(S03E19) I'm going to be speaking to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas tomorrow afternoon, and I think that one of the first questions I'm going to ask them is if Britney Spears is going to be a recurring guest on the show. It's starting to look that way, based on what we saw tonight; the way things ended, I can just imagine crazy Abby popping up once or twice per season, just to make Ted's life miserable. And since Brit Brit established the role, I'd imagine she'd come back and reprise it.And that's not altogether a bad thing. Once she becomes part of the fabric of the show, the episodes will be less about her presence and more about the story. Somehow (heh), Brit pulls off the nutty stalker role well enough, and maybe her acting will get a bit more refined the more she appears. At least I hope it does.
Why am I prattling on about Britney? Because there isn't much more about this episode that really stood out.
Not sure why, but everything about this episode gave me a big feeling of "meh." Maybe because last week's was so eventful and this one's wasn't. Not sure. The story with Marshall and Lily trying to raise the money to un-tilt their Dowistrepla apartment was cute, but not full of those M&L moments that you love to laugh and go "awww" at. Robin and Ted didn't have much to do but be goofy (more on that later). And Barney? Well, Barney just isn't the same away from the group, no matter how much he schemes with Abby, or whatever he's calling her at that moment.
At least we know that Abby was the person who was going around and badmouthing Barney to every woman in the city (as we tried to discover in "The Bracket"). Barn did a good job of getting Abby to go along with his "I hate Ted" scheme of trying to show him what being in a relationship is like. The fact that Abby alternated by saying Ted's hair and other things were "lame and awesome" gave me a chuckle. But Barney wriggled out of the mess he made -- he fake-proposed and she real-accepted -- too easily, chucking Ted under the bus at the same time. The whole plot seemed very fluffy to me. Sure, we're still working through the Barney-Ted separation, but it really wasn't dealt with in any kind of significant way. And, as I said, I miss Barney being a part of the group.
Ok, on to Marshall and Lily selling their stuff (mostly her clothes, since Marshall's never getting rid of his "Split Happens" t-shirt). So we know the website he set up to sell everything is real, with the proceeds going to charity. But how about the women-in-garbage-bags site that Lily accidentally found? (Oh, crap, it is, complete with a creepy French soundtrack.) The story of how they managed to set up a business selling her paintings to veterinarians was a bit convoluted, but it gave us an opportunity to see both Matt Besser and Larry Wilmore in small roles. Guys like that always give a show a bit of a comedic "stamp of approval," so it was good to see them.
More stuff:
- I really didn't care about whether Ted could pull off the red cowboy boots. Really didn't. Even when he went to the GCWOKs' (Gay Couple Without Kids) apartment, I didn't care. It's like the writers stuck that in just to give Ted something to do.
- Robin wasn't in this episode much, either, but at least her lust for Lily's wardrobe was funny. You'd think she'd pick a less conspicuous name to use on the L&M auction site, though; it said she was Canadian and worked for Metro News 1. Duh. "At least it stays in the family!"
- Dr. Greer takes dog testicles to the Dumpster? Ewwww.
- The shaky faith Marshall had in Lily's art skills may be something that's revisited later. The fortysomething Marshall and Lilly look like they had a few go-rounds like that over time.
- I would think that most modern art would mezmerize dogs and depress birds. Just sayin'.
- Abby wants to know if her wedding cake should be Cookie Puss or Fudgie the Whale. I's pick Gudgie... after all, he comes with his own ocean.
- You'd think Lily wears a lot of stuff that elicits a two-syllable "Damn!" What I want to know is, if it was 2004, why did she have black hair? Other flashbacks in the episode showed Lily with the proper red hair. Did she have long black hair before the timeline of the show started (2005)? Who knows?
- The Best Barneyism: How the only time he gets Abby's name right is when he's having sex with her. Of course, she was yelling "Ted" the whole time. Barney, of course, couldn't care less as long as he's getting some.
Oh, well. Hopefully, next week's season finale will send the show out (hopefully only until September) with a bang.
Giveaway Monday: That '70s Show The Complete Series Stash box set
Giveaway Monday: Back to You season one DVD
Six shows that I am watching pretty regularly this season
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-12-2008 @ 11:53PM
Josh said...
Outside of a line about outshining America on July 4th, Britney was the epitome of awful. I cringe when she delivers lines. It has become a tremendous distraction and despite the ominous ending I do not welcome her return. End her role on the show now.
The red boots reminded me of Ross and the leather pants on Friends, only it didn't include the physical humor of baby powder and lube forming a paste. Blech. Not a good episode. Hopefully we can end this see-saw season on a high note.
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5-13-2008 @ 10:58AM
MacGuffin said...
I agree that Britney was awful. Not sure what all the fuzz was about. Although her face looked pretty good (thanks to Hollywood make-up) she looked really out of shape, which is pretty amazing for a young woman in her mid-20's.
Otherwise she was really lame. But whatever it takes to keep HIMYM on, casting stunts notwithstanding.
5-13-2008 @ 12:01AM
Robobagins said...
You've got a serious problem with Brit, she just gives you tunnel vision or something. I don't know, maybe I just tune it out or something, I just don't notice it. I recognize crazy stalker girl before my mind goes, "oh that's britney spears."
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5-13-2008 @ 12:30AM
R.A. Porter said...
A little more of Brit-Brit and my schedule on Monday nights opens up a bit. I figure another 15 minutes of screen time is my limit before I'm done with this show I used to love.
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5-13-2008 @ 12:47AM
Jake said...
yeah... Abbey needs to go. She was "better" in this episode from the last, but if these are the types of episodes HIMYM is going to make with Britney then maybe the show needs to bow out. I really think the show is better than these episodes with Britney. And I don't think it's a case of stunt casting because they have had stars on before and have worked out great. Bays and Thomas need to use Brit Brit like Barney used Abbey. Get a bump (in ratings) and kick her out.
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5-13-2008 @ 12:58AM
Melissa said...
I loved the stuff about Ted's red boots. They looked so ridiculous!
I really hope Britney doesn't return to the show. I agree, her lines are cringe-inducing. She can't match the talent of Neil Patrick-Harris, and it makes everything awkward in a bad way.
This is hands down my favorite sitcom on TV right now. I can't get enough of this cast, especially Jason Segel (rawr).
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5-13-2008 @ 1:52AM
jds65 said...
Agree with commenters that Britney just cannot deliver lines. Awful.
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5-13-2008 @ 2:50AM
Gordon Werner said...
The Caravelle Ice Cream cakes was a great line for those of us who grew up in NYC ... I remember those ads every commercial break
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5-13-2008 @ 2:52AM
Paul said...
This might've been my least favourite episode of HIMYM. I really do love this show, but this episode had "blah" all over it. The only bright spots were Matt Besser and Larry Wilmore -- NOT the big, fancy guest star (who was annoying, more so than last time).
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5-13-2008 @ 4:35AM
Ronak said...
Don't kill the show Abby!
You're killing the show Abby!
Show killer!
Thought I'd throw in the don't kill the bar lines with the word show instead to hopefully get the point across that I hate having Britney on HIMYM. The first time was a nuisance, but anymore and I will begin to cry everytime I watch this show. I agree that this might be the weakest show that HIMYM has ever put out and that's a very hard thing to do. I laughed at nearly everything that didn't involve Barney and Abby. That's what she has done to this show. She has made Barney unfunny. If I'm correct, then due to the strike, next week's episode will be the season finale?? I sure hope they knock this one out of the park because they need to recover badly from this, as stated before, cringe-inducing effort.
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5-13-2008 @ 5:10AM
Greg Murphy said...
According to the LA Times, the show has been picked up for a fourth season. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/05/upfronts-cbs-re.html
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5-13-2008 @ 5:48AM
Ashley Boyd said...
Yeah I found Lily's black/brown hair in 2004 a weird mistake, considering in season two Lily said she got the "new hair" for a new city (San Fran).
That and from what we've seen of Lily's paintings in the past have been alright and realistic, where did this lame modern art come from (for clarifications purposes, I don't mind modern art, but Lily's was rubbish).
And the boots would have been better with something a bit more out there. Think Noel Fielding in The Mighty Boosh.
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5-13-2008 @ 6:44AM
KMF said...
Britney single handedly killed the show for me the first time she was on. And if they decide to keep bringing her back, well then it's beyond dead to me. If her episodes were a fluke and she wouldn't come back, maybe there was a chance for me to forget about her, get back into the show, and just avoid those two episodes like the plague. With her possibly recurring, no chance of resuscitation.
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5-13-2008 @ 7:00AM
Lane Wright said...
Maybe it's just a matter of comedic taste, but I honestly didn't think this was such a bad episode, and I thought Britney's character did just what she was meant to do. And I honestly thought this episode was funnier than last week's that everyone else was gaga about. In any case, you people ought to lighten up--if you're threatening to abandon the show because of one or two episodes you don't care for as much, then you're a fair-weather fan. This show does a whole lot more right than it does wrong, and I for one happily plan to continue with it.
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5-13-2008 @ 7:06AM
Alicia said...
I didn't mind Brit the last time she was on. I thought it was kinda cute.
This episode sucked!
Now, I can't place all the blame on her, but...
This Episode Sucked!
The Ted storyline was awful, and well so is the whole Barney trying to get back in Ted's good graces. They prolly won't kiss and make up until next year. (Old Ted still refrences him as Uncle Barney.)
But overall...
THIS EPISODE SUCKED!
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5-13-2008 @ 7:45AM
justelise said...
Abby alone can't kill the show. Obviously the writers are doing a pretty good job of that without the help of a parade of guest stars. Of course if the show does go south, the only thing people will remember is that it happened after Britney Spears did a guest role, therefore she must be the catalyst. I'm not defending her because she's clearly got issues, but blame the people that make the show, not the actors who work on it.
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5-13-2008 @ 8:13AM
Adrienne said...
If they want to keep bringing Brit back, therefore RUINING the best sitcom on TV, then I would rather HIMYM be canceled. Last night's episode HAD to be the WORST that I've ever seen, and I've seen them all. Please put Brit AND Abby out of OUR misery! She's a horrible actress and brings the show down so much. I didn't mind her little bit in her first episode, but now SHE HAS TO GO. SHE'S RUINING MY FAVORITE SHOW!
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5-13-2008 @ 8:39AM
RC said...
My favorite line was when Barney was hitting on the girl at the beginning and he talked about shooting the tank in the shark's mouth and then him and Mr. Holland sailing to safety.
I don't think Britney is as bad as everyone else is saying. It's not like I'm going to stop watching the show because of her.
What bugged me way more than Britney is Ted not pulling his jeans over his boots! Seinfeld did the exact same thing in one episode. Is this some NY thing where people don't know how to wear cowboy boots right??
http://bitsmack.com
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5-13-2008 @ 9:10AM
Dave said...
Was Britney doing a voice or is that what she actually sounds like?
I kept wishing Ted would just 'pull them off'!
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5-13-2008 @ 9:19AM
Wintermute said...
Meh. And not because of Britney. I actually thought she had the best lines of the episode. I just didn't think this episode was as funny as it could have been.
'mute
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