(S04E03) As a native and resident of New Jersey, I was very offended by this episode.
Actually, that's not true. As most Jerseyans will tell you, we have a sense of humor about our state and make fun of it all the time. But when outsiders make fun of it, boy... watch out.
Ted Mosby's the worst kind of New Yorker; he moves there from some other part of the country, rides a subway or two, has a dog at Papaya King and thinks he has the right to make fun of the B&Ts (Bridge & Tunnelers) who love visiting New York but would rather live in their (slightly) cheaper and quieter homes in the suburbs. We've seen Ted unleash his wrath on the Garden State in the past, but now his dislike of my home state came back to bite him in the ass... in the form of a pretty blond doctor.
I know Stella's not supposed to completely fit in with the gang, but you'd think she'd have slid into the group's groove a lot better by now. And it's weird, because we all know how good Sarah Chalke can be in a comedic setting.
Stella was a little more animated tonight, but it seems like every time we see her, she becomes more staid and dull. Maybe Bays and Thomas are doing this on purpose to not make longtime viewers think she's the mother; after all, she's making Ted move out to a place he hates so much that he goes to the bathroom to drop a "huge New Jersey." Yes, Teddy came around after he realized that being with Stella and her daughter Lucy was the important part. But I don't buy it. Ted was his usual selfish self just five minutes before that, only compromising enough to suggest moving to Brooklyn; I can see this being a big issue as we go along.
My favorite moment was Marshall's speech about being "too big for New York." "I'm a huge monster that came out of the ocean to destroy bodegas!" Given his Minnesota background, it's refreshing that Marshall hasn't bought into the NYC mystique as much as Ted has. But those withering looks from Lily will keep him in New York forever.
We just knew that Robin was going to get that foreign correspondent's job, wasn't she? Two weeks ago, I wrote: "And will that job (Barney) encouraged Robin to go for will take her away from Barney in one of those cruel twists of fate? Can this show be that melodramatic?" I guess it is. It's interesting that the entire time Barney was keeping his fist up for hours looking for a cheap bump, he was sincerely encouraging Robin the entire time to believe in herself and not call her old boss back. The look on his face when she mentioned the new job is why NPH is the MVP of HIMYM (whew, a lot of initials there).
More fun stuff:
- Despite the fist hold and the "awesome manly pain tears" associated with it, Barney's speech that described the regretful look women get when they go back to him a second time was the Best Barneyism of the week. It worked on about three different levels. Close second: his attempt to seduce a lesbian.
- Never saw dog shirts at my Costco (or Price Co., as they called it), but those recliners with cupholders were all over the place.
- Robin's 24-esque adventure to get back to her old job on time seemed to be a bit underdeveloped and out of place, but worth it to hear "Molar bear" and "the shocking de-rails... after this."
- Stella said that NJ is a place where you know your neighbors. Maybe in her neighborhood, it is. I have no idea who everyone is on my floor, and I've lived next to some of them for years.
TV Squad Ten: Cartoon women who should have Playboy centerfolds
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-07-2008 @ 1:51AM
Andrew said...
This episode was not up to the usual standards. I for one am getting tired of the Sarah Chalke story line. Enough already. Time to dump her and move on. I did like some of the art work they had on display on her walls: From the great childrens book called NO, DAVID.
Joel: Sorry you are stuck in New Jersey, not everyone can live in New York ;)
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 2:26AM
Rob said...
I agree. I really hate to suggest it, but I feel a 'shark' coming up fast. And Sarah Chalke?! Seriously,... there have been so many to better mother contenders out there. (my money is still on Victoria [Ashley Williams]). This season has some good laughs, but it just doesn't feel the same as past seasons. Here's to hoping it gets better with time.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 10:23AM
Pix said...
Agreed, Ashley was by far the best fit for Ted, and I loved that entire storyline with her. Bring her back! Chalke is the worst of all Teds girlfriends...
10-07-2008 @ 4:07AM
cate said...
i'm from NJ too..."down the shore" as the New Yorkers like to say. people don't seem to realize that north jersey and south jersey, east and west are as different as day and night. anyway, we do love a little self-depricating humor for the most part, but NJ really is a great place to live. That said, come visit before you slander the entire state!
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 12:51PM
ac said...
Jersey Shore is the best part of NJ.
10-10-2008 @ 2:34PM
eric f. said...
I do envy Jersey for the shopping and low sales tax...
10-07-2008 @ 4:53AM
Brian said...
Another decent episode when compared to other sitcoms, but the show's completely lost its writing spark. It's not "How I Met Your Mother" anymore.
For the second week in a row, they relied on a few gags (last week it was the Goliath thing and Robin's hunger, this week it was Barney's hand, NJ, Robin's dumb job) instead of developing humor out of realistic and coherent situations.
I've been going through the first two seasons on DVD recently, and there's really just no comparison. Those seasons were great because the comedy made sense - it was character-motivated, realistic and clever. Now, it's the type of humor that can be found on any sitcom developed over the past twenty years. There's nothing specific to the characters, which is a shame, since the How I Met Your Mother cast is easily the best comedy group on TV right now.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 7:10AM
Chris said...
The way I see it, you don't get to see New York from Manhattan. I live across the Hudson in Jersey City and it's nice to breathe a sigh after a long day in Midtown and look at the gentle giants from across the moat.
And having been a New Yorker most of my life, I agree with Joel that the Teds of the world need to be taken down a peg. Those who come to New York for college or work, take up shop in a trendy neighborhood and get on their high horse about doing so much as going to a restaurant in Queens. "Boo!" I say.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 9:03AM
spg28 said...
I hate to say it because I really WANT to keep loving HIMYM, but I think its been slacking big time lately. I keep waiting for the Bays and Thomas of Seasons 1 and 2 to pull something out of their hat, but it just keeps getting more disappointing.
And as a lifelong New Jerseyan, I have to say that I thought the episode redeemed itself at the end thanks to Marshall declaring, "NY is the city that never sleeps. Well I like sleep. I've been tired for 8 years!!!" Best line of the episode!
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 9:20AM
Lane Wright said...
There's just no accounting for how people here are going to react to this show's episodes. Last year there was an episode that based a lot of its humor on the unfunny idea of a character getting nosebleeds, and it was loudly praised; tonight I thought was an especially funny episode that showed off the cast's impeccable comic timing, and it's being largely panned. I sincerely don't get it. I'm just glad the people here aren't the ones in charge of making decisions about "HIMYM."
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 9:26AM
Joel Keller said...
Lane, it might just come down to if the episode made a person laugh or not. I think it's unfair to say that the show is relying on lame sitcom gags more than in the past, since there have been many episodes that had gag-filled storylines (sometimes it was the B-story, but there have been gaggy A-stories, too). But if the gaggy storyline is funny (Slap Bet), people love it. If it's not (We're Not From Here), people think they've been betrayed by the writers.
This episode was OK. Good in parts, meh in others. My main beef is that the character of Stella seems to be dragging the show down with her one-dimensional blandness.
10-07-2008 @ 9:50AM
Chrysee said...
The problem I'm having is the episodes seem to be suggesting like "oh noes Ted's moving to NJ" and "oh noes Robin is moving to Japan forevs". Well, no. Ted will still be living in his same apartment (and with Robin) on his birthday, which will be in the later part of the season.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 10:19AM
Steve said...
i thought this was a very funny episode, definitely funnier than last weeks. Lots of great one liners with all of Ted hatred for New Jersey.
side note, i don't have an issue with New Jersey but i hate the roads their
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 12:52PM
ac said...
Someone had a bad experience on the Parkway. Wait no one has a good experience on that road. It's like merging onto a death race.
10-07-2008 @ 12:11PM
Allison Solow said...
As someone who enjoyed living in NYC for 10 years -- I loved my little Chelsea apartment -- I understand the anti-Jersey zeal. On the other hand, I also loved by 10 years in Fort Lee, Edgewater and Ridgefield because I finally had apartments with closet space, not to mention an extra bedroom. Also in Jersey I could have a car. Parking in NYC is beyond impossible. So I relate to all this material.
But the element of Ted getting all mushy about reading to Lucy was pure schmaltz. It was hokey and I don't see how they're going to resolve this without just breaking up Ted and Stella.
The biggest development in this episode was Robin going to Japan. That's huge. Are we sure that Robin doesn't have a twin sister, because I still see Ted winding up with Robin.
Reply
10-10-2008 @ 7:59PM
viewdrix said...
We know nothing will happen to Robin long-term; she's living with Ted by March (and that probably says how well the marriage goes, anyway). I bet she goes to Japan for a couple of episodes and returns, just like Lily did with San Francisco.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 10:53AM
cdawg said...
any tv show that can reference "boom goes the dynamite" gets an A+ in my book!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 11:01AM
cdawg said...
omg that's right! we do know that the donkey at Ted's birthday comes at this year's birthday party - so either Marshall and Lilly STILL live there (um, wtf happened to their DWISTERPLA apartment?), or Ted does....
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 11:05AM
willy the impeached said...
This show is turning into a big old pile of New Jersey. Or maybe a runny bit of New Jersey dribbling . ...
Anyway, this is what happens to all shows when they get into drag it out mode. Every other episode is a steaming pile of New Jersey.
Reply
10-07-2008 @ 5:37PM
Scott Schrantz said...
Eh, you can keep your New York vs New Jersey. I'll never live anywhere east of the Rockies.
I wonder where they're going with the Stella storyline. Because as much as I love Sarah Chalke, she is turning out to have no chemistry with anyone on this show.
Reply