Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Kourtney Kang
One Paragraph Synopsis: Ted's recent endeavors in love are being controlled by Tiffany (Carrie Underwood), a likable, attractive woman that likes Ted, but can't be with him... right now. This is the effect of the hook, a never-ending cycle where one person is constantly being held from dating the person they want due to their unwllingness to officially decline. Present Ted is unable to see this, or simply uninterested, as he keeps on spending time with Tiffany in hopes of things getting serious, but it takes a crazy chain of events, including a surprise from the girl Ted himself keeps on the hook, to see the error in his ways. Similarly, Lily is having a hard time getting Scooter off of her hook as he's the school's new lunch person.
Of Course (5x17)
Directed by Pam Fryman
Written by Matt Kuhn
One Paragraph Synopsis: Barney is trying his hardest to win over a new girl (Jennifer Lopez) who lead him to think they had a chance at sex, but bailed just before. Ted introduces Barney to the self-help book, Of Course You're Still Single, Take a Look at Yourself You Dumb Slut, which hints at some of the trends she was using during their night, and he does his best to blow them off. It turns out that not only did she write the book herself, but Robin sent the woman to trick Barney after appearing on her show, as Robin is still hurting from their break-up. After he, as well as everyone else, find out how badly Robin is still taking things, Barney decides to hand over his planned super date to Robin and Don, hoping to do the right thing,
Another pair, another unintentional but welcomed theme- both episodes contain big-name guest stars. And they're both good in their roles!
Carrie Underwood is still one of the biggest names in country, and was such a draw that her episode had to be extra special- this was actually shot in front of an audience. Not a big, traditional sitcom live studio audience setting, but a smaller set of critics from the Television Critics Association, who watched a previous recording and had their laugh track used. Which is funny, since critics were fairly mixed on the episode itself.
The original laugh track is unusual, but fits pretty well, and keeps the pacing a little different. It's easy to tell how certain laugh motifs from the show's canned laughter comes in normally, but this does feel a little more organic, keeping things surprisingly fresh for the series. That little bit gives the episode a tiny edge to stick out some, as it needs to throughout.
Thankfully Carrie Underwood is fair game, and does the most with her material that she can. Underwood had little experience in acting, and the few other experiences she's had since (ie Sound of Music Live) do little to prove that she has a great talent for it, but she melds well into the show's style, even as it differs slightly from other sitcoms. Her delivery is tight, with Underwood giving Tiffany an edge of sweetness to it that fits her interactions with Ted, a guy who needs sweetness for validation as he remains an anxious as hell wreck, but is hardly a naif otherwise.
JLo, meanwhile, has much more experience in acting, particularly in comedy (as middling as most of her films may be). As such, she fits into the show's world about as equally well as Underwood, possibly better, and finds a similarly strong angle for her character and interactions to her foil of choice, Barney.
Barney isn't as openly romantic as Ted, instead requiring direct action, which Anita gets instantly when she begins her pursuit. Lopez plays the character's commandeering side well, allowing her to be as smart and open as needed, but doesn't come off as desolate. Especially when Anita finds out that Barney is smarter than he seems, cracking her code almost instantly, which JLo allows to take for a playful turn. Plus, let us give praise to her cracking down on male's desires in her interview with Robin, which is brilliantly sold.
And she even does desperate well at the end, with her increasingly pathetic pleas to Barney. The smooth exterior Lopez creates for Anita initially still exists, until she slowly cracks the further Barney turns her down, where she slowly lets her guard down. It's a great character moment for a fun guest star, despite being the less-hyped of the two. Then again, I don't think that JLo's music career had its brief revamp yet thanks to American Idol, which could have easily boosted her profile in the eyes of promotion.
But it's funny, besides the high profile guest stars, these episodes also share a theme of having characters fight for someone they can't have, only to leave them flat. The reasons are and execution are pretty different, though.
In "Hooked", Tiffany just isn't that into Ted. She likes the attention (at least kind of), but Ted's on the hook for a reason. And I don't think there's spite in Tiffany's decision, either- she seems blinded for this guy, especially when it's revealed how she's stuck on his hook.
The hook theory is a believable one, since who hasn't fallen for someone who isn't interested? And it is common for the uninterested party to be afraid or unaware to tell the truth, just as it's common for the interested party to be in too deep to realize. Ted in particular can easily be blinded, as he is here.
Ted eventually does realize where he stands when he sees Tiffany act the same way he does, and wisely wraps things up. Thankfully Ted has some sense of dignity, otherwise this could have ended in a too depraved manner.
But it takes him a little to reach Henrietta, whom he is unfairly cruel to. And it's way obvious that she's into Ted. Thankfully future Ted recognizes how much of an asshole Ted is in this scenario, and cringes throughout in the episode, making this a little easier to watch. The sense of present clarity is important, otherwise this episode would be weaker.
Barney's scenario, meanwhile, is that Anita wants him to wait for sex. Wait a very long time, at least for him. And it's driving him crazy, to the point that he tries to find all of Anita's weaknesses and make her crack. The wraparound is fun, as it allows for Barney's smarter side to show up, which is not brought out enough.
Of course, Anita's presence is actually part of a scheme by Robin to mess with Barney, in a way to help her ease her heartache. And to be fair, seeing Barney go out and share his conquests so eagerly each night must be rough on Robin, which makes their emotional scene in the shooting gallery effective. NPH and Smulders are keeping their chemistry tight well after their break up, as the sequence is kept entirely sincere.
Robin is still a little too proud to admit it, but seeing her responses to Barney's exploits, especially when Marshall and Ted join along, makes sense. She is as emotive as any human, but is still a little too mechanically built to admit it.
But moments like her take on the bang bang bangity song give Robin a shot of catharsis, along with banjo. And this is among many highlights from "Of Course", along with Anita's aforementioned interview, Ted's defense towards his copy of the book, and the "Super Date" song. A majestic highlight from Radnor, this helps to sell the gooey and romantic angle Barney needs to win Anita over, which he wisely hands over to Robin and Don instead. And it's a delightful little ditty, too.
"Hooked" has its strong moments too, including a fun subplot bringing Scooter back into the game., Not only does it bring a welcome teacup pig moment, but this allows for Lily to show a side of vulnerability that she doesn't portray as much compared to Marshall. Lily is meant to be the stronger of the two, but here she's struck when it comes to telling Scooter the truth. And it all comes back full circle when Marshall bends to Scooter's eyes, keeping balance as necessary.
But "Hooked" didn't win me over as much, probably since Ted gets unbearable here. This seems to be Kang's intentions, but it's still not easy to root for it as much, but I'd hardly call the episode a wash, thanks to Underwood's strong turnaround and future Ted's moments of clarity. "Of Course" is just a treat from start to finish.
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