Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
One Paragraph Synopsis: Barney has found the next piece of the Robin Sparkles puzzle, when he gets a tape of her old children's show. But he and the rest of the gang were not expecting how erotic the show was, nor were they privy to the existence of her old co-star/best friend Jessica Glitter (Nichole Scherzinger). When Robin gets agitated after being asked about her, the gang do some digging and determine that they drifted apart when Glitter became a mother, a thought that terrifies Lily, who is increasingly getting comfortable with baby talk. It takes some more clue work for her and Marshall to find Glitter, who informs her that the only reason she and Robin stopped being close is due to her own problems keeping up with friends after having a kid, which is something Lily can work on her.
It's funny, this is the third Sparkles episode, but the joke hasn't worn thin. By now, it's treading almost entirely on the familiarity of the show's iconic turn with "Slap Bet", a fact that Kang, who has written each of these episodes, isn't afraid to remind us of.
But that's a part of the charm here. Six seasons in, and there isn't too much new for us to discover about the characters, so it's fair and fun to come back to some of our favorite aspects of their lives that the show has touched on, such as Robin's teenage days as a TV/pop star.
"Glitter" isn't just old gags, though- there actually is emotional weight here, as the discovery of Robin's old BFF Jessica Glitter brings a conflict point that makes too much sense to not explore at some point, being her issues with babies. While Robin and Jessica's departing friendship doesn't explain her lack of interest in having children (not like it really needs much explanation- she doesn't want kids, end of story), it does give us an idea of why she is so particularly allergic to kids in general.
Robin has abandonment issues, more or less brought on by her father's negligent parenting, and has various ways of coping with them. We've first seen this after seeing her random trip to Argentina after her split with Ted, when she came home with Gael, unable to separate the difference between a summertime fling and her next serious relationship. Then there were her drunken calls to Don in "Architect of Destruction", a haphazard subplot that does further show her issues with acceptance.
And then her long-standing grudge with small children seems to be how she handled her loss of Jessica's friendship. While there does seem to be a lifelong ambivalence towards kids (even when she was a child and had to deal with her younger sister, after all!), much of these reactions can likely be traced to when Jessica had her child and quickly drifted apart. We don't get to see much of their friendship way back when, but it seems implied that they moved to New York together, which gives an idea of how close they are. It's also worth noting that the timeline between Jessica's pregnancy and the time this episode takes place fits with when Robin should have met the gang, which indicates that while she may have lost one close friend, she made four new ones, so it wasn't all for moot.
I think Robin is such a strong character, that I would be a lot more critical if this didn't turn out to give a good backing for her characters actions, and thankfully the episode delivers as an episode. And it's a great episode for her friendship with Lily, who herself has a tendency to indulge in her passions. Here, she seems to genuinely want Robin to share her enthusiasm for her future child, but for various reasons, Robin doesn't want to jump on board. This shouldn't hurt Lily as much as it does, since she knows Robin's general attitude towards kids, but the sting of rejection towards your passion always burns.
Lily has her own low-key abandonment issues, also set off by her father, so they bond with that. At least mentally. And shows some ignorance on her part to not bend to Robin's needs when the split occurs, which is something that she is blessed by having Marshall for. When Lily won't play ball, she has someone who is willing to prep her up to go to bat, and does so almost seamlessly. It makes for a nice ending, as Robin and Lily's relationship is one of the show's key elements, which is something that Fryman, Smulders, and Hannigan recognize and nail in their resolution.
As for the Sparkles material? Do you need me to tell you that it's great? It's hard to not nail the silly atmosphere of the world of Robin Sparkles, especially as Kang seems to understand it better than anyone. She seemed to have fun writing some terrible innuendos into the show's script, which are wonderfully delivered by tried, confused actors.
And Scherzinger is fine as Jessica Glitter, for the little time she gets. The former Pussycat Doll may not have been as much of a comedic powerhouse as some of the show's previous guest star gets, but she totally fits the kids show's aesthetic, as her present day material is offered well on her part. She may not necessarily be the episode's highlight, but she serves it well.
I didn't mention Ted and Punchy's material in the synopsis, since it's hardly a subplot due to its lack of time. This is hardly a wash of screentime though, even if Punchy's shtick does indeed wear thin. His appearance does a good job of reflecting where Ted currently is in life though, as despite Punchy's seemingly sad lifestyle, he's actually pretty happy- he likes his job, he likes Cleveland, and he's happily engaged.
Seeing his old best friend, a loon who still makes scrotum jokes and still brings up the time he dookied his pants by the lake, getting closer to being married than he is has got to hurt. But Ted is hardly wasting his life now. He has two jobs that he loves, lives in the greatest city in the world, and has four great friends he can always depend on (give or take Barney). I think this episode shows that Ted and Punchy are both pretty fine where they are right now, even if Ted doesn't realize it himself.
But this is Robin's episode, and hey, two beavers are better than one! While every joke doesn't totally land (Barney's reality competition rejection monologue is a bit that gets a little more tedious each time you watch it), this is still a hilarious, well-meaning episode that continues to solidify season 6 as a return to form. Now don't forget the robot, everybody!
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