Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays
One Paragraph Synopsis: In this direct continuation of the previous episode, Ted attempts to tell his kids the titular lesson in two different stories. The main one involves his late-night rendezvous at Robin's place, while he's still technically dating Victoria. This conundrum isn't forgotten, as visions of Victoria come to haunt Ted every step of the way, until the real Victoria finally makes her call and ends the night for all three of them, as well as her relationship with Ted. Back at the karaoke bar, Barney attempts to prove Ted wrong by having Korean Elvis join Marshall and Lily in the night life. And it almost works!
"Are you a lesbian?"
"No, are you?"
What a better way to start off this review than with one of the show's best unsung quotes. Or actually, an even better way would be to start off my Buffyverse canon count! Alexis Denisof, aka Wesley Wyndam-Pryce of Buffy and, more notably, Angel fame (as well as the husband to Alyson Hannigan), makes his way onto the show as Sandy Rivers, Robin's slimy co-anchor. I'll get into the character some more when he shows up later, since I want to talk about the rest of the episode.
The thing about this episode is how well it builds on the potential from Ted's story last week that sadly wasn't built on, and totally delivers. Not only do Ted and Victoria call off their relationship, but good insight is brought into his and Robin's characters, particularly the place that they're at right now.
Earlier in my reviews, I've called Ted out, feeling that he's full of crap in terms of wanting a serious commitment, as the context clues made me realize that he isn't ready to compromise yet. Now that he and Victoria have been together for a little while, I do think that he has shown some signs of growth, yet not entirely.
Obviously, being willing to cheat shows signs of inadequacy. Not necessarily immaturity, mind you, but that's not an unfair point, either. One thing "Life Among the Gorillas" did well is show Ted progressively losing her dedication to Victoria, indicating that he did find long-distance to be a mistake. This doesn't mean that Ted didn't love or wouldn't have been able to have gone the distance with Victoria if she stayed, but rather that he is much more of a nearby person, as he lost his mojo without her there.
The visions of Victoria that Ted has over the course of the episode proves that, yes, Ted does still care for Victoria, but he can't entirely replicate his feelings for her without her there. Each vision becomes slightly more poignant, helping Ted to get closer to his real goodbye. As Victoria shows up every few feet that Ted gets closer to Robin, he's reminded of the strong relationship they once held, but the fact that he can tell right away that she's not really there indicates that he knows this isn't real anymore, and he'd rather try things out with Robin instead.
That said, Ted is very much in the wrong for choosing to go through with a late night affair with Robin while still being in a relationship with Victoria. Lily and Marshall tell Ted this repeatedly, but it doesn't take a need to hammer into the audience's head to realize this. Cheating is wrong, period.
If Ted had not lie to Robin, he may not have soured himself on both girls, but it's a necessary evil that he did. Ted getting away scott free would have been a disservice to the character and story, nor would it have been fair at all. He doesn't deserve a passionate night with Robin, nor does he deserve an easy out with Victoria, so thankfully neither happens.
How about Robin's feelings for Ted, though? While the end of the episode tests these emotions, Robin's recently found admiration of him is a big part of what lead her to make a booty call, but there's more to why he did than just to finally win him over.
The first act does a great job of showing us a day in the life of Robin, from a memorable Career Day in Lily's kindergarten class to a quiet night at home with her five dogs. While Robin has historically not been interested in a serious commitment, it does seem like she is lonely in her current place right now. While the strength of Robin's character comes from her refusal to be defined by her relationship with another man, everyone feels alone at various points, so her want for contact is believable. It also helps that the build-up to the events that inspire her call is fantastically portrayed.
Robin wants a night with Ted, in a combination of a way to help ease the ache behind what she believed was his break-up, and just because she wants him. It doesn't work out the way she wanted, because Ted lied to her, which proves to her that Ted may not be such a great guy after all. Whether or not that revelation sticks remains to be seen, but it's not a fault of the writing that the episode ends here, since the development behind it works rather well.
So as we see one relationship end and another potential one be shot down, Barney, Lily, and Marshall are experiencing a fun night with a Korean Elvis that becomes increasingly less fun as it goes along. Granted, this does end in a very memorable final scene, but this is the weak link of the episode, as similar to the previous ep's story for Ted, this feels like a distant B plot meant to only ease the harsher moments from the core story. There are definitely some funny moments, but the Korean Elvis plot just doesn't fully take off like I'd hope it would, based on the premise.
"Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M." is still a very strong episode, and a worthy cap-off to the Victoria story. The main story isn't as funny as some other episodes thus far, but the build-up is strong throughout, and there are enough good jokes in both plots to make the episode hold up for repeat viewings beyond the less fun aspects.
Although personally, I've had some great times after 2 A.M. Maybe I'm just too young to fully sympathize with the gang just yet, though.
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