Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
One Paragraph Synopsis: Robin's ex, Simon (James Van Der Beek) comes to New York for the week, and despite being a clear loser, Robin's smitten all over again. When Simon asks if they can get back together, Robin says yes with no hesitation, and things go about the same as they did back when they were in high school, down to the same ending. Things almost end there, except that Simon reveals that he was in Robin Sparkle's other music video, which she shows Barney at the end of the episode. Followed by a passionate night between the two friends. Before this, the rest of the gang discuss "revertigo", as Marshall likes to call it.
I'm not sure how to take Lily and Michelle's material. On the one hand, it does allow for some funny moments between the two of them, but honestly, seeing Lily's ghetto impression is uncomfortable. I found this to be funnier when I first saw the episode and didn't view moments like this as critically as I do now, but as I watch the episode again, huh.
Racism can work in comedy if the joke is against the person being racist. If a white person is being offensive or appropriating without realizing, then it's just unpleasant. While the gang do find Lily to be embarrassing as she speaks slang that I don't think is even accurate, there isn't enough of a biting commentary against her to really make the joke land.
Although I do give Kang props for writing a moment where Michelle speaks "normally". Not only does this allow for the character to prove to be more than a stereotype (although one must wonder if a person of color choosing to embrace cultural attributes they're identified with is wrong to begin with. You can be just as productive a member of society if you're obtaining a Ph.D in behavioral psychology no matter if you like rap or not. Let's not limit ourselves to anything), but her analysis of Lily's regressive state brings up an interesting concept. Lily reverts to her high school self, a white girl pretending to be black, whenever her high school best friend is around, which is something that Michelle recognizes and seems to find more funny than offensive.
If Michelle's okay with it, does that make it okay in general? I'm not black, so I can't say, nor should I think we should let any one black person speak for all of black culture. If Kang added in something just a little more deeper to the subtext of Lily's behavior, I think this could have worked better. Instead, it's an awkward low light to an otherwise fine episode.
Robin's associative regression is something that's all too common. There are always those people that can make you tick with no effort, even if no one else can determine why. It's a unique psychological question that, while contrasting with Robin's usual awesome self, helps to bring some light to her character.
I feel that Robin didn't get to fully embrace her teenage years, between her father's strict upbringing and brief success as Sparkles. This is a part of her life that's missing, and might be what Simon triggers. When he's around, Robin seems to revert to your basic teenage girl, further highlighted by her humorous argument between Lily and Marshall. Besides the three of them playing strict parent/rebellious teenager cliches well for people their age, this continues to play into the concept. Missing a phase like this is enough to cause regression of any sort, and there have been moments earlier in the series where it seems like Robin is compensating for some things.
Similarly, Simon doesn't seem to have matured at all in the decade since they last dated, which is only sad on her part. Robin is pining for a 17-year-old in a 42-year-old's body, which thankfully Van Der Beek was game to pull off in every conceivable way. It makes their inevitable fall before all the more depressing, never mind the lack of real rise. Sadly, the heart wants what the heart wants, so logic doesn't seem to matter to Robin here.
I'd like to think that Robin does know better here, despite whatever psychological issues are holding her back. Something bigger is building up on her mind, although honestly, I can't spot it right now. But there are four more episodes in the season, so let's see...
That ending, though. First of all, the "Sandcastles in the Sand" video is excellent, a hilarious play on sappy love ballads that artists of Sparkles' kind are want to release. Tiffany and Alan Thicke make for great cameos, as the video is a treat to watch to see which cliche is pulled off next. Barney's tampon commercial comment is dead-on, right down to the video's cold cinematography.
But what follows right after is a long time coming, but I plan to save it for my next review, since there will be more to get into then. I needed to pull out this quicky to keep things going. That said, "Sandcastles in the Sand" is another solid stepping stone towards the end of a strong season. It's near-impossible to top "Slap Bet", but there is enough to like, racism aside, to make this a worthy follow-up.
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