84 replies to this topic

[TWoP Roxy]

From zap2it.com:

The gang recognizes similarities between their significant other and their parents; a string of unfortunate events ruin Nora and Barney's evening of romance.

[JodithGrace]

Are they kidding me? I got through exactly half of this episode and turned it off. I'm done with this show.

[CantThinkUpName]

My biggest problem with the episode was how badly it made it clear that this has become The Barney Stinson Show. His was totally a plot (both the date and the parent plot) that had Ted written all over it.

[JessH]

I loved this episode, if for nothing else, seeing most of the parents return, making a reference to my favorite fear fighter, volunteer of course, and how the writers might have set this up since either the first season with Marshgammon or the "Slapsgiving II: The Revenge of the Slapbet" episode. And how about everyone Ted called, including Rajesh and Natalie?

Seeing Weird Al at the end though, whom I have a great deal of respect for, give up "Like a Surgeon" for a cheap end tag was a bit weak.

I have realized that there is one bit of stunt casting left, besides the mother, and that is Robin's mother. The woman who took her daughter at the age of fourteen and turned her into a girlish Canadian teen idol by 16.

It wasn't just Barney Stinson. He was a framing device for the entire gang. PLUS, we got to see a reason why Barney might be into Nora. Something we saw and was not told. Maybe the writers are learning.

[herkylover]

The Weird Al tag was awesome, I'm not sure yet how I feel about the rest. I'm kinda weirded out by the whole parent thing. Also, Lily, sweetie, you don't feel sexy now, just wait until you're as pregnant as I am now(8 months and feeling like a beached whale).

[MizStaken]

I too am wondering why I keep watching this show. It seems to be getting lamer by the minute. Why was Wayne Brady there other than to say that Nora was like his mother? Are they so desperate to stretch this show out that we're going to have to sit through these inane episodes? Jeeze people, have him meet the mother already, I'm sure there are many stories that could be told.
And I love NPH, but the show is not how Barney met your mother.

[cagewench]

I loved the Weird Al tag... and I've been to one of his shows and there were a LOT of women there, for the record.

Did I miss something on why Barney's brother was there just for the beginning of the ep?

I mean everybody loves James. And where were his husband and baby?

[Astor]

"Oh! Kevin's weird! One time he was standing around without pants!"

Uhh, two things:

a) He was doing that in a private location, and it was a one time thing. Robin's ex literally hung out at work like that.

b) You and your friends describe your shits with emoticons. You're not one to talk about eccentric things.

I wrote that before Kevin even presented his perfectly valid excuse.


So yeah, they once again go on to make Ted the most pathetic guy in the universe. He has about a hundred or so people who don't wanna hang out with him (including his mom), thinks a documentary about coin collecting sounds like a good idea for an evening, and have the smallest bit of a possible moving forward of the plot end up as just a stupid joke. "Hey! A girl who... actually might share some of the random bullshit they added to him these last few seasons! NOPE! Just a punchline."


So anyway, Barney's doing something with Nora, and I guess maybe they kind of gave a decent-ish reason as to why he's with her. He reminds him of his favourite person but... he only realized that much later on. At least it's something though, maybe. Which is weird because when Marshal and Lily realized it they were permanently grossed out.


And speaking of Marshal and Lily, they were doing some crap I didn't care about. At least Marshal's dad made another appearance though. I liked him.

My biggest problem with the episode was how badly it made it clear that this has become The Barney Stinson Show. His was totally a plot (both the date and the parent plot) that had Ted written all over it.

Agreed. I mean, I normally wouldn't have a problem with that (because he's funnier and more deep then Ted has been recently) but not when the framing device is the story of how Ted met his future wife, and how the earlier episodes actually were about Ted.

[sordidheart88]

I thought this was an okay episode. It made me laugh a couple of times and I'm just grateful to the writers for not forcing us to witness Marshall and Lily's dads making out. The sooner the writers end the Barney/Nora thing the better. She is just not working for me and I just don't feel like she belongs. I mean what kind of freak just randomly starts singing "Favorite Things"? Or whatever that song is called. I'm sick of hearing how perfect she is while at the same time seeing zero chemistry between her and Barney. I have no real issues with Kevin though.

Edited by sordidheart88, Oct 24, 2011 @ 8:42 PM.

[CantThinkUpName]

Additionally, was it explained why Marshall didn't want to go to the concert? I'd definitely buy him as a Weird Al fan.

I definitely think it was a problem making Kevin (and I am really liking Kal Penn) Robin's therapist because it allowed him to have too much insight into Robin's feeling for Barney that he shouldn't feel threatened by Ted. He's also had too many freak outs around the group that we should know a) why he wants to be with Robin (other than the parent thing) if she makes him uncomfortable/that irritated or b) why the group/Robin wouldn't be weirded out by him.

I was also kind of disappointed we didn't get a Ray Wise appearance, because Ray Wise makes everything better.

I do think it was nice to get insight into why Barney likes Nora, but I need a better reason than a singular dysfunction to root for them.

[My Way]

They have to be going somewhere with this pathetic Ted thing (although I get nobody wanting to go to Weird Al). I was hoping this roommate bf tension was leading to Ted or Robin moving out (and maybe it still will). Although I admit I did think it was funny when Robin said 'you think I"m the first person he asked?" Heh.

Did I miss something on why Barney's brother was there just for the beginning of the ep?

Yeah, I thought that was weird too. He's Wayne Brady! Give him something meatier.

[samsnee]

It's like they just wanted to jam as many guest stars as possible into this thing.

But did anyone else think bringing back Marshall's dad as a gay joke to see him make out with his son sort of cheapened his death from last year?

[randomchance]

I think Lily is a lot more like Marshall's mom than his dad.

This episode bored me pretty fast. People choosing "their parents" is good for a few jokes but it's not worth an entire show.

[Sarah1281]

The idea of ending up with someone like your parents still really creeps me out.

I'm continuing to like Kevin more and more. I just don't think he's a good fit with Robin since she's being a pretty crappy girlfriend (and not self-aware about it like Barney) and he's too normal to fit into this show.

I can see why Barney and Marshall and perhaps even Ted would see the benefit of dating those with their parents' good traits but doesn't Lily have severe issues with her dad? And why was Robin immune?

[CantThinkUpName]

I mean, I normally wouldn't have a problem with that (because he's funnier and more deep then Ted has been recently)

And I blame the show for that. Ted used to be a dorky but competent lead. His nerdiness made him appealing and believable rather than making him the butt of jokes.

But somewhere along the line, I'm not sure when but I'm pretty sure it was after The Leap, the show fell victim to what many shows with break out characters do and made the break out character (Barney) the virtual lead. It gave him the heavy plots and turned Ted into a side note. Last season, the Zoey and the architecture storylines were met with sheer laziness. Even Marshall has gotten weightier stuff than Ted. And the centerpiece of the big 100th episode? Barney's song and dance.

And that's why I think the show took a turn for a worse.

With tonight's episode, I think it was very apparent. Like I said earlier, this was a storyline tailor-made for Ted. The horrible date that he wants to make perfect marred by the parent insecurity, at least to me, seems like perfect material for Ted who is relating the story of PARENTS.

I should also add that this is not a knock against NPH but rather the writers.

I think Lily is a lot more like Marshall's mom than his dad.

Without question. And the pregnancy eating + the mother who is known for mayo salads combine a lot better than pregnancy eating + his father having a sandwich. Other than to see Dawber and Chris Elliot make out, I didn't see any reason why to make it those two.

I rationalized it by saying that Marshall is still probably upset over his father's death, so his father would probably still be at the forefront of his mind. That's the best I could come up with, but if they acknowledged that angle it would have changed the episode into a quasi-dramatic one than a quasi-funny one.

I did like Weird Al's cameo.

[Somebody]

I don't think I laughed once during the whole episode. Just so unfunny. And since when is Barney's mom so great? I don't remember that, but I did skip out on half a season so maybe I missed something.

Also like others have said why was Barney's brother there? He had like 5 lines and then that was it. It was just weird and dumb.

I don't like Nora anymore either. I've had enough with her and Barney's relationship. I just feel like there's no chemistry there at all, and nothing about their bad date was funny. Haha she has a silver tooth and haha a rat fell on her head. Not funny at all. And what was with the singing so random and out of place.

Also, I found Marshall and Lily's story to be probably the worst. Like seriously? What was funny about any of that? So Marshall likes board games so he's just like her dad? How lame. Lily has serious issues with her dad does she not? So I don't think she'd start thinking of Marshall that way so quickly. And how was Lily like Marshall's dad in any way? She had a sandwich and rubbed her feet? Wow so similar! Except not. I finally just ff through their shit, because it just annoyed me more than anything.

I don't even know why I watch this show anymore. I'm starting to not give a shit about the mom either.

[enlightenedbum]

Additionally, was it explained why Marshall didn't want to go to the concert? I'd definitely buy him as a Weird Al fan.

Seriously, show. Weird Al is right up Marshall's alley.

[CapsChick]

Dear Monday night: Please offer a quality show so I stop watching this execrable dreck out of sheer force of habit.

[Invader Toph]

I didn't see last night's episode so I just stopped past here to see if I missed anything. Now that I see that I haven't I'll just catch up on 2 Broke Girls. Although this show is starting to remind me of the Transformer movies. Remember how the Transformers were essentially supporting characters in their own movies? That's how I'm starting to feel about Ted. But now he's become so idiotic and unlikeable that I'm not even sure that I want him to be the main character in the show anymore. I know that Friends went through a slump but at least it was still funny. This is almost painful.

[Sarah1281]

Without question. And the pregnancy eating + the mother who is known for mayo salads combine a lot better than pregnancy eating + his father having a sandwich.

Marshall considered his mother but found their superficial differences enough not to bother him. Of course, it's weird that Marshall is disturbed by Lily eating in bed given that that's apparently been his dream (and part of why they got twin beds) so you'd think he'd embrace it and join in.

And since when is Barney's mom so great? I don't remember that, but I did skip out on half a season so maybe I missed something.

Barney decided that his mother was awesome the episode where she first offered him the name of his father and he turned it down becuase she didn't always succeed but she tried her best as a single parent. It might have been the one where they helped her move.

And since Clint was brought up in this episode...Clint and Ted's mom are clearly known to Ted's kids but they do make really inappropriate comments about sex with each other all the time so do they at least tone it down in front of the children? They make Ted listen to it.

[Setlist]

Agree with the poster who said that the Marshall's Dad scenes really took something away from the episode in which he passed away. I thought it was in very, very poor taste.

You guys, Nora has a weird tooth now, and was randomly (and almost impossibly) attacked by a rat that landed in her hair. And Barney still likes her! Is this true love? I don't know if I'll make it through the season, so someone tell me if it is.

It's gotten to the point where, I think I'd be depressed even rewatching the first two seasons. It'll just remind me that I cared about the characters, and thought they all had substance. Now it's morphed into a show of boring clowns.

Question: What does Ted even do anymore?

[Tyrone Biggums]

A review on Vulture said it perfectly:

So what’s with this hamster wheel of character development?

I know some people like "stand-alone" episodes, but it seems as though we've been stuck in "stand-alone" episodes for seasons now. Enough. Get on with it. Stop with the "wink-wink" callbacks and the self-referential stuff. It's almost as though they spend 3/4 of every episode saying "remember how good this show USED to be?", and that's getting old.

Edited by Tyrone Biggums, Oct 25, 2011 @ 10:08 AM.

[yellowcat]

Question: What does Ted even do anymore?

I keep hoping that one of his kids would ask "What does this have to do with you meeting mom?!".

If Ted's storylines were more interesting or went somewhere, it bother me that we haven't meet the mother yet or the fact that he gets the C storylines.

[Sarah1281]

You guys, Nora has a weird tooth now, and was randomly (and almost impossibly) attacked by a rat that landed in her hair. And Barney still likes her! Is this true love? I don't know if I'll make it through the season, so someone tell me if it is.

Of course Barney still kept pushing for sex! He'd been waiting for two months by that point and was supposed to get laid that night. He was in challenge mode and only Nora shell-shocked after a brutal suicide made him doubt he could pull it off.

[daidouji]

Are they kidding me? I got through exactly half of this episode and turned it off.

Seriously. I got up halfway through to go do the dinner dishes, which is sad, because at the beginning I was all, "Yay, Wayne Brady!"

And of course Lily has been reduced to "pregnant woman" plots, of "Oh I feel so fat/hormonal/unsexy/weird cravings/blahblah". This is why I hate baby storylines. Please find Lily a non-baby related plot.

I did like Ted calling everyone he'd ever known. "Claudia! Trudy! Natalie!" But callbacks to not a good episode make.

[braggtastic]

Nora has a weird tooth now

I think that was a temporary weird tooth put in by the 24 hour dentist. She'll go to a proper one who will give her a matching tooth shortly. She's on camera at the news station, right? No way is she going on camera with that thing in her mouth.

[MsSweatpants]

Ya know, the first few years of the series, I thought, "How is it that Ted can't find The One? He cute, funny, dorky in an adorable way, smart, and successful."

Now I can't stand his constant whining and lamenting. Shut up, Ted.

The syndicated older episodes make me sad.

[Restingviolet]

I have been watching this show since the beginning. I watch my DVDs when I need some TV "comfort food". This season has been mostly misses for me. I usually get one or two laughs in each episode, but there are many parts that are just ridiculous. This week I did laugh a few times, but I was also kind of drunk so it doesn't really count. I will keep on hoping that they will get back to the good HIMYM.

[BrandyLeigh]

You know, this episode actually made me laugh, but I didn't enjoy it because there were too much that was weird/creepy/wrong with it. Like Barney and Nora. Barney spends the entire evening not caring that Nora is hurt because all he's focused on is getting her to sleep with him. I get that this is Barney, that he can't change overnight, even if the show has been telling us that he has, at least when he's around Nora, but I just found his treatment of her pretty terrible. Again, not that Barney hasn't treated women terribly in the past, but when the show keeps telling me that this thing with Nora is supposed to be "different" or whatever, they need to show me. Especially the end - was I supposed to find it sweet that Barney thinks if Nora is even a little bit like his mom, he's a lucky guy? Because I didn't, particularly after him saying he couldn't even look her in the face while they were having sex for the first time. Gross.

I actually like Kevin pretty well, but him pointing out issues the gang has is getting a little old, even if I assume it's leading somewhere. I thought it was nice of him to offer to go with Ted to the Weird Al concert, although they're making Ted a little too pathetic these last few episodes. I can understand how he might be feeling down, as he's the only single one right now, but they've gone a little overboard with him.

Wayne Brady was wasted. Maybe he was too busy to film an entire episode, but otherwise, why have him around only for him to leave after the first two minutes of the episode? Oh, and I didn't like Lily agreeing that she had married her father there at the end. Marshall and her dad sharing a similar hobby is one thing, but they don't seem to be alike in any other way thankfully. What we know of Lily's father was that he was an irresponsible, totally uninvolved parent, and I don't see how Marshall is like him.

[CantThinkUpName]

Dear Monday night: Please offer a quality show so I stop watching this execrable dreck out of sheer force of habit.

Hhhhhhhhhhhhave you met Bored to Death?