(S02E16) You know, I always wondered how Robin Scherbatsky, a highly attractive and seemingly well-adjusted single woman in the city, managed to collect five dogs. As a single guy, when I discover that a single woman has more than three pets, I tend to "head for ze hills," as the saying goes. Why? Because it shows me that, while the woman is caring and nurturing, she's a bit too caring and nurturing. Does the phrase "substitute children" mean anything to you?But now we know why Robin has all those dogs, and it makes perfect sense to me. Let's face facts, people: Robin is every guy's fantasy girlfriend, and if I were dating her, I'd probably want to give her a dog, too, and I don't even have any pets.
So, we had a pretty eventful episode. But let's start at the end: We got Slap #2! As much as we've been expecting other slaps, this one was so completely random it was hilarious. which brings me to the Best Barneyism of the week; for some reason, I found the robot part of his horrible one-man show to be just off-kilter enough to work. Bays and Thomas seem to be taking Barney out of his one-note, suited-up pig persona more and more every week. From what I can tell, they're setting him up to be one of those "onion" characters, where the layers get peeled away slowly as time goes on. I mean, as much as he did the horrible play to show Lily that it isn't always good to blow smoke up your friends' behinds, it was fun to see that he really got into it, to the point that he actually asked the gang to stay even after he proved his point. Yes, the story was a little offbeat, and you hope that Barney doesn't become a complete cartoon, but the B-stories are holding up so far, so why complain?
Ok, back to the boyfriend-dogs... We haven't seen much examination of the Ted-Robin relationship this year, which has been quite refreshing. But after letting loose with the "...and that's how I met your mother" bomb last week, you knew this week was going to be heavy with Ted and Robin. And, I've got to say, the writers managed to pull off a pretty funny episode without getting all bogged down in relationship melancholy. That was due to Ted's conversion of Robin's dogs into the boyfriends who gave that dog to her. So it was funny to see these guys nudge in when they were making out, or lick Ted's face, fetch Koosh balls, or say to Ted "guess what position we did it in?"
Were you expecting them to move in together after the big argument? I wasn't. I expected them to break up. Not that moving in is a huge surprise; it just delays the inevitable. I don't know about you, but it's pretty safe to assume that the death of the Robin-Ted pairing will happen at the end of the season. I guess it'll take a few episodes of them not being able to stand each other under the same roof for us to get to that point.
More fun:
- Marshall: "I never get picked for audience participation."
- Lily's squeamishness with the word "moist" was... interesting. I thought Barney's entire play was going to be him saying the word "moist," though the squirt gun was good, as it elicited the above quote from Marshall.
- Ted's girlfriends get him odd stuff, don't they? A mini-British phone booth? An odd lamp? Where do I find women like this?
- Oh, and women who leave $14 moisturizer laying around are whores. Got it. I'll keep that on file.
- The parachute pants debate of 2005 was funny, especially the fact that they called them "Joey Buttafuoco pants." See the stare Marshall gave Barney after ol' Barn said they gave him an appeal on the decision?
- Lily's play was the typically-awful stuff you see when a sitcom shows some off-off-off-off-Broadway show. Not that you can't go to a space eight floors above a sushi joint to see really bad conceptual drama in New York, but, for crissakes, it's a cliche going back to at least Seinfeld, if not before.
- Though I did like Lily holding up a mirror to Ted and calling him "Consumerism!"
- Even Barney wouldn't have given away the dogs. And Robin actually sent them to a real farm!
- "Ohh, they love dogs!" How does Lily know that lesbians love dogs?
- I think my choice would be "normal torso and mermaid legs." Don't ask me why.
- Can the Canadians out there tell me if that store Robin mentioned actually exists? I love it when she makes a reference to the Great White North, and the gang just feels sorry for her.
- Barney likened asking a friend to see a play with asking a friend to help you move, crash on your couch or pick you up from the airport, three aspects of friendship that Jerry, Larry, and company strip-mined fifteen years ago. But at least Barney's line is funny. "Catch a cab, book a room, hire some movers, and repeat after me: friends don't let friends come see their crappy plays."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-19-2007 @ 10:45PM
Darren said...
Up until the very end, this wasn't one of their best episodes, but the 2nd SLAP from the slap bet made it worth they while.
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2-19-2007 @ 11:28PM
Steve said...
I thought this was the funniest episode since Slap Bet.
I'm from Canada and have never heard of the restaurant that Robin mentioned, i think it was just made up to sound like a knock off of Bennigans.
In the words of Butters "Oh boy! Bennigans!
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2-19-2007 @ 11:40PM
BigTed said...
I really don't care about Ted and Robin's relationship travails, and I hope they aren't going to be focusing on them too much over the rest of the season.
Barney's play, on the other hand, was the funniest thing I've seen in days.
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2-20-2007 @ 11:42AM
Dan said...
I did not expect the move-in, but I do think it will bring on the breakup. And I shouted out loud when Marshal whipped out slap #2. And was it ever worth it!
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2-20-2007 @ 11:25AM
Tom said...
The best was the name of Barney's play, "Suck it Lily"! I'm not sure if you could read the play cover in standard def, but it was easy to see in HD.
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2-20-2007 @ 11:32AM
David Huberman said...
Remember: Robin isn't "your mother" in the context of "How I Met Your Mother", so they'll have to concentrate on how Ted-Robin break-up and how Ted finally meets his future wife.
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2-20-2007 @ 10:09AM
Brent Todd said...
My only gripe with this episode is that the writers on Rules of Engagement used the same plot - the stuff ex's gave you. While I thought it was a funny and great idea, it got old when I saw it for the 2nd time on the new show. The 2nd slap was definately worth it though.
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2-20-2007 @ 12:19PM
Stephanie said...
I found this episode absolutely disgusting. You do not choose your boyfriend - who will more likely than not be only a temporary fixture - over the dogs whom once you acquire, you should reasonably expect to take care of for their 10-15 year natural life. CERTAINLY not if said boyfriend has no good reason for wanting them gone. If Ted's that insecure, he's pathetic.
Incidentally, some women keep multiple pets because they love animals, not because they're lonely and wish they had children to take care of.
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2-20-2007 @ 9:24AM
Porchland said...
Great episode. I think this season has been uneven since "Swarley" and "Slap Bet," but I think it's because those two set the bar so high.
I can't tell if it's by design, but "HIMYM" is sort of a deconstructed sitcom. In almost every episode there's at least one sitcom staple -- last week the surly airport counter attendant, this week off-off-off-Broadway theater -- but it plays in context rather than as a gag.
The Barney stuff is coming along nicely. I hope this is the year that Neil Patrick Harris and Rainn Wilson on "The Office" break through with supporting actor nominations.
With the way the show has set up the Ted-Robin breakup and the ratings faring good but not great, looks like a third season is probably on the way.
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2-20-2007 @ 10:16AM
Tele-Toby said...
I'll send that bad NY theatre cliche back even farther than 'Seinfeld' - to 'The Odd Couple' when Felix's girlfriend appeared in a OOB show that featured nudity and somebody dressed up as a penguin.
A few years earlier than that? I wouldn't be surprised if 'That Girl' showed some scenes from some drek show Ann Marie was in.
Can't remember off-hand if 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' actually showed such a play, but I know Rob Petrie collaborated on a play called "Baby Fat"......
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2-20-2007 @ 10:47AM
Akbar Fazil said...
Anyone else notice the reused shot from Spiderman 2?
When Old Ted was describing the types of theaters in NY, the off broadway shot was the same shot from Spiderman 2. Complete with picture of Kristin Dunst on the Marquee.
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2-20-2007 @ 11:06AM
khamel said...
i liked this episode. it took me a good few minutes to get what marshall was talking about because i first thought he punched him in the face. that was family guy random and i love me some (old) family guy. the moving in together twist was a little silly but i guess they need to keep the plot moving.
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2-20-2007 @ 11:56AM
Ben said...
I'm from Canada too and I've never heard of the restaurant either.
I thought it was an OK episode up until the very end. Slap #2 just made my day!
oh, and I would also go with the normal mermaid (top-half human)!
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2-20-2007 @ 12:08PM
specialK said...
Was it just me, or did it seem out of character for Robin to be so upset about the ex-girlfriend stuff. It would seem to me she wouldn't care so much about that.
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2-20-2007 @ 1:22PM
Maxwell said...
Uh, Stephanie, hate to break it to you, but I think you just proved Joel's point.
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2-20-2007 @ 3:19PM
Stevie said...
But... where do you get grizzly paw ice cream sandwiches?
Slap #2 totally made the episode. my SO was in the bathroom and missed it, which really pissed him off. I also caught that "Suck It Lily" was the name of the play -- too awesome.
bad performance art is a cliche, fights over exes' old stuff is a cliche, and the whole point of this show is to use sitcom cliches in an entertaining way. as much as i do enjoy some of the experimentation they do with narrative structures, the whole 'how i met your mother' premise is my least favorite thing about the show. the things that make me love the show are the old school sitcom things: fun, funny characters that you care about despite their flaws and clever, snappy dialogue. you really don't need anything more than that.
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2-20-2007 @ 7:26PM
T-Raveling said...
It is an argument amongst my friends as to what is the most hated word that is not a curse word. It has come down to moist or discharge. I love when my favorite tv shows match arguments i have had in real life
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2-21-2007 @ 3:44AM
specialK said...
actually, among many of my friends, most hated words are moist, nips, and panties, for some odd reason. totally hit true.
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2-21-2007 @ 5:13AM
Mark Kawakami said...
I think the "moist" thing came from the Kevin and Bean Show, a popular morning radio show on KROQ in L.A. One of the callers to the show became semi-famous amongst devoted listeners for having an almost sociopathic reaction to the word "moist". It wouldn't be the first time K&B has made a minor impact on TV, they managed to bring the term "ass-hat" to The O.C.
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2-21-2007 @ 9:08AM
John said...
Anyone else notice this had the same plot elements as Rules of Engagement, airing on the same night?
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