The How I Met Your Mother Blog

And we’re back…no wait, not until January.  According to Carter Bays on Twitter, “Get ready East Coast! New #HIMYM starts in 652 hours 29 minutes!”

Okay so that means…first Monday in January?  Did I get that right?  Oh well.  We are officially half-way through season 7.  What a season, full of highs and lows.  And moving the story along.  B&T were not kidding.  The S is hitting the fan.  Victoria may have been right about the three of them.

Let’s dive in!

What was Good

• Robin’s story was quite moving.  This girl has been through a lot.  There is a reason that she never wants kids and can’t quite commit; her Dad.  Daddy issues are often made fun of in society today (and especially on this show, remember Girls vs. Suits) but, eh, maybe we should have a little compassion.  And, might I add, Cobie knocked this one out of the park.  Emmy voters, pay attention please.
• Ted, we have old Ted back.  A Ted who is not only a romantic in the love sense, but in the life and friendship sense.  He knows Robin, he gets Robin.  Everyone should have a friend like Ted.
• Mr E.  Wonderful.  I can relate.  As we get older, when we stop fighting the aging process (we’re over 30, just accept it and move on!) we start enjoying the new role that we are in.  And at the same time, one of the joys is being there for the young lads the way that adult role models were there for us at that age.  Seeing the joy in Marshall’s face was quite touching.  While it lasted.
• Loved the way it opened with Robin narrating, and then the twist in the end.  I was 50/50 on whether that would be the case.  It worked poetically in that this is one part of her heart talking, but is ultimately taken over by the other half as well as her brain.  In life, we cannot have everything.  People who think otherwise often end up getting divorced.
• Insane Duane.  Struck down by forgetting to pull out (sorry ladies).  I love how they cast the girl; classy, but sexy.  Pearls, but ready to get down.  Perfect.
• I am loving the red-headed foreign OB/GYN.
• And Future Ted coming back as the narrator in the end, sweet touch.  Really sweet touch.

What was Bad

• Barney.  I know he’s Barney.  And I know he would have this coming.  But again, Robin really burned him.  And he’s all ready to have a kid with her?  I needed more than what we got.  In, “Tick, Tick, Tick,” Barney went into the poker game of life, and went all in, and lost it all.  It is not enough for me to take what we know about Barney and have it implied that he’s gone back into his former self.  I don’t buy it.  His happiness to have a child should be connected to his feelings for Robin.  Here, his paternal longing (short-lived as it was) really isn’t connected to anything.
• The kid, Scott.  He’s a sociopath.  I’m sorry, but you lock a complete stranger who was kind to you up on a roof ALL NIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER?  Maybe I’m getting old; it was only recently that I started to be annoyed by all human beings under the age of 18.  Make that 23 actually (I live near UCLA).  I know Marshall is who he is, but I’m not buying that he’ll spend all night on the roof, possibly freezing to death, and being okay with the kid in the morning (until Scott violated the sock, that is).  I hated that he would take the innocent brotherly horseplay joy of his childhood (yeah, I know, they burned the basement) and connected it to this little Kardashian-in Training bastard.  I wanted to see Lilly figure it out and give the little punk his comeuppance.
• A complaint about the last episode, leaving us on a cliffhanger like that.  First of all, way to mess with us, B&T.  Why not instead have her say, “Barney, I’m late,” CUT.  Then we spend two weeks wondering if she’s pregnant or not?  Just my humble opinion here.  But talk about the mother of all fake outs.  And not in a good way.

Favorite Moments

• The Lebron joke.  125 over 6.  No ring yet.  Love it.
• “Are you sure you’re not just getting fat?” BAM.
• “Looks like nobody told your boobs” BAM.   Barney, dude, learn to shut up.
• We B Babies.  All teens thinking about having sex should be forced to hang out there for a day and watch all the depressed people who forgot to use birth control.
• The happy dance Barney and Robin did when they found out that they are not pregnant.
• Anytime Ted brings back the Mosby Boys in some way, I get giddy.  I can relate.
• “I’ve spent years training my boys to swim the other way.”
• I love that “I can’t have a baby” when Robin said it at the bar means one thing now, but later…great foreshadowing.
• I will continue to love B&T for their disdain of Vegans and Hippies (Clint, looking at you)
• “Kids…STOP”.  Ah, the joys of being a parent.  For now, I only have to put up with my cat yelling at me for my tuna and chicken (I’m on a diet).
• Vaginal Numbing Spray.  How did our fore-mothers get by without it?  Hee hee.
• “Looks like someone’s earned the right to put the Viking’s Helmet on Baby Jesus.”  I feel your pain, Marshall, I’m an Eagles fan.  We suck almost as much as you guys do.
• Robin on the couch, scotch and cigar, “Sucks to be YOU, braces!” Heh.  Good stuff.
• “You have to punch me in the face!” God I love Lilly.
• Marshall giving Robin Olympic advice through the phone with Lilly.  Again, yet another wonderful true character moment.

Random Thoughts and Questions (new section)

• Someone walk me though why Barney would be giddy to be a father.  This is the guy who invented, “Not a Father’s Day.”  If it is because they connected it to his love for Robin, that was not explained enough for my tastes.  And I don’t buy it if you’re gonna tell me that it was connected to last week’s episode.  This is ROBIN we are talking about.
• I’m very curious to know why Robin can’t have kids.  No real good reason, just curious.
• I was curious about the sandwich until I realized THE KID IS GETTING HIGH.  I now see that I was confused at first because this is the first time the narrator didn’t “point it out.”  Well played, writers, well played.
• Is there anything more sad than sitting on a park bench in the middle of winter, drinking egg nog, alone (see below).  This girl has hit rock bottom, at least, I hope she has, I don’t want anything to get worse for her.
• Really Ted?  To cheer Robin up, you play, “Highway to Hell”?  I know it was connected to what Barney said in the bar, but, still.  Why not something a little more upbeat, like highway to heaven?  A little Bing Crosby?
• I keep hearing the same high-pitched, “HEE HEE HEE” in the canned laughter.  It’s really starting to annoy me.
• Poor Kevin.  Oh, poor Kevin.
• Yes, rocks glasses should be used for those of us who don’t drink or aren’t drinking that night.  I wish more bars would do this.
• You know what sucks about all that comfort food on set?  It’s all fake.  Torture for the actors, who are dieting anyway.
• Notice how Duane has four kids?  What do you make of that?  Duane indeed misses his bro days, but he did have four kids with this lady.  Who seems simply lovely.
• Rebecca, if you’ve read this far…AMEN AND GOOD FOR YOU!  Everyone, go back and read what Rebecca said in the previous post about women who can’t have children.  Good show, girl.

Closing Thoughts

In spite of my complaints, I still liked this episode very much, and I will always love these characters.  A very character-driven episode, even if I still found that Barney’s journey with Robin is not being explained enough for my tastes.  I hope they take it further later on.

Tonight’s episode was truly a game changer for Robin.  Indeed, it is one thing to not want something, but something else entirely to learn you can never have it.  The human mind is certainly complicated, but Robin’s is a Inception-like labyrinth of mixed emotions, abandonment fear and uncertainty.  I am still mad at her for what she has done to Kevin and to Barney, but I still care for her and want her to be happy.  I am glad to know that in the future, everything will be okay for her, and I am sad to see her in so much pain in the present.

So, we’re at half-time.  Let’s recap:

LAME:

They are pregnant and enjoying that ride, and find out they are having a boy.  They win the “Our elders love us” lottery and get a house in the ‘burbs.  Yup, we’re in Act Three, the Gang is starting to split up.

BARNEY:

Dude has been through hell.  He tried things with Nora but screwed her over when he realized that he still had feelings for Robin, who promptly broke his heart and gave him a pregnancy scare for his troubles.  But the tides are still turning for the Barnicle.  Looking forward to that wedding.

ROBIN:

This season indeed has been about her.  She is finally beginning to confront her “Daddy Issues” and feelings of abandonment.  She still longs for Barney but has no idea what to do about it.  Finally admitted she is so messed up.  But we are rooting for her, nonetheless.  Everything is going to be okay.

TED:

The show’s supposed main character, he hasn’t had much to do this season, besides get final closure with Victoria and the Slutty Pumpkin.  I hope the second half gives him more to do.

I’ll be posting here every week even though there are no new episodes.  Of course, I’ll also be doing my podcast, the “Sensitive Nice Guy” show.  Tune in and enjoy!  Cheers!

Welcome back, everyone!   I trust all of you had a great Thanksgiving!  I know I did.

As I mentioned before, I found out ahead of time that Robin had a bun in the oven.  Thank you very much a) Wikipedia and b) my own lack of discipline.  Once in a blue moon, I can’t help but stick my hand in the cookie jar of future information.  Oh well.  But like I said, from now on, I will offer no more plot synopses.  I’ll do a blog entry every week in addition to the regular episode recap, but no more spoilers.  And speaking of which…

If you know something, rumor or otherwise, please keep it to yourself.  Part of the joy of narrative fiction is not knowing what is coming next.  If you can’t help yourself but go for the cookies (like me, on occasion), that’s up to you, but please don’t spoil it for the rest of us.  Lord knows B&T have laid out a bunch of wonderful questions that have us chomping for the answer as soon as possible.  But let us remember the lesson of delayed gratification; the best things come to those who wait…until the next episode, that is.

Cheers!

Jordan