Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Joe Kelly
One Paragraph Synopsis: When Robin's date, Mitch, isn't working out, he pulls out an old standby- the naked man, where you literally just hang out naked and wait for your date to find you. It works two out of three times, and Robin just so happens to be one of those two. The concept of the naked man stays in the heads of the rest of the gang, as Ted and Barney consider it for their own dates, while Lily and Marshall argue about reasons for sex besides love.
The Fight (4x10)
Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal
One Paragraph Synopsis: The gang have a loyal supporter in McLarens bouncer, Doug. Maybe too loyal, as he's known to kick people who sit in their booth out. One night, the people who he yells out to leave insist on fighting, so Doug tries to get the men to join him out. Marshall stands his ground and refuses, but after some deliberation, Barney and Ted decide to go out and join Doug, only to discover that he took care of the men for him. Doug, who has a history of blacking out randomly, is convinced that Ted and Barney helped, and offers them free drinks forever, and the two accept and bask in the glory. Before being sued. The two convince Doug that they weren't involved, and all is resolved, but not before Marshall shows off his skills in combat.
Let's try this again.
Both "The Naked Man" and "The Fight" deal with elements of life that often become increasingly distant as one ages, being random sex and physical confrontation. At least the kind of random sex that occurs from just up and dropping your clothes.
These episodes aren't so different, as they fit well in tone and in theme. The execution is a little different in both though, as "The Naked Man" allows for a couple of stories to fit together, while "The Fight" works with only the A-plot. As a whole, the latter episode is a little tighter in terms of pacing, but "The Naked Man" would get my vote for the better episode.
For one, there are less problematic lines to work with. "The Fight" is loaded with kindergartners of varying degrees of acting talent calling people who don't fight wussies, and has a small scene where the gang dogpile on Marshall by calling him feminine. The latter is especially hard to work with, since transphobic jokes aren;t original or fun, and it does drag the episode down a little bit. Although I'd lie if I said that the kids weren't funny in spots. It almost builds on the trope of small children swearing, which is always funnier than it should be.
The kids almost seem to be fighting against the message, though. Not that violence is always wrong, as there are instances where it really is best to defend yourself, as proven by the end, but the point is that random violence is meaningless. Doug was wrong to ask the men at the table to leave, and was even more wrong to accept their offer to step outside (or was he the one who offered? The episode doesn't really make that clear). Doug learns this as he gets the lawsuit handed to him.
Barney and Ted, meanwhile, learn that you should own up to your actions, otherwise you'll get something you don't deserve. Barney, whose infatuation with Robin was mentioned in both episodes, nearly gets a date he doesn't deserve by sticking to the lie that he was a part of the fight, but got his vengeance acted out by Robin's walking out, in an long but cute extended escape plan from her. And Ted gets punched in the end.
"The Fight" is pretty basic, but effective enough. Even besides the aforementioned problematic moments, there is fun to be fun throughout. Will Sasso in particular does a good job as Doug, as he has a long enough history playing a likable doof with a little too much of a punch behind him. He finds a good balance for Doug, allowing for his blankness to explain for some of his actions, but his brief moments of roughness are done well enough to make him not too likable. It's a good balance for an overall good, but not really a great, episode. Also, props to the return of "Murder Train" during Marshall and his brother's flashback fight.
"The Naked Man" really is a great episode though, but I cant' seem to articulate why. Not every line here is perfect, but so much of it works anyway. The concept and myth of the naked man is a great one, wonderfully brought to life by Mitch, who fittingly is given tribute ala The Dark Knight at the end. Radnor nails the delivery on the monologue, as the actor fits the character well throughout.
The argument towards reasons to have sex is a fun plot device, but hardly necessary, as you really don't need any reason to have sex besides consensually wanting it. I feel that Lily instantly picks up on this during her spiel, especially towards the end as she tries her own take on the naked man.
Ted's take is necessitated by the loneliness he feels after being left at the altar. He's over it enough to not want pity, as evident in these episodes, but it clearly still hurts, as shown when he pours his heart out to Vicky. This date was meant to be a rousing success at form for Ted, but turned out to be a disaster thanks to his choice in partner. His use of the naked man is a quick hope of desperation, that he can get at least get something out of his first date post heartbreak. Vicky may not have been a great date, but he feels a little better by the end.
And Barney. Does Barney really need a reason to try the naked man out? Probably not, which explains why his attempt was the unsuccessful one out of the bunch. That, and he didn't seem to pick the right girl for it. I'd say "no harm, no foul", except that his date does seem harmed, and she lets him have it by not letting him have his clothes. It leads to a funny end, with a fantastic closer in particular. It's here that Mitch's two out of three rule is proven, but we do still see his attempt, and I still feel that the episode would have been even better if we got to see two more to even things out.
Robin's falling into the naked man fits her current place, as she's still not holding a great job and is piggybacking on Ted by living in his apartment. A good night's sex could be the best thing she gets in a while, especially after a bad date. That, and sex is fun. Her "not a slut" date shows some repentance, but I don't see a need myself, as there's nothing wrong with random sex. Not at the gang's age, anyway.
And to cap off this look at the gang, Marshall's initial lack of sympathy for Robin is explained by his conservative upbringing and continued personal beliefs. That, and to him, every passionate night with Lily is for one reason only- love. Their admiration is never questioned, but Marshall does learn through this episode that there's nothing wrong with sex just for the sake of convenience and fun.
It all fits together! And I do hope that Ted burned that seat cushion.But yeah, a great episode followed by a pretty good one. Not bad at all.
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