Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Stephen Lloyd
One Paragraph Synopsis: As Ted heads off to live a regular day of work, he recalls everything that forces him to reach a specific place at a specific time, which involves a hodgepodge of collected stories involving the gang. Such as Robin's food poisoning, brought on by Ted's favorite bagel place, Barney's over-obsessive planning for his 200th sexual partner, and Marshall's chart addiction. All of this helps Ted to make it to go on a certain path, a path where he runs into fate- or Stella, if you prefer.
As Fast as She Can (4x23)
Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Craig Thomas & Carter Bays
One Paragraph Synopsis: Leading in from the previous episode, Ted runs into Stella and Tony, where he has a peaceful catching up with them. That should have been the end of things, but Tony dedicates it to himself to find someway to repay Ted for the grief he feels for having Stella leave him at the altar, resulting in a bunch of job offers. When nothing Tony tries out work, he takes it upon himself to go a step further by leaving Stella, which causes her to come to Ted for help to repair their relationship. Reluctantly, Ted agrees to talk to Tony, a decision he soon chooses to not regret, since Stella has simply found the one. His turn will come. Meanwhile, Barney consistently tries to get out of speeding tickets he obtains, but fails heavily at each attempt. Also, Lily returns at the end of the episode!
I was initially just going to do "Right Place, Right Time" by itself, but I had almost forgotten about the cliffhanger ending. That, and its structure doesn't allow for me to write too much about it.
So far, HIMYM has not been afraid to play with sitcom format, which has been one of its greatest strengths. There are plenty of episodes with simple A/B/C formats, which the series has done just fine with, but whenever an experiment like "The Platinum Rule"'s reliance on flashbacks to tell a story is done, the show helps to define itself as more than just your average TV comedy. Thomas, Bays, and crew often find a way to show their understanding of the traditional sitcom formula by often subverting it.
"Right Place, Right Time" follows in that tradition of noble experiments, but while there is plenty to like, I wouldn't call it a complete success. Do we really need to see the explanation of why Ted had to give the homeless person (played well by Homer himself, Dan Castellaneta) a dollar on his way out? The concept of pausing at nearly every angle is cute, but superfluous.
Especially when the ending reveal isn't all that surprising. Not to say that Stella's return is unwelcome, but the build-up here seems a little off for someone who could have been the future mother. Saget's delivery, which is typically strong throughout, hints at there being something else. And it was about time for Stella to come back into Ted's life, given the hole that she left.
It would be too obvious if Stella was mentioned in every single episode since the split, but her impact has definitely been left on Ted and the show itself. Seeing Ted's faith shrivel up into nothing and see him falter has made for an effective storyline, giving the character some roadblocks to surpass. It doesn't really work out in his favor, but seeing how he tries to keep his spirits high in moments such as running into his ex fiance shows how mature Ted can be when he needs to be.
Her return keeps things exciting as we near the end of the season. Allowing Tony to have some time for his own development also helps, as he finally has some fun and shows off some personality. It's not a surprise to see Tony as kind of a dopey guy, albeit one who at least means well. He loves Stella and has sincere compassion, as his attempt to find a good job for Ted comes off as likable and honest.
The thing is, Tony's judgement isn't all that great. To be fair, Ted isn't a whole lot better in this regard. Stella's a fine woman, some problems aside, but the best offer Tony made is the one that Ted instantly declined- a teaching job. Ted loves to talk, knows plenty about architecture, and has almost nothing going down. Deciding against the offer really is a bone-headed move on his part. And it's certainly a better idea than Mr. Statue of Liberty.
Tony's decision to leave Stella was similarly bone-headed, especially as Ted was truthful in saying that he doesn't want her back. While Ted does need help, this isn't the right way to go at it, and on some level, Tony must understand this. The split was only a defense mechanism, done so he can try to cope with the grief he's holding as best as he can. It's just not the right way to do so.
This all leads to Ted and Stella having a (seemingly) final discussion about all that happened. Stella's pleads of her long history with Tony offers the idea that this is something a long time going, which Ted couldn't have prevented if he tried. This concept was shown in "Shelter Island", and while the audience seems to have got it, Ted needed a little more time himself before he could. This was a story about true love, but not for Ted. He was a necessary part in it, but not the way that he wanted. That doesn't mean that Ted won't have his story, but merely that this is a stepping stone towards it.
I'll get back to the other episode for a little more in a moment, but "As Fast as She Can" is such a great episode as it gives this strong idea a big backbone and expands well. It's a necessarily cathartic release to one of the roughest parts in the show, and continues to bring the season to a nice close.
But while I'm less favorable towards "Right Place, Right Time" based on how its gimmick doesn't fully pay off, it's little subplots are mostly full of gold, just as Barney's story in "As Fast as She Can" is similarly entertaining. These episodes prove that you don't really need Lily to have fun on the show, as Robin, Marshall and Barney hold things off for her absence and Ted's heavier material.
Robin's food poisoning story is the most obvious of them, but Lloyd keeps her bond with Ted strong in his writing, as they say plenty without throwing much in your face. Besides playing well to dialogue that doesn't come off as obtrusive, Smulders' serious face is used well, as she tries her best to not ruin anything for Ted, even as she's becoming a little more aggravated.
Marshall's chart and graph obsession is great for bringing the intervention banner back alone (although Lily is sorely missed here- surely this could have been shot back before her pregnancy was becoming too obvious), but it does also allow him some harmless fun that has been missing in recent episodes. Marshall's dorky nature is front and center as he lives off his pun fantasies and brings some ingenious gags to life. His lack of insight resulting in a screw-up at work is only the coconut icing on the funky Marshall cake.
And Barney, well, is Barney. His massive list of women is gross, as gross as the way he treated the female officer. Luckily in both episodes, he gets his just desserts, though.
Barney's compulsiveness towards landing the perfect lay for his 200th is right for his character, but a hard trait to defend, and while it's not good to body shame, it feels natural to see Barney not win the way he wanted to. Meanwhile, his attempts to get out of tickets are increasingly fun to see be pulled off, but not nearly as much as seeing him fail each time. There's a gene in his mind to not allow him to pull this off, as he should not and does not. But to be fair, there are worse things to see Barney accomplish than to get a pass from a speeding ticket.
Also, Robin's comment on the lack of diversity in the names from Barney's list is one of the show's most insightful, yet undeniably hurtful lines in its run. Love it or leave it, this is one element that HIMYM could do better on.
But again, these are both strong episodes. The former isn't done as well as I would have liked, but still has a lot of good gags and a big enough heart going for it, while the latter is a great way to lead off into the season finale. Let's just see if the show can land the jump.
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