"How I Met Your Mother" is a great show. That’s a pretty universally agreed-upon fact. While I was always a fan, the other night I watched episode 10 of season 2, and it brought me all the way over to the huge fan side. That fateful episode was “Single Stamina,” and it was a big one.

For anyone who hasn’t seen the episode (I assume if you’re reading this, you’ve seen the show), I’ll give a very quick recap of the relevant parts (I don’t think there are any spoilers in here, but I guess spoiler alert just in case): Barney has a gay black brother, James, played by Wayne Brady. That’s pretty much all the background you need, if you know Barney’s character well enough.

When the brother comes in town, he and Barney are the dynamic duo when it comes to wingmen. Since there’s no overlap in targets, the two are unstoppable. That is, of course, until Barney discovers the unthinkable: James is –– wait for it –– engaged. I could feel his disgust through my laptop.

When discussing his reaction, Barney says, “I don’t support this.” “Gay marriage?” James asks, shocked. “Not gay marriage,” Barney replies, his voice dripping with 'duh,’ “Marriage!”

And this is when I began to appreciate the episode. For the next 10 minutes and 27 seconds, all kinds of puns were made about how it went against their values, how it felt unnatural to James at first but then he realized he was in love, how Barney isn’t comfortable encouraging the relationship or being in the wedding, etc. All conversations often had by families who are less than tolerant of homosexuality.

Which is the best part: the gay factor of the marriage was entirely irrelevant. The writers made a point to treat this marriage just like every other one that Barney was opposed to, making a complete mockery of the opposition to one type of marriage over another. The whole scenario is made even better, of course, when you remember that Neil Patrick Harris (who plays Barney) is a huge figure in the gay community and has made strides toward normalizing same-sex relationships by being so open with his own.

This episode, however, didn’t stop there. It delved into another social issue often perpetuated by the media: unwelcome sexual advances on women. Completely separate from Barney’s and James’ debacle about marriage, Robin and Lily try to explain to Ted and Marshall the unpleasant experience of being approached by weird, gropey men in bars.

At first, Ted and Marshall don’t understand the problem: “Being hit on doesn’t have to be that terrible. I feel flattered,” Marshall claims after a man respectfully compliments him, calmly accepts his rejection and walks away at a gay bar. A few minutes later, though, the two get into a deep chat at the bar, only to be interrupted by a man grabbing their shoulders and yelling, “Look at me in a yummy sandwich!” Marshall asks him to go away, only to get hit with another demeaning and sexually vulgar line. When the guy finally leaves, Ted and Marshall realize that it’s really not all that flattering to be catcalled, groped, and pestered because someone else thinks it’ll be fun.

I’m sure I’m starting to come off like someone who looks for social issues everywhere, but this episode really is important. When a light-hearted show addresses serious issues, those issues start to lose traction and credibility in everyday life. This is a crucial part of breaking down discrimination, increasing education, and promoting tolerance overall.

So shout out to you, writers of "How I Met Your Mother," for bringing homophobia and sexism into the eye of the public with comedy and irony without undermining the weight of the social implications of each. That’s a balance that very few shows or people have been able to find, and I cannot applaud you enough.