Vague-ish Recap: Ted makes a Hail Mary Pass at Robin (literally, if there was hail in that rainstorm.) Lily and Marshall reach an impasse regarding her speculative application to an art institute in San Francisco.
Comments: I’m starting to think that maybe the Shrub hates the superb HIMYM, otherwise, he wouldn’t have scheduled press conferences on both nights that the Eye broadcast the season finale of the show. The first time around, last May 15th, the scheduling havoc ultimately made me miss the finale, which aired after the Shrub’s nonsense. This time around, with no King of Queensto worry about until January, CBS just pushed HIMYM up a half-hour to the 8pm timeslot, where it belongs (but still won’t be airing there permanently). So I finally got to tape it while watching the new Prison Break. (Reminder: If I tape a given show, it’s likely moreimportant to me than what I watch live as I want to be able to rewind the taped show at a moment’s notice to write down lines of dialogue or rewatch an entire jaw-dropping scene.)
Amazingly enough for cynical/skeptical ol’ me, the first season finale of HIMYM was worth the wait. I’m not used to a first-year show not stumbling at some point, much less one so heavily influenced by Friends, much less one going for a Ross-and-Rachel moment by having its two romantic leads hook up as soon as the first season finale. Not even Friendsdid that — Ross and Rachel had their first rain-shower kiss in the middle of the secondseason. The chemistry between leads Josh Radnor and Cobie SmoldersSmulders is so palpable that I’ve gotto believe that Future!Ted was lying to his kids in the pilot when he identified Ms. Sherbotsky as their “Aunt Robin.” At this point, it doesn’t matter how convoluted it gets to reconcile Future!Ted’s narration with the fate of Now!Ted and Robin’s relationship, the show has already pegged Future!Ted as one of the least concise, most digressive, most nonlinear narrators in modern television, so I think the writers can just go ahead and push him that last 10% into full-on Unreliable Narrator territory. Future!Ted has got to be lying about something regarding Now!Ted and Robin.
Other highlights besides Radnor and Smolders’Smulders’ heartfelt performances: Amy Acker’s guest appearance as a former flame of Barney’s who teaches Ted how to rain-dance (she would sooooo fit into the cast as the third gal to complete the 3 guys/3 girls format perfected by Friends). Lily & Marshall’s VCR-like ability to “pause” their fights for hours or even days on end — compartmentalization was never weirder or funnier. The running joke of various cast members slapping Barney and saying it was the universe working through them (after he tries it on Ted first.) My Name Is Earlmay have gotten a lot of deserved compliments for being such a well-written and acted freshman show, but HIMYM deserves them even more.
Episode Grade: A+
"Shut Up, Rob!" 
September 12, 2006 at 3:45 pm |
Ironically (or not) I had the same thought about the speeches and the finale and also missed the finale when first shown. It was the only episode I hadn’t seen.
Maybe hooking up with Robin will improve Ted. Ted and Marshall are the weak points in the show for me. I like all three women plus Barney.
I think the pause idea has more of a future than lemon law does.
Rob, you should get TiVo (or equivalent) with the ability to record two channels at once. A VCR is so out of date and limiting.
September 12, 2006 at 5:26 pm |
Don’t get me wrong, I watch most shows on my Media Center computer (HP m377n), which is a DVR that’s pretty much exactly like a TiVO except that I can write these blogs on it, too. 😉 It’s just that, growing up in a VCR world, I just don’t know what other word to use besides “tape” when I want a one-syllable word that means “record.”
OTOH, here’s how it sometimes went with especially clogged timeslots, such as Thursdays at 9pm last seaspm: I’d be taping Earl and The Office on this here DVR, really taping CSI: Original Recipe on a real VCR in the front room *and* watching The OC (the most expendable one) on a small four-inch Casio portable, basically the same model that House uses to watch his soaps. I would be going crazy(-er) if we also had a local WB/CW station around here as I’d have to figure out a way to record Supernatural in that timeslot, too, but since we’re out in the boonies, we qualify for DishTV’s Superstations package, which includes three time zones of the WB/CW, so I got to push taping Smallville and Supernatural on this here DVR to later in the evening, 10pm and 11pm CT, off the west coast’s KTLA. I am not sure how my TV watching would go if I didn’t have the Superstations package to do this with.
September 13, 2006 at 10:15 am |
This season on Thursdays at 9:00 I will have a four show mile up – CSI, GA, OC and Supernatural. I can only get two shows at one time and I lack any Siuperstation package.
The OC doesn’t start until Nov, so I have a little time for that problem.
I will watch GA’s season premiere, but I am losig interest in the show.
September 16, 2006 at 8:16 am |
I am a HUGE fan of CSI (original) AND Grey’s… I am going to watch the first runs of CSI, as I feel that ABC had no business moving GA to Thursday Evenings. The way it was in the first place was good. There wasn’t anything worth watching in that time slot on Sunday evenings, IMO. I will watch the 2nd runs of GA. Record them? No, my VCR is set to record DAYS….
September 17, 2006 at 1:06 pm |
At this point, it doesn’t matter how convoluted it gets to reconcile Future!Ted’s narration with the fate of Now!Ted and Robin’s relationship, the show has already pegged Future!Ted as one of the least concise, most digressive, most nonlinear narrators in modern television, so I think the writers can just go ahead and push him that last 10% into full-on Unreliable Narrator territory.
LMAO, that’s so true. I don’t believe a word of anything Future!Ted says and I fully expect him to contradict himself. It’s almost fascinating, how they pull it off despite him.
Barney is the best character on the show, but I only say that because he’s a blog geek like me, and talks in HTML.
September 17, 2006 at 3:24 pm |
For Robin to be the mother, not only would Ted have to be a liar, but so would his children. At the end of the 1st episode when we first learn her name THE KIDS both say “Aunt Robin”. Even if they have a real (or unofficial) aunt named Robin, they wouldn’t asssume Robin was the aunt if that was also their mother’s name.
Also the showrunner has said Robin is not the mother.
September 23, 2006 at 11:44 am |
Andie and John — You’re assuming that Robin is Robin’s real name. Future Ted could be screwing with the kids. Aunt Robin could turn out to be Lily’s real name. Lily could turn out to be Robin’s real name. That’s the brilliance of Future Ted being a classic unreliable narrator. Not to mention that Future Ted’s Daughter looks a *lot* like our Robin.