HIMYM Review: Splitsville

How I Met Your Mother:

"Splitsville" review

It might be time to splitsville out of this show

A deceiving promo shot

After last weeks somewhat return to form, things finally seemed to be looking up for season 8. Unfortunately this has ultimately been short lived. This episode borders on the brink of being passable. 

How I Met Your Mother has usually had a constant stream of good quality storylines to co-exist with the main arc throughout its lifespan. But when it aired "The Burning Beekeeper" midway through Season 7 I was horrified at how awful it was. A definite anomaly that I wished to never witness again. Unfortunately this episode hovers slightly above that in terms of quality.

The stories in this episode were severely lacking. Marshall and Ted's side story was utterly pointless. There was no relevance to anything, purely filler and it did not bring about any laughs at all. I was anxiously awaiting tumbleweed to fly past me with crickets chirruping in the background. 

The same can be said with Lily's minute inclusion. Her strange behaviour (although acknowledged in earlier seasons) was far too dramatised and off putting this time, simply resulting in annoyance. There was also reference to a certain Eastern European American Pie character, but it was illogical to put this "joke" in and it instantly became old. The eventual reasoning behind Lily and Marshall's strange behaviour was somewhat understandable. But still it was poorly executed.

This episodes main story arc revolved around Robin and Nick's relationship. It was unfortunate that I began to like Nick as of last weeks episode as his character was completely transformed to become ridiculously one dimensional. The whole fiasco surrounding this situation was poorly delivered, simply focusing on the cheesiness of it all. It was an overbearing amount that made the whole episode feel like a complete caricature of what the  show used to be. 

Barney was used to minimal effect and his input in the final moments felt incredibly hollow, even if it was meant to be heartfelt. 

What worries me even more is that the actors themselves lacked any enthusiasm and looked seriously weighed down, as if the show has gone on too long and pushed itself too far. A dramatic overhaul at CBS seems to be needed.

Overall "Splitsville" lacked in all areas of comedy but also the old HIMYM renowned down to earth drama. The only thing that has salvaged this episode from complete failure is the notion that this episode finishes the period of filler, hopefully pushing the story forward to the inevitable outcome we all want. 

3.5/10