(S04E04) The first three episodes of HIMYM season four have been uneven, as you might expect at the beginning of a new season. The last two episodes have been funny, but it was mostly missing what made the show so special and attracted such a rabid set of fans. This episode, however, had everything every Mother fan could hope for: Huge laughs, time shifts back and forth, clues big and small about where the story is going to go, and Barney unrepentantly trying to hook up.Oh, let's just get the Best Barneyism out of the way right now: it's his Future Barney / old man hookup Daily Double. Sure, his not-so-subtle references to his shrink's assessments were funny, as was his continued dalliance with fire-based magic. But Barn (and Neil Patrick Harris) really sold the old man bit, from his voice, to his shaky hands. We knew Barney had a bit of the thespian in him, but he used that skill to its maximum this week.
On to the interventions. My favorite was the one that Marshall got for his Cat in the Hat style chapeau. "I do not like you in that hat / I want to hit you with a bat," said Robin. Not the same Dr. Seuss book, but close enough. Cobie Smulders was a comedy machine in this episode, wasn't she? From Robin's drunken uber-Canadianness ("I'll give you summerteeth... summer over here... summer over dere...") to her matter-of-fact assertion that she's hotter than Stella, it was a very Cobie week.
In fact, everyone had funny things to do and say this week, rather than just kind of be in the background. A good Mother episode incorporates all the gang's personalities into the story, and this episode did a good job of it. Marshall's rant about the old apartment being home, Barney's anger at the breakup of a girl fight, Lily's assessment of the Dowistrepla apartment: "It's a black hole where dreams go to die!", Ted's insistence on calling it an "encyclopaedia," and Robin's lack of sentimentality towards moving were all funny moments.
But, of course, everyone wants to know why in 2009 they still have an apartment that's upstairs from McLaren's, and who exactly lives there. I think at this point, we all wanted to give Ted an intervention regarding his relationship with Stella -- my note would read, "the two of you have less chemistry than siblings!" -- but it looks like Bays and Thomas have beat us to it. Barney thinks marriage is stupid and Marshall and Lily think Ted was going too fast (as does one of Lily's kindergarteners and his mother, apparently), but we all by now that Stella isn't the mother, and this isn't going to end well. It's just the beginning of the end of that relationship.
Of course, there are subtle signs: We know that during the goat incident cited last year, Ted and Robin were somehow living together. We can also see that Ted's not wearing a wedding ring in that 2009 flash-forward (thanks to the McDuffees for that observation). We also know someone is still living in that apartment, despite the fact that they all got together to drink the top-shelf scotch just like Ted proposed ("I want to cut mine with Red Bull," said Barney, who should be used to drinking top-shelf stuff by now). So, is it Ted and Robin? Are they back together or just roomies (we can see Japan not working out for Robin and her needing a place to stay)? Ah, conspiracy theories and more questions than answers. Old-school Mother, how I missed you.
More fun stuff:
- The explanation for the burn mark on the wall led to a nice unraveling of the whole Intervention tradition, which led to the re-thought intervention everyone wanted to give Ted. Very nice piece of writing.
- "That's what happens when I skim the evite..." Only Barney would bring booze to a real intervention and not feel guilty about it.
- What the hell was that accent of Lily's? I guess it's some combo of all the actors who played James Bond combined. And, yes, I do include George Lazenby in there.
- Where can you get the robotic cookie jar, R2SweetTooth?
- Ted really is "douchae," isn't he?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-13-2008 @ 10:31PM
SIS said...
I LOVED this episode! It brought back everything that reminded me of why I LOVE this show (the 'Intervention' thing!). I honestly thought at first, Stella and Ted had chemistry. Then its like the writers decided to make her boring, and they lost it. So who knows? I think the "Mother" must have dark hair, and Robin is probably the most likely choice. But who's to say at the end of the episdode, the apartment wasnt Barney's and Robin's?
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10-13-2008 @ 10:36PM
Michelle said...
Great episode full of laughs... just a lot of fun! I think the apartment is Ted's... that he kept the lease as a Plan B because he knew his doubts about marrying Stella were valid. As for the mother, we know it can't be Robin because future Ted always refers to her as "Aunt Robin" when talking to his kids. I love Monday nights! Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, 2 1/2 Men and then I'm ready for some football!
10-13-2008 @ 10:40PM
Brian said...
Great episode. Like last year's "Slapsgiving" and "How I Met Everyone Else," this is another one of those episodes that proves the team still knows how to put together television's best sitcom.
As was stated in the review, the incorporation of all the characters was huge—this is one of those episodes that could serve as an introduction to the series for new fans. It really played to their strengths, with the exception of Marshall, who seems to get dumber and more bizarre each episode (remember when he "lawyered" people and had altogether witty comments?). Still a great one though.
I do think it was a bit flashback heavy, though, which makes sense considering the current storylines aren't really allowing the writers to extricate emotion from the characters. The only real flat part of the story was the "intervention" regarding Stella, as it seems that everyone is too indifferent to her to worry about the many reasons why she's wrong for Ted (namely, she's not particularly attractive, not funny and not charming).
I also liked the ending; even though it was a little sudden and obvious (like last week's ending), it did capture real emotion, therefore doing something the show hasn't done in a while.
Regarding Barney needing a mixer, remember, he went out of his way to get a scotch and soda at Lilly and Marshall's wedding, so he's clearly not a straight scotch drinker.
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10-13-2008 @ 10:42PM
Leah said...
This was a GREAT episode. I loved it from start to finish. It was just awesome. I loved the flashbacks to all the reasons Ted should be the one to pay the security deposit (my favorite one being drunk Robin and her accent and hockey playing) to all the interventions and that sign. And that they had an intervention to stop having interventions. Just an all around great episode. I hope they keep this up.
Was anyone else happy at the end when they did the FF and stella was not at the bar? I love Sarah Chalke and think she's great, but I've been saying since the beginning that she is NOT the mother. It's too early in the series. Can't wait til next week!
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10-13-2008 @ 11:15PM
Leah said...
Oh and someone compared this episode to slapsgiving and how i met everyone else, well, I just rewatched the entire third season and I think the funniest episode last year was Spoiler Alert, the one where Marshall was waiting for the results of his bar exam and Ted was dating the girl who never stopped talking. The last couple of scenes were some of the best of the entire series.
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10-13-2008 @ 10:49PM
Usama said...
Actually in regards to, "Barney thinks marriage is stupid and Marshall and Lily think Ted was going too fast (as does one of Lily's kindergarteners and his mother, apparently),"
I think the kindergartner felt it wasn't moving fast enough with Stella.
I loved the episode.
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10-13-2008 @ 11:12PM
Nacho said...
"but we all by now that Stella isn't the mother, and this isn't going to end well. It's just the beginning of the end of that relationship."
Ummm...Not EVERYONE knows how things are going to turn out. I try to avoid spoilers. So unless there was something on the actual show that I missed, I'm assuming this statement was made based on spoilers?
If so could you try to keep that sort of thing out of reviews?
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10-13-2008 @ 11:17PM
Joel Keller said...
Nacho, I'm not a spoiler fan either. So I'm saying that as pure speculation, not because I know anything about where the story is going.
Wow, spoilers have made people into very paranoid viewers (and readers)...
10-13-2008 @ 11:22PM
Nacho said...
Alright, just clarifying. Cause the way it was presented it was like it was a fact. I assume (and hope) she's not the mother, but until I hear Future Voiceover Dad tell the kids that she's not the mom, I won't be sure.
10-13-2008 @ 11:21PM
Wii60 said...
Lilly didn't drink the scotch. Pregnant?
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10-13-2008 @ 11:41PM
Josh said...
I like the theory. There was definitely a deliberate look she gave as she lowered her glass.
10-14-2008 @ 1:22AM
Ted Underhill said...
Possibly ... it is after all a year later
10-22-2008 @ 12:12PM
RobynS8971 said...
Why, yers she probably is, Allison Hanigan announced her pregnancy today, so they probably are going to write a baby in for Lily and Marshall. Boy, will that change the dynamic of HIMYM!
10-14-2008 @ 12:42AM
Ryan said...
I LOVED this episode. I wont repeat everyone else, but I just had to comment on the love.
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10-14-2008 @ 1:21AM
Ted Underhill said...
Awesome episode. One goof I noticed near the end was when Ted forces the couple out of their booth at McLaren's ... the woman picks up her cell phone off the table and leaves ... then later comes back to pick up her cell phone which is seen sitting on the table. Oops :)
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10-14-2008 @ 6:24AM
Boomfoxx said...
The lady didn't get her phone back. She came back to say that she thought she left her phone in the booth and Ted told her to get lost. Which makes the fact that the phone was obviously (and thus easy to return) sitting on the table funnier rather than a mistake.
10-14-2008 @ 2:04AM
Willmore2000 said...
One of the best HOIMYM episodes. Barney really makes this show special. Without him, it's a Friends knockoff.
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10-14-2008 @ 6:28AM
kaz said...
To Ted Underhill
Yes,the girl left their seats she left with her sell phone first,then her sell phone is still on that table.They must mistaked that.They are doing that things on the samll things, not main stories.
I'm happy about they are finally back.The first two seasons filled many ep like this week ep.I love "how lilly stole chirsmas", "arrivederci fiero"and someone said two ep.Those are my "star wars".
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10-14-2008 @ 7:10AM
Chris said...
YES!!! This is what I'm talking about. Great episode, kept the story going, gave the characters the chance to act organically, and delivered great laughs. Episodes for most of last season and the beginning of this season were severely uneven. I'm glad we got a return to form and I hope it continues.
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10-14-2008 @ 8:34AM
kaz said...
Is anyone notice 2009 pictured time Robin tochied her face to barny's and around her arm him.It looks their couple.Their faces were too close?Aren't them?
I love to be suspicious about small things on this show.But never come true.
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