Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
One thing I never noticed about this episode until now- before Ted meets up with Claudia, she's on the phone with the wedding cake company, arguing about how she NEEDS the cake to be Tahitian vanilla. Keep this in mind. Not the Tahitian vanilla thing, mind you. I still can't really tell that apart.
I'd argue that "The Wedding" is a step down from the last couple of episodes, but it's still a touch stronger than the majority of what preceded it. Each of the core five have their own material that they own, and there's fantastic build-up for the show's first consistent storyarc.
Robin, sadly, gets the short end of the stick here, barely appearing throughout most of the episode. It makes sense, since Stuart and Claudia are as new to her as they are to us, but I liked her material anyway. Especially when her dress is revealed. Damn, Ted chose well in her. Fryman especially seemed to have known the right way to make Cobie Smulders look as appealing to the audience as she does to Ted, and the lighting department certainly pulled their weight here as well.
Barney's biggest contribution to the episode is his near-successful attempt at coercing Claudia into bed, which, while definitely sleazy, does lend the audience into his method. We've seen Barney hit on women before, but hardly was given a full look into his full shtick. It's obvious that he has this down like a science, including the drink and exactly which words to say to a heartbroken Claudia. The crazy thing is, as wrong as this is, Neil Patrick Harris is too talented to not allow Barney to come off as strangely charming throughout. NPH is rightly funny, devious, and somewhat likable during his act, only proving his strength as a comedic actor.
As per usual thus far, Marshall and Lily's material is meatier than either Robin or Barney's. The episode's reveal of their own struggles for their wedding make it public that they haven't agreed to anything just yet. It's especially fascinating to see that Marshall was the one to realize that the bride was bound to be stressed out during the wedding, while Lily thinks that's a honking deuce. A nice case of role reversal that helps to further explore their own problems- Marshall wants a traditionally romantic wedding, while Lily wants something less cliche. While their own relationship isn't exactly questioned here, this is still a point that is worth remembering, as the two are experiencing different wavelengths at this point in their lives. This will come back in a bigger way, which is why I'm keeping it brief, but the context here is quite interesting.
Really though, this is another episode about Ted, and the thing that always sticks out to me about it is the fact that he does actually fill out his invitation as a single attendance. I've made it no secret that I think Ted is full of shit, as this episode proves. There's no doubt in my mind that Ted is a romantic and that he wants to find someone before he gets up there in age, but right now he just doesn't know how to put his right foot forward and find her. Nor, mentally, does he have as much interest in finding her as he projects. I've been over this more than once in my reviews, but it's true. Ted is more interested in the catch than the chase, mainly since he doesn't understand the chase itself. As a result, he loses on the game.
Ted not adding a plus one to his RSVP proves this psychological mismatch. Just as his arguing with Claudia shows how Ted thinks he's willing to settle with or conform Robin, the fact that he knew that he would be alone come the wedding date shows that Ted knew that he wasn't ready to settle down at this point in his life. Forgetting that he chose that he was going alone on his invitation is only future Ted realizing that he's still afraid to admit this. Which isn't a complaint in my book, since Ted's mental hypocrisy is fun to watch.
It's funny, because even though I've delved into Ted's commitment issues here, we get a brief glimpse of the person that will question this belief come next episode. And I can't wait to get into that.
But before I go, I'll get into Stuart and Claudia. They're perfectly okay characters! Stuart's a nice, agreeable guy, while Claudia's neuroticism contrasts greatly with him to make the pairing a little more fun. You're going to see them again in no time, too. Whenever the show needs to bring in more friends for the gang, you'll usually see one or both of them around, up til the final season.
Side note: I have to apologize for my weak review of "The Limo". Nothing was coming out, despite my best efforts. I decided to add some of my notes together in hopes to settle with a 50% rather than deal with a 0. I already feel that this is an improvement, and I hope to fix my writing style to a tighter, consistent fixture in the reviews to come. See you next time!
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