How I Met Your Mother Review- "Milk"

Milk (1x21)

Directed by Pam Fryman

Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas

One Paragraph Synopsis: Love Solutions has finally delivered on their promise to Ted, as new management at the firm from "Matchmaker" have found a potential mate for Ted that hits all of his exact criteria. The two are set to meet, when Lily throws a wrench into his date time for personal reasons- she got a flat tire on Marshall's Fiero on her way to New Haven, and needs Ted to come help her fix it. The reason Lily is heading there is telling, though- she signed up for an art fellowship in San Francisco, which overlaps with her wedding date, and was heading to New Haven for the interview. While all of this is happening, Barney and Marshall are in the midst of a prank war with Barney's next-door-building rival.

Opposites attract, but they ultimately repel. A little realization that has often proven true to life.

Although, I don't believe that perfection is real, nor should it be aspired to. Just because this mystery woman has a lot in common with Ted, this doesn't confirm that they're an exact match in terms of chemistry, nor that they'll pass each other's test physically. It's also not necessarily ideal to want to date some similar to you, since why would you want to marry yourself?

While I think that Ted made a mistake by cancelling his date in hopes to win Robin over again, I understand the decision. For one, he knows Robin, knows how she works, and knows how compatible they are, even if they don't have much in common. While Robin isn't as enamored with Ted, she has the same understanding, which is something she mildly acknowledges here.

I also understand Lily and Marshall's exasperation towards Ted's reveal, though. Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders have the chemistry to pull off the relationship, yet Ted and Robin aren't in the right place to be together. They might never be. Robin's desires clash too much from Ted's to ever fully work, while there is no way that Ted would be willing to sacrifice his domestic dream down the road, no matter what his 28-year-old self thinks.

But I don't think Ted really wants to compromise, at least not at this point. Similar to the trope of women wanting to fix broken men, Ted seems determined to change Robin's mind on children. This is actually pretty cynical, since this indicates that Ted thinks Robin is living her life wrong.

Compared to even just a couple of episodes ago, Robin seems pretty happy with her life at this point, including her choices. Sure, she wants to move up in the broadcast industry, and there are moments of loneliness, but she's doing fine for herself as a reporter in her mid-20's, as she's likely to boost right up as she goes along. And yeah, sometimes only having her dogs for company isn't quite enough, but it really does seem as if Robin would rather be alone than having to deal with raising children, which is the opposite of Ted. It's possible that he finds this simply charming now, but the Ted of tomorrow will find this a little more depressing each day, since this isn't the life he personally wants.

I feel like I'm going in circles with Ted and Robin, so let's put that on hold for this review, and instead get to Lily, whose story has increasingly been building up to the front of the series.

Ted catches on instantly that Lily is unhappy with her current placement in life, mainly being engaged so soon. This shouldn't be a surprise, since Ted and Lily have been best friends since the beginning of college, along with Marshall, so he understands them very well. And of course, if you've been watching these episodes again, or just reading my reviews, you know what's on her mind.

But here, Lily actually takes the initiative to follow on her thoughts. Again, Ted is right that she could have easily found a fellowship in New York, but the fact that she decided on one in San Francisco instead proves that she's interested in leaving, not necessarily Marshall, but rather her life itself.

Ted finds this to be selfish, but I don't see it that way. For a while, Lily's relationship with Marshall has been focused on him, making sure that Marshall is ready to go through and graduate from law school in a well-enough position to make him desirable to employers. Lily also stands as a beacon of hope when Marshall comes home from an unfeeling day at Barney's firm, which she still pulls off even after taking the interview. Lily isn't wrong to want to hope for more in her own life, even if she shouldn't have signed up for a fellowship so far away without telling Marshall.

So if I understand and even side with Lily to an extent, why do I think it wasn't a right move for her to go with the initiative? Well, even Lily herself concedes by the end of the episode that it was wrong, as she "subtlety" tells Ted that she won't be going. Whether or not she deserved to go to San Francisco, she still has a commitment with Marshall, who at least deserves to be told at this point in her decision.

It's rough, but oh so fascinating to watch. Alyson Hannigan had seven(ish?) years of excellent work on Buffy to prove her dramatic talents, which shows up right here as she doesn't bullshit Ted. Hannigan pours her heart out into Lily's ambitions, truly making the character feel whole as feels empty herself. I wouldn't go as far as to call her time with Ted painful, but I buy everything she tells him, as Hannigan allows the fitting of Lily's character to be complete.

Because, she is. Even though I said that her actions weren't entirely selfish, Lily is very egocentric in a way. She has very decisive thoughts, which she sticks to as long as she cans. Sometimes obnoxiously, but she knows her worth. Lily's comedic material comes from her mindset, as well, often finding a way to win over everyone with her views without pushing. She has Marshall to push if she needs to. This makes her an often enjoyable, even if she isn't entirely likable, character.

Another character who is almost there in terms of their definitive traits is Barney. His pathos still need a little work, but he continues his streak of highlight material on the show in this episode. The opening pick-up line may not be the best ever, but it's still a classic moment from the series, while his story with Marshall is tons of fun. It's also strong material for Marshall, as it shows his increasing descent into enjoying his internship at the firm. This isn't even removed from his life outside of work, as he tells Lily about their plot with the mice in such a gleeful way at the end, almost as if Barney has conditioned him like a mice of Pavlov's. Which wouldn't be a surprise, since Marshall does like cheese.

"Milk" deals with a lot, and delivers in practically every account. Will there be more to say in the finale? Stick around.

Edit: Y'no, I didn't forget to mention Bays and Thomas' cameo during Barney's massive hook-up scheme, but my desire to keep this from being a highlight reel had me refrain from commenting on it in a way that's cohesive to what I had in mind for the review. But yeah, it is a nice little addition, just as it is welcome to hear a reference to one of Shakespeare's lesser-heralded plays.

Besides wanting to do more than just list which gags do and don't work, I tend to not talk about the show's humor as much as I do other things since it allows for me to write about character and plot more, which I'm better at. If I was reviewing, say, Seinfeld or The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I could just as easily get into character analysis, but the structure in humor that these and other series use allow for more discussion of what does and doesn't work in that regard. HIMYM has a particular structure in comedy, but right now, I've been focusing on the development that's been occurring since the show started instead. But I have a lot more HIMYM to tackle, so we'll see how this goes.