Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Joe Kelly
One Paragraph Synopsis: Ted's college friend and "perfect girl" Maggie has finally opened her window. Since the Wesleyan grads moved to New York, she has been in a relationship for almost her entire time in the area, with only a brief period sporadically separated from having a boyfriend. Now that she has ended her relationship of four years, Ted is adamant to finally get a chance to date her, but his chance at a date is ruined when he forgets that he has class that night. The rest of the gang babysit while he's stuck, but to no avail, Maggie does find someone by the end of the night- her old childhood best friend. The two will soon rekindle their bond and form a pairing that Ted swears is only second to his in terms of great love stories.
Last Cigarette Ever (5x11)
Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal
One Paragraph Synopsis: Something we don't learn until this episode (unless you count cigars)- everyone in the gang smokes! They know it's wrong, but addiction is still hard to break, just as each of the characters have their own habits. But the group do promise to stop smoking together, after Marshall's rooftop sessions with his returning boss Arthur Hobbs ends a string of side-effects the smokers endure. It takes restraint, right down to Robin's issues with her co-anchor Don and her own realizations, but the group does stop smoking for good. Just not in this episode, and not together.
According to everywhere else, "The Window" aired first, even though "Last Cigarette Ever" comes first on the DVD. I won't question this, but I was going to review both episodes together anyway.
I know someone who has a similar window to Maggie, though. Ever since high school, she'd have a stream of well-meaning guys that fit her current regiment at the time, but never lasted quite as long as the men she dated, probably due to our age differences. But her time apart from her relationships never seemed too long at all. That doesn't say anything about the character of either women, but does indicate that this is a phenomenon that exists.
I'd be a little harsher towards this episode if Kelly was afraid to be harsh on Ted in his script, which thankfully isn't the case. Ted isn't rewarded for his attempt to hoard Maggie, and is called out enough times for his sketchy methods, which eases some of the issues off.
Even his students seem to think that he's crazy, based on their reaction to his extended lecture. I won't lie, the scenes in Ted's classroom are among my favorite of the episode for the absurdly fascinated responses his students give him, sometimes equaling disgusted and hopeful, which makes for a fun balance. We haven't seen enough of Ted's teaching methods, but the fact that he might actually go into lengthy details of his love life to the class is just too weird and funny.
Ted also gets it coming to him when Robin lets Maggie head home after he, Barney in a desperate attempt to nail her (which I'll get to in a moment), and Maggie's coworker Jim clash. Robin is right to be annoyed at the men fighting for a woman like dogs with meat, because they are, and it's gross. We don't see enough of Maggie's viewpoint in the episode, but she should be rightly annoyed at the whole thing herself.
This is why I don't have a hard time rooting against Ted in this instance, but I do sympathize with future Ted as he tells Maggie's tale of her true love. Saget's narration helps to sell this as the other great love story, in the brief time he can, as Fryman frames a gorgeously done montage set in one perfectly detailed little house. It's a great way to sell the concept of the episode, that love doesn't find itself as you'd expect it to. Sometimes you've always known the right person, but time is your roadblock. It's the great roadblock though, as evident by Maggie's future.
This idea of time comes together in Marshall's subplot in the episode, as he goes through his box of junk to find, among other nostalgic goodies, a letter reminding him of where he should have been right now. Because the Marshall of now, let alone his fifteen-year-old self, did not want to end up as a corporate shell.
But just like Ted doesn't get to end up with Maggie like he'd want to, Marshall has yet to hit the place he needs to be in. And just like Ted, that doesn't mean that he won't. GNB is a fine way to help keep Marshall and Lily afloat, even if he isn't an environmental lawyer yet, and can't dunk as well as he used to. But at least he didn't marry a clone of Judy, as Lily is way cooler than that. This is a well-done plot that should remind us that Marshall hasn't forgotten his dreams just yet.
Barney and Robin are a little more wacky this episode, but they're put to good use. Barney's self-imposed challenge to hook up with a woman in Marshall's old overalls is typical Barney stuff, which isn't a bad thing, but is lifted when Maggie expresses interest. It's not surprising to see Barney aim for a girl Ted has his hopes for, but still funny and all the more fun to see him fail. Similarly, Robin's attempt to seduce Jim seems to be a combination of her doing a solid for Ted, and her own desire to win him over. resulting in some funny moments, as Smulders extends herself for him, and falls flat. It's cute, but moot.
I'm not quite as enthused about "Last Cigarette Ever", but it's also a good episode. A token attempt to win a PRISM award (which it did not), but this is a well meaning critique of smoking culture, as it represents the changing views the habit has taken in the past few years. Consider the flashback to back when McLarens allowed smoking, for instance. Can you see anything? Neither could non-smokers.
The effects that smoking has on the characters is obvious, but work well. Hearing Harvey Fierstein voice Lily is a treat in particular, as his gruff but inviting tone works well for Hannigan's mouth, just as Rosenthal allows herself some fun to write a little differently for Lily, putting in lines that she normally wouldn't say to good use.
The return of Bob Odenkirk as Arthur Hobbs also allows to further move the point across. He works wonders as an antagonist, even if the mention of his dog Tugboat helps to soften the character a little. His moments smoking with Marshall are also reflective of Marshall possibly moving forward in his career, as he's starting to win over one of his bosses by just being one of the guys. It keeps his job, and makes his name remembered, which is what you need to do in your work.
But Robin has the most substantial plot of the group, as her career is being questioned. Her new co-anchor Don knows where their place is, and doesn't bother to show off for it. He's also been in the game a lot longer than Robin, and knows that this is a dead end. Robin, meanwhile, has her hopes still alive, as she doesn't want to end up like Don, who can't be bothered to wear pants to work.
Robin gets a good chance to call him out on this, but Don's words also ring a hollow truth- she still isn't nearly as close to becoming the great journalist that she wants to be, and their viewership is nil. Hell, their staff barely even stays on set. Still, Robin persists to keep a good spirit going, as she doesn't give into temptation, reaffirming her quality as a person. I can't help but support Robin here, but neither can Don, who not only ends up wearing pants, but will soon date her. Let's see how that goes.
I think the reason that I'm not as crazy about "Last Cigarette Ever" doesn't involve the pacing of the plots, which is strong, nor the humor, which is well-written, but the slight cheesiness of the PSA attitude. Again, this episode means well, but even as a non-smoker, I don't like being told what to do, so there's a slight annoyance factor here. Similarly, while this is an important thing to consider for the series itself, it is a blow to discover that Ted has been a smoker this entire time, and he's simply kept this from not only his kids, but us. The concept of Ted as an unreliable narrator helps to bring some interesting theories into play, but it's still dirty pool.
I do think that "Last Cigarette Ever" is a good episode though, just not quite as great as "The Window". Still, after the previous shakier episodes, these feel like HIMYM going in the right direction. But we're almost at the halfway point for the season, so who knows.
Edit: I finished this review pretty briefly since I had a Magic Kingdom trip to make! So there were some things that I wanted to make note of, but forgot to. Mainly how I do find the group's decision to quit together to be cute in a well-meaning matter. But wow, do I love the ending shot of the gang sitting as they smoke their "last cigarette ever", especially as Ted tells us the truth. Great direction all around.
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