Barney then tells the gang that their real names are Margaret and Grant and that they are both actors he hired because his mother was dying and he thought it would make her happy to think he was married.
After dinner, Ted is caught kissing Margaret, and Barney is forced to confront him in front of his mother, with Grant doing a tearful and moving performance of a kid who does not want his parents to divorce.
However, the tables are turned when Ted starts using Margaret's acting tips to improvise a story that Barney long ago stole his fiancée.
Club gave the episode an "A-", praising Neil Patrick Harris's performance and the balance of absurdity with emotional depth.
She commended the humor and emotional layers, noting how it revealed new aspects of Barney's character while maintaining the show's wit.