The Platinum Rule

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Platinum Rule
Series = How I Met Your Mother


Caption =
Season = 3
Episode = 11
Airdate = December 10, 2007
Production = 3ALH11
Writer = Craig Thomas & Carter Bays
Director =
Guests = Charlene Amoia (Wendy), Kristen Schaal (Laura Girard), John Sloan (Michael Girard), Hayes MacArthur (Curt "The Ironman" Irons)
Episode list =List of How I Met Your Mother episodes
Prev = The Yips
Next = No Tomorrow

"The Platinum Rule" is the 11^th episode in the third season of the television series "How I Met Your Mother". It originally aired on December 10, 2007. Due to the 2007%E2%80%9308 Writers Guild of America strike, production was suspended on season 3 following this episode until March 17, 2008 when "No Tomorrow" aired.

Plot

Ted announces to the group that he is planning on taking out his tattoo removal doctor to a movie and is immediately met with disapproval. Barney mentions the Golden Rule. Although it is known commonly from the Bible as the ethic of reciprocity ("Do onto to others as they would do onto you."), Barney's take on it is "Love thy neighbor," which would lead into his Platinum Rule as "Never ever, ever, ever 'love' thy neighbor." His point was that one should never date someone seen on a regular basis, e.g. someone at the same workplace, a next door neighbor, etc. because such relationships never work out in the end and lead to never-ending suffering, as those involved would see each other constantly. Barney begins to outline the Platinum Rule in 8 steps as the group begins to recount on their past experiences against the Platinum Rule in attempt to persuade Ted not to go on his date (In the case of Marshall and Lily, being married to each other, they got too close to a neighboring couple).

The Platinum Rule

Step 1: Attraction - The ignition of desire
Step 2: Bargaining - Weighing the possibilities with close friends
Step 3: Submission - Jumping in
Step 4: Perks - Relishing in the "benefits" of the relationship
Step 5: The Tipping Point - Where it starts to go downhill
Step 6: Purgatory - The culmination of annoyances
Step 7: Confrontation - Ending the relationship
Step 8: Fallout - The unavoidable backlash
Step 9: Coexistence - Letting go and moving on

Continuity

* When Ted complains about all of Barney's rules he mentions the Lemon Law and the Hot-Crazy Scale.
*The first of Ted's ten sessions with Stella to remove his tattoo is in this episode, as is revealed two episodes later.

Music

* "Black Tears" by Miss Derringer
* "Ooh Child" by Five Stairsteps

External links

* " [http://www.tv.com/how-i-met-your-mother/the-platinum-rule/episode/1154449/summary.html The Platinum Rule] " at TV.com
* " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1154186/ The Platinum Rule] " at the Internet Movie Database