Directed by Rob Greenberg
Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas
One Paragraph Synopsis: The gang's annual tradition of watching the Superbowl together is put to a halt when Mark from McLarens' funeral is being held at the same time. As they go, and try to remember Mark, the group Tivos the game, and plan to watch it when they get home. The problem with that is, these are adults with jobs, and they're not able to head back until rather late in the evening. This inspires the gang to avoid finding out who won the game, and to watch it after work the following day instead, causing everyone to try different methods to avoid discovering the results. Like that'll happen...
Okay, is this episode supposed to indicate that Barney's gambling problem didn't come into fruition until he was persuaded by Marshall to try it out? It could also be inferred that Barney had been subduing it until that one Superbowl Sunday in 2003. Both are funny concepts with enough possibility in them to work out. I'll stick to the former theory, since it's darkly fascinating to consider that Marshall started up Barney's fixation on gambling.
But you know, just as I've been writing these reviews, I've also been watching Seinfeld all the way through for the first time, and I'm on its last season now. As I've mentioned before, I think HIMYM is more influenced by Seinfeld than Friends, at least moreso than the general public considers. This comes to mind while watching "Monday Night Football", as I'm reminded of certain episodes with only one real plot that makes good use for everyone, primarily "The Parking Garage". The pacing and character beats are there, which is what makes the episode reminiscent of A-game Seinfeld, but HIMYM stands on its own for using this scenario more for character building than for observation, which is the key difference to my eyes.
Which is the other thing about this episode- there's little of the show's traditional emotional core here. "Monday Night Football" is still respectful to the characters, but there isn't an attempt to pull at the audience's heartstrings, or to challenge their status quo. The whole point of the episode is just for the five to avoid spoilers. This isn't meant to sound like a detraction at all. How I Met Your Mother has been great at delving into the characters' psyche in a rightfully emotional manner, but it's still a comedy first, as present here.
As I mentioned above, though, the show succeeds at using scenarios like this to explore and expand on character, which is definitely true this week.
Ted's attempt to avoid spoilers is the most outlandish, yet as seen in the end, the most successful. Those goggles are weird as all hell, but the real humor comes from Radnor's screaming delivery, which is surprisingly fresh. It's required for him to head into the bar and yell to make sure his order is heard, since Ted can't hear anything else, but thankfully Radnor finds the right tone to make it work, rather than to break anybody's eardrums. He's worked quite well at having Ted succeed as a character with his inside voice, but proves that he can still crack up when he's yelling.
It also helps that Ted has to return to the bar, with his full set-up returning. I think it's a good call to not refer to the rule of three here, since one more trip would have been redundant, but necessitating Ted to head back for the sauce just shows that once wouldn't be enough. It's a rare balance to consider, since the rule of three often works well, but I think Bays and Thomas made the right call with only two trips. Once wouldn't be enough, but three or more would drag the joke down.
While Lily sadly doesn't get much to do herself (admittedly the episode's biggest flaw, although her reaction to the radio with Marshall near the end is ace), Marshall's decision to lay low in her class had to result in great material, which it rightfully did. I think every class with a young, attractive enough teacher like Lily has at least one kid who has an obvious crush on her, which makes for a strong foil to Marshall. How many other times can said have a chance to mess with their crush's man?
While the kid's actions were mostly harmless (and of course, humorous- who doesn't love seeing Marshall stuck in time out?), I don't think that Marshall's victory against him was too harsh, or uncalled for. He could have been quite worse to the kid, and does allow for him to fix his wet spot. It's also just hysterical to see Marshall stop giving a fuck, and let his adult superiority give him the upper hand. Good timing with Bob Saget's narration allows for the juice box joke to totally land.
Robin's time might be my favorite of the episode, as the lengths she goes to avoid having the results shown on her broadcast are insane. As Future Ted says himself, Robin would of course have the biggest problem avoiding the media, being the media herself, as we see her deal with. On the one hand, this shouldn't have even been that much of a problem, since Robin isn't a big name yet, but on the other, this is still a news broadcast she anchors, so it makes sense.
Everything she does is great, though. Robin's initial stalling is entertaining, especially as it indicates what certain parts of a studio are like when not being focused on. This is even true of scripted programs that shoot in a set, as you're bound to find people who aren't needed then just hanging out, eating a doughnut like the weatherman here. And of course, her leap near the end was framed well, continuing the camera's tradition of loving Smulders, even at her most awkward. But the best bits have to be when she discusses the Winning Team and whatever delicacy their city is famous for. It's a perfectly paced quip against Losing Team's Mayor.
Although Barney's method is the most outlandish, which again, I don't mean to say begrudgingly. It is funny to see him lock himself up, especially when, as Ted noted while brilliantly taking away the nearest plant, he didn't think of a bathroom system. It's a great moment that shows a lack of restraint, which is crucial to Barney's character this week.
Crucial, since Barney is the one with money at stake, as he bet big on one of the teams. It's because of this that Barney quickly gives up his attempt to shelter himself from the results, and panhandles for the truth. A hilarious cameo by Emmitt Smith is not only a welcome addition to this sequence, but reflective on Barney's mindset here, as Smith wisely reminds Barney that there's more to life than the score of a game. This is true, but Barney's addictive personality won't allow him to see logic right now, when he potentially has quadruple digits, or possibly even more, on the line. Barney really needs therapy of some sort, man.
But the thing that makes this episode comes at the end, when even after everyone finds out who wins one way or another, the gang decides "who cares?", and watch the Superbowl anyway. At the end of the day, it's not the results, but everything it takes to get there that matters. With good wings, good beer, great friends, and a Tivo full of the highest-rated event on TV in the US, you're bound to have a hell of a time. And a hell of an episode, as this all equates to. There are deeper episodes, although Barney's material might require analysis from someone better suited to it than myself, but this is one of the purest fun episodes of the season, bar none.
One thing I'll add before I go- the lengths the gang went to avoid discovering who won the Superbowl has to be reminiscent to how people avoided spoilers of HIMYM's final the Tuesday after it aired. I know people who consider themselves fans, but still haven't seen it without even really knowing what happened, so it is possible to not find out. But considering how big of a deal the finale was, this is only reflective of not only life imitating art, but just how important the series ultimately became.
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