Noretta

Barney's brother, James, visits before Barney and Nora leave for a date which Nora promises will be special. James thinks Nora is too much like their mother, Loretta. Kevin, the therapist, comments that it is natural to like people who remind them of their parents. During the date, a series of mishaps, nearly dissuades Barney from sleeping with Nora. He manages to turn all the incidents around, although he is unsettled when he sees the similarities between Nora and his mother. He sleeps with Nora anyway by "turning her around", and remarks that her resemblance to his mother makes her more special to him.

Marshall accidentally insults Lily when she admits to feeling unattractive as her body begins to swell from pregnancy by making a board game. Lily remembers that her father also loved to create absurd board games and she keeps imagining her father, Marshall winds up seeing familiar traits of his father in Lily. As they get ready to have sex, Lily suddenly stops and admits that Marshall reminds her too much of her dad. Relieved, Marshall also admits that Lily is like his dad, which upsets her. They cancel their romantic plans for the evening, though Marshall admits that the common traits that Lily shares with his father makes her attractive to him all the same.

Ted admits to Robin that he is uncomfortable with Kevin after seeing Kevin standing in the apartment in his boxers. When Kevin tells Robin that the incident occurred after he spilled coffee on his pants after seeing Ted walk by half-naked, he admits that he feels uncomfortable with how close Robin and Ted are considering their history. Robin assures him that there is nothing between her and Ted and that Ted is insecure about being alone. When Robin and Kevin's evening together in the apartment is interrupted by Ted, Kevin goes along with Robin's insistence on comforting Ted. He becomes upset when Ted invites Robin to a "Weird Al" Yankovic concert until Ted openly admits to feeling lonely and the sole reason he invited Robin was because he had already exhausted all his other friends and acquaintances. Kevin pretends to be a "Weird Al" fan and agrees to go the concert.

At the bar, Ted says that he had suggested to "Weird Al" the lyrics for "Like a Surgeon." Kevin and Robin go to the apartment, leaving Ted alone, where he meets a "Weird Al" fan who resembles his mother. In the tag scene, "Weird Al" gets a fan letter from Ted in 1985 which gives him the inspiration for "Like a Surgeon."

Donna Bowman of the A.V. Club gave the episode a B.[2]

• "Noretta" on IMDb