How I Met Your Mother – And they never saw her again … Wassup!

A couple of episodes ago, How I Met Your Mother tried something different with its “The Burning Beekeeper” episode. At the time I thought it was successful, then I watched it again and realized exactly how unfunny it was. “Trilogy Time” wasn’t nearly the departure from “normal television” that that “Beekeeper” was, but it leaned more on the history and techniques that the show has been using for years, and was much more successful for it.

HIMYM can never go wrong with leaning on the trilogy. Hopefully I don’t have to define which trilogy to you – in fact, I greatly appreciated that they didn’t take any unnecessary potshots at Episodes I-III. There’s something about shared cultural experiences that speaks to me as a viewer, and since I am also a Star Wars guy, this specific idea speaks to me. That there are things that we connect to personally that can (and obviously do) become part of a group dynamic and shared history is pretty cool in my view.

I specifically appreciated how the flash-forwards and subsequent flashbacks helped contrast where the guys saw their lives heading with where their lives tracked “for real.” Not specifically that Ted migrated into super-douche territory or Marshall had a mustache or Barney had whatever random woman he wanted at the time, but they were defining their happiness in specific – albeit hyper-realized – ways. In the short term, things rarely worked out the way any of the characters expected – save for Barney. When the future finally caught up to Barney, he had realized that the consistent future he’d always imagined was not something he still wished for himself.

I’d like to say that Barney’s journey is near complete, but that obviously discounts whatever continued growth he’ll see in the future; but compare this Barney with the one that we met seven years ago. Would you expect the Barney Stinson of “The Bracket” and The Bro Code to commit so fully to a woman? Sure, in many way’s he is still the same person he has always been, but the ways that he is different are immeasurable.

But the Robin/Barney shipper in me just hopes that he gets smarter before he says the words “I do.”

Notes & Quotes

• “[To Barney] This is about the fact that you don’t think this relationship is going to last. That’s why you don’t want to throw anything out; because when that inevitable breakup comes, you don’t want to buy new mugs.” – Lily
  “That’s why I’ve never thrown anything out for any relationship ever. [To the empty seat beside her] Isn’t that right honey? [Back to the group] Oh, that’s right, I’m alone.” – Robin
• “Watch the entire Star Wars trilogy all the way through because I haven’t done that in like five years.” – Ted
  “Dude, you can’t let that happen. If you’re not tril-ling it at least every three years, the dark side wins.” – Marshall
  “OK, let’s make a pact. No matter what, every three years, we sit down and tril-it-up big time. Agreed?” – Ted
  “A-Greedo.” – Marshall
• “Your life’s not that bad.” – Ted
  “Dude, I manage a Structure.” – Marshall
  “But you get 10% off vests; that’s something.” – Ted
  “The vests are pretty sweet.” – Marshall
• My favorite bit of the future fantasy worlds? The “President Dean Calmly Addresses Nation” … definitely beats Kucinich.
• “Guys, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of Quinn.” – Barney
  “Dude, we’ve been to the Lusty Leopard, we’ve seen plenty.” – Marshall
  “I kinda walked into that one, alright bye bye!” – Barney
• Damn you, Barney! Why did you have to keep your ring finger/hand covered in the 2015 flash-forward?

Clacked by Ivey West
on Apr 09, 2012 @ 21:21 EST5EDT