Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'No Pressure': When you tell me that you love me

Ted and Robin revisit their relationship

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 8:03 AM

'How I Met Your Mother' - 'No Pressure': When you tell me that you love me

Ted (Josh Radnor) and Robin (Cobie Smulders) on "How I Met Your Mother."

Credit: CBS

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A review of last night's "How I Met Your Mother" coming up just as soon as I go camping in secret...

There, that wasn't so painful, was it?

I didn't love everything about "No Pressure" — even after she explained it more seriously later, Lily's attempts to sabotage Ted to win the bet made her look very, very bad — but I thought it got good value out of revisiting Ted's feelings for Robin, and Robin and Barney's feelings for each other, in a way that will hopefully move some of those stories forward. I have no expectation of seeing the real yellow umbrella for a while, but Ted walking through a sea of other yellow ones was a nice visual touch, and I thought all the emotions of Ted, Robin and Barney were spot-on throughout.

It's easy to imagine, for instance, that Robin might initially respond so well to Ted's speech, given the vulnerable position she's in (particularly since she still knows she chose Kevin over Barney), and also that once the flush of the moment passed, Ted would recognize that this was probably a bad idea. Though, again, I kind of hated Lily in the moment as she was sabotaging Ted's attempt to get back with Robin, I did like that she was able to point him to the realization about Barney without having to say it. Ted can be a douche at times, but he knows his friends and would figure it out if forced to step outside his own emotional needs for a minute. I also liked the various flashbacks to earlier moments in Ted and Robin's story, and even to Marshall and Lily's POV during the run-up to Ted and Stella's wedding. Though that also tied into the betting subplot, the final "Not yet" of that story said that Marshall's reaction wasn't so much about winning the bet as believing that happiness was eventually coming for his best friend Ted. (Stella, from about her third appearance on, was clearly bad news and someone Marshall would've been relieved to see run off with Jason Jones.) Marshall stepping in and telling Robin that she needed to move out (which Robin already understood) was also a good best friend touch.

Much of the episode's comedy was tied up in the betting story, which I didn't love, but Marshall grossing Barney out to keep him from watching the sex tape(*) was very funny.

(*) Also? I still have two working VCRs in my house, but only because I have lots of old screeners on VHS of things that never have and likely never will be released on DVD (the full run of "EZ Streets," seasons 5-12 of "NYPD Blue").

Finally, I'm sure some of you noticed the very tall, red-headed man standing in the background of the early scenes at the bar. When Barney ran to go looking for the sex tape, he turned around and we could see for a moment that it was Conan O'Brien — who had won a charity auction for a background role on the show and specifically requested that he not be featured prominently. You either noticed him or you didn't.

What did everybody else think?

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Next 92 Comments

Tiffany

I enjoyed the Marshall/Lily flashbacks if only to see their attempts at catching Lily's past hairstyles. Overall I'm glad this episode happened so that we can move on from the Ted/Robin/Barney love triangle.
February 21, 2012 at 9:16AM EST Reply to Comment
Karyn

I agree that Lily trying so blatantly to sabotage Ted was a gross moment for the character, but I did think it was funny that she knew exactly what buttons to push to awaken "douche Ted" so quickly. It only took her a couple of sentences to get him into gear. While it made her a bad friend, it also showed that she was a good friend at the same time. Weirdly.
February 21, 2012 at 9:21AM EST Reply to Comment
- Mike I thought it made Lily look awful, and kept waiting for her to say that she was trying to ruin Ted and Robin because they really don't belong together. Eventually she said that, but the show didn't sell it.
  
  And she's right. Besides the fact that Ted's always said he wants kids, there's the simple fact that they're too different. It broke them up at least twice before.
  
  The show went too far with the joke about the bet and didn't temper it enough with the bet was because she knew they wouldn't work.
  February 21, 2012 at 9:50AM EST
- evolution1085 Lily does come across as the uberbitch in that scene, but we already have enough backstory to corroborate the fact that she made that bet from a place that she doesn't see them belonging together. We established that in the "front porch" episode three years ago that she thought Ted and Robin were wrong for each other, and went out of her way to destroy the most stable relationship Ted has had in the run of the show in order to make sure he would find the right girl. The bet makes her come off as cruel, but there's enough there for it to be tempered enough.
  February 21, 2012 at 10:01AM EST
- LJA Lily has *always* been awful. Does this come as a surprise to people?
  February 21, 2012 at 12:43PM EST
- isaacl Previously, though, Lily's meddling seemed to come out of her genuine belief that a given girlfriend was a bad fit for Ted, whereas her behaviour in this episode (particularly when trying to convince Barney to watch the tape) tainted all of this by making it seem like she was simply stooping to extreme lengths to win a $20 bet. Unfortunately, it's another example of the show subverting the characters' personalities for the sake of a gag.
  February 21, 2012 at 12:44PM EST
- DavidW Now I'm left to believe that "the front porch test" was really just a cover for Lily's selfish desire to win a bet...a part of the HIMYM fan in me just died...
  February 21, 2012 at 9:34PM EST
- DavidW make that "earlier-season HIMYM fan"...
  February 21, 2012 at 9:35PM EST
- the minister This: " Lily has *always* been awful. Does this come as a surprise to people?"
  
  So so true. Lily is manipulative and really kinda heinous. Barney, only sanctimonious & reactionary.
  
  It reminds me very much of Breaking Bad. Who was *ever* sympathetic to Walter White? The guy was a rotten way before he ever brewed a batch o' meth. I really only started loving BB once Jessie became such a tragic antihero.
  
  Big difference though: Gilligan knows & knew this. I doubt Carter and Bays have a clue. They are a lot closer to Veena Sud than Gilligan.
  February 25, 2012 at 11:24AM EST
Jon88

Only two VCRs? Try three. (Granted, I haven't used any of them in a couple of years, but I still don't completely trust Time Warner's DVRs.)

If Ted's older child is 15 in 2030, I think it's time he got a move on.
February 21, 2012 at 9:23AM EST Reply to Comment
- Ooooh, I was thinking the same thing last night because this episode actually showed his kids
  February 21, 2012 at 11:02AM EST
Ashwin

Honestly no one gives a damn who the mother is anymore. The show runs only due to NPH. I would say the focus of the show has shifted from Ted to Barney. Last night's episode was a feeble attempt to get the show back on its track. Post Season 4 the show just got boring. Well i'm sure we won't see the mother until the second half of season 8 or maybe in the last episode of season 8 coz if it happens any time earlier the title of the show won't make sense.
February 21, 2012 at 9:32AM EST Reply to Comment
- unkraut Seriously, is there ONE human beeing on the entire planet that will be like "This is BS, now the title doesn't make any sense any more!!!" if they introduce the mother earlier?
  February 21, 2012 at 3:49PM EST
- the minister Man, the more I think about it, the more I realize Carter & Bays are the comedy version of Veena Sud.
  February 25, 2012 at 11:31AM EST
DAG

The 'mom' and Ted were kissing outside a theatre playing 'Wedding Bride III' - nice touch
February 21, 2012 at 9:33AM EST Reply to Comment
- Briana I noticed that too. I tried to ask a friend about it last night but he didn't know. Has The Wedding Bride II been released on the show? If not, its going to be a long time.
  February 21, 2012 at 10:31AM EST
- Ash Don't think Wedding Bride II has been mentioned yet. Doubt it will. Just a nice little easter egg for fans of the show, also putting a time frame on when we'll finally see the mother. 1-2 years between movie sequels is a reasonable turnover right? So if WB came out in 2010, WBII should be out now, and WBIII to be 2013-14?
  February 21, 2012 at 11:50AM EST
JedyKnight

It wasnt perfect.. it wasnt the funniest ep this year, but from a characterization and emotional side, it was very strong (except with Lily's ugly sabotage attempt on his friend's happiness). I hope this ep is a show of better things to come to end the season.
ps. i not only own a VCR, i still use it to record and view shows.. (and hunting down blank tapes is like looking for Carmen Sandiego) =S
February 21, 2012 at 9:48AM EST Reply to Comment
- Robin Me too. I have two working vcr's that I use to tape things. No Tivo in my house. Although I'm getting increasingly dependent upon online viewing now that I can stream to my TV.
  February 21, 2012 at 10:45AM EST
Spence

I really enjoyed this episode, but then I tend to enjoy most episodes more than commenters here usually do. While the show has been weaker in the last few seasons then the spectacular first couple, I haven't seen them as the unmitigated disaster than many do.

While "No Pressure" wasn't a return to the top form of early seasons by any stretch, I thought it was as good as a middle-of-the-road episode from either of the first two seasons. The betting storyline didn't thrill me but it didn't bother me because it felt like something true to the characters (especially Lily). Frankly, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't made, if not bets, then at least predictions of my friends' behavior and relationships.

But on top of all that, the emotional arcs of this episode felt really satisfying and true to the characters as they are now and as they have been since the beginning. Ted's explanation of the confession relating to their original breakup, his reason for rejecting the "single at 40" plan, even the speed with which Lily was able to goad him into attempting a Grand Romantic Gesture (distinct from "Douche Ted"... well, except for the sonnet...). We see the group in larger numbers so much, and Jason Segal is so funny, that the scene in this episode where Marshall tells Robin she needs to move out was one of the best scenes showing that these two guys really are each other's best friends since the last moments of season 1.
February 21, 2012 at 9:49AM EST Reply to Comment
Kevin

The moment where Marshall tells Robin to move out was well acted and nice.
February 21, 2012 at 9:50AM EST Reply to Comment
Anthony Foglia

Excellent episode, maybe the best of the season. My only complaint is the last two words, where Marshall still seems to hold out hope for Ted and Robin. But that's a minor blip in an episode that offered another scene of Barney denying his love of Robin, and the sea of yellow umbrellas.

Also, Future Ted says this was the last time he told a woman he loved her before the mother. That means we shouldn't expect any major girlfriends for Ted until the end of the series. (Or at least the wedding, which will probably next season's finale at the earliest.)
February 21, 2012 at 9:57AM EST Reply to Comment
- step Not necessarily - he told Robin 'I love you' on their first date, who's to say he won't do it again?
  February 21, 2012 at 10:01AM EST
- Shannon Ted's to say. That was the point. By the time he told the mother he loved her, he hadn't said it since what we just saw with Robin on the roof.
  February 21, 2012 at 10:36AM EST
- ... In my poin of view, Marshall said "not yet" because...
  The continuation of the part with Barnie's wedding should go like this: Lily tells Ted that the bride wants to see him. He then goes to Robin who tells him that she loves him. Is it at all possible?
  February 22, 2012 at 4:28AM EST
- qrter Nah, Marshall said "not yet" because the writer wanted to hit an emotional note on ending the episode, because that fools some people in thinking it's a good ending.
  February 23, 2012 at 2:03AM EST
Pippa

Really liked this episode. Barney was very sweet to Ted, and Robin of course. Great acting, you really saw him swallowing some feelings when saying "that would made him happy"..

Also really enjoyed to see the very good friendship between Ted and Robin: he exactly knew what she needed to pack.

On a whole different note: in one of the first episodes of this season, we saw a fast forward to Marshall and Barney in Atlantic City where Barney was wearing the Ducky tie. I'm so curious what that is!

And looking forward to Barney-Quinn!
February 21, 2012 at 10:02AM EST Reply to Comment
Eric S.

I understand that this episode had some decent character moments and was well acted, but as I said last week, this show has gone through so many makeups and breakups and false starts and realizations of feelings with the same characters that any time they go to that well it rings completely hollow because they are likely to back out of it an episode or two later.
February 21, 2012 at 10:05AM EST Reply to Comment
- Chris On the contrary, I thought this episode was pretty clearly an attempt by the writers to bring a necessary degree of resolution, after all these seasons, to both the Ted-Robin romantic tensions and the Barney-Robin romantic tensions. I liked this episode, and I thought the writers did a pretty decent job of resolving both arcs in a way that allows Barney to get married later this season, Ted to meet his future wife later this season, and Robin to do...well, whatever.
  February 22, 2012 at 1:47AM EST
- qrter No, I agree with Eric S. These "resolutions" last only as long as the writers don't need them to end.
  February 23, 2012 at 2:05AM EST
- the minister @chris: If Intrade let you bet on whether barney & robin will end up together,
  I'd take a $5 on $10 share position for $1000 bucks (even odds) and consider it about 10-15% advantage my way.
  
  In other words: I'm pretty confident they'll string barney/robin along for a while.
  February 25, 2012 at 11:36AM EST
Adam K

If How I Met Your Mother isn't going to make me laugh, like it did with No Pressure, and all season, then I'm glad they gave me a great episode to watch instead. The only time I laughed was when Marshall was explaining himself on the sex tape but this episode was not meant to make you laugh, it was there to show character growth and development and that's why I loved it. This has been the best episode the show has had in two years.

You were right Alan last week about the rooftop. In that one episode the "I Love You" looked horrible but in the content now with No Pressure it looks great. The worst thing the show could have done (besides creating Season 7) is make Ted and Robin start dating again and we all thought it was coming since the roof top confession. Thankfully it did not.

As with the bet with Lily, I didn't take it her actions on the surface as you and others did. As we've seen from the Front Porch Test (plus what we as a an audience already know an an audience) Ted and Robin are not good together long term. Lily just wants what is best for Ted. She doesn't want Ted to not end up with Robin to win a bet (although that would be a plus for her) but because she knows Ted will ultimately regret his life if he does. While the show did a poor job of that in this episode (as per usual) I didn't take it as bad as you all did.
February 21, 2012 at 10:05AM EST Reply to Comment
- isaacl The part where Lily made those over-the-top suggestions about going to Russia (shades of Friends, anyone?), though, made it seem that Lily was putting winning the bet over Ted's best interests. If the episode had scaled back on those moments, then I'd be happier with how Lily was depicted.
  February 21, 2012 at 12:56PM EST
ZacharyTF

Have you tried to digitizing the tapes, or is the copy protection too robust to do that?

I breathed a big sigh of relief when Ted and Robin realized that it wasn't going to work out.

On the pervy end, Alyson had a nice rack going in one of the flashback scenes when she's wearing a pink pushup bra.
February 21, 2012 at 10:09AM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall Too many tapes for it to be worth the time for me to do it (or the money to pay someone else to do it).
  February 21, 2012 at 10:30AM EST
John M

I thought this was the best episode of the season, maybe the last few. Maybe my expectations have lowered, but I didn't find as much negative about this episode.
February 21, 2012 at 10:14AM EST Reply to Comment
Eric11

"Marshall has a landing strip........ even odds..."

one of the funniest lines of the season, IMO..

not the funniest episode, but that line had me LOLing like I seldom have done this year....
February 21, 2012 at 10:26AM EST Reply to Comment
- John My line of the episode was right after Robin found the hairdryer, and Marshall nonchalantly goes "You can just keep that."
  February 21, 2012 at 1:12PM EST
Reese

Solid episode. Not filled with laughs, but enjoyable. My favorite part was Barney mouthing along to "Single Ladies" in the backseat.
February 21, 2012 at 10:32AM EST Reply to Comment
- Ash When you know it through mime, you know it too well.
  February 21, 2012 at 11:48AM EST
- DavidW I wasn't paying attention to Barney's lip movements, but knew it had to be that song based on the hand movements he was doing.
  February 21, 2012 at 9:27PM EST
Dan

I liked the episode a lot. I'm really happy that they reigned in the Ted/Robin love you from last week quickly. I honestly have had trouble seeing Ted be completely over Robin, especially if you think about how he tried to win her back when he was drunk and she was with Don. This was a definite necessary step for him to move forward.

I liked the bets (but they probably could have done more with that), and the sex tape. I'm going to have to go back and rewatch for Conan.
February 21, 2012 at 10:49AM EST Reply to Comment
- tmb Conan must either be a big fan of the show or it was a way to cross-promote the reruns on his talk show.
  February 22, 2012 at 2:08PM EST
- He won a charity auction to be an extra. Not sure what his intention was outside of being charitable and awesome.
  February 22, 2012 at 4:46PM EST
Heisenberg

Agree on all points.

Last night's episode featured everything I love and hate about the show.
February 21, 2012 at 11:52AM EST Reply to Comment
ChadR

I agree that it was an unflattering episode for Lily, but it was not out of character. An entire previous episode was dedicated to Lily's sabatoging of Ted's previous relationships.
February 21, 2012 at 12:08PM EST Reply to Comment
- justincb My thoughts exactly about Lily's "sabotaging" role this week. It is not surprising at all, as Lily's character has many times tried to sabotage Ted's past relationships. She's also gone out of the way to mess with Barney and his many hook-ups. Also, Marshall and Lily's competing by way of long term bets is nothing out of the norm.
  
  Point. This week episode is exactly within Lily's character, and there shouldn't be any surprise to that.
  February 21, 2012 at 2:13PM EST
Sam

I was very encouraged that Ted told a story with the mother where he was already into the relationship, gives me hope that they won't introduce her and end it, maybe have her around for a little bit.

Also, my wife will attest, at the end when Ted walked out of the bar and the first girl walked past with the yellow umbrella, I shouted, THATS THE MOTHER! Then there were 50 and I felt like an idiot, should have known better.

Overall I thought this was awesome though, looks like they are moving towards some epic cliffhanger at the end of the season though, probably at the wedding...
February 21, 2012 at 12:11PM EST Reply to Comment
leemats

It's funny, but I recall in last week's episode that Robin went in to kiss Ted after his "I love you" declaration. But I just re-watched the end of the episode and realized I must have imagined it. Thus all of us were wrong if we thought we were heading into another Ted/Robin relationship. I am now going to try to trust that Carter/Bays and the gang know where they're going and try to stop jumping to conclusions.
Also, as someone mentioned before, since Barney and Robin now seem to have a long way to go, it seems that the "flash-forward" wedding is not going to happen this season.

February 21, 2012 at 12:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ash Maybe the birth of Lily and Marshall's kid at the end of the season will trigger something in Robin and Barney? Like, they'll both want something a little more serious this time?
  February 21, 2012 at 1:04PM EST
- leemats Just realized I meant Bays/Thomas, not Carter/Bays.
  February 21, 2012 at 5:52PM EST
- Pipp Since it is a flash forward to Barney's wedding, it can very well happen this season.
  February 22, 2012 at 5:12AM EST
isaacl

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I really liked the character development stuff with Ted, Barney, and Robin, but didn't really like the cheap laugh stuff, like Barney's hunt. The long-term bet plot had promise, and I liked the montage of flashbacks to the aborted wedding with Stella, but I disliked how Lily and Marshall betrayed a willingness to put Ted's best interests aside in order to win a bet. But the episode did indeed do a good job of clearing the decks for new plot lines moving Ted, Barney, and Robin's characters forward; here's hoping the show follows up successfully!
February 21, 2012 at 12:51PM EST Reply to Comment
- The thing is that both Marshall and Lily (definitely Lily) think what is in Ted's best interest IS their side of the bet. Lily thinks that Ted and Robin are incompatible and will not last, so there is no point in jeopardizing their friendship to try again at a relationship that will inevitably fail. So her trying to force Ted not to go after Robin (or, in the Russia sense, try way too hard and scare her off) will both win the bet for Lily as well as have Ted do what is best for him.
  February 21, 2012 at 7:27PM EST
leemats

I just re-watched Conan's cameo online. Hopefully, he'll talk about it on tonight's "Conan."
February 21, 2012 at 1:01PM EST Reply to Comment
Dr. Dunkenstein

I'm a little torn on this one. On the one hand it dealt with Ted's I Love You from last week honestly and shut it down pretty fairly.

The problem, though, is that I think it kind of let the show off the hook lightly when it came to the bigger issue. I understand that American sitcoms are so terrified of change that there's no way they'd ever deal with the actual problems that would come with trying to be friends with an ex in any meaningful way but for Ted to go from "I Love You" one week to hanging out with Robin in any meaningful way in the weeks to come is a good microcosm of what's become the show's biggest problem. They want to have big I Love You moments and betrayals and the like but they never want to actually earn them and then deal with the consequences.
February 21, 2012 at 1:14PM EST Reply to Comment
- Pipp I think they're going to deal with the consequences this time. I read in an interview there were going to be some changes in the dynamics in the gang. So in the next couple of weeks we would probably see a lot of Ted + Barney/Ted + Marshall and Lily + Robin/Robin at work. Also, due to the construct of the show, they can always jump a couple of weeks forward.
  February 22, 2012 at 5:19AM EST
CMerchant

I'm surprised Alan didn't mention the great use of "Shake It Off" by Florence + The Machine...excellent song choice.
February 21, 2012 at 1:44PM EST Reply to Comment
- Caitlin I was surprised by that too! A great song that I thought was used appropriately.
  February 25, 2012 at 5:01PM EST
jeffsterforever

Marshall should have paid up at the end. And I have a VCR still so I can watch the correct versions of Star Wars. (I was hoping Ted would say something like that...) misses great Star Wars reference..
February 21, 2012 at 1:53PM EST Reply to Comment
- Dr. Dunkenstein That's largely unnecessary because when they released the SE DVD's they included the original theatrical versions on the bonus discs.
  
  Er, rather, Star Wars is for kids, man.
  February 21, 2012 at 4:16PM EST
- Yeah, but at the end of Return of the Jedi in the DVD version, you get the projection of Hayden Christensen and new Yoda, so that just won't work.
  February 21, 2012 at 7:29PM EST
- LizC Except that on the SE DVDS they have the ORIGINAL theatrical version. No Hadyen Christensen. Trust me. That's the only reason I own 3 copies of Star Wars.
  February 24, 2012 at 9:37PM EST
LeeZy

Marshall and Lily officially live on Long Island right? Because I'm sure they can get up and walk down to McLarens really easy as before... Oh wait, Ted's in love with Robin, they tease the mother with the yellow umbrella, Barney is trying to see Lily naked... this must have been a rerun...
February 21, 2012 at 2:56PM EST Reply to Comment
mrbilliam

I really enjoyed the episode (and found the betting to be a lot of fun), but I had problems with the last two shots:
The sea of yellow umbrellas would have been exciting, if I actually thought we might meet the mother anytime soon.
The episode seemed to be shutting down Ted and Robin once and for all. I don't think we needed Marshall's "Not yet."
February 21, 2012 at 3:24PM EST Reply to Comment
Primetimept

I liked this episode. But there's something on that alleged ''sex-tape". I think robin's on it, and it's similar to the one that Barney made a while ago. Notice how Marshall was against seeing it and Lily favored it. That's why Marshall said "not yet" at the end.
February 21, 2012 at 4:58PM EST Reply to Comment
jay

i think it is dumb how they keep coming back to the ted and robin thing because in many episodes ted says "Aunt Robin" which clearly means he can't marry her. yet in like 5 episodes he keeps coming back to her?? :P
February 21, 2012 at 6:27PM EST Reply to Comment
- Biddle I give credit ot the writers for not taking shortcuts. They've made it pretty clear (as long as it's not a red herring) that Ted and Robn don't belong together. But they still have to honor the story and let the characters come to that conclusion honestly and without story shortcuts.
  
  Just because they've clued the audience in doesn't mean they shouldn't explore the impact for Ted finally realizing and understanding that there is no chance. Marshall telling Robin to move out was such a nice simple way to close that chapter. How can Ted possibly move on when Robin is there every day with him?
  
  I don't think there's anything dumb about letting the characters catch up with what we the audience have alreadty learned or think we know.
  February 21, 2012 at 8:05PM EST
- ed w He could still marry an Aunt Robin. She could be his second wife, perhaps after the first one died for example. Or in fact the whole show could be about him telling his kids not only ab out how he met their biological mother but also about how he had known his second wife from way back and how she had always been there and was not just some random woman he was about to marry.
  
  Or variations on that, they have wiggle room.
  February 21, 2012 at 8:55PM EST
- DavidW I can't buy that, Ed W. If Ted were married to Robin Scherbatsky, there's no way he or his kids would be calling her Aunt Robin-- too much incestuous connotation there...
  February 21, 2012 at 9:32PM EST
- ed w Well I meant she was their "aunt robin" before he marries her. Like he's not married to her in the actual future discussions with the kids but he's about to. As to the incestuous thing, well I guess if you raise particularly literal minded kids maybe. But I don't see Ted's kids having that problem given his academic/pedantic personality.
  February 22, 2012 at 8:30PM EST

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All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

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Tiffany I enjoyed the Marshall/Lily flashbacks if only to see their attempts at catching Lily's past hairstyles. Overall I'm glad this episode happened so that we can move on from the Ted/Robin/Barney love triangle.

LJA Lily has *always* been awful. Does this come as a surprise to people?

DavidW Now I'm left to believe that "the front porch test" was really just a cover for Lily's selfish desire to win a bet...a part of the HIMYM fan in me just died...

DavidW make that "earlier-season HIMYM fan"...

Jon88 Only two VCRs? Try three. (Granted, I haven't used any of them in a couple of years, but I still don't completely trust Time Warner's DVRs.)If Ted's older child is 15 in 2030, I think it's time he got a move on.

Ooooh, I was thinking the same thing last night because this episode actually showed his kids

unkraut Seriously, is there ONE human beeing on the entire planet that will be like "This is BS, now the title doesn't make any sense any more!!!" if they introduce the mother earlier?

the minister Man, the more I think about it, the more I realize Carter & Bays are the comedy version of Veena Sud.

DAG The 'mom' and Ted were kissing outside a theatre playing 'Wedding Bride III' - nice touch

Briana I noticed that too. I tried to ask a friend about it last night but he didn't know. Has The Wedding Bride II been released on the show? If not, its going to be a long time.

Robin Me too. I have two working vcr's that I use to tape things. No Tivo in my house. Although I'm getting increasingly dependent upon online viewing now that I can stream to my TV.

Kevin The moment where Marshall tells Robin to move out was well acted and nice.

step Not necessarily - he told Robin 'I love you' on their first date, who's to say he won't do it again?

Shannon Ted's to say. That was the point. By the time he told the mother he loved her, he hadn't said it since what we just saw with Robin on the roof.

... In my poin of view, Marshall said "not yet" because...The continuation of the part with Barnie's wedding should go like this: Lily tells Ted that the bride wants to see him. He then goes to Robin who tells him that she loves him. Is it at all possible?

qrter Nah, Marshall said "not yet" because the writer wanted to hit an emotional note on ending the episode, because that fools some people in thinking it's a good ending.

qrter No, I agree with Eric S. These "resolutions" last only as long as the writers don't need them to end.

the minister @chris: If Intrade let you bet on whether barney & robin will end up together,I'd take a $5 on $10 share position for $1000 bucks (even odds) and consider it about 10-15% advantage my way.In other words: I'm pretty confident they'll string barney/robin along for a while.

isaacl The part where Lily made those over-the-top suggestions about going to Russia (shades of Friends, anyone?), though, made it seem that Lily was putting winning the bet over Ted's best interests. If the episode had scaled back on those moments, then I'd be happier with how Lily was depicted.

sepinwall Too many tapes for it to be worth the time for me to do it (or the money to pay someone else to do it).

John M I thought this was the best episode of the season, maybe the last few. Maybe my expectations have lowered, but I didn't find as much negative about this episode.

Eric11 "Marshall has a landing strip........ even odds..."one of the funniest lines of the season, IMO..not the funniest episode, but that line had me LOLing like I seldom have done this year....

John My line of the episode was right after Robin found the hairdryer, and Marshall nonchalantly goes "You can just keep that."

Reese Solid episode. Not filled with laughs, but enjoyable. My favorite part was Barney mouthing along to "Single Ladies" in the backseat.

Ash When you know it through mime, you know it too well.

DavidW I wasn't paying attention to Barney's lip movements, but knew it had to be that song based on the hand movements he was doing.

tmb Conan must either be a big fan of the show or it was a way to cross-promote the reruns on his talk show.

He won a charity auction to be an extra. Not sure what his intention was outside of being charitable and awesome.

Heisenberg Agree on all points.Last night's episode featured everything I love and hate about the show.

ChadR I agree that it was an unflattering episode for Lily, but it was not out of character. An entire previous episode was dedicated to Lily's sabatoging of Ted's previous relationships.

Ash Maybe the birth of Lily and Marshall's kid at the end of the season will trigger something in Robin and Barney? Like, they'll both want something a little more serious this time?

leemats Just realized I meant Bays/Thomas, not Carter/Bays.

Pipp Since it is a flash forward to Barney's wedding, it can very well happen this season.

leemats I just re-watched Conan's cameo online. Hopefully, he'll talk about it on tonight's "Conan."

CMerchant I'm surprised Alan didn't mention the great use of "Shake It Off" by Florence + The Machine...excellent song choice.

Caitlin I was surprised by that too! A great song that I thought was used appropriately.

jeffsterforever Marshall should have paid up at the end. And I have a VCR still so I can watch the correct versions of Star Wars. (I was hoping Ted would say something like that...) misses great Star Wars reference..

Dr. Dunkenstein That's largely unnecessary because when they released the SE DVD's they included the original theatrical versions on the bonus discs. Er, rather, Star Wars is for kids, man.

Yeah, but at the end of Return of the Jedi in the DVD version, you get the projection of Hayden Christensen and new Yoda, so that just won't work.

LizC Except that on the SE DVDS they have the ORIGINAL theatrical version. No Hadyen Christensen. Trust me. That's the only reason I own 3 copies of Star Wars.

LeeZy Marshall and Lily officially live on Long Island right? Because I'm sure they can get up and walk down to McLarens really easy as before... Oh wait, Ted's in love with Robin, they tease the mother with the yellow umbrella, Barney is trying to see Lily naked... this must have been a rerun...

Primetimept I liked this episode. But there's something on that alleged ''sex-tape". I think robin's on it, and it's similar to the one that Barney made a while ago. Notice how Marshall was against seeing it and Lily favored it. That's why Marshall said "not yet" at the end.

jay i think it is dumb how they keep coming back to the ted and robin thing because in many episodes ted says "Aunt Robin" which clearly means he can't marry her. yet in like 5 episodes he keeps coming back to her?? :P

DavidW I can't buy that, Ed W. If Ted were married to Robin Scherbatsky, there's no way he or his kids would be calling her Aunt Robin-- too much incestuous connotation there...

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Tiffany

I enjoyed the Marshall/Lily flashbacks if only to see their attempts at catching Lily's past hairstyles. Overall I'm glad this episode happened so that we can move on from the Ted/Robin/Barney love triangle.

LJA Lily has always been awful. Does this come as a surprise to people?

Jon88

Only two VCRs? Try three. (Granted, I haven't used any of them in a couple of years, but I still don't completely trust Time Warner's DVRs.)

If Ted's older child is 15 in 2030, I think it's time he got a move on.

DAG

The 'mom' and Ted were kissing outside a theatre playing 'Wedding Bride III' - nice touch

Kevin

The moment where Marshall tells Robin to move out was well acted and nice.

... In my poin of view, Marshall said "not yet" because...
The continuation of the part with Barnie's wedding should go like this: Lily tells Ted that the bride wants to see him. He then goes to Robin who tells him that she loves him. Is it at all possible?

the minister @chris: If Intrade let you bet on whether barney & robin will end up together,
I'd take a $5 on $10 share position for $1000 bucks (even odds) and consider it about 10-15% advantage my way.

In other words: I'm pretty confident they'll string barney/robin along for a while.

John M

I thought this was the best episode of the season, maybe the last few. Maybe my expectations have lowered, but I didn't find as much negative about this episode.

Eric11

"Marshall has a landing strip........ even odds..."

one of the funniest lines of the season, IMO..

not the funniest episode, but that line had me LOLing like I seldom have done this year....

Reese

Solid episode. Not filled with laughs, but enjoyable. My favorite part was Barney mouthing along to "Single Ladies" in the backseat.

Heisenberg

Agree on all points.

Last night's episode featured everything I love and hate about the show.

ChadR

I agree that it was an unflattering episode for Lily, but it was not out of character. An entire previous episode was dedicated to Lily's sabatoging of Ted's previous relationships.

leemats

I just re-watched Conan's cameo online. Hopefully, he'll talk about it on tonight's "Conan."

CMerchant

I'm surprised Alan didn't mention the great use of "Shake It Off" by Florence + The Machine...excellent song choice.

jeffsterforever

Marshall should have paid up at the end. And I have a VCR still so I can watch the correct versions of Star Wars. (I was hoping Ted would say something like that...) misses great Star Wars reference..

Dr. Dunkenstein That's largely unnecessary because when they released the SE DVD's they included the original theatrical versions on the bonus discs.

Er, rather, Star Wars is for kids, man.

LeeZy

Marshall and Lily officially live on Long Island right? Because I'm sure they can get up and walk down to McLarens really easy as before... Oh wait, Ted's in love with Robin, they tease the mother with the yellow umbrella, Barney is trying to see Lily naked... this must have been a rerun...

Primetimept

I liked this episode. But there's something on that alleged ''sex-tape". I think robin's on it, and it's similar to the one that Barney made a while ago. Notice how Marshall was against seeing it and Lily favored it. That's why Marshall said "not yet" at the end.

jay

i think it is dumb how they keep coming back to the ted and robin thing because in many episodes ted says "Aunt Robin" which clearly means he can't marry her. yet in like 5 episodes he keeps coming back to her?? :P