Never underestimate the power of the written word. Words have the power to change the world, inspire people, and influence monumental decisions. It doesn’t matter if it’s an internationally bestselling novel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poem or a pro-bono television article on an online entertainment magazine.
Last week in my review of How I Met Your Mother, I ranted heavily about how a faltering subplot between characters Robin and Barney was wringing the lifeblood from the show and destroying both characters. I claimed if the writers or producers didn’t take immediate action, these problems would sound the death knell for the series.
So imagine my surprise when, one week after writing said article, the show did away with both the carcinogenic storyline and alteration of characters. Most likely this was the plan all along, as television shows are both written and filmed months before their airdates. However, just to stoke my own pride and ego, I will remain ever vigilant as if it was my editorial swipes that effected the change.
Tonight’s episode centered on the decimation of the Robin and Barney relationship. Until now, we were led to believe Robin and Barney were happily smitten, and would be for the foreseeable future. However, the remainder of the cast subtly picks up on key elements hinting towards the relationship’s hidden truth. Marshall discovers Barney has grown a “relationship gut,” a result of letting one’s physical appearance deteriorate when no longer pressed for approval from the opposite sex. Ted notices Robin has become nagging and emotionally distant. Lily realizes the two are stubborn, selfish and proud, and deduces that the destructive behavior of each is a result of “relationship chicken” — neither one wants to continue the courtship, but neither wants to be the first to back out. This destructive relationship is compounded by unreliable narrator Ted referring to Barney’s relationship gut as rapidly forming obesity, while Robin visually evolves into an unkempt derelict.
In an attempt to terminate the doomed liaison, Ted and Marshall turn to Lily, the admitted “Kraken” of relationships (Lily previously destroyed nine different relationships between Ted and incompatible girls). Lily plans to break up the unhappy duo by constructing a fight combining elements of Robin and Barney’s four biggest arguments: an disagreement over dirty dishes which turned violent, an accusation of infidelity, an altercation regarding Barney’s love of Star Wars, and a heated dispute about Canada, Robin’s homeland.
This week’s episode was a fine example of what makes How I Met Your Mother memorable: the running gags. HIMYM has constructed a universe full of jokes, histories, quirks, phrases and characters. The longer these jokes ferment, the better the outcome once the punchline is delivered. Working in the show’s favor is skillful writing, editing and pacing, allowing several of these jokes to occur simultaneously; while one is being delivered, another is on deck, and a third is in the hole. A single episode can juggle a dozen different running gags without any falling. Compare this to the typical sitcom formula of setup-punchline-setup-punchline which propagates the genre.
The crowning moment of funny occurs at the seventeen minute mark. Watching to ensure their plan’s proper execution, Marshall, Lily and Ted wait nearby, spying on the unwitting Robin and Barney. Marshall cannot drop the fact that the stakeout would have been much more fun had the trio rented a van instead of a station wagon. Ted insists the station wagon was better because it was 25 dollars cheaper. A pizza guy stops by, unwittingly delivering straight lines, which Ted interprets as double entendres. The “Stormtrooper” used to invoke the Star Wars fight is a party entertainer dressed poorly like the robot from Lost In Space, who keeps asking for pizza in an equally bad robot impersonation. Alan Thicke guest stars as the instigator for the Canadian argument, but impatiently reminds the cast he has other plans, “[he has] a dinner to get to… [He is] Alan Thicke.” Meanwhile, Lily tries to maintain sanity amongst all the discourse long enough to carry out her manipulative masterpiece unhindered. In a single two-minute scene, the joke per second ratio reaches 1:3, bouncing between characters, their preoccupations, and their reactions to the others. This amazing blitzkrieg of humor is what sets How I Met Your Mother apart with the greatest of TV sitcoms.
Despite the best laid plans of Lily and the men, the plan goes awry. Upon execution, not a single Machiavellian element works the way it was intended, and Barney and Robin leave the restaurant seemingly unaffected. Unbeknownst to Lily, Marshall and Ted, the duo realized on their own the true destructive nature of their romance. Barney and Robin decide to congenially break up and “get back together as friends.” The episode ends with a once again svelte Barney re-entering his favorite bar, turning the heads of every single lady, smugly declaring “Daddy’s home.” And truly, for the first time this season, the Barney Stinson we know and love is back.
How I Met Your Mother consistently surprises me. The show is very trope-savvy, and more likely to mock bad sitcom staples than follow them. If this quick anti-climax was the plan all along, then I apologize for bemoaning the show’s apparent downward spiral and admit I was duped. However, it should be noted that this amount of build-up leading to a complete reversal is unrepeatable; attempting another months-long story arc that resembles a shark jumping moment will be overkill. When you tell a bad joke just to illustrate how bad it is, you’re still telling a bad joke. This warning may be falling on deaf ears, or maybe not. I have, after all, influenced the writers before.
