'How I Met Your Mother': Boy is that annoying
My biggest fear tonight, one week from the slap bet finale is that How I Met Your Mother would be phoning it in this week. They must have something huge planned for next week, and I was afraid that working out the finer points of the slap bet episode may have caused this one to suffer. It did not. Tonight's episode may not have been the funniest ever, but there was certainly enough to keep everyone entertained.
The entire episode focused on normal fears, worries, and annoyances, and magnified them in order to find the funny. It may be an old formula, but when the fears and annoyances are universal and the funny truly funny, it is a safe one.
The whole notion that there was something wrong with Cathy that Ted could not see is a wholly normal fear, people are often blinded by an initial infatuation with someone. Sometimes even the biggest flaws, ones that are initially hidden, only make themselves obvious later (two-timing hussy, a 32 year old that still lives with his mother, that sort of thing) are hidden.
One of the better moments tonight came when Ted hypothesized about what Cathy may have done to upset his friends when he went to the bathroom during dinner. His choices -- sent a teacher to jail for statutory rape when the teacher did nothing wrong, volunteers at the pound in order to kill puppies, and used to be a man are all beyond the bounds of sanity, but that's exactly what made them funny. All of Ted's choices were infinitely worse than the real problem, but even though the reality paled in comparison to Ted's thoughts, it turned out to be insurmountable.
When the truth came out, that Cathy was, to use Seinfeld-esque parlance, an over-talker, it didn't, at first, seem like such a huge flaw. Then, when the show flashed-back to the dinner and we got to see Cathy flapping her lips at a mile a minute, it was clear that Ted had but one choice -- he needed to dump her. For the audience's sake, the girl had to go.
Then there was Marshall and his Bar exam. The scene of the test itself was reminiscent of the SAT. People were terrified -- one was throwing up, another was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and Marshall was randomly filling in answers after time was called (just so you know, I did none of those things, I rocked the SAT). Then, after months of waiting, the poor guy couldn't remember his password to the website so he could get his score (does anyone know if that's true, does the Bar allow you to login to a website to get your scores?).
Forgetting a password to a website is one of those routine every day things that happens to all of us. Forgetting a password to a website where you can't get a new one e-mailed to you and the website holds the future of your life behind it's locked login screen is a truly terrifying prospect. Marshall may have been able to get the results of his test six weeks down the line, but, had he not figured out the password, those would have been the longest six weeks of his life. Could you have held out? I know that I couldn't.
If How I Met Your Mother taught us anything tonight it is that the world is a better place when nothing is hidden, not passwords, not loud chewing, literally nothing (well, almost nothing). Things may seem worse initially when the truth is out there, but at least then everyone knows where they stand.
Quotes and other observations:
- At the group dinner, Cathy suggested that Marshall and Lily get a Murphy bed for their new place. Do people still make Murphy beds? Didn't they go out with Charles in Charge? Does anyone out there have a Murphy bed?
- One of the truths Ted laid bare to Marshall was about Lily's loud chewing. I have no idea how that sort of thing slips by unnoticed. I get just as annoyed about such things as does Ted. But I digress, because two of the better quotes tonight came from Marshall talking to Lily about her chewing when she was eating her breakfast. The first being -- "Hey, what's in that cereal besides dry twigs and small animal bones?" And the second -- "Lily, I love you, but honest to God, when you eat it sounds like a garbage disposal full of drywall screws."
- During the scene in which each character's annoying habits were discussed, one of the knocks against Barney was that he uses lame catchphrases. That is so not true. Barney's catchphrases are awesome. They're legendary. They make one want to suit up and read his blog.
- The knocks against Barney tonight were things that he does on a regular basis. Is the same true of those against Ted, Marshall, and Robin? They certainly seem like they are, but I don't recall specific instances of Ted correcting people, Marshall singing, or Robin using the word "literally." Did you notice at the end of the episode that when Ted meets up with Cathy in 2010 that she asks if he is seeing anyone? Sadly for us, Ted never got the opportunity to answer the question because Cathy wouldn't stop talking long enough for Ted to tell us.
As we come to the close you do know what I'm going to tell you, right? That's right, I'm going to not so subtly suggest you come out and visit The TV and Film Guy's Reviews.
Snort out loud funny episode, LITERALLY! Even the Crapper Spaniel (or was it Pooper Spaniel?) and the Golden Reliever jokes! I cannot WAIT for the Slap Bet episode next week! So glad that one was in the can before the strike!
As someone who just took the Illinois Bar, they posted the results on a website only by registration numbers, so though it wasn't a p***word, there was some sort of number. And like Marshall, I lost mine. So I understand and found that whole part of the episode to be hilarious.
I submit, for your review, two instances of Marshall singing on the show, courtesy of "The Sweet Taste of Liberty.
Exhibit A: "Studying law-making a responsible choice for my future-on a Friday night-being a lawyer had better be awesome"
Exhibit B: G-g-g-going to Philly!
I have to be honest, with the exception of the Marshall singing callback, this felt like a recycled episode of Friends. Next week had better be awesome!
It was Kaka Spaniel. Tee hee.
The state of New York posts the names of each person who p***ed the bar exam in alphabetical order on a website. There are no p***words or registration numbers, you simply look at it and know one way or the other. At least that's how it was in 2004.
In Texas they publish the p*** list on the web. If your name is on it you p***ed. If not you will be getting disappointing results in the mail 3-5 days later. No p***word required. The months for the results in quite true. Get results from the July exam in November.
Barney does space out ... that was spot on. Good episode. But the best is still the "Swarley - where everybody knows your name" episode!
Years ago, one of the managers I worked for took the bar, and he asked me to log onto the website to see if he p***ed. I don't remember if I needed a p***word then, but I wouldn't be surprised if they added that level of security these days.
Oh, and I can't believe no one mentioned the song they sang that helped Marshall remember his p***word. :)
And Marshall totally sings everything (the goodnight Lily tape, anyone?), but that's one of the reasons I love him.
Great episode. Although, it did give my sister another opportunity to claim that I'm a loud chewer. I'm not! But she is Miss Corrector. Like literally!
Great episode. Although, it did give my sister another opportunity to claim that I'm a loud chewer. I'm not! But she is Miss Corrector. Like literally!
This was like a Friends episode. I remember the episode specifically because it was the last one I watched regularly of that show. It seemed like a jump the shark moment in that series and was either the season premeire or one of the initial episodes of that season and it had all the Friends getting on each others nerves and fighting (Joey put on all of Chandlers clothes at one point). It seemed somewhat contrived and I didn't like the way the characters treated each other, the show seemed to lose some heart and I stopped watching after that episode.
I think HIMYM handle this was much better because it had the characters rally around each other in the end. it was like the anti-Friends version of the same show.
I don't think that this show is a Friends-knockoff but I think the writers were at the least fans of that show and borrow somewhat from it.
Fav comment of the night, Robin, "She's a keeper, just keep her away from here!"