A Change of Heart

"A Change of Heart" is the 18th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother and the 130th episode overall. It originally aired on February 28, 2011. After Nora announces her intention to marry and settle down, Barney is worried; meanwhile, Robin's new boyfriend displays idiosyncrasies that remind her friends of a dog. The episode received a fairly positive reception, with 9.24 million watching the episode when it first aired. Some critics found elements of the plot cheesy, although the plot twist and character interactions were complimented. Plot Chastened by Marshall's father's fatal heart attack, the gang all go to get their hearts checked, except Barney, who is too scared to go alone. Lily agrees to accompany him so long as Barney promises her to never lie to his new girlfriend, Nora. When Barney visits the cardiologist, she requests that he wear a heart monitor for 24 hours, citing a possible arrhythmia. The next day, Barney and Lily return to the doctor, who notices some oddities in the readout. She asks Barney what happened at these certain times, and Barney tells the story of the last 24 hours. At dinner, Barney became worried when Nora began talking about marriage and settling down; he claims he wants the same things. After dinner, Barney blackmails the group into pretending this is true. Nora tells everyone that her parents are in town and invites Barney to meet them the next day. However, Barney admits that he was lying about wanting to get married and Nora slaps him. Lily and the cardiologist also slap him when he tells the story.