‘How I Met Your Mother’ Was the Only Show Brave Enough to Say That New Year’s Eve Sucks

In the land of television almost every holiday is a glorious affair, but New Year’s Eve benefits from this sheen the most. The parties are always spacious and fun, no one has to wait more than a second for a drink, and the only real conflicts come from silly misunderstandings between friends. But reality is a much darker affair. New Year’s Eve is the most overhyped day of the year destined to let you down, and only How I Met Your Mother had the guts to tell it like it is.

Over its nine seasons on the air How I Met Your Mother aired three New Year’s Eve specials. All of them sucked for the gang in a new specific way because that’s what this holiday is. It’s a time to raise everyone’s hopes only to let the mundane realities of life slap us back down. But no episode has ever understood the unique hell that is partying on the last day of the year better than “The Limo.”

In this Season 1 episode, Ted (Josh Randor) rents his friends a limo with one epic goal in mind — to have the best New Year’s Eve ever. He has a list of five incredible parties, a killer “Get Psyched” playlist, champagne, and a vow he’s dedicated to keeping. No matter what he and his friends are going to stay together on New Year’s Eve.

Of course none of this works out, and the fun of the episode rests in watching Ted’s growing frustration and eventual resignation as the most epic night of his life turns into just another incredibly expensive mistake. Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) get lost. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) loses his playlist and descends into a nihilistic circle. The limo breaks down. The gang meets a man they think is Moby but who is really just some dude with a gun. And even during the final hopeful moments of “The Limo” disaster still strikes. After the rented car is finally fixed, the gang is reunited, and the mix tape is found in an incredible twist of fate, New York City traffic still gets Ted and his friends. Instead of spending the new year in the amazing party of Ted’s dreams, they spend it in a cramped limo.

Of course that’s when Ted realizes the sitcom lesson that will follow him for seasons to come. Just because a day doesn’t seem perfect, as long as he’s with the people he loves it’s good. But even with the power of friendship, “The Limo” isn’t a completely happy introduction to a new year. It’s one that never shows us the surely sticky and sloppy interior of this perfect party happening at midnight on New Year’s, and it’s one that smartly chooses to gloss over the gang’s hungover morning. Ted may have been happy to toast with his friends in the waning hours of 2005, but he woke up in 2006 with the knowledge that he spent hundreds if not thousands to get stuck in traffic.

And that’s New Year’s Eve. No matter how much we talk it up or how much pressure we put on it, it’s still just another night bound to the same frustrations of every night out. Barney nailed it when he called this holiday, “the single biggest letdown of a night every single year.” This year learn from the gang’s mistakes. Don’t try to chase down a perfect version of treacherous holiday; just try to enjoy it with people you love.

Where to stream How I Met Your Mother