(S04E11) I tell ya, you'll never get homesick in New York; no matter where you're from, there's a bar full of ex-pats from there sitting and following the sports teams, reminiscing, and talking about life back home. Even if you're a Red Sox fan in a Yankees world, for instance, there are safe havens for you all over the city.In this cute and funny episode, Marshall showed Robin his safe haven, a little slice of his home state of Minnesota right in NYC, and it seemed like a fun place to hang and eat "mini" burgers. Not sure if the vision of all those Vikings jerseys (especially their butt-ugly modern-day models) is something you'd want to see all the time, but, hey, where else can you complain about the failure of the 1998 team (who were the first team to go 15-1 and miss the Super Bowl) ten years later and not be laughed at?
Both plots this week were pretty much trifle-y nothings, but well-executed, which is sometimes all you want from a sitcom. Was the story about Ted learning to trust his wild-child sister as she moves to New York predictable? Sure. But between Barney's reworked Christmas / Hannukah carols where he sang about banging said sister (the Best Barneyism this week... though the rented swivel chair was a close second) and Lily's inability to keep a secret, the plot was funny even as it was hurtling towards the inevitable corny conclusion. Also, it was nice to see a) Lily operate without Marshall for a change and b) Barney actually follow The Bro Code for once and not sleep with Heather. In fact, he used Lily's penchant to blab to his advantage more than once, but not always to just fetch him some tail. That's not like him, but it was refreshing.
The Walleye Saloon plot was funny not only for the 1999 NFC Championship jokes and the jokes about Canadians being afraid of the dark, but it was just full of little gifts for the attentive viewer:
The names on the backs of the Vikings jerseys, for instance, had members of the cast and crew on it; there was a "Smulders" jersey in the crowd, for instance. The jersey Robin wore had "Fryman" on the back, in honor of show director Pamela Fryman.
Marshall's jersey was the classic jersey of Vikings legend Jim Marshall, which is notable because a) Marshall is wearing a Marshall jersey, and b) there's no name on the back to make it obvious.
Finally, of course, there's the song Marshall sang when he took Robin to the Hoser Hut, which is New York's slice of Canada: "Let's Go to the Mall." The funny thing is that everyone in the bar knew the song by heart, but no one recognized that Robin Sparkles was sitting amongst them, even before she ashamedly pulled a hockey mask over her face. Shows you how far Robin's come from her days in the Great White North, which should make her feel better even though she's single and not working right now.
More fun stuff:
- Lily continues to hint at her bad girl tendencies, doesn't she? So, she still shoplifts here and there to turn her on? It really makes me wonder how she's going to handle being penned in by her marriage as she gets older.
- Robin is so right about the strip clubs in Canada. As a friend of mine said once, they're "all nude, all crude." Though who wouldn't want to envision Robin "sucking down a 20 oz. pilsner while watching some coal miner's daughter strip down to her pelt"?
- How much are we going to see of Heather now that a) she's in New York, and b) Ted's on the hook for her lease? Did she end up getting that job at GNB? I don't think we found out.
Anyway, what a nice way to go into the holiday break. Let's hope the second half of the season is as funny as this episode was.
How I Met Your Mother' Photos
Actor Neil Patrick Harris arrives in an Audi to the Entertainment Tonight Emmy Party at the Disney Concert Hall on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Parry/WireImage.com
Presenters Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the NOKIA Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com
Presenters Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the NOKIA Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Presenters Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris speak onstage during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kristin Chenoweth;Neil Patrick Harris
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Actor Neil Patrick Harris (R) and David Burtka arrive at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** David Burtka;Neil Patrick Harris
Getty Images
Actor Jason Segel attends CBS Comedies
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com
Actress Cobie Smulders attends CBS Comedies
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com
Actress Cobie Smulders attends CBS Comedies
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com
Actor Neil Patrick Harris attends CBS Comedies
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com
Actress Alyson Hannigan (R) and her husband, actor Alexis Denisof attend CBS Comedies
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-16-2008 @ 9:27AM
ricky said...
Ok so I never usually post but...was that Rube Baker at the Minnesota bar?
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 9:33AM
MNJayW said...
I would kill for a bar like that here in Chicago!
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 9:45AM
Susan Burns said...
I want the "holiday songs". I laughed so hard!!!!!!
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 10:14AM
Mike said...
That was in fact Rube Baker in the bar. Maybe one of the best scenes of the season when Marshall led the bar in Let's Go To the Mall.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 10:16AM
Dave said...
So is little sister now going to be a regular on the show?
I love the little things about this show. They took a decent episode and made it hilarious with the tag. Let's go to the mall! Today!
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 10:37AM
Jimmy said...
I have been a fan of HIMYM since episode 1, but I have to say this season has been mediocre at best and this episode was a prime example of that mediocrity. Very little of it was funny. Not even Barney is making me laugh the way he used to.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 11:50AM
Allison Solow said...
I have to agree with Jimmy. This episode and last week's and most of this season has been labored. They seem out of synch ever since the Stella storyline. What is Robin doing right now? She's been out of work for weeks. And Ted's sister gets a NYC apartment without a job? In New York, are you kidding me? I'm nitpicking, I know, but if this was funny stuff I wouldn't care. Right now, HIMYM is the weak link between Big Bang and Two and a Half Men, and I thought I'd never say that.
12-22-2008 @ 5:55PM
Hashbrown Hunter said...
What?! HIMYM has had a pretty solid season so far. This episode wasn't so standout but the rest were great. Naked Man was amazing, Woooo! was hilarious, and Not a Father's Day was priceless.
12-16-2008 @ 10:39AM
Happy Steve said...
My favorite line...
Ted: You're like "Weird Al" Yankovic, if he only wrote Christmas songs about having sex with my sister.
Barney: Okay first of all, I'm flattered...
And as it turns out, "Trivial Pursuit" was first conceived on December 15, 1979 by two Canadians. That's right, this episode gives props to them exactly 29 years later. Nice.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 10:52AM
Ryan said...
The episode was funny, but I died laughing when Marshall led the whole bar in his rendition of "Let's Go to the Mall." Classic.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 11:08AM
Jastrom said...
For anyone who has scene the Donkey Kong Documentary King of Kong know what the 'Kill Screen' is and in this Episode Robin was doing so awesome at the Fishing game that she was about to get the 'Gill Screen' too funny.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 11:04AM
cdawg said...
yeah the episode didn't do anything to move a plot further ahead, but that's the point of sitcoms - there doesn't always have to be serialization.
I thought the episode was good, not great, but it was ALL worth it for the last scene. In fact, that scene made the entire season worth watching. I was dying! (and singing along!)
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 11:30AM
MWM said...
I think Barney did sleep with Heather, but came up with an elaborate lie to cover for Lilly's blabber-mouth.
Btw, Heather is smokin. Pause the scene when she is hugging Ted at the end and you will see what I mean
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 12:30PM
Tom G said...
Maybe i'm missing some humor or copywright issues. Or maybe I'm just one of those bitter Minnesotans being made fun of, but the Vikes lost the 1998 NFC Championship game and the entire episode (and in this article) it was refered to as the 1999 NFC Championship game. In addition to bringing up painful memories of that game, it pissed my wife and I off to no end they would mess up that fact.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 12:33PM
Joel Keller said...
Tom, I was thinking of mentioning that, but I felt I was being too picky. The game was played in January 1999, but it was to determine the NFC champ for the 1998 season. So, I guess in NFL parlance, Carter and Craig weren't accurate -- in most places, it would be referred to as the "1998 NFC Championship game." No biggie, though; I think every Vikings fan knew exactly which game they were talking about; I'm sure they all slammed their fists on the table when it was mentioned. :)
12-16-2008 @ 1:08PM
brenth said...
I love HIMYM, and I'm from Minnesota, so I loved the shoutout to my home state. I agree that the year was wrong, and I still remember where I was watching that game. Go Vikings! Also thought it was funny when Robin and Marshall were sitting the stairs outside in short sleeve shirts and eating ice cream while everyone is all bundled up... too funny. I love this show!
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 1:14PM
Sarah said...
Good episode, the Marshall and Robin plotline was much funnier (the other was a bit corny). There's no solid proof that Barney and Heather did not have sex -- are we just buying that they didn't because they said so? I know Barney is respectful of the bro code, but he's broken it before and what's to say that he didn't break it again?
Article 19: A Bro shall not sleep with another Bro's sister. However, a Bro shall not get angry if another Bro says, "Dude, your sister's hot!"
Amendment III: Should a Bro become aware that his Bro has a really hot sister (a nine or higher), she is no longer protected under article 19.
The Amendment says it all.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 1:22PM
MarcDom7 said...
The all-nude strip clubs with alcohol is not an entirely Canadian phenomenon. It just happens to be different than how they do it in New York and California. (The two I know.) For instance, the "Canadian way" is legal in Atlanta.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 1:50PM
Alicia R. said...
Wasn't Barney sleeping with Robin him breaking the Bro Code? If that is the case (and I am sure it is) then Barney wouldn't break it again.
Not the funniest episode, but it was nice to see Lily not attached to Marshall's hip.
And the end... "Turn off the screen, we all know the words!" helped make up for it.
Reply
12-16-2008 @ 2:51PM
Al said...
Did anyone notice that Marshall greeted Ted's sister at the beginning of the show with a "woo!" ? I guess she's a "woo!"-girl!
Reply