HIMYM Review: Bass Player Wanted

How I Met Your Mother 

'Bass Player Wanted' Review

After a weeks break, HIMYM has returned for its mid season finale. Much hype was made on social networks by the shows creators about the fact that this episode would predominantly focus on the mother. Although it did not fully live up to its exceedingly high expectations, the episode was definitely one of the better showings this season.

This weeks episode did not seem to have an easily classified main story and sub plot as each character had an equal amount of screen time and it was all interwoven into one another.

The story begins with Marshall and Marvin's final five mile walk to the Farhampton Inn. Instantly I feared that , much like 'Bedtime Stories', this episode was going to focus solely on this journey, providing the audience with another filler episode. Once more the cheesy western style music for Marshall and Marvin's journey began, but thankfully it was short lived as the one and only mother picked them up and happily took the two onward to Farhampton. 

This was a far better move by the writers as the audience was able to witness the chemistry between herself and Marshall. It was great how she initially messed with his head, pretending to be a psychic, knowing everything about him, with us the audience knowing full well that Lily had divulged all the information to her on the train ride in the season premiere.

Furthermore, it was great to see the similarities between the two, as both are undeniably polite, avoiding confrontation at all costs, yet ahead of them were some hefty situations which needed to be resolved.

The mothers fear about the looming possible confrontation weaved into Ted, Barney, Robin and Lily's stories as a mysterious man named Darren (Andrew Rannells) became involved with their issues. 

His first encounter with Lily and Robin was rather humourous with their initial confusion whether or not he was a relative of Robins furthered by the two girls telepathic conversation about a possible menage-a-trois with this stranger. Eventually we learn that behind all the niceties, he is in fact a "firestarter", causing rifts between friendships. This led to Lily finding out that Robin was siding with Marshall about the judgeship vs Rome debate, whilst Robin was less than enthusiastic that her thunder was somewhat stolen by Lily's issue. They were not the most serious of issues, somewhat feeling that they were brought to the table simply for the sake of the plot device, but at least they were addressed in some manner. 

Darren's second encounter with Ted and Barney was far more substantial as Barney found out that Ted was moving to Chicago. This eventually had to be found out by someone else within the group and it was best that it was by Barney. What worked so well was that, although he did initially attempt to persuade Ted out of moving, Barney completely understood that the move was not just for the job for Ted, but more so to ease the pain of losing Robin, and he respected that. 

Ted's little escapade to retrieve yet another bottle of Glen McKenna Scotch, resulting in larceny, was also a nice little touch to emphasise to Barney that he would do anything for his best friend. It almost acted as a thank you for Barneys acceptance of Teds future plans.    

Eventually the whole group were back together again with Marshall finally walking through the doors of the Farhampton Inn, to his horror of finding an aggressive Lily, which thankfully for the time being she "paused" on (There will definitely be an episode dedicated to this argument). 

And again there was a nice little tie in between Ted and the mother: Firstly in terms of their behaviour with the mother's monologue commenting about karma, echoing ever so obviously the way in which Ted thinks; secondly with Teds physical actions unknowingly removing the subject of her confrontation. 

Overall Bass Player Wanted was not exactly what I was anticipating. Hoping that this would be the occasion for the mother and Ted to physically meet one another I admit  that I was a little disappointed. But it made complete sense to tie in the mother with Marshall seeing as she has already met Lily and Barney. No doubt there will be an episode of Robin meeting her too. 

The issue of Chicago was also played out well, with no crazy melodramatics, and the tension between Lily and Marshall is now at an all time high.

It is great that everyone is now at the Farhampton Inn, primarily the mother, as the show can now bring a steady stream of excitable intrigue about the moments up until that fateful moment for Ted.     

7.9/10

HIMYM Review: The Rehearsal Dinner

How I Met Your Mother 

'The Rehearsal Dinner' Review 

Last weeks HIMYM decided to move towards a more experimental approach with an episode entirely dedicated to a nursery rhyme motif. 

Despite the bold move, it ultimately remained a little stale, notably because it was one of the most obvious filler episodes to date. 

This week however the show returned back to form, providing a decent episode which was somewhat bogged down by a sense of deja vu.

The main premise began with Barney handcuffed in a laser tag security office seemingly assured that Robin had set up the rehearsal dinner at this venue rather than at the Farhampton hotel itself. Much to Robins annoyance and displeasure Barney recounts the series of events leading up to that moment. From there on, numerous flashbacks ensued. 

The scene at McLarens pub, with Robin asking for the wedding to be held in Canada, was fairly well executed with the whole crew making silly jokes about her country. Teds interjection that the jokes continued for what seemed a lifetime was a nice little touch as a few extras in the background had their entire lives playing out during that scene.

The secondary flashback of Barney retaliation at Robin's bachelor party prank was also particularly funny with Barney's childish behaviour with the puppies whilst Robin remained rather serious about his sadistic prank on her. Her rule to be more like Marshall and Lily, with no surprises in their relationship was crucial for the overall arc of the story.

What worked best with this plot line was that Barney's obsessive behaviour was so typical of him that it was hard to see the bigger picture, which ended up being a really nice surprise. But at the same time, as nice a surprise it was, it was far too reminiscent of his play "The Robin" in terms of its structure and how the events unfolded.  

Additionally there were some curiosities about the practicalities of the final moments and how Robin quite literally did not see this.

As for Ted and Lily they were left on the sidelines with some mediocre gags. 

The reminder of Lily's inability to keep a secret was rather dull, particularly as we have seen this used multiple times before during previous seasons. It was an interesting reminder though that she had still kept the secret of Teds move to Chicago under wraps. The whole secret issue loosely seeped into Lily telling Ted and Robin about Marshall's judgeship and the possibility of the move to Italy being put on hold, but it seemed a weak way for the rest of the gang to find out. 

Ted was once more a caricature of his usual self, with flashbacks of himself attempting to play the piano whilst dressed up like Liberace as a present for Robin and Barney. There was little to care about with this subplot, although his statement during the initial flashback that he was the best at giving wedding presents with Marshall and Lily's instant looks of disgust was a nice little remembrance of their feud in The Poker Game.    

Apart from a few small appearances in the flashbacks, Marshall was not involved in the proceedings of the present events. There wasn't much indication of how far into his five mile walk to the hotel he was in or whether or not this all occurred during his bus travel. 

Regardless of the sub-par side stories, Barney and Robin's main arc was a nice lighthearted tale which goes to show that they will never be the conventional couple, but instead will constantly amaze and surprise one another to illustrate their love. The final moments were a little too familiar but certainly no excuse to complain about it. 

As nice as it was, the show really needs to place Ted back on the forefront, particularly as the series is edging ever so close to its conclusion.

7/10

HIMYM Review: Bedtime Stories

How I Met Your Mother 

'Bedtime Stories' Review

How I Met Your Mother has been somewhat experimental with a handful of its episodes, but Bedtime Stories takes the cake with an episode completely dedicated to rhyming throughout the entire 22 minute run through. But was enjoyable, or simply grating? For the most part it did a decent job but it didn't save it from the obvious fact that the story itself was pure filler.

The episode begins with Marshall desperately attempting to get his son Marvin to sleep on the bus journey back to Farhampton. Realising that he forgot the nursery rhymes book, Marshall decides to tell tales based on his three friends.

The first tale "Mosby at the Bat" recalls Ted making acquaintance with another college professor, Lisa by which he agrees to go out to a restaurant, but is unsure whether to call it a date or not. 

This little subplot was very much akin to the classic HIMYM style with Barney creating clues by which Ted could determine if he was on a date or not. Barneys use of a globe painted over with Date and Not a Date was very reminiscent of his hot/crazy scale which was a nice touch.  

Additionally there was a rather humorous moment at the end of that tale when the passenger commented about how crass Marshall's story was, which then jumped to future Ted apologizing to his kids.  

We then move onto the weaker tale of the three, Robin eating a whole wedding cake. It was good use of a flashback of Robin when times were hard, i'm guessing this occasion was when she broke up with Don as she let herself go, and the guest appearance by James Van Der Beek was a nice little surprise. But apart from that, the remainder of it was rather stupid. The only funny part in this segment was Marshall's fellow bus passenger doing a rap to aid Marshall who couldn't find a word to rhyme with Canada.

Finally on to Barney, his "Player King of New York City" was as equally silly with his mafia meeting with other players of the New York, all played by himself of course. But this sheer craziness is easily associated with Barney so it was a little more acceptable, although there was distinct lack of humour unfortunately. It was also nice that his and Ted's story both linked in with one another ever so loosely. 

As a whole the episode was generally OK, the whole episode rhyming actually worked fairly well as they used pretty simple rhyming verse. Some of the rhyming did falter in places, particularly with Lily during Robin's story, but the rest of the gang did it well.

Although rather silly, each little tale that Marshall told lighthearted and watchable. But the main issue was that this was the biggest filler episode. There was nothing linked to the wedding itself. Hopefully the next episode will reflect on what went on with the rest of the gang in Farhampton during Marshall's journey.

5.8/10

Movie Review: The Bling Ring

The Bling Ring

 Review

Here in the 21st Century young western society seems to aspire to the socialite lifestyles, attempting to emulate the constant impression that we are all having a party hard way of life and that it is better than anyone else's. 

With The Bling Ring, this film hones down on this ideal with a group of teenagers committing multiple burglaries across LA in the homes of the rich and famous in order to recreate that same type of lifestyle for themselves. 

Although the film says that it is based on true events, caution is slightly needed as the film itself is based on the Vanity Fair article " The Suspects wore Louboutins" by Nancy Jo Sales.

The Bling Ring starts off fairly well, introducing the male lead Marc (Israel Broussard), a boy who is constantly paranoid about the way he looks and that he is not good enough to be considered "A-list" material. 

On his first day at school he swiftly meets Rebecca (Katie Chang) and their friendship seems to flourish rather quickly from there on. 

All too easily we begin to realise she's a rebel and that theft is almost a drug for her, with the adrenaline fueling her to keep on wanting to do more, each time the more extravagant. And thus her friends Nicki (Emma Watson), Chloe (Claire Julien) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga) get dragged in for the ride. But they all take great pleasure in their criminal offences.

The whole insight into what American adolescents aspire to be is completely understandable for those watching who are also young adults.

The emphasis on the pressures of your social media persona on the likes of Facebook were all very close to home. The scenes of the girls constantly taking photos of themselves, attempting each time to look provocative and sexual, instantly uploading them onto Facebook for recognition and approval was a great illustration of the pressures for girls in western society. 

Additionally the obsession with "news" about celebrities, with their DUI's and the whereabouts of their partying were was also nice little mockery of teens fixated with people who are only famous for their notoriety and not their actual achievements.

The main issue with the film is that the characters were not overly developed. Although perhaps that was Sofia Coppola's aim so that we don't create potential idols of these convicts, there was a definite lack of interest in them. 

This lack of character was particularly the case for all the female leads. They were a collective persona: all rather bitchy and manipulative in order to get what they wanted. There was also no sense of guilt or remorse between them all, but simply reveling in their own notoriety. 

Apart from minor elements such as Nicki's "religious beliefs" based on the book The Secret, the lack of differentiation between the female cast made it rather dull. 

Marc was slightly better in that he provided a more diverse range of emotions, but even then his character was rather bland. 

Additionally the film itself did get quite repetitive and slow with the almost rehashed footage of the group relaxing, playing around and then robbing the houses. 

Overall The Bling Ring is a pretty standard film which ultimately is more interesting for the teenagers and young adults of this generation. The film was playful and the soundtrack was really great, creating the mood of the party hard way of life. 

Two moments towards the end of the movie though put it much higher in my books. 

Marc's comment that we live in a world with a "sick fascination of the Bonnie and Clyde kind of thing" is incredibly true, particularly when he further noted that he received 800 friend requests on Facebook for his criminal offences which he acknowledged that if his actions were for a charitable cause, that wouldn't have been the case. Secondly the final moments with Emma Watson's Nicki was a sly, well placed twist of events. These two moments highlight what a warped, confused society we live in and it was used to great effect.      

6.7/10

HIMYM Review: Mom and Dad

How I Met Your Mother

'Mom and Dad' Review

We were welcomed last week with an episode of HIMYM that was on full form, blending the best of comedy with some very well done underlying drama. Unfortunately this week threw away much of the drama and instead opted for pure slapstick. It worked in places but for the most part it was rather stale.

As the title suggests, the episode focused on Mom and Dad, in this case the return of John Lithgow as Jerome, James' vicar father and Loretta. 

The plot between the Stinson family ran very thin regards to its premise as a whole and the events that followed were, for the most part, equally lacklustre. 

Barney was once more his immature self with his head in the clouds, completely ignorant of any contradictory statement made about his mother and fathers relationship. Fortunately Neil Patrick Harris does it well enough though to still make it enjoyable, It was also nice to see James become a child too and squabble with Barney about the situation. 

What made it a shame was that John Lithgow's performance was incredibly limited. After some fairly tense moments in season 6 between he and Barney it would have been nicer to have had a bit more grounded sincerity between the two.   

All issues aside, there was a fantastic musical number with the whole Stinson family set in a cliched 1950's suburban backdrop. Of course Barney and James were the best of the bunch. It was like watching NPH at the Tony awards with his cheesy lyrics battling it out in song with Wayne Brady. 

On to Ted, he was once more enlisted with best man duties, on this occasion to keep hidden a signed picture of Wayne Gretzky from Robin. 

After later finding it damaged in his room, the plot turned into a detective mystery story and was typically ridiculous with its cheesy 'whodunit' approach of which the three subjects convicted was a poor listing: from a random concierge to Robins estranged cousin and of course The Karate Kid's Billy Zabka.

Admittedly it was funny to watch Ted get fully invested in the situation and go into full on detective mode (although surprisingly no references to The Mosby Boys was made), but the return of the "conflict" between Billy Zabka and himself was simply satisfactory. There was no actual sense of mystery with the proceedings at all. It was clearly pointed out in The Poker Game that Billy wanted to exact his revenge.

Finally we move on to Marshall and Daphne. Aside from some poor gags for the reasoning behind Daphne's abrupt anger it was actually a nice heartfelt short tale. We have come to learn from the previous episodes that Daphne is a big wig in the oil drilling community and has missed out on much of her child's life because of this, but it was never really developed, until now. The story ended with a nice resolution for Marshall and Daphne with them parting ways on friendly terms. 

Granted it was a nice way to end the two's journey together but it was rather pleasing that this arc had come to a close. Now it is time for Marshall to be more invested in the shenanigans between the whole gang.

Overall Moms and Dads was a satisfactory effort which tried a little too hard with the slapstick humour.

 It was a little surprising seeing as this script was written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas themselves who are usually more akin to writing the more serious episodes. It was also disappointing how flat and one dimensional the characters were portrayed. Although they made small appearances, the lack of Robin and Lily in this episode was also a bit of a downer.

Onwards and upwards they say. Let's hope so for next weeks HIMYM

5/10

HIMYM Review: Platonish

How I Met Your Mother 

"Platonish" Review

Although the episode began with a short continuation of Robins despair over her mother not attending the wedding, Last nights HIMYM ended up a different affair with a full on flashback, six months before the wedding. At this point in time Ted's feelings for Robin were still uncertain and Barney was let loose with a full on girl grabbing spree after his failure to woo Robin for keeps. 

The theme of this episode really began with Barney explaining to Ted and Lily that (apart from Marshall and Robin) no relationship can simply be platonic, there will always remain a sense of sexual tension. 

Teds outright assurance to the gang that Barney's theory was incorrect and that he is simply friends with Robin was ultimately transparent, one which the group could all see. 

This arc was great as we got to witness the more serious side of Mr Mosby, constantly questioning the "what ifs" and his overall hesitancy towards making the leap to go after her. It is a very relatable situation for the audience I'm sure. 

The idea that Marshall was purely pushing Ted to make the move purely due to the bet he made with Lily did make his inclusion seem a little insincere, but this was swiftly overridden, he clearly cares about Ted and his constant assessment of the situation highlighted this.  

Admittedly the whole basketball game setting for Ted and Marshall's interactions felt a little bit random. It could have easily been done at MacLarens or even the apartment, but I suppose it was ample ground for some play on words of which the two hounded down at the coach and referee.  

Additionally the truth about Teds future decision to move to Chicago was somewhat unraveled. Bryan Cranston returned as Hammond Druthers, headhunting for Ted to join the architecture firm he works for in Chicago. 

The guest appearance was short and simple, with Druthers behaviour remaining to be same old egotistical self, grappling firmly his Pete Rose signed baseball. 

Considering the hype of Cranston making a return appearance, particularly after his critically acclaimed participation in Breaking Bad, it was a little bit of a shame that there wasn't more of a fleshed out story. Surprisingly though this tiny element strongly emphasised how much in dire straits Ted must be about his feelings towards Robin, to he point of wanting to flee and work for Druthers, who he publicly despised.   

As for the remaining trio, we were left with an equally strong premise which started off a little silly which developed into a more powerful plot.

Barney's "Challenge Accepted" was put to the test with the girls dishing out various challenges for him.

The garbage bag/ not allowed to use the letter "E" challenge was the best of the three. It was literally lough out loud funny when Barney would accidentally pronounce the "E", get frustrated and leave the girls he was hitting on. 
As for the remaining two, the Ryan Gosling play was fairly funny, particularly with Barneys quick psychoanalysis of the girl, but the introductory Dolphin was rather unbelievable and very much over the top.

But it was the fourth and final challenge that proved to be the best aspect of the show. It was great to see Barney meet the mother in that awkward situation, with her extracting the truth behind Barney's crazy antics and thus revealing the origin story of The Playbook's "The Robin".

Overall Platonish has been the most entertaining episode of season 9 to date. The blend of serious drama with comedy, which for once in a long time running was actually laugh out loud funny, worked extremely well. 
Even though the plots were technically divided, they tied really well into one another. But the final moments fast forwarding in time back to Farhampton, revealing Teds look of distress that he decided to sit back rather than go for the win like Barney was the icing on the cake. 
Yes some of you fans might feel that it's covering old ground yet again, but still there is no denying that there was a strong overall story.
Will more conflict between Ted and Barney return? We'll have to wait and see. Fingers crossed it does.

8.7/10

HIMYM Review: The Lighthouse

How I Met Your Mother 

"The Lighthouse" Review

After last weeks fairly mediocre outing with a feeble attempt to create a slapstick Halloween style episode of HIMYM, which ultimately did not work within season 9's new episode structure, I was not anticipating much. Fortunately last nights The Lighthouse ended up being more akin to the classic HIMYM style.

The main storyline brought up the "raging" warfare between Robin and Loretta. The initial conflict was downright silly with the two debating whether Loretta or Robin's mother could make the best scrambled eggs. 

In some sense it was good in that it brought some intrigue about Robin's mother finally making an appearance on the show. The additional flashbacks containing trickles of information about the mother was also a great touch.

But it wasn't until in the second half of the battle when Robin had to make scrambled eggs in her mothers place that the plot became a lot more interesting. Loretta's quip about Robin being unable to serve her kids breakfast due to her poor cooking skills brought back the harsh reality of Robin's inability to have children. It was really hard hitting to see the poor Robin completely crash at this remark. 

This plot proved to be even stronger with Barney's speech to his mother about his sheer adoration for his fiance, no matter what problems there may be. The flashback scene with Robin telling Barney her problem with his immediate sincere reaction was great. This solidified the notion that these two are in a strong relationship, no matter their constant cold feet in prior episodes.      

Although a shame that it looks like we will never see Robins mother it worked so much more in favour for the eventual heart to heart between Loretta and Robin.

As for dear old Ted, he was once again left with the emotionally unstable Cassie. Simply taking poor advice from Lily in an attempt to visit a nearby lighthouse without being scolded for being single, this plotline was very thin. We as the audience all know that he's never going to be with her, so it felt a bit of waste. 

The moment before the finale with Ted cynicism, complaining that there's only a certain amount of times you can do certain things with Lily's instant rejection of that notion was a great build up

With Lily herself, the anger towards Marshall was fairly funny, breaking her glass anytime an association was made with his judgeship, but I hope that it eventually amounts to something more substantial and grounded. This type of slapstick will get stale if it continues and the show works best when it moves towards a more serious route, just like Loretta and Robin's storyline. 

Yet again Marshall and Daphne's plot was completely uninteresting with the return of Ted's stepfather Clint trying to appease the conflict between the two travelers. It's not a good sign at all when you are literally looking at your watch, waiting for that particular segment to finish.
The only somewhat intriguing part was when Marshall cut loose and unleashed some aggression towards Daphne and played the  classic HIMYM tune "500 Miles". I am hoping that song plays for the rest of their trip.

 Overall The Lighthouse was a pleasant surprise. The Robin/Loretta plot was a little bit unnerving at first, but it flourished into something wonderful. It was also slightly disappointing to see such a small role for Ted for the majority of the episode but the final scene with Ted and the mother literally brought tears of joy to my eyes. It was fantastic! So glad to see Cristin Milioti again.

7.5/10

HIMYM Review: Knight Vision

How I Met Your Mother 

"Knight Vision" Review

Last week's The Poker Game had quite a bit to be desired, remaining in a stalemate position regarding Robin and Barney's fears about marriage. Luckily last nights episode eradicated this really humdrum plot in favour of one of acceptance and pride in their relationship.

Robin and Barney's story begins with their moody Reverend coming to visit. As Maid of Honour, Lily attempts to appease the reverend only to find out that Robin and Barney stole the story of how she and Marshall met for their own benefit to secure the church. 

This worked really well, particularly with the character switch over flashback with Robin and Barney spoofing Marshall and Lily's behaviour. This whole sequence proved to work even better with Lily retelling an altered version of Ted meeting Robin, but with her and Marshall instead. It was a little bitter to say against Robin, but acceptable considering the circumstances. Luckily Ted wasn't around during this retelling as this harsh truth and realisation might have sparked some possible resentment towards Barney.

I was under the assumption that this whole "stolen story" was going to run through the entire episode with Barney and Robin forcing it onto multiple subjects, reassuring themselves that their relationship is solid, whilst diminishing the tie of the dorm room encounter to Marshall and Lily, but thankfully this was not the case. 

Instead we were greeted with the couple finally reaffirming how strong their relationship is, even after all the trials and tribulations along the way. It was nice that that two name dropped certain events throughout the show to emphasize how well they know each other.

As for Marshall, he was put back in place of the road trip to Farhampton with Daphne. But this time things took a turn for the more serious with the two having a discussion about Marshall taking the judgeship job and preparing him for the inevitable confrontation with Lily. 

The practice confrontations were pretty funny with an imaginary flashforward of Marshall telling Lily the news. Lily's miming with Daphne's voice dubbed over was really well done as Alyson Hannigan really exaggerated her lip movements and the voice sync was perfect making it somewhat believable. Marshall's  interruptions of the sequences whilst feeling uncomfortable about Lily talking in Daphne's voice was also fairly funny. 

Finally moving onto Ted, although his plot should be considered to be the main story (especially considering the episode title is named after his antics) it felt more of a side filler piece than anything else.

His attempt to try and hook up with one of three girls for the weekend worked fairly well in line with the introductory "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" reference, but the knight constantly popping up throughout got a little bit annoying after a while. We all knew what he was going to say to Ted each time. 

It was good though that even with Ted wanting so desperately to hook up with this girl Cassie, he still remained a proper gentleman. 

I was kind of hoping to see the mother wandering around in the background whilst Ted was having to cope with Cassie's hysteria but unfortunately this didn't surface. it would have been a really nice touch.

Overall Knight Vision had a fair amount going for it. Instantly from the introduction scene with Barney's little jab at Ted's dry spell and the Indiana Jones reference I knew this was going to be a more solid episode. 

The silliness of both Ted's and Robin and Barney's plots combined with the seriousness of Marshall's created a nice balance, even if it was in a little bit more in favour of the stupidity (e.g. Barney's imaginary Weekend at Bernie's Reverend scene). 

What becomes of the Reverend was a little bit dramatic, but at least Barney and Robins search for a new one will hopefully remove any need to bring back their questioning of marriage. 

Finally, the cliffhanger was a bit harsh of Daphne to do, but the truth had to be outed eventually. Definitely looking forward to Lily's reaction and probable conflict between her and Marshall.

7.9/10

Speculative Note: Has anyone else realised that The Princess Bride and Indiana Jones have been referenced in both HIMYM and Big Bang Theory over the last few weeks?? Is there a link or reasoning behind this??

HIMYM Review: The Poker Game

How I Met Your Mother 

"The Poker Game" Review

Last weeks HIMYM ended with The Karate Kid's Billy Zabka not amused by Ted's returning role as Barneys best man. Immediately I anticipated a slapstick episode with a "war" being waged between the two to follow. Interestingly this did not happen but instead a different war had sparked, this time between Robin and the Stinson family.   

With Barney and Robin's plot they were once again in a bit of a repeated situation, still testing the strength of the relationship. In this case James was making bad jokes about the issues of marriage. Although it did not seem to be affecting Barney negatively in any way making him uneasy at all, Robin was still concerned that it could amount to Barney getting cold feet. Ultimately Robin's hand at a poker game, stripping what was left of James dignity by acquiring his wedding ring proves to be her tactic of revenge.

This situation seemed peculiar at best. It was understandable that James was upset with his divorce, but it wasn't to be expected that he would try and make Barney question marriage. especially as in the previous episodes he was trying to help the couple out.

The same can be said for Robin. Yes she has been known to have a harsh side to herself, but taking her brother-in-laws wedding ring was a little too much to prove a point.

The addition of Loretta (Barneys mum) did not add much to this simply satisfactory story. Her instant distaste in Robin was a little odd seeing as the two seemed comfortable in each others company at the end of Season 8's The Bro Mitzvah. To add insult to injury Barneys outlandish denouncement of his brother and mother at the end was far too crazy. This only seemed to act as an excuse for the war to be officially waged between Robin and Loretta.

As for the remainder of the cast, Ted, Marshall and Lily 's story was actually a lot better than anticipated.

It all begins with Ted bragging that he bought three wedding gifts for Robin and Barney only for Lily to be furious as Ted had supposedly not given her and Marshall a present for their own wedding. 

The structure of this plot was reminiscent of the standard episodes of the previous seasons with multiple flashbacks to uncover the actual truth behind the series of events. Not only was it nice to have flashbacks of the times spent in the apartment, on the roof and in the bar (particularly as I noted last week that the Farhampton location is getting somewhat stale) but the plot was actually funny; from both Ted and Marshall's assumptions that each one had understood their subtle hints, to the present day immature little innuendo's.

A great addition was the return of some old friends, Claudia and Stuart. Although they did not play a tremendous part in the scheme of things, it was intriguing to question why they're not together anymore. (Unless Stuart's shower partner is actually his mistress! if so it could cause some dilemmas during the wedding. But this is just speculative)   

Another nice touch was small glimpse of the Slutty Pumpkin, A nice little memento to keep up with the continuity of the show and to highlight that Ted did not pay that much attention in the search for her for all those years.

Overall The Poker Game would not have survived without the forgotten wedding present scenario. Barney and Robins situation seems to be in a constant state of repetition and was neither interesting nor funny. Luckily the secondary storyline was the opposite, creating a little bit of curiosity about the truth of the gift and providing a fair amount of laughs. 

It has to be noted that the cast of HIMYM stated at the San Diego Comic-Con that their roles in season 9 would remain minimal in order for Ted's part to play as the main focus again. This does not seem to be the case yet. Additionally it is really unfortunate that the mother has not made an appearance again after that lovely introduction and fair amount of screen time in the initial two episodes of the season, ultimately it now feels like a major tease.

7.1/10

HIMYM Review: The Broken Code

How I Met Your Mother 

"The Broken Code" Review

Last week's episode of HIMYM ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger with Barney telling Ted that he saw the events unfolding at the carousel. There has been great curiosity during the period between the episodes, questioning whether Barney would ultimately be cold hearted about it, much like his small confrontation with Ted in last season's Romeward Bound, or simply brush it off, they are bro's after all. What we ended up with was little bit of both.

The main plot started off rather simply with Barney accepting that Ted's moment with Robin was nothing to be worried about. It was a little surprising at first to think that the situation would be resolved so quickly but it clearly wasn't going to be as simple as that. Eventually Barney's constant best man requests to Ted were proof that he was not happy about the situation. Of course Ted being his polite self rushed to aid his best friend without any hesitation. 

The requests thankfully weren't overtly ridiculous and it was funny to hear Ted go on in adoration of himself with his calligraphy skills, especially with his note on his travelling quills. It made him sound stupendously pretentious. Although Ted eventually realised that Barney was still upset, it was a little bit too long for him to cotton on to this fact. Ted is smarter than that.

As for the remainder of the plot, it amounted to Barney trying to prove that Teds actions was a felony within the laws of the Bro Code. It was a low blow for Barney to take on Ted, especially considering that Robin was originally Ted's partner who eventually forgave Barney for sleeping with her after their split. Barney should have given the same amount of respect. 

The overall situation was somewhat resolved, but there still remains to be a bit of hesitancy about Teds possible future actions.        

As for Lily and Robin, their side story seemed to be a bit of filler. After the realisation that Robin has no other female friends, Lily goes on a hunt for a new girlfriend to somewhat fill her place once she's in Rome (if that trip ever happens). 

Although we know this to be true that Robin has a lack of female friends, it didn't really justify the need to bring back her annoyingly shrill persona, particularly with Patrice. It honestly does not bode well with her overall character. 

This side plot felt useless in some sense because Lily instantly rejects what she is trying to do to help Robin in the first place. Her psychotic behaviour towards this potential new friend of Robins was not effective in any way, purely because the exchange lasted a minute at most. 

Thoughts have come to mind that this event is in preparation for Robin to meet and befriend the mother whilst Lily accepts this transition but whether or not this will be the case is yet to be seen.   

Finally Marshall had a bit more priority in this episode. He became more involved with the goings on at Farhampton with the help of Marshpillow Version 2.0; simply an iPad attached to the head, using video calling to be involved with the shenanigans. 

He was offered a few good little jokes based on the delay of the video calls and there were some great references to Weekend at Bernie's whilst Marshall tried to aid and assist with Ted and Barney's problem. 

It was nice to see Marshall once more involved with his friends rather than on his own little trip with Daphne to Farhampton. 

Overall The Broken Code felt a little similar to last weeks episode in that it attempted to be equally as serious towards the end, in this case for Ted and Barney. But unfortunately this time it did not have any profound effect, except for some expectations of the inevitable. 

There were a few nice guest star returns, but Tim Gunn's jokes were very much hit and miss and Billy Zabka did not have much presence until a few words muttered to Ted at the end, although I must say I'm a little intrigued to see what The Karate Kid star's role will be with Ted in later episodes.  

6.8/10    

Sidenote: Only four episodes in, is anyone else feeling that the hotel location is getting a bit stale??

HIMYM Review: Last Time In New York

How I Met Your Mother 

"Last Time In New York" 

Review

After last weeks two good introductory episodes for season 9, the expectation for the show to continue this way was put in place. Whilst this weeks episode wasn't as well delivered, it still was a fairly decent offering with the same overall tone.

Starting off with Lily and Ted, yet again their story arc was the best of the episode. Once more it was played nice and seriously for the majority of the time. Yes there were little side gags here and there such as the return of Linus serving Lily drinks, but for the most part they kind of worked. 

This was most definitely the case for the return of the swords. It was a nice subtle nod towards the season one episode "The Duel" but was also great in that it worked within Ted's list. It was also a great touch that Lily and Robin got involved too with their own little duel with funny little incorrect references to The Princess Bride. But what was more important was that it all linked into Robin finding the list. Although Lily saved him from admitting the truth about it, for now anyway, it was great to see her maternally protective side towards Ted.

Unfortunately apart from Ted and Lily's sincere storyline, the rest of the gang were left with rather lacklustre plots. 

For the case of Barney and Robin they were once again freaking out about the consequences of tying the knot, concerned that once they commit they will end up in an argumentative, sexless marriage. Fair enough that there is a nice little resolution for the two of them at the end of the episode, but it is a little bit concerning that this fear is still ongoing. I cannot tell if it's the writers are simply running out of ideas for the two of them together or whether it may actually play a stronger role later on in the season. Let's hope it is the latter.

Additionally Barney and Robin were left with a plethora of bad jokes about the old relatives coming to the wedding, comparing them to zombies and the like. Apart from a small joke from brother James "sacrificing" himself to the old people to save Barney, the rest was not funny in the slightest.   

As for Marshall he was practically non existent in this episode, only making minor appearances here and there. It's a little tough to highlight his place in the show. There were references to his NFL Viking loving antics in the Packers state of Wisconsin, only for him to be eventually made a fool out of, but me being British, these jokes flew right over my head.

Overall the episode was generally satisfactory, but in true HIMYM form it was the final moments that heightened its sense of purpose. 

Lily's speech to Ted was a really nice touch with all the flashbacks of the last 8 years. It really brought about the sense that the show is really ending. 

But more importantly it was the last few seconds which resulted in a major cliffhanger between Ted and Barney and calls into question how seriously Barney will treat this whole affair.

Although a bit of a bumpy ride, Last Time In New York still managed to pull me in and made me extremely curious about what will happen in next weeks episode.

7/10   

HIMYM Review: Season 9 Premiere - The Locket/Coming Back

How I Met Your Mother

Season 9 Premiere

 "The Locket" Review

How I Met Your Mother has returned for its ninth and final season. Considering how long this show has gone on for it was pleasantly surprising that it still has some drive in continuing this crazily long story arc. 

Season 9's premiere begins directly after the ending of season 8 with the cast making their way to Farhampton for Barney and Robins wedding.

Although they all seemed to have an equal amount of screen time, it was the continuing plot between Lily and Ted which seemed to be the more prominent. 

At first it began rather stupidly with Ted being his rather anal self by attempting to have a pretentious road trip filled with visits to windmills and a driving gloves. Thankfully this transpired into a more serious affair with Robins locket coming back into play and whether or not Ted will give it to her. Interestingly a flashback produced a bit of a twist about the locket, with the episode ending with Ted in LA. 

As with Lily it was great to see her meet the mother, of course completely unaware that this will eventually be Teds future wife. Apart from the little over exaggeration about a batch of cookies, the two of them worked really well together, I dare say those few moments had more genuine bonding than Lily and Robin ever had.

Barney and Robin were saddled with a running side gag of the two possibly being related to one another (Remember Barney is 1/4 Canadian). It was fairly funny, with Robin speaking in her native tongue and Barney asking her to speak English, but it wasn't anything amazing. What made it good was that it loosely tied into Teds plot with the two of them questioning who may be a wildcard at the wedding, potentially ruining it.             

As for poor Marshall, he was left with a sub plot which was not overly entertaining. It wasn't so over the top that it became ridiculous but the jokes were simply lacklustre and Daphne was annoyingly loud and obnoxious. It looks to be an epic journey for Marshall to get to the wedding. But I hope he arrives in Farhampton soon.  
Overall the premiere episode was well done. Remove the anomaly of Marshall's plot and you have a pretty great episode. I have always preferred the serious side of Ted and it was nice for that side of him to make a big comeback. The flashbacks also have left me intrigued as to what happened and if the show will develop it more (I'm sure they will).

"Coming Back" Review 

Moving onto the second part of CBS's double episode, "Coming Back" was as equally as good as the premiere. 

For Barney and Robin their plot was a little bit more fleshed out than the previous episode. In this case Robin still has fears of Barney freaking out before the wedding and reverting back to his old gigolo ways. It was good that her fears were heightened even more after James's (Barneys brother) secret is revealed to his sibling. It ended up with a nice little resolution for the couple, one which showed that Robin need not worry as Barney has grown up tremendously. The ending was a little sappy for my taste, but was still well received.

As for Ted he was left with sympathetic yet pitying behaviour for being a singleton at a couples hotel. The joke between him and the concierge ran for little bit too long, combined with a minor gripe that this was used in a previous episode when He, Marshall and Lily take a road trip to Chicago. Aside from that Ted had a great scene with the mother, although it was a flashforward, I hadn't anticipated seeing the two of them on camera together so early on in the season. The chemistry between the two was outstanding and you can truly believe that this ends up being Teds love of his life, a perfect match.

As for Lily and Marshall they were left with some mediocre gags. Lily's "Kennedy package", which consisted of her constantly getting served drinks in order for her to cope with Marshall and Marvin's absence was poorly implemented. It was an excuse to reveal James' secret but it felt lazy.

Marshall's continuing adventure to get to New York also remained a low point. Marshall's caricatured kindness to others was a bit annoying knowing that he can also be an assertive, force to be reckoned with. Again Daphne was not likable in the slightest. There was a tiny moment of redemption for her but it wasn't enough.       

The second episode was surprising, it was stated that season 9 would focus primarily on Teds journey to the inevitable finish line yet focus was on Robin and Barney for the most part. Of course the remaining cast can't be shunted aside but the writers could try to make more akin to Season 1 whereby Ted was on the forefront whilst his friends helped him along the way. Furthermore, It was interesting that there was no continuation about the locket, but no doubt all will be revealed in a later episode.

The double episode was a great way to introduce season 9, particularly with the new structure of the show spanning the 56 hour period before the wedding. Although there's slight concern that the hotel setting might get stale over time, it might bring about some great storylines, possibly the feeling of claustrophobia for Ted as he is surrounded by his best friend and ex-girlfriend's wedding and the inevitable conflict to arise between Marshall and Lily.
It definitely feels like the beginning of the end, like one giant season finale and I like that. It was a smart decision by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas to not rush the show and deliver the ending it deserves.  

7.8/10   

HIMYM Review Roundup: Episodes 22-24 (Season 8)

How I Met Your Mother 

Review Roundup, Episodes 22-24

"The Bro Mitzvah"

The series has been edging ever so much closer to the inevitable wedding of Robin and Barney and this episode delivered Barney's intriguing bachelor party.

The premise of the main story arc itself was fairly good but nothing groundbreaking. Ted and Marshall "kidnap" Barney and take him to Atlantic City to surprise him with an unforgettable bachelor party, but in this case for all the wrong reasons. Obviously there was something brewing underneath the surface of this affair and the deliberation made by the whole gang to make it so terrible was unfortunately rather obvious and the twist was clear more or less from the start. 

The events surrounding this satisfactory story was actually rather pleasing. Marshall and Ted's over enthusiasm about the most mundane of things was funny, although surprising that Barney did not cotton onto their exuberant facade. It was a little bit of a disappointed that the confrontation between Robin and Barney was not actually real, particularly as Ted warned him of the fragility of the twos relationship, but even so, the way it portrayed Barney losing all hope was great, although it was a bit short lived.

The guest stars were also a great addition to the show, with Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) deliberately antagonizing Barney through his blatant suit wearing similarities. The other guest star was a particularly nice surprise, particular for poor old Barney who had to endure a horrific night. 

Although for the most part it was fairly funny, the performances from all the characters simply felt far too melodramatic for the situation to be in any way believable. It was a bit too in your face, with more emphasis on slapstick humour rather than smart, subtlety constructed jokes that HIMYM is slightly more renowned for.        

There was a small departure from the crazy antics with a dinner between Robin and Loretta, but it can hardly even be classified as side story. There was next to no development between the two and after finding out the truth later on in the episode made the whole segment defunct. Thankfully it only to a small amount of airtime.  

Overall it was a decent episode with a fair amount of laughs and a nice little payback from Robin. The over dramatisation felt a little bit uncomfortable in places. But the ending provided a nice notion that Barney and Robin are meant to be together.

6.8/10

 "Something Old"

we reach the penultimate episode of season 8 and much like a lot of the previous episodes it starts off being incredibly stupid but thankfully tones down during the second half of the show.

The introductory tale begins with Robin and her father whereby she tries to find a locket which she buried in Central Park when she visited New York City as a teenager. The locket would act as the "something old" for her wedding with Barney.

 It was really unfortunate that Robins time spent with her father was incredibly short lived, spanning a minute or two, instead Robin Sr. rushing off to play laser tag with Barney. It would have been a great opportunity for their father/daughter disputes to be completely resolved. Instead we were offered some seriously bad jokes between Robin and her father in this small time frame  Although this initial phase was disappointing it was evident that there was tension and angst in Robin that her father still does not treat her like a true daughter and although it was not fully developed, it was good to see these emotions seeping through.

Moving over to the predominant storyline, Marshall and Lily begin there move over to Rome by deciding what needs to be thrown out. The beginning was rather unsatisfactory as Teds behaviour about his "professional packing capabilities" was extremely exaggerated. It was just a little too over the top for the rather mellow Ted, particularly with the random fanny pack adventure flashback. A nice little quip from Lily brought it back down to normal though. Once the dust had settled on the stupidity the storyline eventually became very grounded with Teds fears of being abandoned once Marshall and Lily move to Italy. This ultimately showed that the trio's friendship still remains incredibly strong but more so that Ted is terrified of everything around him changing whilst he is somewhat stuck.

As for Barney and Robin Sr. their subplot was simply a bit of playful banter between the two, both posing to be as stubborn as the other in beating each other at laser tag. It was the same typical behaviour fans have witnessed before with Barney being completely childish and evil towards the children playing alongside him. It certainly felt like a nice bit of filler to use up some empty time.

Although there was a nice story amongst Ted, Marshall and Lily it was not until the very end of the episode where it really shone. Ted had returned to the sensitive type still, adoring Robin no matter what.

Alongside this we had an interesting, although not surprising concept of Robin questioning Barney as a partner in favour of Ted. but rather than being her logical and realistic self she uses the universe theory that Marshall and Lily predominantly used in previous seasons basing the problems at hand as signs of an omen. But for once it was good that for the first time Ted ignores the universe, destiny and its signs and so forth, supporting Robin to keep it going. It was a nice change of pace for his character, even if it was only a small one.

The overall theme of this episode, that you should not cling to the past because no matter how tightly you hold on it’s already gone was a good choice and ran through the majority of characters plots: the locket for Robin and to a small extent the relationship between her and Ted. Some will be frustrated that the whole Ted/Robin love affair has resurfaced again, but it was a nice little contradiction of the theme, he still has her.

7/10

"Something New"

Finally we have reached the final episode of Season 8 (No longer the finale of the entire show). Considering that this was the season finale I felt that it was surprisingly undramatic and calm.

In one of my more favoured moves by the writers, the main story arc was only between Ted and Lily. With these two alone on screen the story arcs are more prone to be rather serious and to my satisfaction this was the case. We finally get to see Teds house in a more complete manner more akin to what his children sit in during his narration. This definitely gives the feeling that the show is reaching its final stop. 

We are firstly offered a nice little surprise twist about Teds plans to sell the house and leave for Chicago as Ted still believes that Robin is still the love of his life and cannot come to terms with Barney marrying her. It was great to see Lily trying to make sure that Ted doesn't act to hastily but cannot really offer much when she and Marshall themselves are en route to Italy. The revelation about the truth of the lockets whereabouts was a brilliant touch in that it seems that the locket was always a part of Teds destiny. Ultimately it changes his views on the whole instances of signs again, but its classic Ted like behaviour. It was almost reminiscent of his denial to give up on Robin in Season 1 and perform a rain dance. 

As for Barney and Robin, they both attempt to enjoy an evening together before their wedding day, but it is ruined by an annoyingly pretentious couple and thus the two scheme against them. It was nice to see the two of them working together to exact their revenge, it certainly shows that they’re meant for each other. But what was even better was that their scheme wasn't overly dramatic or extremely elaborate at all like Barney and Quinn's plans, instead it just simply happened casually.   

As for Marshall’s visit to Minnesota, it was simply lacklustre with bad physical jokes between himself and his brother. It was good though to see the return of Marshall's application to become a judge, particularly as it will be  interesting to see the ramifications between himself and Lily in season 9.

The season ended with cliffhangers all around, but in a good way. Now all we have to do is wait and see whether Ted give the locket to Robin in attempt to steal her away or pass it onto Barney to give to her. And what will become of Marshall and his judgeship? In an attempt much like San Francisco, will Lily still move to Rome, leaving Marshall behind?

Oh and as you all should know WE FINALLY MET THE MOTHER!  

8/10