(S03E03) To all the members of the fairer sex who are reading this review, I will let you in on a little secret: every breathing straight male on this planet wants to ride the tricycle.
There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it: the dream of being with two women is one of the things that keeps us breathing and makes us feel alive. Few of us ever get to ride the trike, and those that come close often buckle under the pressure ("I'm not an orgy guy," Jerry said in the face of "the ménage" on Seinfeld). But to even get a chance? That's what Wild Ted Mosby faces in this episode. And, while it wasn't as funny as it could have been, one thing saved it: The Belt.
The thought of The Belt flashing though Ted's head (and earlier, Barney's) generated some big laughs. Just the idea that Ted and Barney not only created a mythical championship for the first person to achieve a threesome, but that Barn actually went out and bought a boxing-style championship belt, is what elevates this story just slightly above all the other threesome stories we've seen in Sitcomville over the years (and there have been quite a number of them, haven't there?). As I said before, the pressure that a guy can put on himself in this situation can be overwhelming; it even consumed the great Barney Stinson, who choked like the Mets and used wine spillage as an excuse to go. But Ted? How would he do? We'll get back to that in a second.
(Oh, and why wasn't this episode called "The Belt"? They only mentioned "The Third Wheel" fleetingly, before Ted realized that they were into the threesome. Maybe naming it "The Belt" would have given something away.)
Remember how I bitched and moaned about stunt casting and how it distracts from the show? Well... let's just say that the stunt casting works well when the guests are Danica McKellar (reprising her role as Trudy, first seen in "The Pineapple Incident" two years ago. I guess they figured out how to work around the fact that Ted said he never heard from her again) and Busy Philipps. Boy, I forgot how sexy Busy can be, with that lisp of hers... she doesn't quite reach those heights when she's got her hand in a sucking chest wound on ER, does she? Now, as much as I like seeing Trudy back, I just have one question: do Bays and Thomas have more in store for her than just a fleeting threesome? There's a backstory there, and I can't imagine they brought Danica back just for this episode; I hope not, as I think she's going to play a big part in the journey Wild Ted takes to find "the mother."
Speaking of that: Whether Ted actually went through with the threesome or not (and Barney was going nuts trying to find out at the end, didn't he?), even the fact that he told the lead-up story to his kids seems a bit... unseemly, even compared to some of the stories Old Ted has told his kids over the years. I mean, really... do you want to know about that time that your dad hooked up with two chicks? Didn't think so; the thought alone would make me cry in my Cheerios on a daily basis.
Barney had a lot of good moments in this episode, despite the fact that he didn't leave the confines of the Ted/Marshall/Lily abode. The Best Barneyism has to be his step-by-step instructions that would lead Ted to tricycle nirvana, from the tequila and the smoking jacket to the foot massage (with grandma references... it's good to look like a caregiver) to the speech about not denying the joy, it shows how depraved and ingenious ol' Barn is. Fortunately, Ted didn't need any of that, as the girls got started without him. By the way, I give Bays and Thomas credit for that; I really thought they were going to have the girls leave while Ted got the pep talk from Barney in the bedroom, but they faked us out by having them move to Marshall and Lily's bedroom. Smooth.
As for the other plots... well... that's mostly what made the episode unfunny. The Wii tennis tourney was fun, especially as Marshall settles in by taking off his pants, leading to a couple of good "bangars and mash" type of jokes from Barney (heh... because bangars are sausages...). But it just served as a way to keep Barney, Marshall and Lily in the apartment. The boot sale frenzy? Considering that the fact that Lily's objection to Rachel (Philipps) being her boot thief enemy got about five seconds' worth of consideration (let's just say Lil can be bought) really showed how little that complication was needed in the grand scheme of things.
And Robin's hairy dating dilemma? Not good. Not at all good. I mean, having her butter up her legs to shave was kind of funny, but the entire plot could have been sliced out of the episode and no one would have really missed it. It really shows that the writers are having problems trying to figure out how to integrate Robin back into the group post-breakup. So far, it's been painful, leaving Cobie Smulders adrift from the others. I think if they hook her up with Barney, as most fans seem to think is bound to happen, that might rope her back into the fold. I hope they think of something; as I have said, the show works best when the entire group is together, and having Cobie carry entire plots on her own isn't the best of ideas.
This is the best of the three episodes we've seen so far this year, but the season overall still needs to hit its stride. Am I disappointed at this slow start? A little. But I have faith in Carter, Craig, and their crew that they'll get up to speed soon. They'd better, because if The Big Bang Theory is getting more viewers than they are, that's not a very good sign.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-09-2007 @ 2:16AM
Rob Stevens said...
For the record, the "belt" is actually a replica WWF Heavyweight Championship belt circa the 80's and 90's.
Anyway, I have to agree, Robin could have been surgically extracted from the episode and it would have been just fine. And yes, every man on the planet fantasizes about riding the tricycle.
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10-09-2007 @ 2:47AM
Tom said...
Show nit pick – In the episode Ted explains to Trudy why he never called her when, in The Pineapple Incident he clearly says that he did try to call her and she never called back.
Review nit pick – Ted never said “he never heard from her again” in The Pineapple Incident he said he tried to call her and she didn’t call back so it’s consistent that he would run in to her again.
OK, those out of the way, I really disliked this episode. As a matter of fact, I am just the opposite of you in that I thought this was the worst of the three that we’ve seen so far (I personally think they’re getting progressively worse). A lot of it does seem to stem from not knowing what to do with the characters. Robin’s adrift but so are Marshall and Lily right now and Barney’s become more of a one-liner-machine than an actual character. Wild-and-Crazy Ted has been the focus thus far and he’s just not that entertaining (and you’re right about the stories not being quite kid friendly)
Season 3 has been very weak thus far but this was the first episode where I didn’t even crack a smile and that is a bad sign (my encyclopedic knowledge of the first and second season (as demonstrated above) should testify to how big a fan I am). It seems like HIMYM is crossing over into a “Cardboard Cut-Out Characters” sitcom. Unless the show pulls out of its tail spin pretty soon I actually might do the unthinkable and stop watching.
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10-09-2007 @ 3:06AM
Brent McKee said...
And just for the record, the ultimate tricycle involves identical twins. I wouldn't be surprised if Barney doesn't have something for that as well.
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10-09-2007 @ 4:14AM
Courtney Anthony said...
I think this episode was def funnier than the first two. Also, The first season started off slow with the pilot, and then Purple Garffe. Then we got the classic "sweet taste of liberty" and then "Return of the Shirt". It always takes about 3 episodes in the new season to get boat moving. Relax people, every episode cant be slap bet or Pineapple Incident.
PS: I have read some spoilers online about upcoming episodes and it's def going get better :)
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10-09-2007 @ 8:06AM
KMF said...
I thought this was a funny episode. Robin's part though not hilarious, was amusing maybe because I'm a girl and can relate to such a situation.
The belt and Barney's talk through were totally worth it for the episode. And not making it clear if Ted rode the tricycle was pretty smart, at least it drove Barney crazy.
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10-09-2007 @ 8:49AM
Justin said...
We've already seen Barney try to hook up a tricycle with twins in The Scorpion and the Toad and it didn't end well.
I loved the episode. The British humor between Barney and Marshall felt authentic the way the best humor on the show does. I love that Lily is so supportive of Ted's trysts and plays wing (wo)man to him.
I also love to see Ted flirting. The kinds of jokes he makes are always a little lame and he's just nervous enough to make it hilarious.
Check out my full recap:
http://www.have-you-met-ted.com/2007/season-3-episode-3-third-wheel-discussion/
PS Danica McKellar and Busy Phillips were HOT.
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10-09-2007 @ 8:51AM
SethDavis said...
Here's how they got around the whole never-heard-from-her-again line: Old and young Ted both said the same line -- There are some stories you tell and there are some you don't. He told the kids that he never heard from her again because he didn't tell them about the tricycle.
PS - What was the song playing at the end as they transitioned from the tricycle to the bar?
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10-09-2007 @ 9:08AM
Chris W said...
"It even consumed the great Barney Stinson, who choked like the Mets and used wine spillage as an excuse to go."
Boo! Too soon.
Great episode. I think Danica's character is going to be a recurring one (even if only just once a season). She seems to be the catalyst for Ted's weirdest stories. Every time she comes around, there's an element of the story that remains unknown (pineapple, belt/no-belt?) and I think that's a pattern and a theme that can be revisited. I doubt she's the mother, but I think she might be instrumental in setting certain things into place for serendipity's sake.
But Ted definitely didn't win the title-belt. First of all this is a sitcom, and if he had gone through with it, something would have gone wrong and he wouldn't be so smug the next day; he'd probably be ashamed or hanging his head. But why would he be smug if he didn't score? I think that *something* happened that made him feel good about the whole situation and that's why he was so comfortable the next day. Either the girls embarrassed themselves or came to their senses (it hurt me to write that phrase), but the threesome had a "moment of truth" where everything came into focus for Ted. So even though he didn't win the title, he came as close to it as he was comfortable. (I don't think Ted's really the orgy type either).
I liked it, but Robin definitely shouldn't be flying solo. Have her be Barney's bro again or something. Maybe even have her move from Brooklyn into the building with Ted & co. If they want to keep her as a character, they're going to have to find a good way to re-integrate her not as Ted's love interest.
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10-09-2007 @ 9:20AM
Dave said...
Cut them some slack, people. Dad Ted doesn't really tell his kids every little detail of what we see on the screen. If everything we see was part of his story, we could never have a side storyline that doesn't involve Ted. Do you think Robin told Ted about the butter-shaving incident? No, that was just for us. (And I could have done without it.)
Ted totally won the Belt. Keep your eyes open for it later. I'll bet that it shows up in a future episode hanging on the wall in Ted's bedroom. Just another little inside joke for the faithful viewers.
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10-09-2007 @ 9:21AM
Nancy said...
They really need to work on the continuity a little on this show. Why would Barney be scared of a threesome when he told Robin he's been in a "ten-way" (in the Bachelor Party episode when Robin said she bought Lilly something "racy")? That's just dumb.
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10-09-2007 @ 9:32AM
Tele-Toby said...
Calling the episode "The Third Wheel" made sense to me. As a phrase, it only appeared once, quickly; but in connection to the larger concept of the tricycle and Ted's place in it....
I think he pulled a Ross Geller and made a sandwich before returning to watch.....
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10-09-2007 @ 12:23PM
carrespondence said...
The man was flanked by two delectable women who wanted to make a troika tapestry with him and he stopped to call his friends? What a fool. Make the moment happen, THEN call your friends. Hell, take out billboards -- but seal the deal first.
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10-09-2007 @ 1:40PM
clgbutterfly said...
This is Jump the Shark season folks and though I am a new fan of the show I have to say that they are borderline. I love the show, but I can see them getting into the character rutts many shows fall into where the slight flaws of the characters that were humorous take them over completely. Like poor Joey in Friends who went from being a little dumb to a flat out idiot, which made it hard when they wanted him to start a relationship with Rachel (who also became too much of one thing) and when they wanted to give him his own show. HIMYM has shown that they can have a great show without getting stuck in these rutts. I have high hopes, but we'll see. Overall this is the funniest series I've seen in a long time.
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10-09-2007 @ 2:39PM
Cold Chilli said...
CBS Crossover alert!
Robin's date: the Doctor, was the blind waiter on CSI
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10-09-2007 @ 3:51PM
judi said...
Robin pulled a Ross Geller too with slippery antics in the bathroom. A classic scene in Friends. A painful memory for HIMYM.
Hope she finds her way.
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10-09-2007 @ 4:04PM
malren said...
Busy Phillips is hot? Really? Because when Lily said to choose, the choice was obvious: One is a horse-face with a thick trunk, and the other one is Danica effing McKellar.
Maybe it was the fact that she was standing next to a truly beautiful woman, but Busy looked anything but hot to me. She looked like the sorority chick who you'd do if everyone else left the party already and you were half in the bag.
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10-09-2007 @ 4:14PM
Ryan said...
Maybe they (writers, producers, etc.) know that Robin is floundering in terms of storyline and maybe that's why they DID name the episode The Third Wheel. Think about it. Her storyline was the Third Wheel of storylines!
Anyways, again not the best episode, but it still had me laughing.
And as for continuity, yes Barney said he was in a ten-way but are we really suppose to believe everything he says about his sex life? Barney Stinson? Seriously?
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10-09-2007 @ 5:40PM
Johari said...
If you haven't seen this week's installment of "How It Really Happened" over on CBS.com, I suggest you do...
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10-09-2007 @ 11:06PM
Eliz said...
Perhaps "The Third Wheel" referred to the fact that you can't have a tricycle without a third wheel!! What began as awkward, ended as awesome - classic HIMYM
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10-09-2007 @ 11:47PM
Gowan said...
THANK YOU, Cold Chilli. It was driving me nuts where I'd seen him before. The best I could come up with was Stargate SG1. The CSI credit doesn't show up on IMDB or TV.com yet.
I liked the episode. I agree that they need to find something to do with Cobie and fast. I like her, but showing us how she's dating and moving on isn't what the show is about.
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