Nothing Suits Barney Like A Suit

Girls vs Suits
How I Met Your Mother: Season 5, Episode 12 (aka Episode 100!!!)

In Girls vs Suits, Ted sees the ankle of his future wife, and Barney gives up suits. Hah. Like the second part of that would ever happen.

HIMYM started 2010 with a bang. Everyone in the gang had a bit of a story - even if it was Lily's 'hot for girls' talk that she's been doing a lot this season, Marshall reassuring Lily that she is the hottest woman, and Robin not liking the fact that the new bartender makes her the number 2 hot girl in McLaren's.

Ted... TED!... has a big storyline this time around, with tons of reveals about who the 'Mother' is. He meets Cindy at Columbia, after confiscating some frat guys' beer (except for the Hard Lemonade), and they instantly hit it off. We learn that she's a PhD student, knows Ted already because she was in that Econ class he accidentally 'taught' on the first day (!!!), and she always goes for cute idiots, like Ted.

But on their first date, as Future Ted talks about how you sometimes just know you're in the right place, we learn that Cindy is not the Mother... but her awesome roommate, who all Cindy's dates fall for, is. Ted claims he won't be like the other guys. Oops. But that mis-step soon doesn't matter. Cindy calls it off, worried about losing her scholarship if she dates a professor. But we know Ted. He can't just leave it at that.

He returns to Cindy's apartment, where her roommate is just about to get out of the shower. Ted ends up saying he likes the three things in Cindy's bedroom that belong to her roommate - and so it's vamoose for him, but not before he forgets the yellow umbrella he brought with him. And not before he sees his future's wife ankle as she goes into her bedroom.

Where was Barney in all this? Trying to land the hot bartender, of course, since he's amazingly not slept with one yet. Problem is? She doesn't go for guys in suits. So, he (gasp!) gives up suits. He seems to do this pretty easily, coming to the bar the next day in just a t-shirt and jeans. But, alas, his affair with suits is still, expectedly, not over. In a moment of weakness, he goes to the bathroom, where he's stashed a secret suit in the door. He puts it on, and RIPPP!

He cradles the suit as he runs to his tailor, played by none other than Tim Gunn. Unfortunately, the suit is dead, but it's buttons can be used for another. But what a perfect play for Barney! He brings an urn of the suit's ashes to the bar, where he's finally able to snag the bartender out of pity. Back at his place, though, she accidently walks into his suit closet. She then demands he choose: her... or the suits?

Cue one amazing dance number, created by the choreographers from the TV show Glee. Everyone in the gang participates in "Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit", with NPH, of course, at the center. It's big, it's awesome, and it's totally HIMYM.

But Barney still ends up sleeping with the bartender, claiming that he'll get rid of his suits the next day. Yeah. Right.

I loved the hints about the mother, and I, for one, don't mind if they don't give her a face quite yet. With this storyline, Ted finally entertained and showed why he's the main character of the show... but then there's Barney and his musical number. Which, don't get me wrong, was laugh-out-loud funny, but we've lost the tiny bit of sensitiveness we once had from Barney.

What happened to character progress on HIMYM? Lily seems stuck on the same note. Robin is stuck at her job, even while she's convinced of her hotness. Marshall, well, Marshall just hung around. Barney is always going for the girl. While Ted is back on track, I hope the writers keep up with the character development, get them doing new things but still keeping the characters true to what they've developed for them over the years.

What did you think about all the hints? Or are you just ready to find out who the Mother is and be done with it? Did you ever believe Barney would give up his suits? Do you want to see more from Marshall and Lily? Share your thoughts below!

Photo: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/01/how_i_met_your_mother_100th_ep.html

The HIMYM gang smokes?!?

Last Cigarette Ever
How I Met Your Mother: Season 5, Episode 11

The premise of "Last Cigarette Ever" was lackluster at best. Since when does everyone in the HIMYM smoke? I can see Robin as a smoker. (Just see Season 2, Episode 18, "Moving Day," in which Robin enjoys a cigarette in the bathtub while her new live-in boyfriend Ted hangs out with Barney). I can even understand Lily as a smoker, too. (Season 2, Episode 21, "Something Borrowed," when Lily smokes to calm herself after all the disasters at her wedding). But Ted, Marshall, AND Barney as smokers?!!? No way.

I get that the writers expected viewers to be shocked, just like Future Ted's kids are as he reveals that each. and. every. one. of his friends - and himself - used to be part-time smokers. But it just felt like the writers were grasping at straws, just trying to find something to fill in an episode. We've had filler episodes before - like Season 4, Episode 2, "The Best Burger in New York" - but they were more entertaining (and believable and in line with who the characters were).

This a very, very, very far fall since last week's episode, The Window, which I thought was the best of the season so far. So, what's up Carter and Bays?!? Where's the creativity? Where's the crazy shenanigans that I've loved throughout pretty much every season? (Including this season, even when I haven't always agreed with the way the characters have been portrayed?)

For the most part, the writers have been consistent in the portrayal of the HIMYM gang. But, over the course of five seasons, it's not surprising that they occasionally need to change to characters over time - like Lily keeping Barney's secret love for Robin under wraps for months. But the premise and majority of last night's episode just left me annoyed. It seemed so out of the blue - and not in HIMYM's usual funny way.

To date, this is - by far - my worst review of HIMYM. Usually I show the love, and tons of it. But despite my vast criticisms (and groans while watching) there were a few glimmers of funny throughout the episode:
* Robin's storyline - yes, a storyline belonging to Robin and only Robin! - about an annoying co-anchor, Don, who pays no heed to the teleprompter and loves wearing tighty-whities around the set.
* Lily's manly smoker voice c/o Harvey Fierstein
* Marshall trying to get his old boss - remember Season 3, Episode 15 "Chain of Screaming"? - to remember him so he doesn't get fired, even if it means smoking.
* Marshall having a hard time dealing with the loss of McRib.
* The gang tuning in to Robin's show, finally, and calling in.
* Robin having a new love interest in Don. Yeah, yeah, I've always supported the Barney/Robin thing, but I'm interested to see this new dynamic play out. Here's hoping Don isn't as big of a jerk as he was portrayed last night.
* Marshall going back in time to beat-up on his 13-year-old self for lighting that first cigarette.
* In the last scene before the tag, Ted giving some hints as to what's in the gang's future by saying when they'll finally have their 'last cigarette.' (The only useful thing in the whole 'cigarette' storyline debacle, if you ask me).

Despite the overall lackluster episode, last night's HIMYM garned its highest ratings yet. For those of you who watched for the first time and wondered what all the hype is about after seeing this poor performance, I say STICK WITH IT. This is my first overall negative review of this show, and I'm hoping that the new year will bring plenty more legen-wait for it-dary episodes. There will be some more info about the Mother (I'm almost positive of it), and what's not to love about an upcoming musical number?

What did you think of "Last Cigarette Ever"? Was I too harsh in my assessment of the episode? What was your reaction when you found out they were all long-time smokers? Did you believe it? And what'd you think of Robin's new love interest, Don? Share your thoughts below!

Photo: cbs.com

Barney + Robin together at last, kind of

The newest season of How I Met Your Mother started last night, and I, for one, am a happy camper. While I don't promise recaps* of every new episode of HIMYM like I did last year, last night's episode deserves a couple comments because what I've been waiting for has finally happened... Barney and Robin are together! Well... kind of.

*Instead of full-on recaps, I'm planning on using these posts more to talk about how the show is written; after all, this is a writing blog.

Photo: cbs.com

                                            
One of the reasons this show is one of my favorites (if not my top favorite) is because of the characters. I even like Ted every once in awhile (him forgetting how to spell 'professor' as he's writing on the chalkboard of what turns out to be an econ class? Awesome).

Even more so, I like how the characters have developed over time. While they haven't always been completely consistent in character portrayal (Lily keeping Barney's love for Robin secret from practically everyone except Marshall), the characters seem to be evolving and growing naturally. After all, when the show was originally conceived, Robin was supposed to be the Mother. But while that fit Ted's character and his hopeless romantic tendencies, it didn't fit Robin's.

And then there's the fan favorite: Barney and his womanizing ways. Viewers - myself included - worried that if Barney started a relationship with Robin, his awesomeness and his Barneyisms and pretty much his entire character would fade away and be forgotten. After all we've seen of Barney, is he even capable of having a monogamous relationship?

A lot of viewers, too, don't like Robin when she's in a relationship, and I've seen on some message boards/blogs that people think that the writers have been changing who Robin is to fit in with Barney. To that I say: remember the Slutty Pumpkin episode of Season 1? When she didn't know how to be a girlfriend to her Hansel-costumed 'boyfriend'? While Robin did manage to have a relationship with Ted for a year, she is not the commitment type. Remember why her and Ted broke up? She doesn't want to get married, she doesn't want kids... just like Barney.

The season premiere of Season 5, Definitions, showcased just how the relationship Barney and Robin could start without forgetting who Barney and Robin is. They don't want to define what they are. They're having fun, Barney says, after the gang discovers that him and Robin have been sleeping together for the past three months. But then Brad takes Robin on a date, and Ted reminds Barney of his theory on how the rules for gremlins are also the rules for not turning her into your girlfriend:

1. Never get them wet (or let them shower in your apartment).
2. Keep them away from sunlight (or don't ever see them during the day).
3. Never feed them after midnight (meaning, never eat breakfast or brunch with them).
(See! You can have relationship-Barney and still have Barneyisms!)


Realizing that he's broken all of those rules with Robin, Barney wonders out loud if she really is his girlfriend... and then he punches Brad. But they. still. don't. have. 'the talk.'


Lily (in her characteristic controlling way) then locks them in Robin's bedroom until they talk and define who they are to each other. After Marshall tortures Barney and Robin with the smell of bacon and pancakes, they finally admit that they're both not good at relationships... and then they just decide to lie and say they're dating just so can get out of the room.


In the best 'aw' moment of the show, Ted asks Lily, "You realize they were lying right?" To which Lily says, "They don't realize they weren't lying," as Barney and Robin hold hands as they walk down the street to go to brunch.


I LOVE Barney and Robin together, if you couldn't already tell (in fact, if I hadn't already used the blog posting title, Barney + Robin = AWFSOME, I would have used it for this one). (And I know I haven't talked about Ted and his Indiana Jones hat, because, frankly, I don't care about his storyline as much.) While both Robin and Barney are independent people who don't want to be tied down, their characters have worked together from day one... but in line with who their characters are, it took them four seasons to realize - and act on - those feelings. As season five gets underway, I'm looking forward to seeing where the writers take this 'relationship,' because, trust me, they know that everyone likes Barney. His awesomeness isn't going to go away just because he's with Robin now.


What are your thoughts on the season premiere? Were you as excited as I was when Robin and Barney got together? Do you wish they'd give more hints about the 'mother'? Did you like the Indiana Jones references as much as I did? Share your thoughts below!