Directed by Rob Greenberg
Written by Jamie Rhonheimer
One Paragraph Synopsis: Robots and wrestlers. Head to head. That sounds too good to be true. But it's a real thing, as Barney gets tickets for the gang to see the event, sans Robin, who is busy spending time with Don instead as she's still trying to distance herself from her exes. But the other four are willing to go, at least until Ted finds an invitation to a fancy party for Marissa Heller, the original apartment owner who still has mail sent to the place, all of it seemingly results into the perfect woman for Ted. He does end up meeting Marissa in the party's hotel lobby, where he quickly woos his way into the party, a who's-who of social elitism in New York. The other three guys get bored, but Ted sticks around as he soaks up the culture. He stays until he realizes just how douchey he sounds, and when he discovers his doppelganger is at Robots vs. Wrestlers- Mexican wrestler Ted. Who needs to party with Peter Bogdanovich and Arianna Huffington when there are real friends to make great memories with? Also, Robin comes back at the end.
I mention Robin's return to the gang's circle as a random aside in my synopsis because that's how her appearance is treated. This is my problem with season 5 exemplified- her hiatus from the group seems like a promising storyarc, as she, as well as the rest of the gang, are starting to become codependent on each other, even after Robin has dated two of the core members. A break seems like a necessary recharger. But Robin was away from the group for such a small amount of time that it hardly seems like anything happened.
It doesn't feel like Robin was really away, since there wasn't that big of a gap missing when she was away. Not to say that Robin isn't important at all, because that would definitely be untrue, but this resulted in an unnecessary bit of drama that doesn't add a whole lot to character or story. And the lack of Don in Robin's little bit of screentime makes the atmosphere almost feel moot. Why bother?
It's a shame, since I find the idea of the episode strong, and the time spent with Barney, Lily, and Marshall is promising, if uneasy at moments. Barney gets towards his most unlikable with his long list of demands for their future kid, but this shows his relative lack of growth over the years, and his child-like dependency on the gang. Barney takes their potential split more seriously than anyone else as he almost sees this as another split between his mother and the father he never knew, as inevitable as this may be.
Future Ted's commentary on how the gang will have trouble keeping in touch on occasion as they get older furthers this, but the addition of how they still go to Robots Vs. Wrestlers every year is promising. What Barney sees in the gang is real- the five have a great bond together, and even when life will get in the way, this is always going to remain.
Marshall and Lily are too preoccupied to think about the future of their friends right now, though, as they're focused on their own future. Particularly, their future children. The bulk of their screentime is spent as the two discuss whether or not they should have kids in the near future, and enough time has changed since "Not a Father's Day" for their stances to change a little- Marshall does want kids soon, but Lily is a little unsure, which is where her idea of waiting for finding Barney's doppelganger comes into play. Not a bad idea, whenever it happens. And is it just me, or is it sad that two of the character's doppelgangers revolve around unnecessary brown face? The show should know better.
Ted's A-story fairs a little better, thanks to some fun guest stars- Peter Bogdanovich has a cute reprisal of Marshall's charming Willem Dafoe bit in the closing tag, while it's fun to see Huffington elegantly shrug Barney off. And Michael York is, as always, a treat. But even that wears thin.
I've seen these kind of pretentious people jokes before. On the show, and off. Little of this feels new, and Radnor's connection to the material isn't all that engaging, as he seems to recognize this himself. It's why I'm having a hard time finding a lot to say, since there just isn't too much to the episode itself.
I've hit two weaker episodes in a row, with only two more until the season's done. The good still outweighs the bad, but part of me almost feels like I'm running out of interest. Which is a shame, since when the show is great, I can go on and on. When it's not, eh. But let's hope that this year recovers by the end.
Continuity Error: Well, they don't always make it to Robots vs. Wrestlers. You'll find out in season 8, after all.
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