.
- [22:07]
Ashley Williams
That was the idea. And the idea was, you think it's. These guys are so sort of schmoopy and gooey on the couch, but really it's to get Marshall, Millie to a place of, why don't we have firsts? What's happening to us? Why are we ridiculing this sweetness when we should be holding onto the sweetness and then realizing they're sort of into a new phase? And that's ok. And you will still find firsts like peeing in front of each other. And we thought that was funny. So Ted and Victoria are really there as the object, not the subject of the story. They were very much the stars of the preceding story, and they were going to be the stars of the next several. And so we thought, oh, well, we'll take them off of that, and we'll get into, I mean, Marshall and Lily. And then this is the first time we saw Barney and Robin together. And they were so great together. It's the first time Barney talks about the Bro Code. And Barney learns this really important piece of information, that Rodman is harboring these feelings for Ted. I like that Barney sees that. I like that Robin admits that to Ted. I like that she swears into secrecy, and he says, you're a bro. It's the Bro Code. I'll keep it in. And that became a huge thing on the show. But it began right there.
- [23:04]
Josh Radner
Quid Pro Bro was great.
- [23:05]
Ashley Williams
Quid Pro Bro was amazing. And that sort of launched. We ended up doing books of those. But I do feel bad because in trying to do all those other things, I think Ted and Victoria became a caricature for just this one episode, and they've been heroes. The one before I'll let you off.
- [23:21]
Josh Radner
The hook because everything you're describing, I think is actually right and good. And I understand why you were doing it as writers and I could make a case. And I think this is true. Like, if we were eavesdropping on Ashley and Neil on the boardwalk, eating junk food and making jokes, we'd be like, oh, God, this couple. But when you're inside that, when I'm holding Jordana's hand across the table, my parents are looking at me like we're insane. But when you're inside the new flush of love or potential love, it all seems completely organic, completely right and true and good. Like, there's nothing about it to you. But from the outside, especially couples who've been together a long time or more cynical people, it elicits a lot of eye rolls. So I get why you did it.
- [24:03]
Ashley Williams
I was thinking about how this. How you felt this. Cause you told me this in a previous episode, and we said we'd discuss it when we got here, and here we are discussing. Almost feels like we leave future Ted's point of view in this storyline and go into Marshall and Lily's point of view. And it's purely Marshall and Lily go like, can you believe these rookies? These fucking embarrassing amateur hour new couple. And then they sort of realize that that reflects badly on them in some way that they're not, you know, so it almost feels like we shift out of future Ted for a minute to just be like them. How they're seeing Ted and Victoria rather than Ted and Victoria were actually quite that overboard.
- [24:38]
Josh Radner
Did you feel any of that, Ashley? Like, going from the romanticism of Drumroll into the kind of more comedy of zip, zip, zip.
- [24:45]
Neil Patrick Harris
Well, that's, you know, what you just said. Is it like, I think it's always important. And, you know, I say this, like, across all mediums of television. It's really important to remember what genre you're in. So you were kind of genre bending a bit with the multicam, you know, platform in. Drumroll, please. And this was, hey, don't worry. We're just going to tick it up one little bit and exaggerate it just a little bit so that, you know, this is still all fun and there's still, you know, we're still going to get laughs. And ultimately, that's what. Why I think the timeline that you guys have across all episodes really works well because it is taking certain things out of context, right? So there's these, you know, anything that we take out of context, you can lean it in any direction. So you took these little moments of, you know, I want to feel your soul and cut to, you know, that little excerpt and cut to them eye roll. But in context, it feels really organic. And that is one of the brilliant conceits of the show in terms of the editing and the structure. But I also, I am a soldier to a genre. So for me, I was like, oh, good, we're back in the comedy world, you know, and that's why I loved that it was just a one tick exaggerated.
- [26:15]
Ashley Williams
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you guys for committing to it. It was very cheesy lines in there.
- [26:21]
Neil Patrick Harris
And since this is the zip Z, zip, you know, episode of this podcast, I also just want to say, like, we might, it might not be the most, you know, Ted and Victoria forward episode, but this is the episode where they jumped in the sack, which is monumental in terms of the trajectory of the relationship. So let's not downplay zip, zip, zip. In terms of the story arc of, of, of Ted and Victoria.
- [26:45]
Josh Radner
I think, Craig, I was going through a little bit of like, I was still trying to figure out who. I think maybe it was a little bit of ego, like when you're so kind of plate dropped in the center of the episode and driving the episode, you're the emotional and narrative energy of an episode, and then you become like, Ted and Victoria are almost like the sea story.
- [27:08]
Ashley Williams
They are. They kind of are, except they also make this one huge leap then, which gives the weight to the story. Ashley's right.
- [27:15]
Josh Radner
Yeah. So I think maybe I was having a response of like, like a little bit of a, like a serotonin dip of coming down off of, of drum roll, you know, and feeling like, oh, I'm not, it's not always my story, and my character is not always going to be centered and spotlit and, and, and lionized, you know, but I, but I did feel some protection of him. And maybe Ashley, you've had this in other roles you've played, but like, you're, you're the guardian or gatekeeper of your character. And sometimes I, you know, I don't believe in, like, my character would never say this, but sometimes when you, when you have a good working, symbiotic relationship with the writers, you are co creating the thing, right?
- [27:55]
Ashley Williams
Oh, definitely.
- [27:56]
Josh Radner
So I really wanted to say, like, I want this guy's vulnerability to be heroic. I want his romanticism to be applauded. And I, I, and I was worried that. And it is the same thing I felt when Ted's intellect started being ridiculed, which is something that I like, value, you know, people's who read books and engage with ideas. And I. And there was a kind of anti intellectual streak that went through how I met your mother as it went on. We can get into that later. But it was always hard for me because I felt like these things that I actually wanted to be valued were sometimes thrown under the bus.
- [28:33]
Ashley Williams
Yeah. I mean, and they're heroic traits one episode and then not the next, which is a little whiplash y. And yeah. And you know, we're still finding it. Right. This is the middle of season one. We're still finding like the idea of laying out a whole season of stories and the tone shifts and where the characters are each episode and getting them across episodes. And I think we were still finding it. And if I. Yeah, I think if I could do it over again, I would probably. Well, first of all, I'd have more Ashley. I would have had more Victoria episodes and maybe a couple in between drum rolls. And this one where there was some kind of different speed that sort of ramped down rather than being way up high as the heroes and then way down in a different kind of sillier place. And that's probably even more pronounced the way people now watch it.
- [29:15]
Josh Radner
Right.
- [29:15]
Ashley Williams
You at least had a week between the two Monday nights when you were watching it on TV back in 2006 and now it's like you just watch them and it probably feels even more pronounced in a way. But you know, I think we're still finding some of that larger the characters over time through a whole 22 or 24 episode arc and they were still finding it.
- [29:34]
Josh Radner
Can we really quick talk about the fact that zip, zip, zip makes no sense as the title of this episode.
- [29:39]
Ashley Williams
Here was the logic. The logic was it's a terrible title and it should have a new title. We should have thought of a new title to announce on this episode. But I think the idea was it's so stupid.
- [29:49]
Josh Radner
I think this title should have been called what's taking so long.
- [29:52]
Ashley Williams
What's taking so Long?
- [29:53]
Craig Thomas
To pee or not to pee.
- [29:55]
Ashley Williams
To pee or not to pee. Could have been a good one. I think the logic of it. And every now you come up every now and again you get attached to a. And it just sticks. We've already spotted a few. The logic was Marsh and Lily are unzipping to pee in front of each other. Ted and Robin are unzipping to finally have sex.
- [30:10]
Josh Radner
No, no. Ted and Victoria.
- [30:12]
Ashley Williams
Ted and Victoria. What did I say?
- [30:13]
Josh Radner
Ted and Robin.
- [30:14]
Ashley Williams
Robin, Ted and Victoria and Barney and Robin are like, I think Robin was suiting up. And it was supposed to be like, she's zipping part of his suit up or something. I think that was the third zip. Please, someone correct a writer. Please come lob. And if that was not. Or Barney's unzipping to do the naked man in front of Robin. It was something like that. It's very stupid, guys. It's a dumb title.
- [30:35]
Craig Thomas
A lot of people on Instagram thought it was because Ted and Victoria were like unzipping to have and then had to zip back up because they were. And then.
- [30:46]
Ashley Williams
No, it was supposed to be all three storylines had some sort of a zip. I just can't remember if the third zip was Robin suiting up or Barney suiting down, if you will. I think that was supposed to be the third zip of. It's not a good title. I'm just here to tell you we're going to retroact. We're going to. Okay. To pee or not to pee. That's what it's called now. Let's just go with that.
- [31:04]
Josh Radner
Ashley, we love you. Come back anytime. Thanks for listening. Thanks for being in our lives. Our lives are better because you're in it. And please give our love to Neil.
- [31:15]
Ashley Williams
And shout out to Neil.
- [31:17]
Neil Patrick Harris
You guys, thanks for. Thanks for making such an amazing TV show and for giving me the job. And I love. One of the great things in my life is walking down the street, people just yell Victoria. Basically everywhere I go. It is.
- [31:33]
Josh Radner
It's amazing that you love that. It's the. When people call me Victoria, I just.
- [31:41]
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeah, no, it's.
- [31:42]
Ashley Williams
People love the Victoria and they love you.
- [31:44]
Neil Patrick Harris
Such a gift. This job was such a gift in my life and I'm so grateful. Grateful for all of you. Especially you, Alec.
- [31:51]
Josh Radner
You're welcome.
- [31:56]
Ashley Williams
You were the gift to us. And thank you so much for being on our little podcast. We love you.
- [32:01]
Neil Patrick Harris
Thank you for having me.
- [32:05]
Craig Thomas
All right. Amazing. Fantastic.
- [32:07]
Ashley Williams
That was such a good one.
- [32:08]
Craig Thomas
That was so fantastic.
- [32:09]
Ashley Williams
So fucking funny.
- [32:11]
Craig Thomas
Doug and I are currently debating two parter situations here because it was long, but every minute was great.
- [32:16]
Ashley Williams
I know.
- [32:17]
Craig Thomas
So funny. We will debate.
- [32:18]
Ashley Williams
That was one of the most fun. Like genuinely laugh out. That was so funny, that one.
- [32:23]
Neil Patrick Harris
Oh, good.
- [32:24]
Ashley Williams
Of course.
- [32:26]
Neil Patrick Harris
Should we include the butthole widening story? Cuz I think it's gold.
- [32:29]
Ashley Williams
It's so fun.
- [32:31]
Neil Patrick Harris
I do see butthole widening.
- [32:32]
Ashley Williams
Okay, then it's a. It's just a good joke. It's just him having a great line at the right moment. A hero lion at the end the hero moment.
- [32:40]
Craig Thomas
It'll take me a while to edit this. If you're having second thoughts, email me. I will, I will.
- [32:45]
Ashley Williams
I think.
- [32:46]
Neil Patrick Harris
I think I stand by everything.
- [32:48]
Ashley Williams
Oh, it's the best. That was, like, really fucking laugh out loud funny, that episode. It was so funny.
- [32:54]
Josh Radner
I feel like People magazine is gonna do a feature on Josh Radner. Had to teach Ashley Williams how to kiss.
- [33:03]
Neil Patrick Harris
That's okay. I think we embrace it, Josh. We were young. I was young.
- [33:07]
Ashley Williams
Neil comes out as a hero the whole time, and Ashley is a very sweet, loving partner because she just wanted to kiss Neil.
- [33:13]
Josh Radner
All he's trying to do is help you, Ashley, relax your lips.
- [33:16]
Neil Patrick Harris
Ashley. Jeez.
- [33:18]
Josh Radner
I like how he was like, team. Team Josh on this.
- [33:21]
Ashley Williams
He was Team Josh.
- [33:22]
Neil Patrick Harris
He was like, this is a problem. This is a problem.
- [33:24]
Ashley Williams
Pretend I'm Josh is what's so fucking funny. It's the weirdest.
- [33:28]
Josh Radner
I hope you guys still play. Do that role play. So we love to end these episodes with a letter that we received. And if you would like to write us a letter that maybe we'll read on the air, or if you'd like to contribute a voice note that we might play at the beginning of the episode, please go to how we made your mother.com contact and just follow the directions and let us know what How I Met yout Mother means to you. We cannot get enough of these. We started today's episode with a wonderful letter from Germany, which I meant to ask you, Craig. Germany is like one of the deep fan bases of How I Met your mother, right?
- [34:18]
Ashley Williams
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [34:19]
Josh Radner
And you've been to that How I Met yout Mother bar in Germany.
- [34:21]
Ashley Williams
Yeah. Shout out to McLaren's Berlin. McLaren's Berlin. I've been there. Carter's been there. I think Jason Siegel even stopped by.
- [34:29]
Josh Radner
You guys were greeted like heroes.
- [34:30]
Ashley Williams
Yeah, it's amazing. It is a McLarens bar with all of the sort of shout outs, and there's blue French horns, and there's yellow umbrellas, and it's just like. Like it's a bar in Berlin. And it's amazing. And it's a How Much yout Mother Bar. And I, to my knowledge, it is still there. Yeah, those guys are great.
- [34:44]
Josh Radner
So we got a great letter, Craig, but there's a little context to give. Can you just let people know when. When this. The person writing this letter refers to the Bowery Ballroom fundraiser.
- [34:54]
Ashley Williams
Just.
- [34:55]
Josh Radner
Just refresh our memory, like, remind us what that is.
- [34:58]
Ashley Williams
Indeed, we. We briefly touched upon this with Ashley and the body in the main part of his Episode we do a fundraiser concert. The music of How I Met yout Mother is performed by the Solids, which is Carter and my band that we did the theme song and we wrote a lot of the silly songs on How I Met yout Mother. And we do sort of a concert where we play like the comedy songs from the show. And we play also like real. We cover real songs that we love from, you know, the soundtrack of the show by real bands. And Josh has played in it with us and also Ashley Williams has played in it with us in addition to other himyum alums. And NotMobi made an appearance this year. NotMobi made an appearance. Maybe we'll get Moby and NotMobi together and just see if the universe implodes at some point. But yeah, so that's the context. This is about a amazing, wonderful cause and we will promote the next one of these. It probably won't be till like early 26, but we will promote it. It's an amazing night we do at the Bowery Ballroom and we can't wait to do it again.
- [35:52]
Josh Radner
And if people want to donate to Dr. Grossfeld's research, remind we can is it how we made a difference?
- [35:58]
Ashley Williams
Go to our website. Right Alec. It's how we made a difference. And on the how we made your mother.com website. And you can, can you can donate and support amazing work that, that supports research into pediatric cardiological issues. My. My son is one of the kids that this work helps. And an amazing lab by this amazing doctor, Dr. Paul Grossfeld in UCSD.
- [36:20]
Josh Radner
Great. So, okay, so now the letter will make all sorts of sense. This is a letter we got from Emily. I have watched and rewatched himyim consistently over the years. This show is part of who I am. In October, my mom and I saw the flyers for the benefit show at the Bowery in New York City. I purchased tickets to the show immediately, without even caring about how we would get there or where we would stay. I would have moved the earth to make it there. That night was single handedly the best night of my life. I brought my blue French horn and proudly displayed it. It sits signed on my mantle now. I have always been a hopeless romantic, searching for my Ted Mosby at the benefit concert. I remember turning to my mom and saying, I wonder if I'll meet my Ted tonight. And much like Ted looking at Robin in the pilot, there he was. I could almost swear the background song from the pilot was playing in that moment. And maybe someone said, what's taking so Long. No, I'm kidding. I added that.
- [37:21]
Ashley Williams
What's taking so long?
- [37:22]
Josh Radner
We ended up talking for most of the concert, shared one of Victoria's cupcakes and exchanged numbers. We have been talking non stop ever since. Oh my God, I love this. He lives. He lives 2,000 miles away. But I would walk 500 miles for him in just a few weeks.
- [37:40]
Ashley Williams
He's got to do that times four. You got times that. You got to multiply that well, it'll keep coming around.
- [37:44]
Josh Radner
In just a few weeks he is flying out to me and we are going on a four day super date. I will be picking him up from the airport with a six pack of Utah brewed beer. We both keep joking about how close we are to pulling a Ted Mosby. What is a Ted Mosby? Just like a. Oh, oh. Saying you love you too, Ellie.
- [38:04]
Ashley Williams
I think I love you on the first date.
- [38:06]
Josh Radner
Yeah. I have never felt so inclined to pull a Ted Mosby before. But he is absolutely perfect and brings it out of me. If there's a wedding in the future, we're totally choosing a band. No dj. People will dance. Yes, Emily. My favorite line.
- [38:20]
Ashley Williams
Yes, Emily.
- [38:21]
Josh Radner
Who knows if he's actually my Ted, But I know it will all be told as part of the epic details when I tell my kids the incredible story of how I met their father. There are so many wonderful experiences and memories I have because of this show and the lessons it's taught me and they keep on coming. I really could go on all day about what a lovely story you all have created and portrayed. But I will spare you the rest. Keep being the amazing people you are and thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating something so wonderful and meaningful. Emily from Utah.
- [38:50]
Ashley Williams
I can't handle this one. I can't handle this one.
- [38:53]
Josh Radner
Listen, Emily, we need a follow up. You have to let us know how the four day date went. We're now invested and no, that's a lot of pressure.
- [39:04]
Ashley Williams
Edge of my seat. So just too much pressure.
- [39:05]
Josh Radner
It's too much pressure. But if you, if it goes well and you want to let us know, let us know.
- [39:10]
Ashley Williams
No, but her point is she's going to tell us either way because it's all part of the story. Her point is whatever happens, it's all part of the story. So we need to hear no matter what happens. Emily, that's amazing. I'm pretty sure we met that night. I remember. I feel like I remember you from Utah. I remember being so moved. That concert, like it was, you know, it was a bigger show. We had done versions that were like 300 people and now this was the Bowery. You could fit like 600 something people and people had come in from all over Mexico and England and Utah and all these different places. So moved that people did that. The idea that she came and maybe, you know, made this amazing connection. It's too good to be true. I'm so honored that that happened that she made the trip to support this cause and be there with us making music that night. And then I can't. We need the follow up. This is too good.
- [39:55]
Josh Radner
Good things happen to people who support Paul Groesfeld's research. That that is proven by this letter. But thank you Emily. Thank you so much and thank you. We love hearing these, so keep them coming and we'll see you next time. I am guilty. Please acquit me. All sins are forgiven in New York City.
- [40:17]
Craig Thomas
How We Made youe Mother is hosted and executive produced by Josh Radner and Craig Thomas. The show was produced by me, Alec Lev and our co producer is Doug Matica. Our audio producer and mixer is Alex Reeves at Point of Blue Studios and our digital content producer, AKA Gen Z Master is Emily Blumberg. Artwork by John Morrow. Please follow rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your podcast player of choice. It really does help the show. Our theme song is NYC 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 made your mother.com to sign up for our substack mailing list and for links to our social media. You can also 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. Want some merch? Click on the store link or go to howyougetyourmerch.com subscribe to Josh Radner's Muse Letters on Substack. Order Craig Thomas debut novel@craigthomaswriter.com and you could subscribe to My Dead Fathers Society, also on Substack, to learn about how you make a difference. This show's ongoing campaign to raise money for congenital heart disease research. Check out the Make a Difference tab at the top of our website. This episode was made possible by the support of Backyard Ventures. People will, in fact dance the real.
- [41:51]
Josh Radner
Question it just hit me. Am I in love with you or just New York City?