How I Met Your Mother 9.05 Review: Marriage is about Partnership

All those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, entitled ‘The Poker Game’, then now would be a good time to do so. As with all my blogs, there is a chance that this, and previous episodes of the series, could be spoiled below. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed with caution.

Last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother was a rather pleasant episode to watch. There were some throwbacks to previous episodes, like the Slutty Pumpkin, and just after Marshall and Lily’s wedding that were like nice little Easter eggs for the longtime fans of the series. Welcome little tributes that help signify that this really is the last season of the series – enjoy it while you can.

So there’s forty-eight hours to go before the wedding, and we’re five episodes into the season. Despite how ludicrous it would be that all of the stuff that has happened would happen in such a short period of time – especially last week’s episode where Ted went around doing all these Best man tasks – this is still a funny series. I loved the scene where Lily pops out from under the table, and then Ranjit and Zabka follow suit soon after. The other hilarious moment was when Barney breaks the vase before leaving his brother and mother in the room, as well as when Robin’s won Barney’s mom’s shirt off her. So there are definitely a lot of laughs going on.

While it still doesn’t completely feel like the previous seasons, particularly because it encompasses such a short period of time, this is still one of the better sitcoms of the ages. I’m proud to have been a fan for the last few years, and wonder what television will look like next year without new Ted antics, finding out who the mother is, Barney’s “awesome” ways, Lily and Marshall’s life entanglements, and Robin’s man-like ways. I’m trying to treasure these final few episodes as they come, because I wasn’t quite old enough to be able to treasure the final first airing of the Friends finale.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Let’s go get to the bottom of this.” – Zabka says in reference to finding out whether it was Ted that bought Marshall and Lily the coffee maker.

“See ya losers.” – Barney yells at his mom and brother, before breaking the vase.

All right, folks, that’s all for now. Check back in about an hour for my review of the latest Bones episode. Then it’s Sleepy Hollow and The Blacklist to round it all out.

How I Met Your Mother 9.04 Review: Friendship is Important

This will serve as my only warning. If you haven’t watched last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, entitled ‘The Broken Code’, then now would be the time to do so. This is not a spoiler free blog. I repeat, THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So we go into this week’s episode with fifty-one hours to the wedding. Ted and Barney are dealing with the fact that Ted still has feelings for Robin, but won’t jeopardize his friendship with Barney over it. Marshall is still on the road, but funnily enough comes to us via an Ipad – or something along those lines – and the newly improved Marsh-pillow. And Lily and Robin are trying to work on the fact that Lily is Robin’s only female friend.

This whole season revolving around the wedding weekend is still tedious, but there have been a lot of things our characters have gone through. My one problem with it is that it seems like too much to have gone through in just a few short hours. I know the hours surrounding a wedding can be hectic, and filled with a lot of little fiascos, but they’re simply not filled with this many fiascos.

I did find this week’s episode pleasantly comical. It’s no award-winning episode, and I wasn’t busting with laughs, but it did have its fair share of moments. One such moment is at the very beginning of the episode, where Barney and Ted both cry over the broken bottle of $600 scotch. So over-the-top, but in a good, grounded kind of way, a way this series easily writes in. The other moment was the whole handholding situation. Before Ted and Barney really worked things out, and it started raining, the first shot of them holding hands on the beach was hilarious.

Again, this season doesn’t quite feel like the How I Met Your Mother I’ve grown to love, but it isn’t all bad. This season is shaping up to feel like an encore season, where the writers don’t really have much to say, so they’re working out the few things that need to be done before this show ends slowly. It does feel like this could’ve been a shortened season, but I’m still sure I’ll be sad to see this series go when its finale airs.

One question before I sign off. Where’s the Mother? She’s a series regular, but we haven’t seen her the last two episodes at all. Why not just make her a recurring character for that?

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Please don’t launch into a fake history lesson.” – Ted mutters referring to Barney, in a way that makes me nostalgic for the way these people fit into each other’s lives.

“E-lawyered.” – Marshall says to Barney, in reference to Weekend at Bernie’s.

“I’m coming for you, Mosby.” – Zabka threatens Ted, after Barney takes the Best Man visor off Zabka’s head and puts it back on Ted’s.

Stay tuned for my review of Bones, up next. Then it’s Sleepy Hollow and The Blacklist.

How I Met Your Mother 9.03 Review: Goodbye New York

Let’s keep this brief, if you have yet to watch last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, entitled ‘Last Time in New York’, and wish to do so spoiler free, now would be the time to exit this blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So we got one more episode into the longest wedding weekend ever, and it wasn’t all that bad. Marshall’s scenes on the road to the wedding were kept blissfully brief. That was not a great part for the season premiere, but kept short actually isn’t completely terrible.

This series still feels to me like it’s a different show this year. No bar, barely any apartment, and not much New York. But I suppose that’s the significance to this episode, not for Ted to say goodbye to New York, but for us. The New York that this series has given us. In that way, it’s rather poignant, but it still makes me nostalgic for the episodes where all the characters interacted with each other at some point in the episode, at least for the most part. This season, the characters have been more separated, and they no longer seem to feel like a whole unit like they did before. Sure, Barney and Robin are getting married, but that doesn’t mean these five people that have been so much apart of each others lives the last near decade aren’t going to stop being friends.

My favourite scenes from this episode were all of the ones surrounding Ted and Lily’s conversation at this new bar, especially all of the scenes in the apartment. Ted has a fair amount of funny moments in this episode that I love. He’s definitely elevated this episode enough to keep it interesting, and not make it feel like this season completely revolves around Barney and Robin’s wedding.

Of all the parts in this episode, I liked the scenes where Barney and Robin are trying to escape their old relatives the least. These scenes were the ones that made me feel especially that this isn’t the same series as last season. They felt like they almost didn’t completely connect the story to whole picture. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is the most amount of relatives that have been seen in this series related to just one or two people. Most episodes before this has just been a few relatives, and it’s made it feel like the five core characters had really become each others family. And also the fact that it made me feel like Barney and Robin are still unsure about their relationship because they’re still insecure about whether they’ll want each other when they’re old. I know that this happens a lot with weddings, but when the whole season is about the lead up to that wedding, it can become a bit tedious.

I do have to say that this episode did improve on the last one. I’m still not completely loving where this wedding is being held, other than the bar and patio area, but I’m beginning to get a bit used to it. This setting is so far from where this series has been held before that there is a fair amount of disconnect, but I suppose I’ll just have to get used to it or stop watching. And this is the last season, so I’m certainly not going to stop watching.

My rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“Marshall’s driving through Wisconsin?” – Ted asking Lily, after hearing a bullhorn through the phone. A fun little ‘I know this guy well’ reaction.

“Don’t say buffet, it attracts old people. Same goes for coupons, Sixty Minutes, and Mandy Patinkin.” – Robin to Barney. The most comical part being the reference to Mandy Patinkin.

This interaction: “I knew it!” – Ted. “You knew nothing!” – Lily, practically speaking over Ted.

Now I’m off to watch Bones, stay tuned for that review. Then it’s Sleepy Hollow and The Blacklist, most likely in that order.

How I Met Your Mother 9.01 and 9.02 Review: The Beginning of the Longest Wedding Weekend Ever

For all those of you that have yet to watch the first two episodes of How I Met Your Mother that premiered almost six hours ago consecutively, titled ‘The Locket’ and ‘Coming Back’ respectively, please divert your eyes now. As with all my previous reviews, there may be spoilers. Again, THIS BLOG REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS AHEAD! You’ve been warned.

Despite this being a review of two episodes, I’m going to keep it short. One, because I find it more difficult to review sitcoms in great detail, and two, because I don’t think I have much to review in this series. Now let’s get to what you came here for.

Regardless of the fact the show creators, that have obviously been there from the beginning and nursed this series to the point it’s gotten to, have stated this final season of the show will be wrapped up in Barney and Robin’s wedding, and after having watched the first two episodes, I’m not as excited about it. I’ve given them an hour of my time to demonstrate that this will be good idea, and from a writers standpoint, I can understand the logistics behind that idea, but I just don’t feel as much pizzazz in the show that it used to have. I’m still feeling as though this season will disappoint. I know that a lot of the core characters were separated, and we had to see them come together, but that was done in one episode. I can’t see an extreme amount of things interestingly happening over the next fifty-fourish hours. I’m desperately hoping the writers can change my mind over the course of the season, although let’s hope it doesn’t take them too long.

My other only real problem with these two episodes is the whole nonchalant way in which they approached the whole James cheating thing. This man loved his husband, they adopted two kids together, they’ve been together how many years, and he just cheats on him? And then expects that not to be a despicable way to get out of a marriage? Couldn’t he have just worked on his marriage, without having to go chase tale somewhere else? If he was so unhappy in a monogamous relationship, why didn’t he just get out? As someone who’s known someone close to me to be cheated on, I can only help but dislike James immediately. There’s no good reason to cheat. I know this is a sitcom, but does he know the trust he broke with his husband? And the ramifications of that man not being able to trust another man anytime soon? Honestly, couldn’t the writers have come up with a better reason to have them divorce? His two kids, when they grow to find out why they’re daddies aren’t together, will only despise him for it, at least for a time. I don’t think that’s right to them.

One final side note before I get too blown up about the whole cheating element and sign off with my favourite lines, was anyone else a little bored by the Marshall storyline? I just thought it was a little tedious, and maybe overdone. I get that he’s from Minnesota, but the niceness is a little boring.

My rating for the two-episode hitter: 2.5 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“Pick it up, grandma.” – Lilly to Ted after she finds him driving 40 in a 65 zone and lays into the horn.

“They are Canuckin nuts.” – Robin, telling Barney about her relatives.

Alright, I think I’m going to have to call that it for tonight. I’m exhausted, and my brain is so not going to let me review anymore until tomorrow. So check back then to see my reviews of Bones, Sleepy Hollow, and The Blacklist. And tomorrow night, check back for reviews of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Agents of Shield, New Girl, and Trophy Wife, and possibly Lucky 7, if I don’t just decide to scrap that altogether.