Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas
One Paragraph Synopsis: After telling the gang about their passionate embrace in "The Leap", Robin and Barney decide that they're better off as just friends. Which is a lie, since they're actually fooling around on the side all summer, which comes to a halt when Lily catches them. In truth, Barney and Robin don't mind keeping things casual, or at least it initially seems, as it's becoming increasingly clear that they both like each other as more than just hook-ups. They're just not ready to define anything, until Lily locks them in and forces the two to decide on where they stand. Robin and Barney decide to lie to Lily about them actually dating, but it's clear to everyone but them that this isn't actually a lie. Meanwhile, Ted is ready for his first day of class. Kind of. It doesn't help that he's in the wrong building, though.
"The Leap" was about taking that one step forward into the next part of your life, particularly the one you're most afraid to take. "Definitions", as a result, is an expansion of this belief, taking that part of your life and extending it right down to your fears.
Ted was unsure of where his life was going, until an instinct told him that teaching was a good call. Now that he's about ready to teach, the fear of his ability is brought up in a justified manner. Not the idea of Ted teaching, of course, since he has always shown the tendency to lecture and appreciate the boring aspects of every little detail. But how to find a method, and stick to it.
"Definitions" is so much fun to watch as Ted's anxiety finds its way into everything about his method, most importantly affecting his judgment as he heads to the wrong classroom building. This leads towards classic comedy, as Ted constantly ignores every plea to inform him of his mistake, while he digs in deeper. The funniest part of this whole story, however, is the one time he takes a student's input, as he fixes his writing of the word professor. That's just gold.
This fits well with the Ted that was rejected in "The Leap". This Ted was running out of good ideas just as his inhibition was dying, despite his talent still being existent. This was a Ted that needed a concise job, some reason to get up for the day, which teaching seems to be so far.
Then there is Barney and Robin, whose subtext is treated like context somehow, as the two are still struggling to get their feelings for each other out. Robin's indifference towards dating Barney in "The Leap" wasn't exactly right, as she does seem attracted to him, but is rather just unsure if they would be able to maintain a serious relationship, with his issues and their recent lack of commitment.
It makes sense, since the points add up, but the attraction is clearly there. Robin hits all the checks on Barney's list for the ideal woman, just as Barney's lower maintenance allows for him to be a potentially better romantic interest than Ted. They did need to settle aside their differences, which does work out despite Lily going a little too far.
Does this mean that the relationship can work out? Sure, but it's up for Barney and Robin to work it out. The way that they aren't fully aware of their current place shows that the two aren't the most mature in this field, but the episode ends on a high enough note to indicate that it can work, anyway.
But these episode's themes of initiative and effort help to bring HIMYM from one season to the next in strong style, best signified by the former's titular leap. The fifth season is off to a strong start, just as the excellent fourth season went off with a bang. But if only Ted was good enough to use the Indiana Jones whip. And it's a shame that we didn't get to see the mother in campus here, but ah well.
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