In contrast to Barney, Marshall is shown to always have his eyes closed in every photo, a gag that critical reviews found amusing but slightly overplayed. Critical and Community Reception
“I think Ted was in the wrong. But honestly, I did not like Marshall yelling at the girl to get out... She just baked a cake for y'all.” Reddit · r/HIMYM · 1 year ago
Critics from The A.V. Club gave it a B+ , while IGN rated it 7.8/10 . [S5E18] Say Cheese
Lily reveals she has a photo album filled with group shots that are ruined by Ted's fleeting ex-girlfriends. She actively tries to keep Lori out of the "official" group photo to avoid having to use her "skank removal" Photoshop skills later.
Fans on Reddit often debate this episode, with many siding with Lily. They argue that bringing a stranger to an intimate birthday dinner is a major social faux pas, regardless of Ted’s optimism about "the one". Perspective on the Episode In contrast to Barney, Marshall is shown to
is the 18th episode of the fifth season of How I Met Your Mother . It is widely remembered for its central conflict regarding the group's photo tradition and the debut of one of the show's most popular running gags: Barney Stinson’s inability to take a bad photograph. Summary of the Conflict
A fan-favorite running gag starts here, where Barney is physically unable to look bad in a photo. Every time a picture is taken, he strikes the exact same "cool" pose. Robin spends the episode trying to capture him in an awkward state (sneezing, eating, etc.), but fails until the very end of the episode's flash-forward. She just baked a cake for y'all
Ted argues that these women are part of his journey and his family (the gang) should be more welcoming. He feels Lily is being overly exclusive.