Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by David Hemingson
One Paragraph Synopsis: Remember Trudy from "The Pineapple Incident"? Ted runs into her at MacLarens after Barney and Marshall bail on their guys night out, and just when they're about to hit things off again, Trudy's Cappa sister, Rachel, arrives. That would normally be the end of things, but Rachel seems interested in Ted as well, which turns things over into a competition between the two for his affection, finally culminating into a potential threeway. Yeah, that was gonna happen. Maybe. On the other spectrum, though, Robin has a date of her own with an attractive British surgeon, who's hitting all of the right marks to make Robin break her "no sex until the third date" rule, which requires a shave. She doesn't quite make it, though.
Is this episode sexist? While the plot isn't all that interested in the feelings behind the women Ted's entangled with, that's not much of a surprise, since they aren't main characters, but Ted is. It would be a good idea to see a story like this from one of the women's perspective, there isn't much to be mad at Ted for in his plot. From what we can tell about Rachel and Trudy,, they are completely consenting into a threeway, while Ted never pushes them. He's hardly a gentleman, but he isn't despicable at all here. I do think it's a problem that Lily refers to sorority girls as sluts in more than one instance, however.
I have to admit, I was a little worried when I hit "The Third Wheel" up again. It's been a while since I've seen the episode, and I was afraid that there would be creepier aspects about it, but this is still a fun ep.
For one thing, it's nice to see Ted and Robin date other people again, without pounding onto the audience's head how awkward it should be. Because it shouldn't; Robin and Ted are reasonable adults and have more than enough time to deal with a logical healing process after their break up. This shouldn't even be a problem. Besides, Robin had her fling with Gael, which was a welcome endeavor for her to fix the pain she still must have been feeling at the time. But both relationships are over and Robin is out of Argentina, so it's fair for her to move on.
It also helps that both stories are just fun. Robin's is less substantial, since her biggest issue until her concussion at the end (is it wrong to laugh at that? Well, okay, I'll admit that I didn't get too big of a laugh out of the bit anyway- it's almost hackish, something I'd expect from a lesser show, maybe) is that she wants to shave her legs. But who says that this is a bad idea for a subplot? A lot of what comes out of Robin's desire is solid material.
Robin's date isn't given much to do here, but I can get an idea of why she's willing to break her rule for him. Neil Jackson is pretty charming in the role, even making the fact that he's never given an actual joke not distract from him too much. His British dedication allows for a welcome balance to Robin's mantra, as she just eats him up.
But the real fun comes from Robin's communication with the waitress, which I just realized may not have even been theirs, which makes her presence all the more welcome. It's not the most original concept to see a character argue with a difficult hired help, but in an episode with a somewhat disappointing lack of fantastic dialogue on par with the series' best, their material contains some of the winners. A great performance form Smulders, combining desire, determination, lust, and anger, all without batting an eye, is another saving grace for their time, as the waitress doesn't do much to warrant a happy motion for Robin.
Not to say that Ted's story isn't fun, though. Being the bulk of the episode, it had to please in some way, and thankfully his story works well as classic hornball shtick. While as I mentioned before, Ted remains pretty likable through, never coming off as desperate or pushy. He wants to sleep with both women, but doesn't throw anything at their face.
Trudy and Rachel (played well by Busy Phillips, and while I'm saddened that she didn't get to reunite with Segel, they were hardly an essential duo on Freaks and Geeks) are given a little more to do than Robin's date, as they play flirtatious wonderfully. The range in octave of these women's voices makes for a fun contrast during the first act, as they continue their game to win Ted over, while keeping their lines straight and believable. They keep the game going throughout, as both actresses maintain a sense of drunken fun right to the very end. There's even a solid bond set between Ted and the women, which only adds to the cause of this story working.
As for the quest, more good comes from it as Barney's rationale adds to the experience. Helpful flashbacks are used throughout, with an earlier one introducing the belt humorously selling the idea of he or Ted being able to make it into a threeway is an award-worthy pursuit. Because as shown in later flashbacks, as well as Ted's own flubbing, it's not the desirability of these men that make a threesome seem unlikely, it's their impulses fighting with them. That's a funny concept, and logical, considering how intense the concept might seem. But seeing Barney's initial fabrication to the actual truth behind his failure is hilarious.
But Barney is always fun! How about Lily and Marshall? Well, keep an eye on Lily's shopping trip here, this will show up later on. But you know it's a good time when Marshall's pants come off. But other than his and Barney's bailing on Ted, he's not that important to the episode, a great quip about how a threeway for him and Lily is out of the question aside. Lily, meanwhile, is a part of both stories, and while she isn't necessarily essential either, she's a good fit for both. Her friendship to Ted and Robin is undeniable, even if she decides to blow one off for another. It's the luck of the draw, but if she went to help Robin, her material wouldn't be as fun.
Now, as I end off this review of a fun episode, I have one more question- do you think Ted rightfully won the belt? Personally, I don't think it's pertinent. Although Ted sure loves to fuck and tell.
Hey, It's 2007!: Oh, the Wii. I have no regrets getting it opening night, even if it wasn't as powerful as the PS3 or 360. But I never did find Wii Sports as fun as many others did. But maybe it's not Wii Sports, since you can't compete in Wimbledon on it. Oh, but I'm pretty sure that you'll never see the Wii in the show again.
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