The How I Met Your Mother Blog

Welcome back everyone!  Only two months left before we find out whether or not the Mayans were right (they weren’t, btw).

So, coming up on How I Met Your MAMA…

• When the Gang reminisces about Hurricane Irene, Barney tries to cut a deal with Marshall and Lilly to get out of wearing the Ducky Tie

You know, we won’t really know how this season will turn out until, well, the season is over.  I have been harsh as of late because I’m not terrible fond of the trees, but then again, once I see the entire forrest, maybe I’ll change my mind.

Welcome back everyone!  Let’s GET IT ON!!!

Kind of.

I liked this episode better than most of this season, and brief moments of glory came through, but overall, another missed opportunity.

What Was Good

• The “A” Story – The story of Ted and Naomi hit home.  It’s true.  The more time goes by, the more you build someone up in your mind that you don’t really know, the more that you will most likely be disappointed.  This principle is similar to proper horror movies that leave much to the imagination.  Your mind is powerful.  It can work for you (horror movies, Happy Halloween everybody, BTW) or against you (with the Slutty Pumpkins of the world).  After 10 years of looking for each other, they were bound to be disappointed.
• 15-year old Ted.  Loved it.  LOVED IT.  All of us guys have had that discussion.  Our DNA tells us to bang everything with a pulse.  Those of us who have finally grown up and realized that quantity doesn’t always equal quality still sometimes have that fight with our old selves who are telling us to glory-hole.  His hair did not match the Ted hair that I expected (college jew-fro ted) but I still loved it.
• The “B” Story – The story of Robin and Barney.  Thumbs way up!  True to the characters, funny, the jokes hit.  So fun to see Barney beat up a Canadian nice version of himself.  To be honest, he’s not REALLY Canadian, he’s still an American citizen born and bred.  But so true that Robin would mess with him to the bitter end.  I fell out of my chair when the American flag came down.  Does Barney realize that Apollo gets KILLED IN THE RING by a Russian?  Don’t think it matters to him.
• The “C” Story – The story of Marshall and Lily.  Pregnancy brain is a real thing, according to my friends who have gotten their wives and girlfriends pregnant.  Apparently, y’all chicks really do get a little loopy when you have a bun in the oven.  And gold star for the first woman who gives me s–t for referring to you as chicks.

What Was Bad

• The “A” Story – Way too rushed, and they botched it.  Good idea, badly executed.  The reveal that Naomi felt the same way felt forced.  It did not shed light on the events in a new way that felt fresh and revealed a plot twist (Shelter Island) or show us events in a more proper honest way (No Tomorrow).  Also, the initial reunion of the two felt rushed, and that may have been due to Katie Holmes.  I’ve never liked her as an actress, I always thought she was the weak point of an otherwise awesome Batman flick, and boy did they get an upgrade with Maggie G.  We were told that she was also thinking about Ted for almost 10 years, but they did not show it.  Show, don’t tell.  
• And, uh, after two dates, you have to “Break up with someone?” talk?  Nope. 
• The “B” Story – no complaints.  None.  I had a ball.  
• The “C” Story – a bit rushed.  The jokes hit, but this felt shoe-horned into an already-crowded episode.  Nothing was really resolved beyond showing that Lilly got loopy with a baby on the way.
• Story/Episode-wise, too much in too little time.  The HIMYM of old would have done more with “A”, infused it with “B” and left “C” in the dust.  

Favorite Moments

• The American flag coming down.  Awesome.
• Barney having to remind himself that he has a girlfriend.  Great way to keep Nora in the story without having Nora in the story.
• Robin’s Canada references, and Barney actually getting them.
• “Living in A-Mer-RIK-KA!!!”  Always broke my heart when Ivan Drago murdered, that’s right MURDERED Apollo in Vegas.
• The Barenaked Ladies.  One of the most annoying songs from the early Ots (2000) and thus, a goldmine for comedy. Too bad Mrs. Cruise can’t deliver a joke to save her life.
• Haven’t we all been on that horrible date when you try to rationalize things by saying that if you can just get your hand around her hand just right, things will be okay?  A very nice honest moment.  And you all know how I feel about reality with this show.
• Lily getting lost in the bar had me on the floor.  Alyson Hannigan continues to be adept at physical comedy.

Closing Thoughts

I liked this episode better than many of the last, but overall, it had some great ideas that got lost in the translation.  I’m ripping into Katie Holmes so that means I’m slightly paranoid that the Super Adventure Club will come after me (to quote Stan, GO AHEAD AND SUE ME!) but I can’t help it.  She’s easy on the eyes but hard on the ears and heart.  I do not believe her.  Period.  She can sure shake her butt to the Barenaked Ladies but she cannot act.

This episode was three great ideas that should have been spread out into two episodes, not one.  It feels like the writers don’t have the confidence to fully explore something to its full potential.

BTW, if a chick is known to you as, “the SLUTTY” pumpkin,” as opposed to, “the “AMAZING AWESOME LOVELY pumpkin,” uh, wouldn’t you be thinking about her a bit differently for the past 10 years, you know, not with your heart, but with something else?

See you on Friday!

Welcome back everyone!  As I write this, Ted is just a little bit closer to the love of his life.  He has…oh wait, no he’s not.

Once again, the show has disappointed me, and perhaps many of you.  There were some bright spots, but overall, well, keep reading…

What Was Good

• Just when I thought I saw the “Barney thinks he’s getting laid but actually not” joke coming a mile away, oops!  Nice job, writers.  But would Nora really talk like that?
• The Parent-as-love interest thing is an effective area to mine.  It’s so true.  Many of us end up dating our opposite-sex parents, for better, but mostly, for worse.  We want the good qualities of our parents in a mate, certainly, but not the bad stuff.
• It’s very true; men can claim all they want that “we” are waiting, but let’s face it, women are the gatekeepers of the sex.
• Marshall crashing and burning with trying to make Lilly feel better; ladies, please forgive us.  We mean well.  We really do.  It’s just that sometimes (many times) we screw up and forget ourselves. Just know that we mean well and are trying to make you feel better.  Just concentrate on our motivations more than our words, okay?  Please?  Pretty please?
• “I can turn this around” haven’t we all been on that date that starts to go downhill, and we just wish we could turn it around?
• The connection between Marshall and Lilly’s Dad via the board games; can’t believe I never noticed this before.

What Was Bad

• The Guitar Riff stuff was Bill and Ted stupidity.
• Robin seemed to be hanging on to Kevin for dear life in the booth.  Many of you have brought this up in the comments, that is, how Robin is showing lots of vulnerability almost to a fault, because they aren’t earning it with the writing.  Yup.  Agreed.  The chemistry between the two is one-way.
• James, nice to see you, but that’s it?  Waste of a great character.
• The tooth gag was lame and ridiculous.   And the rat on her head?  Really?
• Kevin jumping up and taking his pants off was ridiculous.  Nope.

Favorite Moments

• “We’re gonna need a bigger booth”
• The pat on Ted’s back – Did Barney really sleep with Ted’s Mom?  Wouldn’t be surprised.
• “You just GET women.” – Chutes and Lillies
• “Let’s be honest…you’d bang Lilly, right?”
• Barney’s Condom moment was a great show of his flair for magic.
• “Mom, right on schedule” maybe this is politically incorrect but it was funny to have a traditional Indian Mother pop up.

Closing Thoughts

Man, Neal Patrick Harris has been forced to make out with a LOT of chicks, hasn’t he?  Bummer, bro, bummer.

The first three episodes were effective, funny and touching.  The old guard of B&T and KK (and Stephen Lloyd) saw them through.  However, now that they have hired a bunch of free-lancers on the writing staff, I can’t help but feel that the new blood simply doesn’t get the characters, nor what they are about.  They seem to get it on the surface, but not what is underneath.  The use of effective source music is non-existent at this point (Victoria???), sad, that was one of the most wonderful aspects of the show.

What occurred to me tonight, seeing the cute girl in red at the bar, every girl that Ted meets in any other scenario that doesn’t involve a wedding, a yellow umbrella or his accidental econ class is not going to include the mother to be.  Hence any chick he meets lacks suspense or hopefulness.  That would be okay if they could make it interesting, which they have not this season, thus far.  We have the Slutty Pumpkin coming up next week and my fingers are crossed, but I’m not holding my breath.

I am not loving this season.  Liked the first three episodes but after that the rails started to falter.  Ted is nothing but a one-dimensional punch line.  I feel like Kevin is the only real character on the show, and our beloved characters are nothing but caricatures.  I hope this improves.

Welcome back!  Episode 6 ready to rock!   Jordan Rockwell here, and, I might add, don’t forget to listen to my show this Wednesday night!  Everybody getting fired up for Halloween?  At the moment, I’m planning on going as Marshall’s “favorite college professor of all time”

Anyway, as we know, “Mystery Vs. History” was a quote on the cover of Ted’s New York magazine, where it said, “Mystery Vs. History: Is it Better Not To Know?”  Many of us (present company included) thought that was B&T perhaps hinting to us that we would never actually “meet” the mother…which still might be the case (hope not!), but at the very least, it refers to tonight’s episode.  Here we go!

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And we’re back!  Episode 5 ready to rock!   Jordan Rockwell here, and, I might add, don’t forget to listen to my show this wednesday night!  Everybody having a good October?

Anyway, tonight we have what I would call a “Stand-Alone” episode as opposed to a “mythology” episode (more on that below), and I thought it was pretty good!  Here we go!

what was good

•  Focusing on Robin’s Fear of Abandonment, as well as Barney’s in an abstract way, was quite effective.  This is a running theme with both of these characters, and the writers seem to be handling it in a very proper way.
• Robin and Kevin have great chemistry, Kal Penn is charming as ever, and I loved how the writers found their way around the Doctor/Patient “no fraternizing” rule.  Granted, if the board finds out he’s dating her, he’s done as a shrink, but we can worry about that later.  Very often people get into the mental health profession because they have issues of their own to deal with (and thus wish to help others altruistically) but the writers found a way to make a very real thing really funny.
• I loved how the environmental message of “not giving up” in a way, ties in with the over-all romantic message of the show.  To be certain, Ted has had his moments where he’s been tempted to give up (Stella, Zoe much?) but he can never give up, because if you want something that badly, and your pursuit of it truly defines you, you can’t ever give up.
• Indeed it is true, 99.999999% of kids (God I’m old) in a 101 class have no intention of pursuing a career in the profession of that 101 in particular.  It was nice to see Ted realize that, and keep going, and as we know, this job is “the best job he ever had.”  This will continue, I believe, and he will inspire more kids to be architects than to become a wanna-be lame DJ.
• And lest I forget…EWOKS!!!  I will leave it to all of you to dissect the frame-by-frame, but I just love love LOVE how B&T love Star Wars and continue to use it for comedic fodder.  Check out this video from CBS!  Enjoy!

what was bad

• The only truly false moment for me was Marshall’s boss revealing to him that he had given up.  It was done in such a hammy and unrealistic way that I couldn’t buy it.  It came off as cartoonish and again, once again, whenever this show veers away from Planet Earth and into lame sitcom territory, I am going to pounce on it as a review like a cat on a ball of yarn or Khloe Kardashian on a pound cake (OOPS!).
• The B-story of Ted was decent, but again, didn’t hold a candle to the A-story.  I continue to look forward to them making Ted the main character again, so every time he’s shoved to the background, I will always be a little disappointed.

favorite moments

• “Fish, huh? – SWEET flashback.  Again, love it when they do this, because it rewards long-time viewers as well as keeping character continuity going and flowing.
• The Diner – New Spot?  We’ve seen this location more than once, I wonder why…
• When Kevin comes into said-diner to talk to Robin, he looks very “Harold and Kumar”, no?
• “Finally….”
• What is up with Ted’s, uh, beard?  Happythankyougetashave, dude.
• Ah Vegas, where we all run to after a break-up…but Barney…DON’T BLOW IT!
• 83% comes back again. We all know what that means, right?  All college kids need sex lessons, ones not taught to them in sex-ed, and yet we know that Barney is the last person who should teach them.  Maybe lessons in confidence but not any eduction in learning how to treat a woman properly.
• “Thank you Gina,” and “Thank You Will’s Mom” I love how Barney is always a step-ahead.
• Pregnant chicks and food; guys, get out of the way, just deal.  Let them eat.  You get to drink for 15 months while they don’t.  Feed them and rub their shoulders.
• “Polstered!  five bucks!”
• Marshall can’t resist food, not cake, not even the third piece
• “Skip Season 2″  Still haven’t ever watched Friday Night Lights.  Any good?

closing

I wonder, how will the GNB job for Ted pan out, considering that, again, his professor job is “the best job he ever had”?

I was 5 years old when I first saw, “Jedi” and I’m still not sure how I feel about the Ewoks. I know they helped the Rebellion defeat the Empire, but then again, they are f–king Teddy Bears!  Discuss!

It dawned on me tonight that “How I Met Your Mother” is similar in one fashion to “The X-Files”.  On that show, you had the half-a-dozen or so episodes per season that were all about the alien conspiracy and over-arching series-long plot line, but then you had various “vampires and werewolves” filler episodes that had M&S batting the forces of evil that weren’t necessarily extra-terrestrial.  Likewise, we have the “Mother” episodes that either deal with a rogue yellow umbrella, a hot lesbian roommate or a stray ankle (or at least center around Ted and his romantic quests for the love of his life), or the “everybody else does something” eps like this, which can be fun to watch if done properly, or fail miserably (Last Cigarette Ever sucked, in my humble opinion).  We’ll see.

See you next week for “Mystery Vs. History”!!!

UPDATE: Made some fixes, thanks JD.