Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
One Paragraph Synopsis: Ted hopes to rectify his disastrous first date with Robin by holding a "casual" encounter for the two to spend time at... by holding a party at his place that is continually revived for the next night after she has to bow out. Meanwhile, Marshall hopes to finish writing his paper on time, despite the constant interruptions, and Barney tries to figure out who the hell Carlos is.
There are good pilots, and there are bad pilots. Sometimes, creators are able to bring every idea they have for their show onto the screen right on their first try, which makes for a great sale to networks and audiences. But there are always first attempts which come off as ineffective, yet are picked up anyway, since the network executives who were won over in the initial pitch just know that their showrunners have some special ideas, even if they need time to expand on them.
And of course, there are plenty of pilots that are right in the middle. As television episodes, they're nothing more than decently entertaining, but there's something there to make the show worth keeping around until everyone involved hit the right notes and don't let go, at least until they make enough money. And of course, usually even the strongest pilots to your standard long-running series feel almost foreign to what their show evolves into.
And even though it was pretty far from perfect, How I Met Your Mother had a great pilot. I expanded on much of why in my previous review, so I'll get to the point- it's one thing to make a good first impression to audiences, but it's a rarity to keep the next handful of episodes just as, if not more, entertaining than your premiere. "Purple Giraffe" is a fine half hour of HIMYM, but there's still roughness to be found.
The roughness comes from the kinks that are still being found in the show structure. Right now, it's still mostly Ted's story, and his infatuation with Robin just isn't all that interesting at this point. A big part of that comes from just how one-sided it is right now, as Ted's core issues, which are how he comes on so strongly, the fact that he can't read signals at all, and that he said "I love you" on the first date, a fact that history will never forget, are still fresh in Robin's mind. It's obvious that she can see the good in Ted, but that isn't always enough.
But the biggest drawback that the two have comes down to key issues- Ted wants to get married and have kids in the immediate future, while Robin isn't sure if she wants ether, at least not right now. This brings up the contrast in expectations between Ted and Barney that I mentioned in my review for the pilot, in that Ted thinks he's at the right place in his life to settle down, while Barney and Robin, two different creatures at this point in time, still see their twenties as a chance to enjoy single life and not look too seriously for answers that aren't there. Ted, by comparison, fancies himself as a wise father figure who hasn't even been married yet. It isn't a surprise in the slightest to see that Ted isn't willing to put his dreams on pause just for someone he is otherwise convinced isn't the one. This isn't the right time for either one at all.
Marshall, Lily, and Barney get shut out in comparison, since they're unfortunately being written as afterthoughts for Ted's story. Which is a shame, since Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan have been building up on their comic potential, with Lily delightfully playing the tease. I can't say that Hannigan is my biggest celebrity crush, when I have Demi Lovato ticket stubs and a huge collection of Tatiana Maslany photos on my hard drive to prove otherwise, but she is fantastic at keeping Marshall's pants occupied. Segel, meanwhile, is given some great material over the course of the episode, which also isn't much of a surprise, as he's given the only real subplot of the episode. Marshall's law studies becomes a big part of the show, which this only hints at. As of now, Marshall's character doesn't reveal enough about him to explore just why this matters.
There are also two things that I noticed in this episode, which will change in due time. For one, the pacing is a little slower, as there isn't as much jumping around as there is in the pilot or later episodes. This can be attributed to most of the characters usually being in the same room together, which doesn't require for as many camera changes, let alone scenery swaps. Somehow, the episode doesn't feel all that tired. If anything, the relaxed approach makes "Purple Giraffe" a little unique.
The other is how pronounced the laugh track feels. The laughs get big and there are even traces of applause present, which almost gives the show the impression of being one of CBS' other sitcoms. This was something the creators have never been crazy about, but if memory serves me right, the canned laughter won't die down until sometime near the end of this season, or the start of the next. I won't comment on the laugh track too much in these reviews, since there isn't all that much to say, but I've never been opposed to the show having one. Even as HIMYM used some single-camera techniques, it's just as rooted in the multi-camera format, which makes the laugh track fit. It also helps to keep the show as the fine line between The Office and Will & Grace that made it one of a kind.
I see traces of the show that I love here, but this is hardly more than a pretty okay episode. The jokes that work do so rather well, while Bays and Thomas' interests aren't at the right place just yet. It's a solid follow-up to a strong pilot, but I have much to go through.
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