How I Sweat Your Mother

[Hawknc]

Spoiler:

Victoria! //smitten

[Dark567]

Spoiler:

Victoria! //smitten

Right!? She has to be the favorite of Ted's exes... All the rest are a little meh.

[krynd]

Any one watching this season at all?

The last episode

Spoiler:

Victoria is back and explains that Robin is getting in the way of all Ted's relationships. It's a somewhat interesting development... probably much better then we have had a for a couple seasons. I am not sure how they will resolve it though as we know Robin will be at Ted's wedding, but won't be the bride.

Spoiler:

I think it'll be at Robin's (and Barney's, more on that later) wedding where Ted meets The Mother. Victoria said that Robin was "more important than [Ted] realizes" and that it's nice that the three of them (Robin, Barney, and Ted) can go around being friends (or something to that effect). I'm also predicting an "epic showdown" between Barney, and that Guy from the episode "Hopeless" (where Barney takes his Dad out to a club for a night of partying) that Robin has a crush on.

Of course, how does Cindy's roommate (of whom, Ted only saw an ankle of) factor into this?

[Dark567]

Has anyone else felt like the most recent season(and in particular tonight's new episode), has been a stark improvement over the last 2 seasons?

[ArgonV]

Spoiler:

So does this mean Barney and Robin are official now?

[Dark567]

Spoiler:

So does this mean Barney and Robin are official now?

Spoiler:

I am wondering the same thing, but the fact that I am wondering I think means the answer is no. Had the episode not decided to make Robin's kids an figment of her imagination, I would have said yes. Now it seems anything is possible.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. The episode at the beginning really seemed like it was going to make some progress plot-wise, only to pull its punches at the end. When it nonchalantly started the episode with Robin Narrating to her kids, it was refreshing and a new direction for the show that we probably haven't seen for a couple seasons. To have them hit the reset button and put us basically back where we began seemed like cheating.

[ArgonV]

Spoiler:

So does this mean Barney and Robin are official now?

Spoiler:

I am wondering the same thing, but the fact that I am wondering I think means the answer is no. Had the episode not decided to make Robin's kids an figment of her imagination, I would have said yes. Now it seems anything is possible.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. The episode at the beginning really seemed like it was going to make some progress plot-wise, only to pull its punches at the end. When it nonchalantly started the episode with Robin Narrating to her kids, it was refreshing and a new direction for the show that we probably haven't seen for a couple seasons. To have them hit the reset button and put us basically back where we began seemed like cheating.

Not like they haven't done that before though.

Spoiler:

Still waiting for the yellow umbrella, for instance

[Iferius]

What do you guys think of the latest future wife theory?

Spoiler:

Barney's father Jerry mentions he has two kids; the elder being a girl attending college (quite likely at the time Ted does his bad-lecture-in-the-wrong-classroom thing)

[SirBryghtside]

Oh God...

Spoiler:

I'm from England, so am watching all of the episodes with a minor time delay. I just watched episode 10 last night, and... woah. That ending was one of the saddest things I've seen on television, if not THE saddest.

My brother's watching them all on the internet, though, and he's said episode 12... episode 12 caused controversy. I'm not sure what's more scary, the thought of something *that* bad happening in HIMYM or where my mind is taking me to try and think of things it could be. Two weeks, I guess...

[emceng]

I've now caught up via Netflix to the end of season 6. I'd say the writers are still doing a good job with the show, but the lack of meeting the mother is getting a bit annoying. They even...what's the term, lampshaded it a bit in one of the episodes, where

Spoiler:

Ted decided not to meet Zoey at a coffee shop to get back together, and had an old lady give her flowers. The old lady gave them to the wrong girl, and there was a joke in there about that (not) being the mother.

Don't even know when it's actually broadcast, but probably will wait for season 7 to be on Netflix before watching it.

[Dark567]

I've now caught up via Netflix to the end of season 6. I'd say the writers are still doing a good job with the show, but the lack of meeting the mother is getting a bit annoying.

I am of the opinion that the show should just introduce her and continue after we know who it is. The show needs some serious plot progression at this point, and I don't think giving away who it is will sink it at this point.

[SirBryghtside]

It wouldn't really make sense though. The whole point is that Ted's telling his kids how he met their mother, not all the stuff after that.

[ArgonV]

Then again, how the hell is everything that has happened/been told up till now going to be relevant?

[Dark567]

It wouldn't really make sense though. The whole point is that Ted's telling his kids how he met their mother, not all the stuff after that.

When my father tells me the (much shorter) story of how he met my mother, he doesn't stop with "I met her". Usually it includes things like what he did on their first date(movie) etc.

Honestly I don't think the show can drag it on too much longer without suffering for it.

[JudeMorrigan]

Honestly I don't think the show can drag it on too much longer without suffering for it.

In my opinion, they're well past that point.

[Woopate]

Anyone notice that:

Spoiler:

In the episode where Marshall gets told his father had a heart attack, any number from the background/foreground/prop counts down from the start of the episode, with 0 landing when Lilly tells Marshall about his dad? I noticed about 1/8th of the way through and didn't get much out of the episode as I went into full bore "where's Waldo" mode with the numbers, then when it lined up with the heart attack I was all "ohfuck".

They even change apartment numbers for the episode.

Anybody notice anything like this in other episodes?

[Dark567]

Anyone notice that:

Spoiler:

In the episode where Marshall gets told his father had a heart attack, any number from the background/foreground/prop counts down from the start of the episode, with 0 landing when Lilly tells Marshall about his dad? I noticed about 1/8th of the way through and didn't get much out of the episode as I went into full bore "where's Waldo" mode with the numbers, then when it lined up with the heart attack I was all "ohfuck".

They even change apartment numbers for the episode.

Anybody notice anything like this in other episodes?

Spoiler:

No this was the only one. And it was a shit episode. If your going to pull a gimmick like that the resolution has to either be comedic or happy. You can't use gimmicks about death, its fairly insensitive even if it is just fiction.

[Woopate]

Anyone notice that:

Spoiler:

In the episode where Marshall gets told his father had a heart attack, any number from the background/foreground/prop counts down from the start of the episode, with 0 landing when Lilly tells Marshall about his dad? I noticed about 1/8th of the way through and didn't get much out of the episode as I went into full bore "where's Waldo" mode with the numbers, then when it lined up with the heart attack I was all "ohfuck".

They even change apartment numbers for the episode.

Anybody notice anything like this in other episodes?

Spoiler:

No this was the only one. And it was a shit episode. If your going to pull a gimmick like that the resolution has to either be comedic or happy. You can't use gimmicks about death, its fairly insensitive even if it is just fiction.

Spoiler:

Why do you say that? A countdown kinda foreshadows an important event coming up without hinting at what it is. I would have felt really let down if it was a countdown to the reveal of a surprise party or something. It may be hindsight, but as I remember it, the whole thing got my brain scrambling to figure out what was gonna be at T=0. I Noticed a large number of cuts to Marshall's dad and numbers in each of his scenes, so I had it mostly figured out by T=10. Maybe a cheap gimmick, but it got to me.

I reread what you said and EDIT:

Spoiler:

Alright, yeah, I could see it being insensitive, but I'm still not sure the gimmick has to be restricted to happy or hunerous events. Sitcoms have had surprise subject matter such as this in them for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a trope page about "sudden recurring sidecharacter death" on tvtropes.com but I have things to do. I'd argue that the gimmick and the reveal should be treated separately. The gimmick drew me in very very well.

[lanicita]

I finally caught up to the current season, and I gotta say that this show is so fantastic that I really don't mind that we haven't met the mother. I would love to have a season of her and Ted actually dating just to see how she fits in with the group, but the show is so enjoyable that I don't need them to just get to the "point" of it. I do like that they've introduced smaller things to look forward to, like the goat, and the slaps. One of my favorite things about this show is that it is a zillion times better at continuity than most other sitcoms I've seen. They bring back old major and minor characters, like

Spoiler:

Victoria, and Rachel Bilson's character (the mother's roommate), and Laura Prepon's character (that really annoying pretentious girl) and even the Slutty Pumpkin

, and old jokes, like

Spoiler:

the interventions, Robin's teen Canadian popstar/actress career, the smoking and "sandwiches"

I love the way they joke and how half the show is made up of inside jokes. That probably is the thing that annoys a lot of people about the show, but I absolutely love it. Also, Marshall and Lily have managed to have a TV relationship that is realistic, fun to watch, AND almost always highly functional. That's so rare. There have been little things about the show that have annoyed me, especially the latest relationship drama

Spoiler:

(why would Robin say yes to marrying that guy? It seems so out of character for her, and so fast, and they've barely shown any of them getting to know each other, including had they even slept together yet by then?)

, but it's minor and everything else about it is too good to let those things ruin it.

[Dark567]

I love the way they joke and how half the show is made up of inside jokes. That probably is the thing that annoys a lot of people about the show, but I absolutely love it. Also, Marshall and Lily have managed to have a TV relationship that is realistic, fun to watch, AND almost always highly functional. That's so rare.

Actually this is the reason I started to like the show so much. It deals with relationships, friendships, and dating in a (mostly) realistic way. It's a TV show pretty much about my friends and I sitting at bars and making dumb jokes(once actually at MacLaren's!(which isn't actually named MacLaren's, but McGee's)). I mean I like The Office too, but honestly it has no realism too it(I refuse to believe there is anyone like Micheal or Dwight), its characters and relationships are caricatures.

[ArgonV]

So... Two years max?

[BriAnna85]

HIMYM is pretty good. I wouldn't rate it the best sitcom on US TV though. The Office and 30 Rock (esp. 30 Rock) are better in my opinion. I like the show, and its premise is quite fun. In fact, everything about the show is quite good, but the Britney guest star didn't really help. Unlike most people, I don't think she was truly horrible. (If she wasn't Britney Spears, I would have just thought, "meh, that actress wasn't so great, oh well"). But if it wasn't for the ratings she brought in, the show would have likely been canceled. And as far as I can tell, HIMYM is far better than the other two comedies on CBS, The Big Bang Theory (which I sometimes find to be a little demeaning) and Two and a Half Men, which is just stupid, so the fact that HIMYM was not canceled is a very good thing.

I would have to agree that the last few episodes did seem a little forced, but I think that mainly stems from the show having been on the bubble. They had to be able to end with either a season finale or a series finale.

Spoiler:

Hence the proposal to Stella.

That's exactly how I felt about the show as well, but I will admit I've seen every episode because they're available on Netflix, so I couldn't help but watch and enjoy it. I actually did a double take during the whole Britney guest star bit - I didn't recognize her at first, even the friends I was watching with had a little bit of doubt about if it was really her. I always thought it was weird for him to be actively talking to his kids about all the ladies he's slept with/wanted to sleep with - but hey, if that's how you like to parent. Still, if I had to choose between 30 Rock and HIMYM I'd always choose 30 Rock, but that's just me.

[Dark567]

Big time spoiler from tonight's episode

Spoiler:

Barney is marrying Robin!!!
....
But now to resolve that whole engagement to Quinn thing.....

Fuck this show, its such a tease.

[Chen]

Big time spoiler from tonight's episode

Spoiler:

Barney is marrying Robin!!!
....
But now to resolve that whole engagement to Quinn thing.....

Fuck this show, its such a tease.

Spoiler:

It does seem they're just throwing major curveballs all over the place. I don't get what made Ted change his mind twice in such a short period of time either in the car. It also seems like Victoria being the mother doesn't make much sense since the story would have been done by now, though I suppose that meta aspect is unrealistic already.

[lanicita]

Spoiler:

I don't know why they tease us with Victoria (who I love), since they've specifically said that he meets the mother at Barney's wedding so it can't be her. Also, I really don't want Barney and Robin to get married.

In other news, was that Mila Kunis behind Ted at McLaren's when he was sitting with Victoria? The internet seems unsure and is vastly unhelpful. It seems like the kind of thing this show would do though, and whoever she is has the exact same facial expressions as Mila. I really want her to have been the mother, and them to go back in time and show her sitting there later on.

[Zohar]

Spoiler:

I don't know why they tease us with Victoria (who I love), since they've specifically said that he meets the mother at Barney's wedding so it can't be her. Also, I really don't want Barney and Robin to get married.

In other news, was that Mila Kunis behind Ted at McLaren's when he was sitting with Victoria? The internet seems unsure and is vastly unhelpful. It seems like the kind of thing this show would do though, and whoever she is has the exact same facial expressions as Mila. I really want her to have been the mother, and them to go back in time and show her sitting there later on.

I just went back to look at it and it really does look like her. And she's sitting alone, so who knows? I mean, how many times do people sit alone in bars?

[lanicita]

Nah, she's talking to somebody at first, very animatedly. There's somebody in the booth with her, directly behind Ted.

[Zohar]

Ah, then that specific second probably didn't show the other person Anyway, I definitely see the resemblance.

[lanicita]

By the way... (minor spoiler but if you've been watching s7 it doesn't spoil anything)

Spoiler:

The Lily's in Labor video is the best thing EVER. http://lilysinlabor.com/

[Zohar]

Video's not available in my geographical region! I tried it before already, been paying attention to these things since the Ted Moseby's a Jerk website or however it was called. But YouTube to the rescue yaaaay!