Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Stephen Lloyd
One Paragraph Synopsis: The story we've all been waiting for is here! It turns out the goat that messes everything up for Ted's 30th birthday... doesn't actually do so until his next, but is present here anyway. When Lily's kindergarten class has a farmer tell the children the future of his goat, Lily takes it upon herself to adopt the little one herself, as it makes for a welcome addition to the apartment before disappearing during Ted's surprise party at the end of the episode. But what's really important is the aftermath of Barney and Robin's passionate night together. The two haphazardly agree to make this a one-time event and to not talk about it ever again, a promise Barney breaks quickly when he has Marshal go through the Bro Code, written by Barney himself, to find a loophole where he doesn't come out as a bad guy. Sadly, there is none, which is further proven when Robin tells Ted about the night herself, and all comes down to a brutal confrontation in a limo where Ted decides to stop being Barney's friend.
Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Jamie Rhonheimer
One Paragraph Synopsis: With Ted sticking to his plans for terminating his friendship with Barney, Barney begins a search for a new wingman bro, which proves so unsuccessful that he ends up settling on his loser coworker, Randy (Will Forte). A night of wingman attempts proves to be massively unsuccessful for both of them, only proving that Ted is one of a kind. Meanwhile, Ted and Stella agree to finally have sex, something they've been holding off on as Stella has been out of it for a long time. Ted almost ruins everything when Stella learns that he told Lily and Marshall about their plans, but in typical series fashion, Ted wins her over and after Ted gets the chance to meet Stella's daughter, they make whoopie.
I wasn't planning on doing a double review, but I had enough planned for "The Goat" before getting sidetracked for a dozen different things that I might as well make up for lost time. There are worse fits to pair together, although I should have probably combined "The Goat" with "Sandcastles in the Sand".
That said, one thing both of these episodes succeed with is finding something for everyone to do. Some characters are less essential than others throughout, but no one is bereft of good material. Even Robin, who sadly is pushed to the side in "Rebound Bro", has a great moment in the episode when she helps Barney practice with Randy. She gets right away that Barney is overcompensating for his loss of Ted, but keeps her face throughout. Even with Randy's obvious failure, she never laughs TOO much at his expense, a good call.
Lily is more of importance in "The Goat", as she brings the titular goat over to the apartment, but she's a lot of fun in the episode. It makes sense, given Lily's hippyish tendencies, that she'd want to keep the goat, and it makes for fun delivery when everyone else advises her against it. Speaking of good sportsmanship, Lily does a fine job of keeping her cool against her wishes, but Hannigan's finest moment comes with her attempt to bring the goat into the taxi, where she reveals strong physical comedy know-how to do her finest.
Marshall plays mediator in "The Goat", but allows himself some solid delivery of his own, especially when the hot dog in Barney's office is revealed. Segel has found a good way to embrace specific emotion for Marshall, whenever food is around. This combination of good humor and love makes for one of his best character traits, and helps as he keeps a serious face for most of his material in the episode aside. In "Rebound Bro", he and Lily have some fun trying to keep the secret from Stella, but brief moments aside, that's it. They are fun moments, though.
These really are Ted and Barney's episodes, however. It is a problem that, while Robin isn't entirely forgotten, her feelings towards her night with Barney aren't as important as his, but there is enough on Barney's part to make "The Goat" a highly interesting episode.
On the one hand, he feels remorse for sleeping with Ted's ex, an understandable feeling. It has almost been a year since they were dating, but time is almost irrelevant here, as this is still a woman that meant a lot to Barney's best friend, someone he almost considered the one at a point. Barney even dedicated a sizable part of the Bro Code to explain that events like these are not cool. Well, he says that he didn't write it, but consider the flashback. It was totally Barney, right down to how overdrawn the thing was. And there will be more of these to come in the future.
Marshall instantly gets that Barney is compensating for his guilt when he is hired to find a loophole, since he is. Barney has done some terrible things before (consider the whole of "The Bracket", if you will), but he really does care about his friends, and wouldn't sleep with the ex of a friend, who is also a good friend of his to boot, unless it meant something.
And that's another point that becomes apparent here. That night was important to Barney. There were no moves, he didn't coerce Robin into anything, they just naturally fell into it. That could have been a fluke by itself, but consider the way Barney fails at keeping his cool the next day. Beyond guilt, there's a hint of Robin mattering to Barney as more than just a conquest, or even a friend. Robin's continued denial during the bar must have been rough for him, since she makes it clear that there is no future for them.
Although what makes these episodes all the more painful is that there isn't much time for Barney to consider his feelings for Robin, as a bigger blow comes to him in the form of Ted. The scene with the two of them in the limo in "The Goat" is wonderfully framed by Fryman, as she allows plenty of room for the two of them to make their every reaction present. There is enough ample time spent on their bodies to allow for the scene's physical humor, but she positions the scene smartly enough to make sure the fact that this isn't just a comedic moment is present. Ted's delivery of him not wanting to be friends anymore, coupled with NPH's crushed reaction, is a harsh moment, one that sets up for an interesting final set of episodes well.
It should be clear that Ted and Barney do reconcile, since there are 6 more seasons left, and Future Ted still refers to him as "Uncle Barney", but there are no real hints towards that in "Rebound Bro", as Ted continues to ignore his advances. Thankfully, the episode doesn't spend too much time on Barney attempting to win Ted back in hopes of a hasty reunion, and saves his call for the beginning of the episode. While they aren't forgotten among one another, the rest of the episode features the two characters in separate plots.
Aristotle wrote that there are no such things as subplots, but rather sidestories that contribute to a main plot in its own ways, which is a trend that the show writers recognize and use well. Ted and Barney's plots in "Rebound Bro" do indeed show that the two characters are at different places in their lives, but aren't too far away.
Barney hopes to find a suitable replacement for Ted, yes, to potentially find women to sleep with, but also for a sense of pride in helping the helpless, and as companionship that women and married men wouldn't be able to give him. Randy's a bit of a sad sack, a talentless nobody that is, for the most part, a lost cause, which is why Barney was hesitant at first.
Desperation does rear its ugly head though, as we see Barney fail to find women for Randy, until a useful little detail comes into his knowledge, as Randy's time in the force is mentioned. Someone with a future would have put together that wearing a uniform is a plus for women, but Randy has no real future, despite appearing again on the show. Forte does a good job with the character, making his lack of charm pay off in a delightful way that could only work in a comedic setting, and results in fun with Barney, given the two's solid chemistry. But Robin's right, Randy is no Ted, and there is still an emptiness that Barney will face the next day.
Ted, meanwhile, has been getting increasingly closer to Stella, who has been heard but not seen in the past few episodes (thank Sarah Chalke's busy schedule on Scrubs). She continues to find likable moments in scripts that are light in such bits for her, savoring each line with a specific charm that over a decade of sitcom practice would allow her to. She's a good match for Ted, with enough wit and warmth to be just what he needs.
What drives his story in this episode, though, is their lack of sex. I'm not crazy on the insinuation that intercourse is necessary to make for a good relationship, but I understand Ted's disappointment in the waiting game, just as I understand Stella's desire to not rush into sex after years away from it. The two are thankfully able to make a reasonable, adult agreement on trying it out, which makes for a welcoming plot.
One that gets subsided from a less adult decision by Ted, but one that does show a part of his character that should be considered. Ted is very close to his friends, Marshall and Lily in particular. Maybe too close, as this is personal information that he's sharing with them. While Ted makes a point to assure that Stella gets along with the guys, I wouldn't be comfortable, either.
I appreciate the episode's way to make another reasonable agreement between the couple, as they find necessary middle ground and allow not only for good sex, but another important first- his meeting of Lucy, Stella's daughter. This is one of the last big steps Ted needs to make so that this relationship can be a successful one, which is combined with sex as a useful and tasteful metaphor. Maybe Stella will be the mother just yet.
But for now, here were two more solid additions to the season. With only two more episodes to go this season, I can't wait to see what's in store for the show. Neither of these were among the series' finest, but there is little wear to be found.
Hey, It's 2008!: Barney's SkyMall obsession is mentioned in both episodes, which is funny now that the company has gone bankrupt. I guess he got over them shortly after these episodes, since he sure could have afforded to keep them around if he was still ordering from the place. And wow, I don't even recall Randy's political references. They were dated back then, never mind now. But that's the joke, and it's not a bad one.
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