8.7/10. One of HIMYM's strengths as a show is the way that it can balance something serious and full of emotion with something goofy and fun. This episode is that idea to a tee. The reunion of Ted and Victoria is a huge moment, and while there's parts of it that are a bit strained (mostly the kiss) it works with Victoria as one of the few people who could get through to Ted and make a serious impact on him. At the same time, the whole ducky tie vs. Lily's boobs bet is the kind of outlandish, mildly lewd comedy that the show can pull off on charm alone.
But let's start with the serious stuff. Ted and Victoria coming back together is a big moment, and the show doesn't treat it as anything but. The way that Ted offers to wash her dishes, and asks for her forgiveness, and admits what a mistake he made is a nice moment. The reveal that Victoria quickly started dating someone from her class in Germany (the Klaus/class/close wordplay was eh) is an interesting twist that escalates the issue, and everything works out, dipping into the pair's histories and the rapport that they quickly fall back into, right up until that unnecessary kiss, which seems like a cheap way to generate drama in an already significant scene. The episode does well to give the story of the two of them hashing things out the time and space it needs to grow and breathe.
On the other side of the divide, the bet over the Ducky Tie is perfect HIMYM irreverence. Sure, the fact that the bet is over Lily's boobs gets a little uncomfortable at times, but the ridiculous tone of the storyline helps soften that, and the absurdity of the tension of whether Barney's been taking habachi classes and using operant conditioning on Marshall or whether he's bluffing or double bluffing is perfectly deployed. The fact that it's the flash that distracts him from completing his mission in the end is some nice lightly-elegant storytelling to tie things off, and the fact that he has to wear the ducky tie is a nice result.
The only problem with the episode to my mind is it's conclusion and what it portends. In-universe, Victoria's caution to Ted that Robin, Barney, and him all hanging out is what has sabotaged his other relationships makes sense. From her perspective, it is legitimately weird, and the idea of having an ex constantly around, in a trio of exes no less, makes sense as a diagnosis she would come up with for Ted's love woes.
The problem is that Future Ted basically confirms that she's right, and that doesn't cohere with what we've seen in the show. Robin did kind of factor into the Stella thing, but only tangentially. Beyond that, it's not like Robin's been this big albatross for Ted that's kept him from finding love. You can sort of bend and twist things to go that direction -- arguing that he's sought emotional support from her when he could have been seeking it from a real relationship, but that applies to the gang as a whole. The critique is interesting; it just doesn't fit with what we've already seen of Ted and his adventures.
What's more, it's an attempt at deconstruction that threatens to break the premise of the show, or at least gets very close to "Homer's Enemy" territory of pointing out elements that are part of the willing suspension of disbelief when watching something that are hard to ignore if you focus too much on them. For one thing, people break up and then become friends all the time. Sure, the hanging out every day thing is weird, but those are kind of the demands of a sitcom. This seems like the show attempting to say that in real life, that would be weird, and it would! But the other side of the coin is that this is part of the unreality of sitcoms, where parents are hardly a factor in weddings and the five main characters only talk to each other at parties and, to paraphrase The Simpsons, everything in these people's lives over the past six years have revolved around in each other in some way.
It's bold to try to deconstruct that, I have to admit, but it also feels dangerous to the show's well-being in some ways. Because accepting the story of a sitcom means handwaving certain things that are convenient for the plot or downright necessary for the show continuing. Making those handwaves the center of attention is odd, especially after the show's been taking them for granted for its run up until now.
Those two problems detract from what is otherwise a quality episode. Ted's story is meant to build to a conclusion that doesn't really work for two different reasons. The first being that Robin hasn't seemed like a hindrance to Ted's love life (if anything I like them as bros a lot), and the second being that pointing out how to a stranger it would be really weird for three people who've dated one another to hang out all the time is bold, yes, but also a shaky foundation for the continuation of a show that depends on glossing over that weirdness. But hey, well done return of Victoria, and a fun B-story around the hibachi place as well, so it's probably too early to complain about this anyway!
SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE SERIES AND OTHER FUTURE EPISODES BELOW. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE WHOLE SHOW*
Part of my problem with Victoria's pronouncement at the end of the episode is that we get so mired in the Ted-Robin-Barney love triangle nonsense over the last third of the show that this feels like a really frustrating motivation and prelude to it. The show had found a nice equilibrium for these three characters and their relationships. Ted had moved on from Robin and they worked much better as friends than they did romantic partners despite their admitted chemistry. Robin and Barney only worked as a romantic pairing on the show for about two minutes total, and the show even did a good job at acknowledging how bringing them back together would be moving backwards. Basically, we're left with the idea that the three of them are fine, and it fits with what we've seen.
But then the show comes and tells us no! This is wrong! This doesn't work! And it's a tell-not-show kind of thing, so it seems very strange. Yeah, in real life, you might have a harder time with that setup, but we've only barely seen that happening, and when it did (like in the episode where Barney and Ted chase Robin when she's with Don), it's generally been a bad episode that makes the leads seem out of character. Instead, the show just declares that this is a problem, despite the congenial friendship.
What's worse, it leans into that idea, and shows it becoming a problem in ways that feel very forced, like the show just decided there needs to be this love triangle and romantic conflict between the three of them even though that whole thing had been essentially settled. So we get two failed fiancees and more and more pining and the revival of two romantic pairings that the show had basically done to their logical end already, which turned the show's whole romantic element into a big soapy rehash. Make no mistake, this is a quality, entertaining episode, but it's a sign that the show is pointing itself in a very rough direction, and knowing where that led casts a pall over the good stuff here.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-06-29T02:20:37Z
8.7/10. One of HIMYM's strengths as a show is the way that it can balance something serious and full of emotion with something goofy and fun. This episode is that idea to a tee. The reunion of Ted and Victoria is a huge moment, and while there's parts of it that are a bit strained (mostly the kiss) it works with Victoria as one of the few people who could get through to Ted and make a serious impact on him. At the same time, the whole ducky tie vs. Lily's boobs bet is the kind of outlandish, mildly lewd comedy that the show can pull off on charm alone.
But let's start with the serious stuff. Ted and Victoria coming back together is a big moment, and the show doesn't treat it as anything but. The way that Ted offers to wash her dishes, and asks for her forgiveness, and admits what a mistake he made is a nice moment. The reveal that Victoria quickly started dating someone from her class in Germany (the Klaus/class/close wordplay was eh) is an interesting twist that escalates the issue, and everything works out, dipping into the pair's histories and the rapport that they quickly fall back into, right up until that unnecessary kiss, which seems like a cheap way to generate drama in an already significant scene. The episode does well to give the story of the two of them hashing things out the time and space it needs to grow and breathe.
On the other side of the divide, the bet over the Ducky Tie is perfect HIMYM irreverence. Sure, the fact that the bet is over Lily's boobs gets a little uncomfortable at times, but the ridiculous tone of the storyline helps soften that, and the absurdity of the tension of whether Barney's been taking habachi classes and using operant conditioning on Marshall or whether he's bluffing or double bluffing is perfectly deployed. The fact that it's the flash that distracts him from completing his mission in the end is some nice lightly-elegant storytelling to tie things off, and the fact that he has to wear the ducky tie is a nice result.
The only problem with the episode to my mind is it's conclusion and what it portends. In-universe, Victoria's caution to Ted that Robin, Barney, and him all hanging out is what has sabotaged his other relationships makes sense. From her perspective, it is legitimately weird, and the idea of having an ex constantly around, in a trio of exes no less, makes sense as a diagnosis she would come up with for Ted's love woes.
The problem is that Future Ted basically confirms that she's right, and that doesn't cohere with what we've seen in the show. Robin did kind of factor into the Stella thing, but only tangentially. Beyond that, it's not like Robin's been this big albatross for Ted that's kept him from finding love. You can sort of bend and twist things to go that direction -- arguing that he's sought emotional support from her when he could have been seeking it from a real relationship, but that applies to the gang as a whole. The critique is interesting; it just doesn't fit with what we've already seen of Ted and his adventures.
What's more, it's an attempt at deconstruction that threatens to break the premise of the show, or at least gets very close to "Homer's Enemy" territory of pointing out elements that are part of the willing suspension of disbelief when watching something that are hard to ignore if you focus too much on them. For one thing, people break up and then become friends all the time. Sure, the hanging out every day thing is weird, but those are kind of the demands of a sitcom. This seems like the show attempting to say that in real life, that would be weird, and it would! But the other side of the coin is that this is part of the unreality of sitcoms, where parents are hardly a factor in weddings and the five main characters only talk to each other at parties and, to paraphrase The Simpsons, everything in these people's lives over the past six years have revolved around in each other in some way.
It's bold to try to deconstruct that, I have to admit, but it also feels dangerous to the show's well-being in some ways. Because accepting the story of a sitcom means handwaving certain things that are convenient for the plot or downright necessary for the show continuing. Making those handwaves the center of attention is odd, especially after the show's been taking them for granted for its run up until now.
Those two problems detract from what is otherwise a quality episode. Ted's story is meant to build to a conclusion that doesn't really work for two different reasons. The first being that Robin hasn't seemed like a hindrance to Ted's love life (if anything I like them as bros a lot), and the second being that pointing out how to a stranger it would be really weird for three people who've dated one another to hang out all the time is bold, yes, but also a shaky foundation for the continuation of a show that depends on glossing over that weirdness. But hey, well done return of Victoria, and a fun B-story around the hibachi place as well, so it's probably too early to complain about this anyway!
SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE SERIES AND OTHER FUTURE EPISODES BELOW. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE WHOLE SHOW*
Part of my problem with Victoria's pronouncement at the end of the episode is that we get so mired in the Ted-Robin-Barney love triangle nonsense over the last third of the show that this feels like a really frustrating motivation and prelude to it. The show had found a nice equilibrium for these three characters and their relationships. Ted had moved on from Robin and they worked much better as friends than they did romantic partners despite their admitted chemistry. Robin and Barney only worked as a romantic pairing on the show for about two minutes total, and the show even did a good job at acknowledging how bringing them back together would be moving backwards. Basically, we're left with the idea that the three of them are fine, and it fits with what we've seen.
But then the show comes and tells us no! This is wrong! This doesn't work! And it's a tell-not-show kind of thing, so it seems very strange. Yeah, in real life, you might have a harder time with that setup, but we've only barely seen that happening, and when it did (like in the episode where Barney and Ted chase Robin when she's with Don), it's generally been a bad episode that makes the leads seem out of character. Instead, the show just declares that this is a problem, despite the congenial friendship.
What's worse, it leans into that idea, and shows it becoming a problem in ways that feel very forced, like the show just decided there needs to be this love triangle and romantic conflict between the three of them even though that whole thing had been essentially settled. So we get two failed fiancees and more and more pining and the revival of two romantic pairings that the show had basically done to their logical end already, which turned the show's whole romantic element into a big soapy rehash. Make no mistake, this is a quality, entertaining episode, but it's a sign that the show is pointing itself in a very rough direction, and knowing where that led casts a pall over the good stuff here.