As I New Jersey boy, born and raised, this episode cut to the core of me. I knew coming in, I had to be a grown up and take it like a man. Although, us New Jersey-ites already had experience: Thank You Mr. McGreevey and Your Gay Trysts!!
First of all, New Jersey is not that bad. It isn’t New York, but its really not that bad. Don’t go there for college, but whatever, that’s not relevant.
This episode might have been the funniest in a while. The beginning New Jersey jokes, including using its name as a metaphor for a dump, were high, high comedy. Then came Lily’s “I need to change, I don’t want to smell like New Jersey,” and Ted’s I Hate New Jersey t-shirt. Although it was almost bordering on overkill, it really wasn’t. The jokes were numerous, but great. I hope this is all making sense.
I liked Barney’s bits of trying to make jokes, and wanting “knuckles neatly interlocking with his knuckles,” and Robin’s not exactly getting the job. btw, Random note, and I know I’m all over the place, but I loved her “I had to say furricane” and “I have to compete with an African-American with blue eyes” lines. “You can get a hammock with a cupholder,” which is true, and a great perk of New Jersey. Also, Frank Sinatra is a New Jersey born guy, so are Bon Jovi and Bruce, so NJ definitely has the edge up on Musical Abilities, but whose comparing.
I also loved Marshall’s monologue for pro-New Jersey-ness. It was great, and I just love these monologues that they seem to give every week. Marshall is also totally whipped by Lily, not that I can blame him, I would stay locked in a cage for life if my wife was Alyson Hannigan.
Anyway, the actual plot of the story, Ted maybe having to move to New Jersey, was interesting, and just another reason why I am becoming more and more sure that Stella is NOT the mother. What will the show be if Ted lives one hour away from the other four. Also, Ted and Robin are supposed to be living in the apartment later in the year, as per “The Goat” episode last year. Ted really cannot move to New Jersey, he really can’t. I’m sure he wants no part of PriceCo and Dog Shirts. If he actually goes through with this, it will be totally against the course of the show. I mean, how can Lily, Marshall, Robin and Barney be intricate parts of his life if they all live in another state.
This really was a great episode. For the second straight week, we got an episode with the cast together as a whole, which are my favorite kind. This cast really has something special, and they seem like they genuinely like each other. It is great just to see the main five just hang out and rag on each other, and play with each other. They really seem like five casual, twenty-something friends in New York, at a level that even exceeds that of Friends. The episode had great lines, great acting and some nice emotional moments, especially Barney’s last glance at Robin when she said that she is moving to Japan (which I guarantee will not be permanent. It will be terrible if Ted is across a River. It will be a nuclear holocaust if Robin is across a River, and thirty more rivers, and they an ocean, living in Tokyo). Barney’s longing glances have become a trend too. There might be more to look into there. I haven’t seen the show open this strongly since season one, and it is great to see the show go back to that level. I read a Craig Thomas interview, and he acknowledged the sub-par-ness of last year, and the detrimental effects of the writer’s strike on the show. Now that the show has no strikes to have over its head, and that the show is finally safe in terms of renewal, the show has been given the window to explode. It is becoming more and more mainstream, and its publicity is finally reaching the levels of its ratings (which are underrated – it draws more than the much more ballyhood The Office for instance). Hopefully this great start can continue.
Rating = 8 out of 10.
Season Avg = 8 out of 10
Lily Hotness = 8 out of 10
Sneak Preview for Next Week = Many people will be changing locales!!
See you next week. I can’t wait.
Daniel Menezes is a lifelong How I Met Your Mother viewer and fan. He started watching it right of the bat due to his love of all things Alyson Hannigan, and has grown to consider it the best true sitcom on TV today. It is a treat for him to be able to blog on all things How I Met Your Mother. Please enjoy, and comment!!
