All good things must come to an end. In the case of the gang from How I Met Your Mother, it is the fact that the group won’t all always live within five minutes from MacLaren’s. Lily and Marshall’s decision to move to Long Island caused a great deal of frustration for the three that they left behind – and things didn’t exactly work exactly how they’d planned.
On some level, this episode was just a series of well-crafted gimmicks. From the new theme songs to Marshall’s “mission” to the basement, just about every joke Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and the rest of the HIMYM writing team worked into the episode landed (emphasis on “just about” – more on that later).
I really bought into the running gag between Robin and Kevin. I’m a big fan of HIMYM when it makes fun of relationship tropes, and this is one I’ve definitely experienced before. When a relationship is its formative stages, it is difficult to know how to so “no.” While I’ve never been dragged to a strip club as a by-product, I’ve certainly had my fair share of evenings I would have probably would avoided otherwise. The sad part is, like Robin and Kevin, a little more open communication, and I might have been able to avoid some of those situations. But, for the record, I’m pro-high-fiving.
It was sad to see Ted experience the night the way that he did. He’s basically lived with Marshall and Lily since they were all freshman in college. Moving out when they got married was one thing, but moving out of the city takes things to an entirely new level. I suspect that until the Eriksen’s move back into the city (which we can all agree is a virtual certainty, right?) that Ted won’t be the same.
Chris Elliott, however, continues to add very little to the show. I’ve just never been a fan of the actor specifically, nor do I like the character that has been crafted for him. The sooner he moves out, be it tomorrow, in two weeks or by the Fourth of July, the show will be much better for it.
New lyrics to the Barney theme song:
Bah bah bah bah
Barney is the new leader of the gang
And life just like more awesome
Notes & Quotes