Ahem. If Ted's really "half Jewish", he should know there's no such thing.
7.6/10. I liked all three stories here. Ted and Zoe has the kind of faux dramatics stuff going on that the show became less adept at as it went on, but I like the basic idea behind it. Even if the whole crying to tape record the "weiners and gonads" bit is underhanded and dumb, the fact that her husband thinks her causes are a waste of time even as he nominally supports her, and even though Ted's directly opposed and the target of her operation, he at least appreciates her taking a stand is a nice setup. The fact that both the tape recorder and the acoustics to be able to hear a conversation from across the room were set up beforehand was a nice touch that helped seal it. And hey, Kyle McLachlan is a boon and him calling Ted "Commander Awesomeville" or whatever totally seriously is a hoot.
The Lily/Marshall story was a little more frustrating. Lily being so hard on Marshall for keeping his job at GNB and not wanting to go to the NRDC instead was pretty rich considering that he didn't even want to take a big corporate job in the first place, but had to because Lily got into massive credit card debt and not only didn't tell him about it, but actively hid it from him when they were making major financial decision. There's a myopia to Lily there that's true to her character, but still. That said, I like the whole "college-age Marshall" museum exhibit conceit, and the realization that Marshall's the same where it counts, even if people change over time and aren't as idealistic as they used to be.
Barney and Robin's story about touching the artifacts at the museum, and verifying that Barney dislodged the whale is a lot fluffier, but also amusing with the two of them clowning around. Again, this season gives the two of them some nice moments together, and I appreciate that. Barney learning that the guy he thought was his uncle was in fact his father is treated with the gravity it should be, and his reaction feels true, giving the moment more emotional impact.
Overall, a little corny, and a couple frustrating character moments, but a lot of good stuff.
Shout by FiodesteBlockedParent2021-10-19T18:04:16Z
the marshall as a museum exhibit thing is genius
also weiners and gonads