Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
One-Paragraph Synopsis: The appearance of an old, forgotten shirt brings memories back to Ted- including the scattered thoughts of how things happened with one of his exes, Natalie. In hopes of being a new Ted, he tries things out with her again, only to remember just why they didn't work out, as things end disastrously. Meanwhile, Barney convinces Robin to indulge in increasingly outlandish acts during her fluff pieces on the news for cash prizes.
Honest confession: of the first 4-and-a-half seasons that I caught up with online so I would be able to watch HIMYM live on TV those 4 years ago, I'm pretty sure that this is the only episode that my online link didn't work for. So I didn't end up seeing it until I got the first 2 seasons on DVD for Christmas later that year. Since then, I doubt that I've seen "Return of the Shirt" more than once since then. It's kind of a shame, since this isn't a bad episode, even if the parts are greater than the final sum.
What are probably the strongest and most memorable bits have to be Barney's delivery of "friendship over", followed by its immediate reprisal, and the crappy end to Robin's on-air stunts, the latter of which won't be forgotten over the course of the series. Besides that, Kang's script, whom will late become one of the show's most prolific writers, has some other decent jokes and good ideas to go around, although the episode ultimately suffers from moderate pacing.
I say moderate, since the timing isn't entirely off, but it does seem that Kang doesn't fully grasp the sense of energy that Bays and Thomas have got down so far, as scenes come and go less effortlessly than any episode thus far. The direction should also be held at fault, at least to an extent, but I do feel that Fryman is keeping a consistent job here, as the actors and camerawork are hitting their marks. I'm going over some scenes again, and the action is fractured. Kang's dialogue and themes work well enough to give the episode a pass, but the end results are a little disappointing.
As for the themes behind the episode, I like the idea of Ted actually doing something to attempt growing up, rather than just talking about it. He sees that he made a mistake with Natalie, and hopes to make amends from it. The fact that he's still a bit of a tool, and doesn't realize when it is a bad idea to break-up with someone just shows that he isn't ready to yet. Seriously dude, wait until at least a few days, if not a week, after their birthday...
This is a problem of Ted's that is on the surface here, and will come back over the course of the show- his belief of entitlement. I don't want to get into a patriarchal rant here, but Ted is quite obviously a slave, whether he knows it or not. Of course he doesn't though, so he may not notice that it was kind of creepy to wait for Natalie to pick up her sock monkey gift just to coerce her to give him another chance. Granted, there have been far sleazier ways to turn a no into a yes, but the scene still rubs me the wrong way. Too many romanticized stalkers in both the media and real life have made me become harsher on acts like this, even if is a Hollywood stable.
What I do like about Ted and Natalie's story does come after this exchange, however. It's a classic case of the missing spark, this time taking three years to fully realize. From the little bit we see of Natalie's personality, I can kind of see it- she's pretty rash, which at the same time, is deserved based on Ted's history I can't truly rank their relationship based on what we've seen over the course of the episode, but then again, Ted did call it ineffable, which fits. Sometimes you just can't explain why something doesn't work, so the idea of the two just not fitting despite their best efforts gets to me. Life often gives vague answers like these, even though it sucks to hear.
Barney and Robin's subplot, however superfluous it may seem, fits stronger. Their story helps to expand on character for both, as it becomes more apparent just how childish Barney can become, while also suggesting that Robin's bored in her current position in life. Barney's childish tendencies contribute to his womanizing, although like most excuses, doesn't necessarily defend his actions. And as for Robin, although she is the youngest of the group, one can easily see just how tiresome she is about discussing hot dog stands and doggies on the news, as opposed to more pressing matters. The reveal at the end hints at the realization that Robin takes her job for granted, but the ending result is more showing, as no amount of horseshit is worth doing such pointless tasks, when this isn't her destiny. So far, the two characters have been treated as lesser side characters, and even though on the surface it seems that this is just another wacky story, it hints at there being more beneath the surface of the two of them.
Four episodes in, and HIMYM hasn't fully embraced its strongest work. There are definitely touches of the show to come, but despite all of the strong points in "Return of the Shirt', the end result is mixed to positive at best.
No comments:
Post a Comment