Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Jonathan Groff & Chris Harris
One Paragraph Synopsis: After sleeping on it for a few episodes, Barney finally finds the girl who has been telling other women to avoid him- it's Abby! You know, Stella's assistant from "Ten Sessions". Britney. She's back, and wants vengeance on Barney for not calling her back after sleeping with her. When Abby reveals that she still is bitter over Ted's lack of interest in her over Stella, Barney decides to have some fun with Ted by pretending that he and Abby are dating to poke fun at his committed self, something that Abby takes too seriously. Meanwhile, to help pay to fix their apartment when the price raises, Marshall makes a website for Lily to sell her clothes off on, which she begs Marshall to hold off on in the hopes of selling her paintings instead. Just when this seems to be a dead end, a couple of pieces of goodwill comes towards the couple, as not only can they now pay for the damages, but Lily may even found a new niche for her passion.
We're almost done with the season, and only now is Lily's run into debt coming back. Although the third season is ranking higher than it originally did when I first watched it, my main issue with it is still present, in that such a great idea for a storyline is pushed to the side rather quickly.
"Everything Must Go" barely even addresses the couple's debt, when you consider it. Marshall decides to sell Lily's clothes because hers are nicer, but doesn't bring up the notion that it's her fault that their financial status is faulty. It's not like Marshall's students loans would cost them THAT much, after all, and they should be paid off soon. Lily's taste in clothing, meanwhile, doesn't deserve to be this extravagant for their budget.
I'm annoyed, because this is such a great conflict for the characters, one that Marshall is too easy to forgive. Yes, Marshall is a good, loving person, but he has been improving on being a footstep from others, even by Lily after her departure, which is why this bugs me. While I understand the need to fix their apartment, I would have preferred for this direction to be how the episode, and most of the season up to this point, to have gone.
The plot used here does work well enough, but there are certain elements that irk me. Primarily the homophobic material, although I don't think the GCWOK were really an issue. They might be a little broad, but there are gay men out there who are proudly flamboyant, and they do have their moments without coming off as exactly offensive. At least to me, so I'll let other viewers interpret the characters themselves.
But the red cowboy boots is a very hit-or-miss point this week. "Pulling. Them. Off" is a great line with wonderful delivery by Radnor, but the jokes that lean towards making fun of Ted for choosing a fashion statement that isn't traditionally masculine does bug me, especially when a montage of gay puns comes from the gang in retaliation. These are lame, as are other references towards Ted's boots, but I do appreciate the return of the aforementioned line, which helps to ease the disappointment here.
But back to the story, the framing itself works well. Groff & Harris may not have chosen the right details, but the execution behind their subject matter is solid, as the plot points all add up. Everything in the A-plot is presented well, at the right place with enough good gags to not make things drag for too long. Consider Lily's tenure out on the streets, for example. Her run-in with the heroin addict helps keep the scene go along, but in actuality shows how Lily's quest may just be a despondent one with little compensation. While that doesn't turn out to be the case, it is true that she did not succeed in the way she was hoping for.
Because yes, her art is being used to help ease dogs. This may not necessarily be a compliment, but it's a good addition to her artistic goals, since it allows Lily to keep herself occupied while sticking to the truth that she isn't all that great at art. A pre-Nightly Show Larry Wilmore does a fine job at keeping his veterinarian character likable, but keep in tune with the show's traditional sense of humor without coming off as derivative. He'll pull off a bait-and-switch gag like nobody's business, but adds a rhythmic measure to his description of Lily's painting to make him stand out. So again, not a bad way to wrap up this story.
Less good, however, is Barney's story. Britney Spears played a fine line between likable and obsessive in "Ten Sessions", but goes almost fully past likable here. I say almost as, even if it isn't nearly as bad as much of the other stuff he's done to women, I understand Abby's resentment towards Barney making her a simple one-night stand. Her decision to ruin Barney's luck with women is a good, funny one, and I similarly find her strong family connection a good reminder of Abby's obvious southern roots. That said, every time Abby brings up Ted, I simply cringe. There's nothing to the joke but a woman bordering on stalkerish territories to prove her appreciation for a guy who was never interested in her to begin with.
I also don't really care for Barney in the plot, as he's simply too cruel to Ted here. Barney was previously grieving Ted's decision to drop him as a friend, so it's pretty different to see Barney want to throw him under the bus like that. Sure, there are little moments previously on the show, such as his decision to keep tedmosbyisajerk.com running, but Barney is a great person towards his friends, one who would keep a stalker out of their way, which makes this an all the more surprising choice. Not a good change of faith.
On top of that, I just don't find Barney and Abby's time together all that fun to watch. NPH tries his best, but he doesn't have great chemistry with Spears at all, who herself seemed to have given up trying. Their fake relationship, for example, is more tedious than funny, a dated look on relationships that even Barney should know better about, the scene isn't all that worth it. And on her own, Spears seems to have lost her little of charm from "Ten Sessions", as she barely brings much to her lines here, instead mostly just schilling out disappointment.
I may not care for the B-plot, but "Everything Must Go" isn't really a dud, either. The rest of the story has enough good to make it work, even if Barney and Abby's material grows old FAST. Still, I can't wait for the next episode, which looks like a good way to end off a great season.
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