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Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'The Stamp Tramp': Tell me all your thoughts on Brad

Joe Manganiello returns for the first non-terrible episode in weeks

By Alan SepinwallMonday, Nov 19, 2012 9:51 PM

Joe Manganiello from "True Blood" returned to "How I Met Your Mother" tonight.

Credit: CBS

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A review of tonight's "How I Met Your Mother" coming up just as soon as I send you a fax machine and a Charo calendar...

These last few "HIMYM" episodes have prompted several questions, from both me and you: Why are we still watching? Why am I still writing reviews? What has happened to this show we once loved?

Well, "The Stamp Tramp" didn't magically cure all the ills of "HIMYM" season 8. It wasn't even perfect on its own; I groaned, for instance, when the emotional moment between Lily and Ted was immediately sold out for one more joke about College Ted's bad judgment. And on the whole, everything is much, much, much broader than it used to be. But at the same time, "The Stamp Tramp" was full of enough clever ideas and jokes that it felt like an actual version of the show that I liked, rather than the zombie one we've been getting lately. By early "HIMYM" standards, this would be a minor one; by season 8 standards, it was damn near a classic.

Barney's strip club obsession, like his knack for manipulating incredibly dumb women, has been taken way too far. And yet turning the whole thing into a parody of LeBron James's heinous "The Decision" — not just the ESPN special itself, but the prolonged courtship period of the other teams he never had any intention of going to — made things so absurd that it actually became funny again. And some of the individual jokes (the one about the sabermetrically-inclined "Moneyballs," for instance) were actually very smart. As I said last week, the show has largely killed my interest in Barney and Robin at this point, but at least this episode put Robin back in Barney's element and was a reminder of how much they had in common back in the days of "Zip, Zip, Zip."

Marshall's penchant for giving overly-optimistic stamps of approval, meanwhile, was one of those cases of the "HIMYM" writers coming up with a new catchphrase idea that actually suits the character in question. This is absolutely something Marshall would do, and it was a surprisingly effective comic showcase for Joe Manganiello (last seen on "HIMYM" taking Robin to a hockey game in the season 5 premiere), particularly with the payoff that it was all an act to sabotage Marshall. (That the story led to another one of Future Ted's hateful "but we'll get to that later" was not pleasant, but this seems like the kind of story they will have no choice but to get back to soon, rather than stringing it out for weeks or months.) And since I'm assuming Martin Short isn't available (or has too high a quote) for more frequent appearances, I'm completely on board with Joe Lo Truglio coming on as the firm's other name partner.

And, as mentioned above, the joke at the end of the Ted/Lily scene was a case of not leaving well enough alone, but Ted's end of the stamp tramping led to a great orchestrated spit take by Lily and the others. Simple pleasures, people.

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

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RyanT

I did like it. The "twist" on Brad's storyline almost felt like old school HIMYM actually.
November 19, 2012 at 11:06PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ted Schmoesby Yes! Welcome back everybody! It was getting lonely over here. I kid, you guys were righter than I was, but I still like it :)
  November 20, 2012 at 1:01PM EST
tedmosbyisnotajerk

So, Ted gave his stamp of approval concerning Lily to a reluctant Marshall. While not impossible, this certainly works against what we see in Arrivederci Fiero, where Ted was shocked to see Marshall so into Lily when Marshall said he was "gonna marry that girl."

But this show has long since abandoned it's emphasis on long-range story so it can serve whatever needs a current episode might have.
November 19, 2012 at 11:18PM EST Reply to Comment
- Tausif Khan Ted also made sure that Lily was in a picture in college (during the episode where Lily was pointing out how all of Ted's girlfriends ruin their pictures) even though Lily and Marshall had just started dating. Ted knew they were going to make it.
  November 20, 2012 at 1:29AM EST
Erica

he needs a haircut...BAD! but i thought it was pretty good...very much like the old himym
November 19, 2012 at 11:28PM EST Reply to Comment
Sean

Did anyone else notice the abundance of purple in the episode?
November 19, 2012 at 11:37PM EST Reply to Comment
- JJ I noticed it right away and it continued throughout the episode. Hurricane Sandy support?
  November 20, 2012 at 2:05AM EST
David

I have grown SO tired of this show. I stick around because I once loved these characters, "but we'll get to that later...."
November 20, 2012 at 12:14AM EST Reply to Comment
- Rachel I know ! Totally agree...same here :( It's so f****** boring now. Death of an awesome show.
  November 20, 2012 at 11:51AM EST
- emma I was so bored....just riding it out till the end now.
  November 20, 2012 at 11:55PM EST
Tausif Khan

Any episode that focuses on Marshall makes my interest in the show go way up.

I really liked how Robin/Ted established that Lily's stamp of approval really means something. It shows how cool Lily is, that she is not just a nag and why they all love her so much.

I hated the Barney Robin plot line as they have already done this episode before and it seems like the show was just spinning its wheels before getting Barney and Robin back together.

The info about Ted was also a rehash.
November 20, 2012 at 1:26AM EST Reply to Comment
Bill

It's too bad this season has been so bad and had cameo's from both Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio. Were there any State alum's in prior seasons, I can't seem to remember?
November 20, 2012 at 1:33AM EST Reply to Comment
seaver78

Yep, definitely the best one in a while. The jokes were actually about the characters as we know them, not some slightly altered versions that happen to fit the plot that week. Hoping for more like this going forward, but am not getting my hopes too high.
November 20, 2012 at 1:37AM EST Reply to Comment
CMack

Was this aired out of order? I thought I heard Robin say something about not being single at the end, but she broke it off with her bf last week, right?
November 20, 2012 at 1:53AM EST Reply to Comment
- Balaji K Robin said that "this is what I missed about being single."
  November 20, 2012 at 5:28AM EST
ghoti

Is this show like The Newsroom now where they go back to 2010 to get their jokes?

Next week they all get trapped in the apartment for two months like the Chilean miners. Hilarity ensues!
November 20, 2012 at 3:25AM EST Reply to Comment
- Kevin Yeah, while "The Decision" certainly was certainly ripe for parody at the time, that joke died a long time ago. I didn't find it funny here because it's just a stale reference at this point.
  November 20, 2012 at 9:59AM EST
- Meg Right? Though this storyline did make a joke on Parks & Rec recently make more sense, where Donna said she "took her talents to South Beach." Once I saw this, I realized why that was so funny.
  November 20, 2012 at 2:00PM EST
jweezy

This was the best episode in I can't remember. I only watch because I need to finish it after this long (like The Office) but this is the first time I actually laughed at an episode this season. I still can't stand Ted's "we'll get to that" in every episode, but it was nice to have both Joe's on. I'll always love Brad for when he and Marshall go on Bro Dates and Brad saying 'Eggs Benny.'

Tonight was also the first time I noticed that Falconer and Romanski are now producers this season. Weird to go from BMS to HIMYM, but I guess we'll get another Punchy appearance for sure.
November 20, 2012 at 4:03AM EST Reply to Comment
- eg: Mike Smith BMS is far superios to HIMYM at this point in time. That being said, I love the other Joe coming in as the firm's partner; however, I can only picture him with the high pitched squeeking voice from i love you man...gimme everything you got!
  November 20, 2012 at 9:59AM EST
- jweezy "Thanks for hooking me up with Elmo." I can't believe how much I enjoy BMS. Just the fact that it's on Spike was enough to hate it.
  November 20, 2012 at 2:45PM EST
bmfc1

The "Moneyballs" pitch was great. The guy almost looked liked Jonah Hill and was using SABRmetrics to get Barney what he needed a lower price.
November 20, 2012 at 8:49AM EST Reply to Comment
- Dr. Dunkenstein Except, you know, the B in SABRmetrics is Baseball. Otherwise it's just math.
  November 20, 2012 at 1:38PM EST
Mike

"I groaned, for instance, when the emotional moment between Lily and Ted was immediately sold out for one more joke about College Ted's bad judgment."

That really was pretty awful, particularly since those emotional moments are one of the few things HIMYM can actually do well at times anymore.

November 20, 2012 at 10:48AM EST Reply to Comment
- Jeff I thought it was hilarious. I think the show's emotional moments are great, but it shouldn't be used as a crutch which was the case here. We all have that friend that recommends banging more chicks before you get serious, that's why it was so funny to me and we have to remember, young Ted was a huge douche, it fit in perfectly with his character at the time.
  November 20, 2012 at 11:14AM EST
Rachel

I wish they had ended it last season itself. And as for Ted finding the mother...I have no interest left in it anymore. Who cares? 8 seasons of trying to look for "the one". Ugh! Ted's lucky he's not my dad. I would have had him locked up in the nearest jail for torturing me with his serpentine/labyrinthine tale of how he met the mother ! :(
November 20, 2012 at 11:56AM EST Reply to Comment
srpad

Better than last week but still...

Interestingly Carter Bays made a joke on Twitter this morning mocking extending HIMYM beyond this season so I think even they get it.
November 20, 2012 at 12:04PM EST Reply to Comment
Thomas

I'm not a lawyer, but wouldn't doing what Brad did get you disbarred really quickly?
November 20, 2012 at 12:07PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ted Schmoesby in a criminal case yes, but I don't think that applies here. of course I'm not a lawyer either but I did [WAIT for IT...] stay at a Holiday Inn express last night! Boom! High 10!
  November 20, 2012 at 12:56PM EST
- Meg I did roll my eyes that they'd be interviewing someone in a conference room filled with their entire case strategy and then leave him alone in there. Even if they thought he was a lunatic.
  
  Also, weren't Brad and Marshall pretty good friends? How would Marshall not know where he worked? Do these people not have Facebook?
  November 20, 2012 at 2:03PM EST
- Brian There is absolutely no question that what Brad did would be a ethical violation likely to get him disbarred. I guess he could just deny everything in front of the ethics board (and the sheer rediculousness of the story would be hard to believe), but its still a huge career gamble.
  November 20, 2012 at 5:30PM EST
- SCT That's what Ted is getting to later.
  
  Next episode: "Kids, remember how I told you about Uncle Marshall's big case? Well, long story short, he won and Brad got disbarred. The end. Now back to this f'ing story."
  November 21, 2012 at 10:26AM EST
- JREinATL Didn't realize you'd beat me to this point.
  
  Yes, what Brad did is an enormous ethical violation. One so bad he would likely get disbarred, and the judge would likely just not even go through with the trial and give Marshall's client an automatic victory.
  November 21, 2012 at 11:03AM EST
JREinATL

Look, I know it's a sitcom and all, and you don't get to be picky about things that couldn't really happen, blah, blah, blah....

But Brad would get TOTALLY DISBARRED for what he did. And the judge in the case would undoubtedly sanction his firm and his client, likely with a default judgment that means Marshall's client automatically wins the case. I mean, seriously, writers; do 5 seconds of research.
November 21, 2012 at 10:58AM EST Reply to Comment
Neal

Legal implications aside, Brad's turning on Marshall seemed 100% out of character from the guy we knew in previous seasons (he was a groomsman in Marshall's wedding) and seemed like another example of the writers totally changing someone's personality to fit their lazy writing. I wasn't a fan at all.
November 27, 2012 at 7:58PM EST Reply to Comment
joseph of windows to sky

Far less odious than usual these days. Actually laughed a couple of times.
Three things I liked:
1. Good to see Robin being very cool and slightly awkward and super attractive (and feeling up strippers). This is the Robin I know and adore.

2. Good to see Lily being super awesome and likable and right all the time and a little bit of a snooty control freak, but only a little. That's the Lily I know and adore.

3. I liked that they started the sappy guitar as usual and then turned it back around. I thought it saved it from being yet another formulaic emotional moment out of nowhere that saves the plotline and suddenly redeems the irredeemable.

I also liked watching Ted squirm, learning about himself. It was very human and it didn't have to be very funny. Humor through deep resonant recognition is still good when it's mostly deep resonant recognition and not as huge humor.
December 1, 2012 at 1:30AM EST Reply to Comment

Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'The Stamp Tramp': Tell me all your thoughts on Brad

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

RyanT I did like it. The "twist" on Brad's storyline almost felt like old school HIMYM actually.

Ted Schmoesby Yes! Welcome back everybody! It was getting lonely over here. I kid, you guys were righter than I was, but I still like it :)

Tausif Khan Ted also made sure that Lily was in a picture in college (during the episode where Lily was pointing out how all of Ted's girlfriends ruin their pictures) even though Lily and Marshall had just started dating. Ted knew they were going to make it.

Erica he needs a haircut...BAD! but i thought it was pretty good...very much like the old himym

Sean Did anyone else notice the abundance of purple in the episode?

JJ I noticed it right away and it continued throughout the episode. Hurricane Sandy support?

David I have grown SO tired of this show. I stick around because I once loved these characters, "but we'll get to that later...."

Rachel I know ! Totally agree...same here :( It's so f****** boring now. Death of an awesome show.

emma I was so bored....just riding it out till the end now.

Bill It's too bad this season has been so bad and had cameo's from both Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio. Were there any State alum's in prior seasons, I can't seem to remember?

seaver78 Yep, definitely the best one in a while. The jokes were actually about the characters as we know them, not some slightly altered versions that happen to fit the plot that week. Hoping for more like this going forward, but am not getting my hopes too high.

CMack Was this aired out of order? I thought I heard Robin say something about not being single at the end, but she broke it off with her bf last week, right?

Balaji K Robin said that "this is what I missed about being single."

ghoti Is this show like The Newsroom now where they go back to 2010 to get their jokes?Next week they all get trapped in the apartment for two months like the Chilean miners. Hilarity ensues!

Kevin Yeah, while "The Decision" certainly was certainly ripe for parody at the time, that joke died a long time ago. I didn't find it funny here because it's just a stale reference at this point.

Meg Right? Though this storyline did make a joke on Parks & Rec recently make more sense, where Donna said she "took her talents to South Beach." Once I saw this, I realized why that was so funny.

eg: Mike Smith BMS is far superios to HIMYM at this point in time. That being said, I love the other Joe coming in as the firm's partner; however, I can only picture him with the high pitched squeeking voice from i love you man...gimme everything you got!

jweezy "Thanks for hooking me up with Elmo." I can't believe how much I enjoy BMS. Just the fact that it's on Spike was enough to hate it.

bmfc1 The "Moneyballs" pitch was great. The guy almost looked liked Jonah Hill and was using SABRmetrics to get Barney what he needed a lower price.

Dr. Dunkenstein Except, you know, the B in SABRmetrics is Baseball. Otherwise it's just math.

Mike "I groaned, for instance, when the emotional moment between Lily and Ted was immediately sold out for one more joke about College Ted's bad judgment."That really was pretty awful, particularly since those emotional moments are one of the few things HIMYM can actually do well at times anymore.

srpad Better than last week but still...Interestingly Carter Bays made a joke on Twitter this morning mocking extending HIMYM beyond this season so I think even they get it.

Thomas I'm not a lawyer, but wouldn't doing what Brad did get you disbarred really quickly?

Ted Schmoesby in a criminal case yes, but I don't think that applies here. of course I'm not a lawyer either but I did [WAIT for IT...] stay at a Holiday Inn express last night! Boom! High 10!

Brian There is absolutely no question that what Brad did would be a ethical violation likely to get him disbarred. I guess he could just deny everything in front of the ethics board (and the sheer rediculousness of the story would be hard to believe), but its still a huge career gamble.

SCT That's what Ted is getting to later. Next episode: "Kids, remember how I told you about Uncle Marshall's big case? Well, long story short, he won and Brad got disbarred. The end. Now back to this f'ing story."

JREinATL Didn't realize you'd beat me to this point.Yes, what Brad did is an enormous ethical violation. One so bad he would likely get disbarred, and the judge would likely just not even go through with the trial and give Marshall's client an automatic victory.

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How I Met Your Mother is updated

RyanT

I did like it. The "twist" on Brad's storyline almost felt like old school HIMYM actually.

Erica

he needs a haircut...BAD! but i thought it was pretty good...very much like the old himym

Sean

Did anyone else notice the abundance of purple in the episode?

David

I have grown SO tired of this show. I stick around because I once loved these characters, "but we'll get to that later...."

Bill

It's too bad this season has been so bad and had cameo's from both Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio. Were there any State alum's in prior seasons, I can't seem to remember?

seaver78

Yep, definitely the best one in a while. The jokes were actually about the characters as we know them, not some slightly altered versions that happen to fit the plot that week. Hoping for more like this going forward, but am not getting my hopes too high.

CMack

Was this aired out of order? I thought I heard Robin say something about not being single at the end, but she broke it off with her bf last week, right?

ghoti

Is this show like The Newsroom now where they go back to 2010 to get their jokes?

Next week they all get trapped in the apartment for two months like the Chilean miners. Hilarity ensues!

bmfc1

The "Moneyballs" pitch was great. The guy almost looked liked Jonah Hill and was using SABRmetrics to get Barney what he needed a lower price.

srpad

Better than last week but still...

Interestingly Carter Bays made a joke on Twitter this morning mocking extending HIMYM beyond this season so I think even they get it.

Thomas

I'm not a lawyer, but wouldn't doing what Brad did get you disbarred really quickly?

SCT That's what Ted is getting to later.

Next episode: "Kids, remember how I told you about Uncle Marshall's big case? Well, long story short, he won and Brad got disbarred. The end. Now back to this f'ing story."

JREinATL Didn't realize you'd beat me to this point.

Yes, what Brad did is an enormous ethical violation. One so bad he would likely get disbarred, and the judge would likely just not even go through with the trial and give Marshall's client an automatic victory.

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What's Alan Watching is updated