Season vs. Season: Volume 7
This is a weekly column where the episodes from seasons one, two, and three will go head to head in a humor cage match. This week, the episode seven’s.
Season 1: Matchmaker
When a matchmaker with a 100% success rate turns Ted away because he is not compatible with any of the available women in her database, he is still determined that he is going to find his match. After getting information from the matchmaker’s computer, Ted pays a visit to a very cute, but taken, dermatologist in an effort to prove the prediction wrong that there are no women out there for him. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily are obsessed with ridding their apartment of a critter.
This episode never did anything for me. The “Ted is un-matchable” storyline was a little bit lame — Ted has never been a pariah, just a self-devastator. The thing with the doctor was probably the most pathetic Ted’s search for Ms. Right has been. The B-plot, about the Cockamouse, is cute, but not so memorable. I haven’t watched this episode in a long time so maybe I’d change my mind on repeat viewing.
Season 2: Swarley (aka Crazy Eyes)
Marshall goes on his first real date post-breakup with Lily. Not only do Ted and Barney try to warn him that this girl has got the crazy eyes, but Lily decides to do everything she can to find out about this her and break them up. Also, Barney gets a new name.
I love this episode. It was interesting to see Marshall trying to date. It’s always good to see Barney squirm. The laid-back fun the gang had with Barney’s nickname foreshadowed some of the better ribbing we’ve seen later in the series. Plus, Marshall and Lily get back together, how can you not love that? Plus we’ve got the great visual gag of Ted and Barney seeing “crazy eyes” and Lily-as-Quasimodo chasing Chloe down the street.
Season 3: Dowisetrepla
Marshall and Lily’s plan to buy an apartment is hampered by mistakes and Lily’s hidden debt; Barney claims to love commitment to seduce a girl.
I liked this episode. It shows the group growing up. Marshall and Lily’s hunt for an apartment was a more mature storyline than some we’ve seen in the past. Even the B-plot was tied in. What was the B-plot exactly? Barney’s girl? Random banter with Ted and Robin? The whole episode felt well crafted.
Advantage
A combination of hilarity and the reunion of a couple that turns even Barney into a blubbering romantic gives Swarley the decided advantage. Not only in this SvS but as one of the top three episodes ever in the show’s history.
Scorecard
Season 1: 1-4-2
Season 2: 3-2-2
Season 3: 0-5-2
Vote
If you notice, this is a season-total tally. That’s right, I’ll be posting back-dated Season vs. Season very soon. I’m going to post them as if they came out on time so as not to upset the chronology of the site too much. Be sure to check them out so we can discuss the older episodes.
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steve | November 11, 2007 @ 7:56 am
I don’t understand your “season totals,” since, while each season has seven episodes accounted for, I can’t for the life of me tell what the numbers mean. best-middle-worst would make the most sense, but that’s not right since there’s not seven of each.
JD | November 11, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
It’s like a sports score total Steve. Win-Lost-Tie. So at this point, S1 has 1 win, 4 loses and 2 ties. S2 has 3 wins and 2 each losses and ties. S3 has 0 wins, 5 loses, and 2 ties. These scores include episodes 1-4 which I haven’t posted the Season vs. Season for yet, but have written and tallied their scores.
Make more sense?
steve | November 11, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
ohhhhhh…even though I’m an American, I kinda latched on to the international style of sports scoring back when I discovered soccer (win-draw-loss), so I got confused. Also I thought that you were rating first/second/third instead of just giving results as to which was the best.
The Mix | November 11, 2007 @ 9:34 pm
Ok, finally got a chance to chime in on this one.
My vote definitely goes to Swarley, for the mere fact that Barney gets his….
Though I liked Dowisetrepla and the Cockamouse, they just can’t win the day over “Bob Swarley Mon”
On a slightly related side note to this….I watched the episode of Six Feet Under that Josh Radnor was in, the other day. I hadn’t really been as religious about IMDB as some of my HIMYM counterparts have been, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him. He plays a typical 70s guy….mustache and all. Kind of a cool episode. Six Feet Under is also a great show, though a bit more intense I would say
And on one more semi-related note, Ted’s favorite book (and my favorite actually….I swear it was my favorite before the show started) “Love in the Time of Cholera” comes out in movie format this Friday. I will be there at Midnight. It’s kind of a momentous occasion….Gabriel Garcia Marquez (the writer) is notorious for being picky about if and how his books are made into movies. The book is something like 20 years old now, and is JUST being made into a movie. So I’m just a tad bit excited.
Plus the new Mario game (Super Mario Galaxy) comes out this week…..should be a great week!
Jason
JD | November 11, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
Jason, I’d been meaning to write about that movie coming out. The book was in Oprah’s bookclub recently too I believe. I don’t know much about it other than, for some reason, that author is on my ‘must read’ list. The movie also stars Catalina Sandino Moreno who I have a bit of a fascination with. (she was the titular character in Maria, Full of Grace).
I didn’t know Josh Radnor was ever on SFU. What season? Eh, I’ll just look it up. I love that show (and Peter Krause) but found it a tad bit too depressing to watch in marathon format (which is what I like to do with shows, it seems).
I’ll have to go see LitToC and let you know what I thought. All I know is that it’s about unrequited love, a Ted Mosby specialty!
eduardo | November 12, 2007 @ 10:40 am
“Hanging out at the coffee place is not nearly as much fun as hanging out at a bar” – Swarley
“Crazy Eyes” is definitely a winner.
I’m re-watching the episode as I write this, and it makes me want to quote everything they say.
And thanks for explaining how the score actually works; it makes much more sense now.
(On a side note, I love how it says “Wait for it…” when you submit a comment)
JD | November 12, 2007 @ 11:35 am
Ha! Thanks for noticing Eduardo, I wondered if anybody would catch that. It was a fun little detail I added. I do stuff like that all the time. The name of this site’s Wordpress theme is “Suit Up”.
Crazy Eyes is a MASSIVELY quotable episode. I should make a list of all the different variations on Swarley they came up with. Swarles Barkley, Swar-wait for it-ly, Bob Swaryly Mon, the list goes on.
eduardo | November 12, 2007 @ 11:41 am
I like the magazine subscription addressed to Swarlos!
(“suit up”, good one!)
Alex | December 25, 2007 @ 1:05 am
I’m going to go ahead and say it: Matchmaker is the worst episode of HIMYM to date. It was fine that Ted went to the matchmaker but, what ensues is what drags the storyline down. Marshall and Lily’s adventure with the cockamouse was okay, but it was weak and felt like it was just pieced together so that it wouldn’t be all about Ted. Barney and Robin are barely used. There was no reason for them to even be around. I’m not quite of the sequence of events when the show was first picked up but I know that a lot of shows are originally signed for 6 episodes. Matchmaker kinda feels like they weren’t expecting to get a full season and they rushed to get a script together. I wish this episode was its own disc so that I could throw it away.
I loved Swarley though. Just like when an Apatow alum shows up on the show, I love it when someone from the world of Joss Whedon shows up. In Swarley, there were 2! I’m a little disappointed that they haven’t called Barney Swarley since this episode. That would be cool.
Garret Mettler | September 26, 2009 @ 8:14 am
3 hrs per month, thats how much I watch before lunch.
Lost Season | October 4, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
Critically acclaimed and a popular success, Lost garnered an average of 16 million viewers per episode on ABC during its first year. It has won numerous industry awards including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005, Best American Import at the British Academy Television Awards in 2005, the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 2006 and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.