Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'Band or DJ?': I can has cheezburger in Paradise?

Barney seeks the approval of Robin's dad, while Lily and Ted clash over wedding plans

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Jan 15, 2013 9:58 AM

Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders and Ray Wise in "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 give the rabbit a backstory...

Over the weekend, CBS president Nina Tassler said a ninth-season "HIMYM" renewal is very close, and at least implied that this decision would change the plans for the rest of this season, pushing the Mother reveal to the end of the series no matter how much longer it runs.

By giving a May 2013 date for Robin and Barney's wedding — and showing that, regardless of Robin's cold feet, she ultimately went through with it — "Band or DJ?" could be committing to the Mother by the end of this season, come what may. Or Bays and Thomas could dramatically slow down the storytelling, taking a season and a half to chronicle the period from the engagement to the wedding. We won't know until we get there, but I think this is definitely a case of the creative team's desire for secrecy becoming far more trouble than it's worth. Once upon a time, the Rachel Bilson cameo and glimpse of the Mother's left arm playing bass at the wedding reception might have been intriguing, or at least reassuring; now it just makes me wonder exactly when Future Ted will warn us "but we'll get to that later."

The rest of "Band or DJ?" was a mixed bag.

On the one hand, I appreciate those moments when the show sets the jokes aside for an emotional moment, and Radnor and Hannigan were very good together as Ted and Lily shared their darkest secrets; on the other, Ted having yenta's remorse over his role in the engagement undid a lot of the great work the show did with him in the previous episode. It's not that it's implausible that he would still have feelings for Robin even after he declared that he was ready to let her go, but that from a characterization standpoint, it's frustrating to watch him go in circles again and again. (On the plus side, I enjoyed the montage of Ted being beaten up over the years, mostly made up of clips from earlier seasons like Anne Dudek kicking him and Stella removing the tramp stamp.)

Meanwhile, the idea of Robin's dad suddenly turning "fun" because of his unseen new wife didn't entirely work, because we don't know the guy nearly as well as we do Lily or Marshall's parents. We know that he's a cold guy who raised Robin as a boy, and Ray Wise brings some inherent menace to the role, but the idea of a character radically changing his personality works as a joke only if we're very familiar with how he ordinarily behaves. Some isolated moments worked — Ray Wise saying "I can has cheezburger?" is pretty much inherently funny — but overall the beats (Barney dying his hair, Barney attempting to kill a bunny) fit the broader, less appealing comic style the show's been using of late.

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: How I Met Your Mother, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan

James

Did anyone else notice a considerable difference in Robin's appearance and voice? Her face looked fuller and she sounded sick. These two differences affected how I watched the episode cause I couldn't get over either. Please tell me I'm not alone.
January 15, 2013 at 11:08AM EST Reply to Comment
- Bob I've read other places where people thought she must have been sick during the filming...
  January 15, 2013 at 11:14AM EST
- nic919 I noticed her voice and felt bad for Cobie Smulders having to do the show with a bad cold. It did take me a little out of her scenes. That and her dad did not really seem that Canadian to me. As much as I like Ray Wise, I think they should have gone with someone like Michael Hogan, who could be menacing and Canadian.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:15AM EST
- Booby Yeah she did sound a bit ill.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:16AM EST
- JREinATL Oh -- my DVR picked up about 2 minutes into the show, and I thought that I had missed some explanation for it....
  January 15, 2013 at 12:11PM EST
- Dezbot She sounded like she had a bad cold. Ray Wise was also slower than normal, and NPH seemed off, too.
  January 15, 2013 at 12:58PM EST
Dr. Dunkenstein

I know complaining about inconsistent characterization in HIMYM is kind of pointless at this point but did anyone else find it to be a little bit of a stretch that someone like Robin would buy into the sort of BS patriarchal idea that a man needs to ask his prospective fiance's father for his "permission"? Blessing, sure, but permission is just creepy.

I get that Robin has a weird relationship with her father but nothing about her during the series would make me think she thought she needed anyone's permission to marry whoever she liked.
January 15, 2013 at 11:14AM EST Reply to Comment
- Mark S. Especially when she doesn't have the greatest relationship with her father.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:23AM EST
- Shannon This bothered me too, especially because they didn't even attempt to explain it. We're just supposed to accept that Robin, of all people, would need her father's permission, when that tradition has been dead for awhile.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:35AM EST
- tedmosbyisnotajerk The strong, independent woman that Robin was made out to be for the first few seasons is dead. She has been replaced by a near-stereotypical depiction of a female sitcom character.
  January 15, 2013 at 1:11PM EST
- Drew T. The thing is, I think they could have fixed it fairly simply. Make a comment about how Robin has always sought her father's approval and how it's actually a problem for her. They could have tied it to her backstory and led to some good character growth. Instead, we got something that didn't feel right at all.
  January 15, 2013 at 2:20PM EST
- Darkdoug Note that it is the obscenely sexist Barney who jumps to the ownership interpretation of the asking permission. Asking the father's permission is not remotely about claiming possession of a woman, but about joining the family and acknowledging her family's bond with, and concern for, the bride. Much as modern society, spurred on by TV shows with tiny families (to save on actors' salaries), would love to think that marriage is a romantic consummation that is solely about the couple, it creates a whole new family, and engenders relationships between people besides the couple. There is nothing stopping the couple from going off and marrying if the father denies permission, but the flip side is they should not expect any support or family obligations from her relatives. That is all that permission really boils down to. Asking for the father's "blessing" is more insulting to the bride, when you get right down to it, because THAT implies the personal supremacy of the father over the daughter, rather than appealing to his office as representing her close relatives.
  
  All of my brothers asked their fathers'-in-law permission before proposing to their wives, and they all married educated, professional women in their mid to late 20s. Not one of them could remotely be said to be a chauvinist pig and all three dote on their wives to a considerable degree. No one treats any of them like the "lord and master" or their wives like subordinate adjuncts.
  
  In the specific case of the show, Robin was just as adamant about her own right to know her father's business when contemporary TV logic would suggest that as estranged as they are, he no more needed to consult with her than Barney needed to ask his permission. In both cases, Robin was insisting on a degree of mutual respect for her family bonds, and the actual "permission" to marry was plainly taken for granted on her part.
  January 15, 2013 at 4:52PM EST
- Dr. Dunkenstein It's actually Barney who is making fun of the tradition for being antiquated and sexist, which it is because it dates back to an era where women were essentially chattel who went from being the property of their fathers to the property of their husbands. Nowadays, women are perfectly capable of giving their own permission for their hands in marriage and no matter what you think it "really means" or "boils down to" in the modern era it is a relic of a very sexist tradition.
  
  Robin wanted basic human contact with her father, the chance to be informed of and participate in his wedding. She didn't think she had a say in the matter.
  January 15, 2013 at 6:44PM EST
- Mike If Bob is your dad, you do whatever he says
  January 16, 2013 at 11:54AM EST
- It has been well established in past episodes that robin is constantly wanting her father's approval and for him to be part of her life.
  January 16, 2013 at 11:51PM EST
Pam

Each week I tune in, mostly out of habit I think, hoping earlier magic will be restored. The show is just tired now. The rooftop scene was character-progression gold. Ted being stuck isn't fun. I just need to stop watching.
January 15, 2013 at 11:17AM EST Reply to Comment
greg

its all an anti-climax. they've alienated most of their fan base
January 15, 2013 at 11:22AM EST Reply to Comment
Heisenberg

At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years.

The Barney/Robin story was trash.
January 15, 2013 at 11:35AM EST Reply to Comment
- Lepidoptera "At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years."
  
  Bless you. The most definitive review of this series in several seasons. I feel like my island just got doubled in size.
  
  January 16, 2013 at 1:05AM EST
Joyeful

First of all - I just can't mentally accept anyone besides Eric Braeden as Robin's dad.

Second - talk about 1 step forward, 5 steps back. I completely agree with all the work of the last episode being undone. We were finally beginning to root for Ted and there he goes again..

Three - that being said, the best scene was undoubtedly Lily and Ted on the roof. That was probably one of Alyson Hannigan's best pieces of work on the series.
January 15, 2013 at 11:43AM EST Reply to Comment
- Meg YES, I was so confused. I wonder why the re-cast? I suppose Braeden wouldn't be caught dead in a Buffett shirt, but the visual would have been even funnier, ditto on the "cheezburger" joke.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:58AM EST
- Dezbot Braeden is a conceited jerk who bailed on a cameo a long time ago, so they had to recast him. I'm glad because I love Ray Wise.
  January 15, 2013 at 12:36PM EST
- sepinwall Yeah, Wise has been playing the role for quite a while now, ever since Braeden bailed at the last minute.
  January 15, 2013 at 1:32PM EST
- Meg Shows how I've fallen off with the show, I had no idea Wise has been playing the part for a while. I only remember Braeden! Oh well.
  January 15, 2013 at 3:07PM EST
- Scott Rosenberg I completely agree, and have never felt anything for Wise in the role despite his having had it for far longer than Braeden's two early episodes.
  January 15, 2013 at 10:54PM EST
- Joyeful True. But I still prefer Braeden. And I haven't quite forgiven Wise yet for turning Vivian Volkoff on Chuck LOL
  January 16, 2013 at 10:58PM EST
- Joyeful True. But I still prefer Braeden. And I haven't quite forgiven Wise yet for turning Vivian Volkoff on Chuck LOL
  January 16, 2013 at 10:58PM EST
Mike

Surprised no one has mentioned this, but we witnessed exactly how Ted met the mother last night...mystery solved
January 15, 2013 at 11:49AM EST Reply to Comment
- Seth Davis I think that was a head fake. He saw the mother, but there's no guarantee that he "met" her other than stuff for the band.
  
  C&B can still take another year setting up their first date or whatever after the wedding.
  
  It's all stunted growth and delayed gratification at this point.
  January 15, 2013 at 11:58AM EST
- Jeff The last season can be renamed How I Met MET Your Mother.
  January 15, 2013 at 12:25PM EST
- Brandon I agree with Mike...mystery solved
  
  Sure we don't know WHO it is, or what their actual first conversation was, but we just found out HOW he met this girl.
  
  If it takes another season and a half to get to that point, then it's just head-banging semantics and I won't want anything to do with it.
  January 15, 2013 at 12:33PM EST
- Dezbot I thought he doesn't actually meet her until they're waiting for the bus/train in the rain?
  January 15, 2013 at 12:58PM EST
- Seth Davis Bingo. They don't meet cute until the train and we've known where he met her, just not that she was in a band.
  We still don't know the machinations of how they meet and get together, nor what drew them together.
  January 15, 2013 at 1:04PM EST
- Mike Ok, but we saw Ted, looking at the mother, at Barney and robins wedding, where she is the base player...we haven't seen them meet, but we know how
  January 15, 2013 at 8:19PM EST
- Matt If creepily staring at someone equates to meeting them, then I've met a ton of hot women in my time.
  January 16, 2013 at 3:12AM EST
- Captain Stubing I agree with a couple of people here, I think the shot we saw doesn't necessarily represent the first time Ted saw her. And, in fact, I'm sure there will be some curve where something happens where he doesn't initially hire the band.
  
  But, the thing that really bothered me is how is this storyline and road to meeting his future wife have anything to do with him being a college professor?
  
  With that said, I'm like many people here, I'm merely watch the show hoping to see the old magic. I feel a parent who saw their baby walk for the first time and anxiously waiting for him to walk again, so he can say to anyone nearby (and to himself mostly), "see, I told you he can walk."
  January 16, 2013 at 3:35AM EST
Robinson

"mostly made up of clips from earlier seasons..."

Unless I'm mistaken, every clip was from an earlier season (though at least one, the "friendship bracelet", was from a flashback in an earlier episode).

I couldn't agree more that Ted's regret this episode undid one of my favorite parts of "Final Page," that it looked like Ted had finally let go. I guess they need to have some plotline for Ted for the next few months, but they could have found anything besides pining over Robin.
January 15, 2013 at 11:52AM EST Reply to Comment
nic919

I thought the rooftop scene was great too and I hope that now we know when he meets the mother, it doesn't necessarily mean that he falls for her right away. The extra season would be the perfect way to show how Ted gets over Robin and realizes the "mother" is the one for him. However, that would mean actually casting an actress for the role and seeing how she integrates with the rest of the group. I am hoping the CBS executive was being fed false information when she said we would not meet the mother until the last episode of the series. The audience has no emotional stake with this woman as compared to the rest of the cast. Right now, most would say he should be with Robin and that Robin and Barney are only paired together for the purposes of the narrative.
January 15, 2013 at 11:54AM EST Reply to Comment
Pennywise

Alan, considering I had pretty much the exact experience with my Dad as Robin (down to the hawaiian shirts and in our case, secret engagement rather than secret wedding) I totally bought that story. Granted, my dad is not quite as scary/intimidating as Ray Wise, but for me it worked.
January 15, 2013 at 12:00PM EST Reply to Comment
Meg

I yelped for joy when they seemed to say very strongly that the wedding would definitely be this May, meaning we'll get to meet the Mother and have her be a part of the show next year. I really feel this is the only viable solution. If they drag it out, I really might have to tune out, and I don't want to do that because even though it sometimes sucks now I still really love the show.

Anyone else not see Barney in the wedding flash forward? Robin was there in her dress dancing with her dad...I know the producers have confirmed Robin and Barney get married, but I noticed it. Just like how Barney hid his finger in the trilogy flash-forward where we see Ted has a baby daughter by 2015.
January 15, 2013 at 12:01PM EST Reply to Comment
- scoopie77 Just because they got married, doesn't mean they stayed married into 2015.
  January 15, 2013 at 12:07PM EST
Jeff

For me the primary and perhaps insolvable issue of HIMYM is that Ted has been shown to be in love with Robin for nearly 8 seasons while we've only been told he's in love with the Mother. And, with the possible exception of the first Victoria run, Ted's love of Robin has been considerably more passionate than the rest of his connections.

How can the writers convince me that the Mother is anything but Ted's plan B in half a season, or even another full season, if we don't actually see their relationship?

I don't think they can.

Question: If you were the Mother and Ted had told you the same story of his life before the two of you met, would you ever let Robin and Ted be in the same room alone?
January 15, 2013 at 12:22PM EST Reply to Comment
- Yes, Ted spends 8seasons talking abt his ex,that tells me that both the marriages(robin & Barney and Ted & mother ) fell apart.in many future flash forwards Barney doesnt have a ring,but Ted does.I am guessing Ted and robin gets divorced from their partners and gets married later on(remember their 40 year old and single pact-I think its the front porch episode from season 4)
  January 15, 2013 at 3:16PM EST
- Brian Wouldn't that be underminded by all of the "meeting your mother was the greatest thing that happened to me" talk? I guess he could justify it as, "it was the greatest thing that happened to me because, even though we later got divorced, it lead me to having you kids."
  January 15, 2013 at 6:00PM EST
- Joyeful Jeff - that's a really good point! I never thought of that.
  January 16, 2013 at 11:09PM EST
- Rootingforted Just remember that future Ted always refers to "aunt Robin" when talking to his kids...
  January 20, 2013 at 9:05AM EST
Dan

I ought it was a solid episode. I loved it when the confetti exploded in Marshall's face.
January 15, 2013 at 1:25PM EST Reply to Comment
Its so hard to see Ted hurt so much.he is a very good guy and he fell in love with a wrong girl.but robin being his friend and also lived with him for many years shud atleast understand him and not discuss every single detail around her engmt and how happy she is with Barney,did she forget that not so long ago he proposed and got hurt.why does she think that its all erased from his heart.mad at robin
January 15, 2013 at 1:47PM EST Reply to Comment
televisionismyboyfriend

1) I did not buy Robin needing permission from anyone, much less her father, to get married. From a character perspective, this didn't work for me.
2) The dad getting married without telling her thing totally worked for me, as my dad did the same.
3) I thought the montage of hurt worked - you don't just say that you're going to let someone go and get over them. That was established during Marshall and Lily's breakup. Ted said that he was okay, but that doesn't mean he is.
4) The rooftop scene was one of the best I've seen. It was nice to see Hannigan actually cry, instead of doing that horrible sobbing thing again.
5) If they had to go for the baby making a mess, I'm glad they went with confetti.
6) My theory is that the entirety of season 9 is Barney and Robin's wedding. 22 episodes of the before, the during, and the meeting.

Not my favorite episode, but more emotionally driven than many others of this season.
January 15, 2013 at 1:57PM EST Reply to Comment
Adam

I know it was a dated reference, but my favorite part of this show was Ted and Marshall re-enacting the Departed: "Aww you a cawp!" "I am nawt a cawp!"
January 15, 2013 at 1:59PM EST Reply to Comment
Griff

They could have done everything the exact same with Ted being upset about them getting married and everything and I would have been perfectly fine with it if they made 1 change. Instead of the stupid idea that he is still in love with Robin, they could have had it that she never EVER thought about getting married when they were together and in love, and yet she is so willing to do it with Barney. Have him be upset because it would make him feel (coupled with what Stella did to him) that maybe he is never good enough for a woman to want to marry. If they made that the true reason he was upset instead of him still loving Robin I would have really enjoyed it and thought it would stay truthful to the character (this is the guy who starts thew show all about finding his future wife) while keeping him likable and not having him regress into falling for Robin again
January 15, 2013 at 3:23PM EST Reply to Comment
- Tripp06 And maybe that's the point of his character. He is not self-aware enough to really understand that he himself is the true culprit of his failures with Robin (and most of his relationships). He has been left at the altar by one woman, been rejected multiple times by another and destroyed his best relationship chasing a woman who doesn't want him. He causes a lot of his own problems but hasn't realized it because he chasing a overly-romantic idealized storybook ending.
  January 15, 2013 at 5:39PM EST
- jw2s Very this.
  
  January 18, 2013 at 5:01AM EST
steph

I remember in season premiere in farhampton episode Ted was reading a book at the train station.I think I remember he had a bandage over his right hand.in ydays episode when Ted was watching robin dancing with her dad in reception, he didnt have the bandage."the wedding that went horribly wrong" and teds injury happens after reception.do u guys remember the bandage or its just my imagination
January 15, 2013 at 4:35PM EST Reply to Comment
- oliver Another problem with this show is that it's turning into 'Lost' done as a comedy, where we the viewer are being asked to remember every little detail along the way in order to be satisfied with the payoff. No TV writer can keep adding layer upon layer without the viewer getting totally bogged down in the minutia of so much junk we can't remember which way is up.
  January 15, 2013 at 5:28PM EST
- Brian So what you are saying is that the house where Ted is telling his future kids how he met their mother is really purgatory?
  January 15, 2013 at 6:04PM EST
mrbilliam

I became irrationally excited to see cute little Rachel Bilson and thought to myself, "Wow do I wish she had a show!" Then I remember she does have a show that I don't watch.
January 15, 2013 at 5:24PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ashley Aw, you SHOULD watch it! Definitely geared towards the ladies, but most weeks it's funnier than HIMYM. It's a nice, relaxing, low-stakes show that doesn't demand much from you, but definitely entertains.
  January 15, 2013 at 7:20PM EST
Ricardo

I think you missed the point Alan. Rachel Bilson is a lesbian! That's what matters here!
January 15, 2013 at 7:23PM EST Reply to Comment
- We knew about this. She had a part in a bar in, I believe, the S7 premier where Ted was about to go talk to her/ask her out, when she kissed some girl.
  January 15, 2013 at 7:36PM EST
- Ricardo Did we? My bad. I honestly can't remember most of the things that happen on this show...
  January 16, 2013 at 4:48AM EST
Chase

It seems unlikely to me that they drag Barney and Robin's engagement out. The show has always tried to make the show line up with real time. May 25, 2013 is four months away, and the flash forward at the end of he episode said "four months later". I think their wedding has to be the season finale.
January 15, 2013 at 9:28PM EST Reply to Comment
- Yeah, the connection to real time (like hurricanes, the snow-filled winter of 2010) events of NYC has actually been one of the parts of the show that has stood throughout its run. If they decide to slow down time for the next season and a half, I think I will be done, and I am someone who still finds the show mostly good.
  
  What I do fear is they have Ted 'meet' the mother but don't show us to her, and then have S9 be about Ted trying to re-meet and date her (although that might go against the show's cannon of what Ted did after meeting the mother - like not waiting to call her after three days or whatever it was)
  January 15, 2013 at 10:06PM EST
CB

Totally agree that the Ted/Lily scene on the roof was excellent but that Ted's character arc is disappointing. I didn't like the Barney/Robin plot either, although the rabbit's back story did make me laugh.

I was mostly put off by all the bathroom humor in this episode. The "confetti" at the end was kind of funny, but Barney's references to mudslides and the rabbit peeing on his pants were just gross. Also, Marvin is constipated for days, and no one thinks to take that kid to the doctor?!
January 15, 2013 at 10:25PM EST Reply to Comment
Jeff

I am sure this theory has been bandied out before and it takes from a few other fan theories below but what are the chances Ted is telling this elaborate story to his kids to help them cope with their mother's death and his new marriage to Robin. I just don't see why they are building up all this Ted-Robin stuff the last two seasons if they aren't going to end up together. Not to mention NPH and Cobie I think have toned down their chemistry a little.

The Ted-Robin stuff for eight years is really strange and the guy really should cut her out of his life. Its pretty obvious he can't be her friend without staring at her like a silly puppy.
January 15, 2013 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
- TL I've always stuck to my hope that Ted and Robin do in fact end up together when it's all said and done. I never thought that the mother was dead, but out of the picture (i.e. divorce) and this was some weird way of Ted breaking the news to his kids. So, there's a very small chance but who knows at this point.
  
  Preemptive retort to those ready to poke holes: I never said Robin was the mother, so he can still end up with her even if she's not. AND if one of the last things he says is he's getting back with her, then "Aunt Robin" still works.
  January 16, 2013 at 3:25AM EST
- Tiff While I sort of like the idea of the twist ending that he ends up with Robin after he tells his kids this whole story, it would be a carbon copy of that Ryan Reynolds movie "Definitely Maybe". So I don't see it happening.
  January 16, 2013 at 1:11PM EST
Louie

Write a comment...You know when it changed for me? When they changed the model from Ted, Robin, Lily & Marshall are people, Barney's a cartoon character. Because of Robin and Barney take center stage in story, Lily & Marshall are relegated to cartoons. That switch changed the feel, for me.
January 16, 2013 at 11:36AM EST Reply to Comment
Consideract

I'm starting to think if they don't introduce the mother, I will just stop watching, and wait until the series ends, and then someday catch up in syndication or Netflix or some such thing. I like the show and actors, but you know what, if they are going to just go in circles again and again, I may just spend my time waiting while not watching, instead of waiting while watching. It is time.

January 16, 2013 at 11:55PM EST Reply to Comment

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

James Did anyone else notice a considerable difference in Robin's appearance and voice? Her face looked fuller and she sounded sick. These two differences affected how I watched the episode cause I couldn't get over either. Please tell me I'm not alone.

Bob I've read other places where people thought she must have been sick during the filming...

Booby Yeah she did sound a bit ill.

JREinATL Oh -- my DVR picked up about 2 minutes into the show, and I thought that I had missed some explanation for it....

Dezbot She sounded like she had a bad cold. Ray Wise was also slower than normal, and NPH seemed off, too.

Mark S. Especially when she doesn't have the greatest relationship with her father.

Shannon This bothered me too, especially because they didn't even attempt to explain it. We're just supposed to accept that Robin, of all people, would need her father's permission, when that tradition has been dead for awhile.

tedmosbyisnotajerk The strong, independent woman that Robin was made out to be for the first few seasons is dead. She has been replaced by a near-stereotypical depiction of a female sitcom character.

Mike If Bob is your dad, you do whatever he says

It has been well established in past episodes that robin is constantly wanting her father's approval and for him to be part of her life.

Pam Each week I tune in, mostly out of habit I think, hoping earlier magic will be restored. The show is just tired now. The rooftop scene was character-progression gold. Ted being stuck isn't fun. I just need to stop watching.

greg its all an anti-climax. they've alienated most of their fan base

Heisenberg At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years.The Barney/Robin story was trash.

Lepidoptera "At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years."Bless you. The most definitive review of this series in several seasons. I feel like my island just got doubled in size.

Meg YES, I was so confused. I wonder why the re-cast? I suppose Braeden wouldn't be caught dead in a Buffett shirt, but the visual would have been even funnier, ditto on the "cheezburger" joke.

Dezbot Braeden is a conceited jerk who bailed on a cameo a long time ago, so they had to recast him. I'm glad because I love Ray Wise.

sepinwall Yeah, Wise has been playing the role for quite a while now, ever since Braeden bailed at the last minute.

Meg Shows how I've fallen off with the show, I had no idea Wise has been playing the part for a while. I only remember Braeden! Oh well.

Scott Rosenberg I completely agree, and have never felt anything for Wise in the role despite his having had it for far longer than Braeden's two early episodes.

Joyeful True. But I still prefer Braeden. And I haven't quite forgiven Wise yet for turning Vivian Volkoff on Chuck LOL

Joyeful True. But I still prefer Braeden. And I haven't quite forgiven Wise yet for turning Vivian Volkoff on Chuck LOL

Mike Surprised no one has mentioned this, but we witnessed exactly how Ted met the mother last night...mystery solved

Seth Davis I think that was a head fake. He saw the mother, but there's no guarantee that he "met" her other than stuff for the band. C&B can still take another year setting up their first date or whatever after the wedding. It's all stunted growth and delayed gratification at this point.

Jeff The last season can be renamed How I Met MET Your Mother.

Brandon I agree with Mike...mystery solvedSure we don't know WHO it is, or what their actual first conversation was, but we just found out HOW he met this girl.If it takes another season and a half to get to that point, then it's just head-banging semantics and I won't want anything to do with it.

Dezbot I thought he doesn't actually meet her until they're waiting for the bus/train in the rain?

Seth Davis Bingo. They don't meet cute until the train and we've known where he met her, just not that she was in a band. We still don't know the machinations of how they meet and get together, nor what drew them together.

Mike Ok, but we saw Ted, looking at the mother, at Barney and robins wedding, where she is the base player...we haven't seen them meet, but we know how

Matt If creepily staring at someone equates to meeting them, then I've met a ton of hot women in my time.

Pennywise Alan, considering I had pretty much the exact experience with my Dad as Robin (down to the hawaiian shirts and in our case, secret engagement rather than secret wedding) I totally bought that story. Granted, my dad is not quite as scary/intimidating as Ray Wise, but for me it worked.

scoopie77 Just because they got married, doesn't mean they stayed married into 2015.

Brian Wouldn't that be underminded by all of the "meeting your mother was the greatest thing that happened to me" talk? I guess he could justify it as, "it was the greatest thing that happened to me because, even though we later got divorced, it lead me to having you kids."

Joyeful Jeff - that's a really good point! I never thought of that.

Rootingforted Just remember that future Ted always refers to "aunt Robin" when talking to his kids...

Dan I ought it was a solid episode. I loved it when the confetti exploded in Marshall's face.

Adam I know it was a dated reference, but my favorite part of this show was Ted and Marshall re-enacting the Departed: "Aww you a cawp!" "I am nawt a cawp!"

jw2s Very this.

Brian So what you are saying is that the house where Ted is telling his future kids how he met their mother is really purgatory?

mrbilliam I became irrationally excited to see cute little Rachel Bilson and thought to myself, "Wow do I wish she had a show!" Then I remember she does have a show that I don't watch.

Ashley Aw, you SHOULD watch it! Definitely geared towards the ladies, but most weeks it's funnier than HIMYM. It's a nice, relaxing, low-stakes show that doesn't demand much from you, but definitely entertains.

Ricardo I think you missed the point Alan. Rachel Bilson is a lesbian! That's what matters here!

We knew about this. She had a part in a bar in, I believe, the S7 premier where Ted was about to go talk to her/ask her out, when she kissed some girl.

Ricardo Did we? My bad. I honestly can't remember most of the things that happen on this show...

Tiff While I sort of like the idea of the twist ending that he ends up with Robin after he tells his kids this whole story, it would be a carbon copy of that Ryan Reynolds movie "Definitely Maybe". So I don't see it happening.

Louie Write a comment...You know when it changed for me? When they changed the model from Ted, Robin, Lily & Marshall are people, Barney's a cartoon character. Because of Robin and Barney take center stage in story, Lily & Marshall are relegated to cartoons. That switch changed the feel, for me.

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How I Met Your Mother is updated

James

Did anyone else notice a considerable difference in Robin's appearance and voice? Her face looked fuller and she sounded sick. These two differences affected how I watched the episode cause I couldn't get over either. Please tell me I'm not alone.

Pam

Each week I tune in, mostly out of habit I think, hoping earlier magic will be restored. The show is just tired now. The rooftop scene was character-progression gold. Ted being stuck isn't fun. I just need to stop watching.

greg

its all an anti-climax. they've alienated most of their fan base

Heisenberg

At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years.

The Barney/Robin story was trash.

Lepidoptera "At least they gave Alyson Hannigan something to do, which she excelled at, for the first time in years."

Bless you. The most definitive review of this series in several seasons. I feel like my island just got doubled in size.

Mike

Surprised no one has mentioned this, but we witnessed exactly how Ted met the mother last night...mystery solved

Seth Davis I think that was a head fake. He saw the mother, but there's no guarantee that he "met" her other than stuff for the band.

C&B can still take another year setting up their first date or whatever after the wedding.

It's all stunted growth and delayed gratification at this point.

Seth Davis Bingo. They don't meet cute until the train and we've known where he met her, just not that she was in a band.
We still don't know the machinations of how they meet and get together, nor what drew them together.

Pennywise

Alan, considering I had pretty much the exact experience with my Dad as Robin (down to the hawaiian shirts and in our case, secret engagement rather than secret wedding) I totally bought that story. Granted, my dad is not quite as scary/intimidating as Ray Wise, but for me it worked.

Dan

I ought it was a solid episode. I loved it when the confetti exploded in Marshall's face.

Adam

I know it was a dated reference, but my favorite part of this show was Ted and Marshall re-enacting the Departed: "Aww you a cawp!" "I am nawt a cawp!"

mrbilliam

I became irrationally excited to see cute little Rachel Bilson and thought to myself, "Wow do I wish she had a show!" Then I remember she does have a show that I don't watch.

Ricardo

I think you missed the point Alan. Rachel Bilson is a lesbian! That's what matters here!

Louie

Write a comment...You know when it changed for me? When they changed the model from Ted, Robin, Lily & Marshall are people, Barney's a cartoon character. Because of Robin and Barney take center stage in story, Lily & Marshall are relegated to cartoons. That switch changed the feel, for me.

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