How I Met Your Mother Review- Introduction + "Pilot"

I think everyone who takes their television series has one show that to them, even if they recognize isn't necessarily the best one ever made, is just theirs. A series that will be there to entertain for better or worse, in sickness and in health, that it's hard to see yourself ever get tired of watching your favorite episodes. 

Give or take a couple of animated series, mine was most likely How I Met Your Mother, which I discovered during my senior year, when the show was in its fifth season. I quickly gravitated towards the life lessons and wide range of humor Ted Mosby and his four best friends shared with the world, and didn't let go... until the conflicting series finale left me, like many, cold. I've watched episodes here or there again, and while I still enjoy the show and laugh at the right parts, there's still a bitter aftertaste that won't go away.

Later this month, the 9th and final season will make its way to DVD, and as I have the previous eight, I intend to complete my collection. Until then, I think now is a good time to watch every episode again, and see if I still like the series as much as ever, and if maybe I can warm up to the creator's original vision, or if I still maintain my beliefs on the fate of the characters. And no, I haven't seen the alternate ending yet, nor will I until I get to that point.

Also keep in mind that since I hope to get people who haven't seen the show, or don't remember every single detail and want to rewatch with me, so I intend to make these reviews as spoiler free as possible. I won't ruin anything done after the episode I'm currently on is done, or I'll at least try to.

Pilot (1x01)

Written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Directed by Pam Fryman

One Paragraph Synopsis: Ted Mosby promises his kids an incredible story, the story of how he met their mother. He takes them back to age 27, when he is about to lose his two best friends, Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, to the most fateful of all diseases- marriage. The recent engagement of the two has Ted realize that he's ready to settle down, but has no one to spend his life with. A night out with his other close buddy cum wingman, Barney Stinson, introduces him to what might just be the most beautiful woman he's ever met. Is she the one? Well...

The thing I always notice when I come back to the series' pilot is shortly after the future Ted Mosby's delivery of the classic movie protagonist's romantic yearning, present day Ted attempts something similar by asking Barney if he sees the girl across the bar. I don't think that I need to remind you of his response.

If anything explains the aesthetic of How I Met Your Mother, it's this. The series is consistently fighting between being the sweeping romantic comedy it wants to be, and the harsher slice of life it ultimately is. The balance of both is responsible for some of the show's best moments, as well as some of its worst, and is very present in the pilot. The juxtaposition shows some apparent weakness here, but at the same time, charm is present on the show since the very beginning.

Really, I can't fault this as a pilot all that much. The first thing I should look at is character, as the show does a good job of introducing Ted and Barney rather well, while certainly enough behind to their personalities to venture onward. Ted's romanticism is present abound, as is his calm wit, both traits that help to define the character along with his nerdy habits and entitlement, which the episode basically leaves hanging. Meanwhile, it's easy to see just why the world fell in love with Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, at least somewhat. His cool demeanor and eccentric lifestyle choices are laid right on the table, with NPH playing the role with relish, even though he doesn't seem to have every single idea for Barney planned out just yet. There's a sign of resistance that I haven't realized until recently, and that makes his turn in the pilot so fascinating.

Marshall and Lily aren't as explored yet, however. To say that they were afterthoughts sounds dismissive, especially since that isn't true- their engagement isn't forgotten over the course of the episode, and both are given some of the strongest gags around. I just don't have much to say about them as of yet, without spoiling later events.

As for the mystery lady herself, "Aunt" Robin mainly exists as a plot device here, rather than her own character. Cobie Smulders, who was the least experienced actor on here (or at least tied with Josh Radnor), tries her best to go behind her material, which isn't much more than your usual manic pixie dream girl dialogue. Sadly, this is a case where the writing succeeds over the performance, and despite Smulder's best attempts at extended charm or depth, Robin comes off as flat. A likable flat, but for the time being, I can only say that she has better days ahead of her.

Character is only one aspect of writing, though. The screenplay itself is fairly strong for a pilot, made by two writers with no sitcom experience. Thomas and Bays got their break writing for Letterman earlier in the decade, and come over with some knowledge of how the traditional situation comedy works, but mostly try things out differently. The two will continue to play with the sitcom format as the show develops, but what makes it feel so unique here is how fast the show moves from scene to scene. Most comedies, from the classic age to today, usually spend a good few minutes in one location before swapping over, while HIMYM has a rapid fire approach to its pacing. It's hard to find a scene that lasts more than two minutes in one specific location, which is crazy to think about, even for shows with bigger casts.

Thankfully, Pam Fryman, a more seasoned TV director, is fair game, and brings some great work into her direction. The set-ups are consistently solid, and the shots are magnificently framed. Sometimes a scene can live or die on the right camera angle, and Fryman nor her staff make any mistakes that I can note. If anything feels off here, it's not her fault at all.

But back to the writing, while the pacing is different, the comedy feels a little more traditional, going for a lighthearted sense of humor that isn't afraid to get a little dirty. There's more to be explored in terms of chemistry, but it is apparent that the group are close friends, and that Thomas and Bays want us to laugh with, and not at, the characters. Barney excepted, of course. Highlights often come from Barney; his early attempts at catchphrases ("suit up" and "this is so going in my blog- the former of which will make its way into the public lexicon soon, the latter not as much). Barney's attempts to get Ted to wear a suit, and not a blazer. And surprisingly enough, his laser tag appreciation is present here, which is something I can always get behind. More great jokes come from Lily's eyepatch in the episode, which of course lead to some.

There is more to talk about How I Met Your Mother as the show evolves, especially how it allows its characters to evolve with it. The pilot brings many ideas to center, and leaves enough mystique to it in hopes of keeping viewers around. This is primarily apparent with future Ted's reveal of how Robin isn't the kid's mother, a trick that for many seemed to help keep interest in seeing the whole story unfold. As a pilot, it works well, but there is much more to get into from here.