"Something Old" is the 23rd episode of the eighth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. It is also the 183rd episode in total.

Plot

In 1994, Robin and her father visited New York on a family trip. Robin planned to move to the city in the future and buried a locket in Central Park, intending to find it before her wedding to use as "something old." In 2013, Robin and her father returned to the park to search for the locket. However, Robin’s father left to join Barney for a game of lasertag. Robin and Barney initially worked well together during the game but later argued. They organized the children into teams and played against each other. After a difficult match, they resolved their disagreement and continued playing.

Meanwhile, Lily and Marshall prepared for their "something new" by packing for their move to Italy. They struggled to decide what to take and what to leave behind, so they asked Ted for help. Ted, who had traveled in Mexico with only a fanny pack, agreed to assist despite having an important meeting. However, Ted packed unnecessary items, such as a broken bean-bag chair, and left useful things, like an Italy guidebook, in the "Bermuda Triangle." Marshall and Lily confronted Ted, but he refused to change his choices. They sent him to buy fanny packs. When Ted returned, he found Marshall and Lily about to leave the bean-bag chair in the Triangle. He begged them to keep it, explaining it was the first piece of furniture they bought after moving into their apartment. He worried their friendship might suffer if they left. Marshall and Lily reassured him their friendship would remain strong. After a moment, Ted left for his meeting and later received a message from Marshall and Lily showing they had kept the bean-bag chair. Ted encouraged them to get rid of it, which made them relieved.

Robin searched for the locket but could not find it. She called Barney during his game, but he dismissed her request, saying it was "stupid" and returned to playing. She also called Ted, who was on his way to a meeting, but he ignored her request as well. Despite this, Ted arrived at Central Park to help Robin dig. Robin admitted she was worried about marrying Barney, as Ted had offered help while Barney had not. When Robin finally found the locket box, she believed it was a sign to continue with the wedding. However, the box was empty, and she felt sad, thinking Barney was not meant for her. Ted reminded her she usually doubted signs like these. As the storm began to calm, Robin took Ted’s hand, and they continued searching.

Production

The episode wrongly connected mariachi music to Spain. After viewers pointed out the mistake, later versions of the show were changed to show Ted traveling to Mexico instead.

Critical reception

Donna Bowman from The A.V. Club gave the episode a grade of B. Max Nicholson from IGN gave the episode a score of 7. He said the episode had a good comedic story, a weak secondary story, and an interesting but mostly empty ending.