Ep 13. Columns

Ted discovers that his college professor, Hammond Druthers, has been hired by GNB to design the new Goliath National Bank headquarters, with Druthers also selecting Ted's firm as the architect for the building, to Ted's delight. However, he realizes Druthers is still the same difficult and unpleasant teacher Ted had known years ago, forcing Ted to consider firing him. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily are plagued by dreams, in which Marshall is reduced to solely a hat-wearing apparition due to Lily's love of cold medication. To remedy this, they engage in "conacious un-coupling", spending a lot of time alone while staying together. Robin, confused by her connection to men, contacts her ex-boyfriends, prompting Barney to get hurt when Robin repeatedly calls Ted to first ask about his new girlfriend and then discuss her feelings for various men. Barney indirectly tells Ted to talk to Robin about her confusing feelings, causing Robin to finally come to a realization about her love life.