TVSquad

Hot off the presses (DVDs are pressed right?), the first season of How I Met Your Mother is out on DVD today. Without getting into specifics, I got lucky and ended up with a copy last week. So I've had all weekend to play around with it. The simple answer is that this is a great DVD set... for all HIMYM fans. Anyone else that picks this up probably isn't going to get as excited about the special features as I did.

That being said, the special features are scant. There's not many, but what you do get is worth it. Once you get over the fact that it's only presented in full frame (Joel and I were both angry about the lack of widescreen), there's plenty to watch. I especially enjoyed the commentaries on the pilot episode and "Drumroll, Please" because Pamela Fryman sat in on those sessions. It's a rare occurrence when one person helms the directorial duties for an entire 22-episode run, but Fryman did it and created a constant visual style throughout the entire season. So her thoughts held some weight in those commentaries.

(S02E08) You mean to tell me that Atlantic City has a lot of old people crowding the slot machines and is full of garbage on the beach? Who knew?

Actually, AC, while not the "Shangri-La" that Las Vegas is, isn't as horrific as TV writers would lead you to believe. But it was a good backdrop for tonight's rare one-story episode.

So...Marshall and Lilly are back together. Like I said last week, it would have been nice for them to explore them trying to co-exist as friends in the group for a little while longer, but the deed is done. Now, they're starting to talk about marriage again; Marshall even makes Lilly get down on a knee and propose all formal-like. But instead of getting up in front of Marshall's family, who still might be a little miffed at Lilly for leaving him, they decide to elope in Atantic City.