Monday's installment of How I Met Your Mother, "Twin Beds," took its name from the B-story, in which Lily and Marshall opted for separate beds in an effort to get more sleep.

Primarily, though, the episode revolved around Ted, Barney and Don. With Robin getting serious with her new boyfriend, both of her exes got jealous, drunk and desperate.

Watching this play out for half an hour, we had two conflicting, recurring thoughts:

• This feels kind of forced
• Neil Patrick Harris deserves an Emmy anyway

Barney was in such rare form last night, even by his ridiculous standards, that the stretch of a plot was almost lost amid the howling. At this point, NPH has earned a place in that elite group of comedic actors whose mere presence elicits laughs.

Ted and Barney may have lost Robin, but they always have each other.

Amazing as some of their intoxicated ramblings were (NPH does a better fake drunk than Josh Radnor), we didn't quite buy that they were both so smitten with Robin.

Barney, perhaps, in the immature, wanting-what-he-can't-have sense (which Ted pointed out). But Ted broke up with her years ago now ... it just didn't quite add up.

Contrived or not, the one-liners flowed like the Jack Daniel's they were chugging, and made for an enjoyable episode, which is really all you can ask for in a comedy.

As for Lily and Marshall, you just can't keep the big spoon and the little spoon apart. Their grappling with the twin bed situation was a cute, if unexceptional story.

Marshall kicking his wife out of bed like a one-night stand after sex was a particularly funny touch. Sometimes you gotta finish up real quick and get some sleep.

Other random thoughts and observations:

• How long will Robin keep herself ostracized from the group? A week? A day?
• Wordplay of the night: "Wanna push them together" not meaning the beds.
• The montage of Ted's "gay" comments around Don was great.

Follow the jump for some great How I Met Your Mother quotes from last night ...

Don: I bad for any woman with the kind of low self-esteem that would actually date a guy like that. | permalink

Ted: [drunk, on phone] Hey Robin, it's Teddy Bear. Need a little honey? Rawwwr. | permalink

Barney: [drunk, on phone] Hey Robin, it's Barn Door. Guess what, I'm open! | permalink

Marshall: Our new sleeping arrangement will only bring us closer together. Now get out of my bed. | permalink

Barney: I stand by what I did. It was bold and romantic.
Ted: You soiled yourself from both ends of your body. | permalink

Don: Guys, I came to apologize. I overreacted.
Barney: It's okay. We said some very hurtful things.
Don: No you didn't.
Barney: Right, that was after you left. | permalink

Lily: I think we should get separate beds.
Marshall: YES! A mini-fridge! And separate beds. | permalink

Marshall: We slept for 18 hours.
Lily: We lost four pre-paid meals.
Marshall: I lost 11 pounds. | permalink

Ted: You're moving in with him?
Robin: I'm considering it.
Barney: You're considering it? You barely know him! Plus, he's a loser with a dead end job!
Robin: We have the same job. | permalink

Barney: So I'm banging this Portuguese contortionist, right, and she's so flexible that at one point she was both on top of me AND underneath me. Up top AND down low! Who needs drinks?
Ted: [to Don] He means well ... actually I'm not sure if that's true. | permalink

Ted: I didn't know the Jets had new costumes. | permalink

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.