This episode shouldn't work as well as it does, but it's just so funny and enjoyable despite cartoonish Barney stuff that it's hard to not to just enjoy the ride.
Let's be real, the "Bangtoberfest" is pretty out there, but it's also pretty classic Barney behavior. The show can't decide whether he's grown up a lot of still a ridiculous manchild or what, but it at least has fun with his various schemes and attempts to get back in the game. I also appreciated how it dovetailed into Marshall and Lily's nanny search story, in some nice narrative cohesion. Mrs. Buckminster was instantly adorable (even the kind of out there tag with her didn't bother me) and it led to a great character moment for Barney redeeming himself a little by helping out Marshall and Lily financially in their hour of need, even if it ultimately wasn't necessary.
Ted vs. Robin on whose relationship was more serious was a nice B-story with a decent amount of laughs, even if it seemed to fall into gender stereotypes. I like that Robin's a little more masculine and Ted's a little more feminine of the show, and having Robin complain that her boyfriend isn't quite manly enough while Victoria is a big bro-y slob is a little cheesy, but the performances make it work.
And the nice emotional reveal at the end that, against all odds, Mickey is actually a great nanny and was once a great stay-at-home dad to Lily before she was old enough to remember, worked to give a little heft to the proceedings as well.
All-in-all, it's nice to have a regular episode (i.e. no big reveals or special events) that's this good, this late into the show's run.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-14T19:42:00Z
This episode shouldn't work as well as it does, but it's just so funny and enjoyable despite cartoonish Barney stuff that it's hard to not to just enjoy the ride.
Let's be real, the "Bangtoberfest" is pretty out there, but it's also pretty classic Barney behavior. The show can't decide whether he's grown up a lot of still a ridiculous manchild or what, but it at least has fun with his various schemes and attempts to get back in the game. I also appreciated how it dovetailed into Marshall and Lily's nanny search story, in some nice narrative cohesion. Mrs. Buckminster was instantly adorable (even the kind of out there tag with her didn't bother me) and it led to a great character moment for Barney redeeming himself a little by helping out Marshall and Lily financially in their hour of need, even if it ultimately wasn't necessary.
Ted vs. Robin on whose relationship was more serious was a nice B-story with a decent amount of laughs, even if it seemed to fall into gender stereotypes. I like that Robin's a little more masculine and Ted's a little more feminine of the show, and having Robin complain that her boyfriend isn't quite manly enough while Victoria is a big bro-y slob is a little cheesy, but the performances make it work.
And the nice emotional reveal at the end that, against all odds, Mickey is actually a great nanny and was once a great stay-at-home dad to Lily before she was old enough to remember, worked to give a little heft to the proceedings as well.
All-in-all, it's nice to have a regular episode (i.e. no big reveals or special events) that's this good, this late into the show's run.