How I Met Your Mother

[Blade]

I'm a bit late watching the episodes, but I've got a few things to say.

Well, those two episodes right there are why I love that show. HIMYM is on CBS, so it gets a lot of unwarranted crap from people, but the fact is it's way better than the likes of Two and a Half Men and the Big Bang Theory, because HIMYM actually has likeable characters, it has heart that those other two shows simply do not have. It may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as Its Always Sunny, or Community, but I care more about the characters in HIMYM than I do in almost any other sitcom (the only exception probably being Parks and Rec.)

Barney and Robin going through the process of finding out if they're cousins from their Canadian relatives was probably the highlight of the two episodes, with some genuine laugh out loud moments. We saw Barney's half-brother again, which is always welcome. And, though I didn't think Robin and Barney would go through with the wedding at the end of last season, I've changed my mind having seen the season premier(s).

The Mother seems so likeable, and, even though they only shared the screen for half a minute, seems to have great chemistry with Ted. Lily and Marshall have really good lives as is, and they'll obviously come to some compromise about the Italy/Judge job situation, so that's probably the story arc I'm least interested in.

Having a whole season take place over the space of 60 or so hours is a great idea, and with a load of guest stars reportedly returning for these episodes, I think it's going to be a great last season for one of TV's best sitcoms.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

The season has been good but not great, so far. I really like the angle with Lilly and Linus giving her the drinks. I thought the mother was supposed to be part of the regular cast and appearing regularly but she hasn't appeared since the first episode. I'm disappointed about that. We don't even know her name yet!

 

[Richard]

When I first heard about this season taking place over 1 weekend I wasn't sure it would be good but so far I'm really liking it and I want to see the mother more in the show.

I was almost sure that when Lily was trying to get Robin to make a female friend in the bar Robin would end up meeting the mother but I guess we have to wait to see if she's in the next one. I really hope she is as I really think she should be in each episode in some sort of capacity.

I think it would be ironic for Ted to meet the mother sometime just after 2am and I really hope he does, as he has previously mentioned that nothing good happens after 2am as well.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

When I first heard about this season taking place over 1 weekend I wasn't sure it would be good but so far I'm really liking it and I want to see the mother more in the show.

I was almost sure that when Lily was trying to get Robin to make a female friend in the bar Robin would end up meeting the mother but I guess we have to wait to see if she's in the next one. I really hope she is as I really think she should be in each episode in some sort of capacity.

I totally agree with you. I thought The Mother was going to be in the room and Robin would end up befriending her. I think they totally did that on purpose. They made us think that's what was going to happen and they did a swerve.


On another note, there's an episode late in the season (episode 16) that is not the series finale entitled "How Your Mother Met Me." I wonder where they're going to go with that. Maybe show the immediate events leading up to her arriving at the train station, but not showing the actual meeting?
Another thought i have is that it will have something to do with Ted giving the best man speech. It would fit the wedding timeline and since the mother is there at the wedding, she'd technically "meet" Ted when he gives the speech, even though he wouldn't meet her.

 

[Alastor]

Episode 6 is one of the most enjoyable episodes of the series, and my favourite this season. Love the changing of roles in the retelling of how the couples first met. Lilly talking in Sherri Shepard's voice made me laugh out loud probably more than I should. The ghost knight also cracks me up. Cassie's linking an innocent word to her ex reminds me of an older episode where Ted linked anything to Robin on his blind dates. Come again for little fudge line by Lily to refer to herself was cute.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Episode 6 is one of the most enjoyable episodes of the series, and my favourite this season. Love the changing of roles in the retelling of how the couples first met. Lilly talking in Sherri Shepard's voice made me laugh out loud probably more than I should. The ghost knight also cracks me up. Cassie's linking an innocent word to her ex reminds me of an older episode where Ted linked anything to Robin on his blind dates. Come again for little fudge line by Lily to refer to herself was cute.

I agree. That was the best episode of the season so far. It was genuinely funny and each character's storyline in that episode was good.

I'm still not happy that we're six episodes in and we've only seen the mother once for like a 5 min segment.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I enjoyed last night's episode. Having the priest die was kind of lazy writing but otherwise the episode delivered some cute stories and good laughs.

I think part of the charm of this show is that despite the over the top nature of some of the acting and stories, I can justify them in my head due to the fact that they are being told by a dad to his kids seventeen years in the future. Maybe that girl Ted was hanging out with wasn't as bad as we saw in real life but it is still a story that nice guys with bad judgement can relate to.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

I like this season so far. Great laughs and reference to such movies like "Princess Bride" and "The Last Crusade" was really enjoyable.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I just saw the episode and, I agree, it's been the best since the season premiere for me. For me, the best part was Future Ted's narration at the end about how maybe he chose wisely after all, but it sure did not feel like that at that time. That Indiana Jones gag was also a great theme throughout the episode. Nice ending too with the cliffhanger that Lily knows that Marshall has taken the job. I also liked Sherri Shepperd's role for the first time in the season.

The Barney/ Robin plot was pretty average for me, though I liked it when Lily stole their story back.

 

[jmt225]

So another great episode last night. The ending with Ted's proposal was beautiful and so satisfying. I just hope we start to see more of the mother outside of flash-forward scenes. That's really my only complaint about this season... not enough mother (well that and Marshall being stuck with that obnoxious bitch; their scenes bring each episode a notch down). But, it's still early and that'll most likely change as the season continues to progress.

By the way, for those who haven't heard... CBS wants a How I Met Your Father spin-off. Would anyone here be down for that? If it followed Cristin Milioti's journey to meet Ted then I'd consider giving it a shot, but apparently the plan now is to meet 4 new characters near the end of this season (perhaps even in the fucking finale) and then go from there. I really, sincerely hope that this doesn't happen.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I struggled to get through last night's episode. Like a lot of this season the characters actions fall flat in logic and way too much slapstick. However all of that was saved by the two big hug scenes near the end and Ted's proposal.

But here is where I blow your minds with a question:

Was the "egg war" an intentional metaphor for Robin's inability to conceive?

BOOM! Goes the dynamite!

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I struggled to get through last night's episode. Like a lot of this season the characters actions fall flat in logic and way too much slapstick. However all of that was saved by the two big hug scenes near the end and Ted's proposal

I agree for the most part. Much of this season has felt very contrived, like they're trying too hard to be funny so it ends up as too much slapstick.

We started the season 55 hours from the wedding, right? Last night's episode said at the start that we were 33 hours from the wedding. So I asked myself, what happened in 22 hours? Really a whole lot of nothing when you really stop and think about it. Literally, nothing has happened. They've just dawdled around. I'm really hoping the actual story advances and we find out why the wedding went "horribly wrong" soon or at least start to find out why.

I really liked the proposal at the end. So we know that Ted and still-un-named mother got engaged at the Far Hampton Inn, close (presumably) to the train station where they first met.

But here is where I blow your minds with a question:

Was the "egg war" an intentional metaphor for Robin's inability to conceive?

BOOM! Goes the dynamite!

I thought about that a little as the episode was going on and because they did recall the storyline about Robin not being able to have kids, I do think that the egg battle was an intentional metaphor for Robin's inability to have kids. Not only could she not make eggs that tasted as good as loretta's, she couldn't even make scrambled eggs at all. That's got to be intentional.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I loved Monday's episode. It was brilliant what they did with Barney and The Mother. My only knock is again, the same knock I've had the whole season. Nothing has really happened in like 22 hours since the season started. Literally, what has happened relating to the wedding, since everyone has arrived at the venue? That said, this episode, while it didn't advance the story per se, it gave us a new perspective on the story.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I loved Monday's episode.

I agree it was very entertaining and has me excited to see more encounters between Marshall and the mother, and Robin and the mother. All this despite the fact that the odds of Barney meeting the mother in a NYC pharmacy are very small and the odds that the mother would open Barney's eyes so significantly are even smaller.

It was brilliant what they did with Barney and The Mother.

Brilliant seems to be a stretch but enjoyable all the same.

My only knock is again, the same knock I've had the whole season. Nothing has really happened in like 22 hours since the season started. Literally, what has happened relating to the wedding, since everyone has arrived at the venue?

I think you have unrealistic and misguided expectations. Weddings are pre-planned. Things may go awry but that stuff is usually discovered at the rehearsal (the day before the wedding) or the day of the wedding. I don't know if I want wedding related drama, some of the wedding related drama that we have had has been dull or sad (Robins's mom not showing, the priest dying). I think part of the reason last night worked so much better was because the writer's basically stuck to the flashback stuff pre-Barbin and in the city.

That said, this episode, while it didn't advance the story per se, it gave us a new perspective on the story.

It was kind of nice to see an event/breakdown trigger Barney's new found monogamous attitude and not just a sudden character change without explanation.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

The biggest gripe I have with anything relating to Ted/Robin/Barney is that we know exactly how it ends up and have known since Season 6. This is technically the fourth season where this wedding has been the end game.

Am I the only one who has grown to hate Barney and Robin? The more I see them act like massive dicks to the other characters the more I hate how this season is revolving around them. Glad we got to see the mother this week, if I hadn't seen her by that commercial break I would have deleted the episode like last week.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Well, we're about 2 months away from going back to that rainy night at the Farhampton Train Station. The series finale will air March 31 with a two-part episode entitled "Last Forever Part 1" and "Last Forever Part 2."

What are everyone's thoughts on the final season, to this point, as things are winding down?

I didn't love it at first but I've really liked the last few episodes and I think that things are really going to pick up now with next week's episode entitled "How your mother met me"

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Shit got serious in the last ep huh? That San Fran comment brought back memories. Best Ep so far but this season been so-so to begin with.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Really good episode this week. They've struggled to really keep me satisfied this season but they've done really well with the Rehearsal Dinner/Canada thing, this past week, and even the Slapsgiving episode. The highlight for me was the concept of Jabba drunk. I know people and I may have been one of those people who hits walls when drinking. When hitting that wall they become a whole other person or non-person.

I'm interested to see who is in Lily's car. Marshall's comment was a cheap shot but I understand his feelings. Running away was not very fair of Lily but who knows where she is going? I can start of see why this wedding day could be the "day where nothing went right", or something like that.

 

[HellBoundPower]

I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the Slap episode. Marshall is my favorite character, and the whole slapping Barney thing has been hilarious for the entire series. But that episode was just too over the top and felt like filler. The writers just didn't seem to know what to do to fill up time before the wedding, so they threw this episode together. The whole premise was ridiculous, and rather predictable. I found myself disappointed for the first time in the series.

That being said, the truth episode was pretty good. I enjoyed the Jabba the Hutt references with Barney being drunk, and found the truthful drunk scenario hilarious. I actually know people who get like that when drunk, so it was extra funny to me. I also liked Marshall's little side story, and enjoyed Marshall finally calling Lily out on her selfish bullshit. All in all, I enjoyed the episode. I also think that the person that picked Lily up was the Mother.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

It was Scooter.


That would be a disappointment actually.

 

[Loveless]

What are everyone's thoughts on the final season, to this point, as things are winding down?

Honestly, it's been a pretty poor season. I think the format change has really damaged and limited the show at the worst possible time. When people look back, Season 9 will be the defining act of whether it was worth all this time, and it's not looking great at the moment.
Having said that, I have faith that it's going to improve now we're getting to the business end of things. This Ted/Robin/Barney triangle is not finished and it's going to blow up in a major way.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

That last episode was beautiful. More so because of The Mother's singing though. They gave her some very good character depth and she killed it (no pun) when talking to Max on the patio.

La Vie A Rose is now stuck in my head.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

We know Lilly comes back for the actual wedding ceremony because we've seen her in the flashforwards, when she comes out of the church to get Ted. So, it will be interesting to see how that little storyline plays out.

I really enjoyed "How your mother met me." That was a solid episode. What happened to Barney, at the end of the episode? I think that's going to play into what Future Ted said about "the wedding that went horribly wrong."

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

By far the best episode of the season and if you really know your episodes it has so many Easter Eggs.

It feels like this is the cliffhanger right before the finale but we've got at least two more months of episodes so I'm wondering how they'll keep us interested. If you usually skip the post credits gag you'll most likely miss what is a key component to the next episode.

 

[LSN80]

It takes a lot to stir up emotion in me when watching fake reality, but I'll admit I teared up when Cristin Milioti said two words:

Good-bye Max.

The essence of what makes us as human beings is the relationships we develop. When a relationship ends, be it by choice or happenstance, there is seemingly always a paradigm shift in our lives. In this case, 'The Mother' gave up on leaving her apartment for two years, and on love altogether. She believed that everyone gets but one chance at love, and when Max died, she lost hers.

The challenge now for the writers of the show is to make Ted as loveable to Milioti's Mother as Max was, a reason for her paradigm to shift. A reason for her to love again. Regarding Max, he didn't give her things she wanted. He-as should be the case in any relationship built on love- gave her things that she needs. And that, in life, is what makes relationships special. People who are able to give us what we need, whether we realize we need them or not. How will Ted be able to do the same?

Huge props to Milioti as she owned what was easily the best episode of the year, and perhaps, in years. The range she displayed with a character over the course of about 20 minutes gave her depth, understanding, and character development from the audience's perspective that usually takes weeks, months, and even years for us to get sometimes with regards to characters. Milioti was able to shine in a way that showed versatility that is very rarely seen. She's got a loveable quirkiness, not beautiful, adorable instead. Most importantly, for a character we hardly know, the ability to bring strong emotion in the blink of an eye.

I thought I'd be bothered by the (virtual) exclusion of the main cast, but I barely noticed, and even moreso, I didn't care. Milioti was that darn good, and I can't wait to see the moment that brings her and Ted together.