How I Met Your Mother – Episode 4-10 Review

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         Before we start this episode, I want to address the biggest How I Met Your Mother news of the past two weeks. Just like her beautiful co-star, Cobie Smulders is preggers!!! She and her boyfriend, Taran Killam, who Mother fans would know as Bilson of Barney’s firm (he’s the one who peed on th table and quit) are expecting a child, who coincedently, is due next spring, around the same time as Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof’s child. My guess is that Lily will become pregnant, as it makes sense, although this does not mean the real sitcom killer will actually come. I consider babies as the death knell for sitcoms. Mother is not the usual sitcom, so I really wouldn’t be shocked if there is a miscarriage or some other sort of tradegy that leaves the Eriksen’s childless, but I still have the utmost confidence that Carter and Craig can pull the baby off. On the other hand, expect baggy, loose clothing and standing-behind-furniture-ing for Robin. Robin getting a child will screw up the show, and change its basic premise, that Robin hates kids, and that is reason number one that she and Ted are incompatible. Anyway, before another person gets pregnant, let’s get to tonight’s episode.

       This was another stellar episode. It started slowly, but it ended great. It was, as far as I know, Theresa Mulligan’s first credited writing episode in the series, and she did an excellent job keeping the characters in form. She made Barney have his moments, with the “He Thinks he can have a conversation by only saying mid 70’s african american sitcom titles” tag. She perfected Robin, who has shown a propensity for hockey players and violence and all things Canadian. Robin’s “If you are missing teeth, I am missing my pants” line was one of the funniest jokes this year. She also nailed Marshall. Marshall is the massive, manly yet womanly guy. He has his calm, sweet side, but if need be he can use his force to get things done, which is exactly how they played him out to be. The episode was really well done, in terms of character placement and form.

       The actual episode storyline was great. There was more use of Bob Saget’s voice, making the episode serve well as a lesson for the kids. The subplot, being Lily’s classroom kids’ fight, was also well done. The show has yet to effectively use Lily’s class as a source of humor, but they seem to be getting better. By the way, I had no idea that kindergarten teachers’s needed lesson plans. What would they be: “Draw shapes, learn the letter ‘c’, build using blocks, nap and go home.” The running jokes of Marshall doing “Your nails… relationship quiz in this months Cosmo… the captain of the football team” lines played out well, as did the subsequent scene in Marshall and LIly’s bed. This is also a threshold that they have not really entered. In Friends there were tons and tons of scenes in Chandler and Monica’s bed, and they were all hilarious. Mother has not used this setting at all, and they did a really good job, plus props to getting any looks at Lily in jammies; if you haven’t noticed Alyson Hannigan is to me what people with scars are to Robin.

         Finally, the Ted and Barney storylin was great. I loved it how they used the fight to pick up girls, and the “Nobody.. nobody, sits in our booth” lines. Although the whole sued for assault thing was farfetched, it also worked nicely for the episode as doubling as a cautionary tale. Also, it was great to finally see some actual evidence of the Barney and Robin relationship, that has been countlessly referenced recently, but never actually acted upon. I’m still in the camp that they should not get together, but the prospect on it is growing on me.

     This episode was really great. The casting of Doug was great. The whole ‘Barney does not have Ted’s back’ was great. Robin turning all gooey for Barney due to his hockey-man-ness was well done. The light saber call back at the end was fabulous. And Finally, any time we get a murder train callback, you know it is a great episode.