Before Morena Baccarin played an interim sheriff in “Sheriff Country,” she played a one-off love interest on “How I Met Your Mother.” At the start of the hit CBS sitcom’s second season, Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) is briefly single and exploring the dating scene for the first time since early college. Marshall meets a barista named Chloe, played by Baccarin, and the two start dating.
Chloe seems like a perfect catch for Marshall, except for one thing: Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Ted (Josh Radnor) warn Marshall that she has “crazy eyes,” a sign of mental instability. It seems a little sexist that the episode portrays this as a female-only condition — this may be one of those older sitcom storylines that wouldn’t fully fly today — but the episode does at least offer a male equivalent of it: Jerk nails. As Lily (Alyson Hannigan) puts it, “You never want to date a guy with perfect fingernails.”
Baccarin has rarely ever addressed this role, which only lasted one episode, but when she talked to TVLine in 2014, she briefly reflected on her experience on the “How I Met Your Mother” set. She shared, “I have never laughed so hard on set. … I had a few bar scenes with ‘the gang’ — Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan…. Everybody was just incredibly sweet and nice.”
Baccarin’s character plays a vital role in Marshall and Lily’s relationship
Chloe marks the end of an odd yet fascinating period of the show: That seven-episode stretch where Marshall and Lily are both single. Most fans to see them back together at the end of this episode, although . It’s hard to quibble too much with the timing, however; so they were bound to reunite eventually.
Chloe marks the end of an odd yet fascinating period of the show: That seven-episode stretch where Marshall and Lily are both single. Most fans were thrilled to see them back together at the end of this episode, although others wish the show had let them be apart for a little longer. It’s hard to quibble too much with the timing, however; Marshall and Lily were by far the best couple on “HIMYM,” so they were bound to reunite eventually.
Morena Baccarin’s character is also fondly remembered by “How I Met Your Mother” fans for how she accidentally ruins Barney’s whole week. When she somehow mishears Barney’s name and writes “Swarley” on his coffee cup, the rest of the gang call him variations of “Swarley” throughout the rest of the episode. Barney may have sabotaged Chloe’s chances with Marshall by telling him she had crazy eyes, but Chloe got her revenge on him without even trying.
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