Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas
One Paragraph Synopsis: Ted meets a student, Cindy, that was in the class he accidentally showed up to, and the two hit it off instantly. Until Cindy double checks, and finds that they could both get in trouble if they pursue a relationship, which has Ted decide to fuck with rules and fight to get her back, using items in her room to signify how they're meant to be together. The thing is, every item Ted picks belongs to her roommate, which is not a good sign to Cindy. It doesn't matter, anyway, since her roommate is the future mother of his children. He's that closer, just as Barney is that much closer to nailing a hot bartender when one starts working at McLarens, but she won't even look at Barney due to her anti-suits stance. Barney decides to suit down in hopes of winning her over, which works until she steps into his closet and makes him decide- girls or suits. Only the power of song can help Barney make a decision!
Okay, so my friends have been telling me to watch this How I Met Your Mother thing for a while now. I see that CBS has what I think is the 100th episode on their site, so I might as well give it a go.
And alright, I do like this. A lot, actually. I think I might be lost on some things, but let me get to what I like.
Of the characters, I think that I like Barney the most. But I've heard a lot about Neil Patrick Harris as him for a while, so I'm not surprised. He has layers to him beyond the womanizer exterior, though, which is a big help. If it was just Barney being a dick, he would get old, but I feel some kind of hurt in him, and enough of a code to make the character stand out.
Barney being a dick can still be really funny, though. He's full of shit a lot of the time, which is just funny to see as the characters give him hell when needed, and how he failed to impress the bartender at first. I don't think that Stacy Keibler is a great comedic talent, but she does a good job of playing uninterested early on, and keeps the momentum going throughout. Her ultimatum at the end is a little weird, but I do understand that she had issues with suits, and it leads to a great ender.
And what an ender that was. I don't know who was expecting a musical number, even despite NPH's Broadway history, but it was PERFECT. The music is basic showtunes, but that's just fine for the context, as the lyrics more than make up for it. Barney's bit with Lily about world peace in particular reminds me from something out of Buffy's "Once More With Feeling", perfect since Alyson Hannigan came from the show. And that was one of the big reasons that I wanted to get into the show.
I liked Lily, too. Seeing her fangirl about Karina the bartender was pretty funny, especially as Marshall was playing disinterested. I don't really get their dynamic yet, but I can tell that they're pretty loyal, even if Lily has her own agenda. There isn't too much to interpret from their characters here beyond their banter about physical preference, which is still fun to watch.
Now Robin, I like her. She has her beliefs, and sticks to them. Like how she believes that the location is amplifying her attractiveness. Stacy Keibler is quite good looking, but it's a believable theory, further brought up when she goes to the bar herself and has her "Cherry Pie"-tuned montage. It's a great moment that shows off shades of her character that I didn't consider before, and I hope there's even more beyond that!
Ted's obviously the main character, since he's the one who is meant to meet the mother. And this episode does an obvious bait-and-switch with Cindy, selling her as potentially being the mother, only to reveal that it's not her, but her roommate by the end of the first act. It seems a little annoying, but the rest of the episode wraps up fine, even if it's hard to root for Ted when he comes off as a bit of a jerk.
Everyone else was right- he should have given up on Cindy. They obviously had chemistry (Rachel Bilson though! My sister's OC obsession hit me a little too, all thanks to Summer), but their futures could be screwed if they got serious, but it seems like Ted is a dumb romantic. The age gap doesn't seem that big, especially compared to other teacher-student pairings, but the writing is there. And Ted especially proved himself unworthy when he kept on picking things that belonged to her roommate. He's an indie rock guy, check.
But that seems to be his character, hmm? Ted is a nice, nerdy guy, but blissfully unaware of how far he takes his good qualities, to the point that he can be harmful. That seems to be the case here, and while it does make him a bit of a pain, I do think that he's an interesting character. And dammit, I want to see him meet the mother already, too!
So while I don't fully get all of the characters and their stories, I like them. And the humor is pretty balanced, combining typical sex-oriented gags with some sharper commentary and a bit of pathos to the whole thing. This was a good, interesting way to make it to 100 episodes, and I'm glad that I got to experience it. Now I think that I should hit the first 99, though.
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