5.5/10. Rough stuff. The only real redeeming qualities here are the finish where Marshall says he married Lily and all of her problems, even the ones he didn't know about, and the "what he should have said" device that was good for some laughs.
Otherwise the main story just doubled down on Lily being pretty damn unlikable. Her shopaholism is already working at a disadvantage character-wise, because it just doesn't feel in keeping with her personality from what we've seen. But at the same time, the fact that she doesn't say anything to Marshall; subtly pushes him to take a job and is willing to let them throw themselves into more debt rather than face a joint problem frankly with her partner is a pretty awful thing to do. Maybe there's a real life analogue or something (my understanding is that the creators of the show based this on their own friend group to some degree), but they don't really sell Lily's problem in a relatable way, and that really hurts the main story here.
Similarly, Barney works best as a kind of Wile E. Coyote lothario, so cartoonish that you can't take him seriously as anything but a satire. But here, he just seems cruel to the girl he tells he loves and wants to meet her mom and all the other big lies he tells her. Maybe it's just that the show rarely shows Barney's conquests in action beyond the pickup stage with softens some of the blow, but it was pretty reprehensible stuff that was almost hard to watch at times.
Even the comedy was weak! The Mosby Boys routine had a little juice to it, but even that ended up pretty weak. Two stories that make the main characters involved seem like giant jerks does not a good episode make.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-03-09T02:46:06Z
5.5/10. Rough stuff. The only real redeeming qualities here are the finish where Marshall says he married Lily and all of her problems, even the ones he didn't know about, and the "what he should have said" device that was good for some laughs.
Otherwise the main story just doubled down on Lily being pretty damn unlikable. Her shopaholism is already working at a disadvantage character-wise, because it just doesn't feel in keeping with her personality from what we've seen. But at the same time, the fact that she doesn't say anything to Marshall; subtly pushes him to take a job and is willing to let them throw themselves into more debt rather than face a joint problem frankly with her partner is a pretty awful thing to do. Maybe there's a real life analogue or something (my understanding is that the creators of the show based this on their own friend group to some degree), but they don't really sell Lily's problem in a relatable way, and that really hurts the main story here.
Similarly, Barney works best as a kind of Wile E. Coyote lothario, so cartoonish that you can't take him seriously as anything but a satire. But here, he just seems cruel to the girl he tells he loves and wants to meet her mom and all the other big lies he tells her. Maybe it's just that the show rarely shows Barney's conquests in action beyond the pickup stage with softens some of the blow, but it was pretty reprehensible stuff that was almost hard to watch at times.
Even the comedy was weak! The Mosby Boys routine had a little juice to it, but even that ended up pretty weak. Two stories that make the main characters involved seem like giant jerks does not a good episode make.