Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Matt Kuhn
One Paragraph Synopsis: Lily and Marshall are preparing their first Thanksgiving as a married couple, initially just for the five of them until Robin invites her new boyfriend, Bob. As expected, this makes the upcoming event awkward for Ted, even moreso when he helps Robin make pies alone the night before, the first time they've been alone together since the premiere. After a heated argument, the two have sex and almost ruin Thanksgiving, until Lily makes them agreeably make a resolution just before dinner. Something else that almost ruins Thanksgiving is Marshall's plans to turn the holiday into Slapsgiving, torturing Barney until it's time to give him a big one at dinnertime.
How about that song, huh? It really is a thing of beauty, a great Elton John tribute which Segel is totally competent for as he proves his surprisingly strong vocal chops here. And Neil Patrick Harris, whose singing abilities were already known at this point, greatly adds to the piece with his whoas. It might be a silly scene, but this is a comedy, and it works wonderfully for the episode.
But pretty much everything about the episode works. "Slapsgiving" is a fantastic Thanksgiving episode, eclipsing season 1's strong "Belly Full of Turkey", with almost no effort needed. But first, let me get into the good of this episode, besides the aforementioned song.
For one, Lily's desire to host a successful Thanksgiving with her loved ones is a nice concept for an episode alone. American sitcoms and Thanksgiving episodes often do go hand-in-hand, and while this isn't an especially original idea, the timing works well. Now that she and Marshall are married together and are getting their apartment settled (I guess they're sticking to the old place for right now so they don't have to move their utensils over just yet while everything else is here? That or the production team just found it easier to stick to the main apartment than just set the new one up just yet), this is the right time to try new traditions, such as a small, welcoming Thanksgiving dinner. And it's not a bad idea at all.
The problem was trying to run this asylum on such a crazy day. Everything really did seem to go wrong for Lily in this scenario when you factor in the (unwelcome) surprise inviting of Bob, Ted and Robin's relapse, Marshall's slap bet prodding, and how everyone seem uninterested in helping Lily make dinner. Her tired delivery of "Nope, this sucks. Everyone eat and get out" makes all too much sense on her account. And you just can't top her gnawing on a turkey leg right after. That's just good, hungry humor.
It's funny, since Lily is often shown making mistakes despite her facade throughout the show, but here, she's not at fault, nor is there pretension in her account. Lily just wanted to have a nice Thanksgiving with the four people she loves most... and Bob. But until the end, it seems unlikely that this could happen. No one is trying to ruin the day, but it's just not getting together well. Although I wonder who the drunk aunt is in this scenario.
Marshall's material with Barney might be a nuisance to Lily, but it's a damn funny nuisance all the same. This subplot builds up to an expected conclusion, one that gets pretty far from overstaying its welcome in terms of execution. You can thank that on the performances of these two brilliant comedic actors, as Segel does a great job on making Marshall the initiator, increasingly digging into Barney about his eventual red-faced outcome. This may contrast from Marshall's usual loving attitude, but considering Barney's actions sometimes, it's not an unwelcome change. Just as NPH does a good job of playing frightened by Marshall's proposal, continuing his excellent take as a childish cause when needed to be. It's a beautiful balance rounded out by great performers.
The slap bet tension is well built and developed, in addition to never ceasing to be funny. Note Marshall's obvious nods to the event at the beginning, the way he owns the moment each time without drawing attention to it. Barney remembers the e-mail to the site in the premiere, and it's haunting him now. Meanwhile, Marshall's just loving it, as he loves teasing Barney throughout. Another great bit, of course, has to be Marshall's paper turkeys, which culminates in a hell of a delivery from him. All down to that thankful slap and the previously mentioned song, perfect closure.
Ted and Robin's story is the heart of the episode (even if Marshall and Barney's is the pulse), and it does help to address an issue that had been lingering over the show since their split- the awkwardness. The two had barely interacted this season, just as both of them had been successfully dating other people, with only a little hint of jealously being present when Robin came back from Argentina with Gael.
This is a case where the absence of evidence is indicative of there being something going on. While I'd like to think that Robin and Ted are good enough people to not still feel jealously towards each other, the way that they barely interact does indicate that they haven't done much to salvage their friendship. Sadly, there always is an awkward tension present among exes, especially early on. This can easily be fixed with open discussion and understanding of your place with your former partner, though.
But that's the thing, they don't really know how to do this. Ted and Robin's scene together at her apartment gives us an idea of what happens when they're alone- both of them get flabbergasted and come up with the first awkward thing to talk about to break the ice, then revert to silence in the hopes that someone else shows up. Tough but amicable.
It's evident that it is time for them to move beyond this stage, however. Having Ted make a pie for Bob is a reasonable catalyst for this to happen, as his arrival allows for the two of them to discuss, hostile nonetheless, their current place since the break up. Whatever it took to get there, more power to it. It also helps that Bob, delightfully played by Orson Bean, is a great invention of Ted's mind. Seeing an 80-year-old speak like a 40-year-old attempting to sound like a high schooler is only something the psyche of a bitter storyteller can invent.
Of course, this leads to Robin and Ted sleeping together again, which honestly surprised me the first time I saw the episode. There wasn't much sexual tension still present in their chemistry at this point, but the signs prove it. But as shown before in media, random sex doesn't indicate a successful relationship, as the two of them realize when they're stuck in Ted's room, and finally have that talk. For whatever was meant to happen, this is it.
Thankfully, the episode ends with the two of them rebuliding their classic friendship again, with the new return of a General Favorite. A hell of a way to end a hell of an episode, on top of a hell of a song. This really is the show at its best.
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