Do Ted and Robin belong together? It's a question the show has been asking since almost it's very first episode, and after building up to the two of them getting together in the first season, it builds to the two of them falling apart here. Sure, it's a question the show would wrestle with (almost interminably) in later years as well, but this episode felt like the culmination of the Ted-Robin story the show had been telling over two seasons.
There's some deft choices in terms of structure to the episode. After giving Marshall and Lily the spotlight in "Something Borrowed", the episode mostly sidelines the two of them, though still manages to work in some solid, well-observed humor about it being difficult to eat while being greeted and hugged by everyone at your wedding. And it even throws in a nice grace note for the pair, with Marshall beaming as he looks back and realizes that the macarena-ing, vomiting woman with him at a fast food restaurant can officially be called his wife.
But the main event is the story of what happened to Ted and Robin (which, unbeknownst to Barney), took place two episodes ago. In true HIMYM style, the story is told in flashback, with the various fakeouts, and Barney's reaction to them, livening up what is otherwise one of the more mature and serious episodes a fairly silly show has offered.
But the conversation between Robin and Ted, the fight, and its resolution feel very trenchant and real. As much as Ted and Robin get along with one another, they ultimately want different things. Robin doesn't want to have kids in Argentina, and Ted doesn't want to have kids in Argentina. That's the core of it, and as Ted points out, they can keep going and enjoy being together despite the fact that they know their relationship has an expiration date, or they can break up and try to find someone who wants the same things out of life that they do.
And beyond that, it feels real in terms of how couple fight and resolve their differences and argue and make up and reach decisions. The moment where Robin tells Ted that if she ever wanted to have someone's babies, it would be his is so sweet and so sad, sweet because she really means it that if anyone could cross that threshold with her, it would be him, but it's sad because that's not what she wants, and it's the kind thing you say with resignation when you realize a relationship is doomed, no matter how much two people love each other.
And it feels real in the way that, faced with this crisis, Ted and Robin make these grand plans. They plan to move to Argentina, Ted handwaves his concerns about having kids in the city, Robin feels like she can make it work. But they remember the plan to move in together, that taking their relationship to a level of seriousness beyond where they were barely worked for half an hour. They were, as Robin put it, "all talk", and it's a frank and mature realiziation that while Ted and Robin work as two people who love each other in their separate lives, they don't work together as two people sharing one life together. They realized that before, and contrary to Ted's usual M.O., a grand gesture or hasty decision isn't going to change that fact.
So they break up. And Robin's tears during Lily's vows make more sense. And it's sad to have them reach that point, but also real. It points the two of them in different directions (with enough time for an adorable Barney excited to be a wingman once more), but shows what they understand about their relationship with one another. For however romcom-esque Ted and Robin's coming together was, the reason and the way they broke apart is one of the truest and realest things the show has offered as counterpoint.
And in the end we're left with the reverse of last season. Marshall and Lily are together once more, filled with joy and mirth at their future, and Ted and Robin are apart. It's a fine parallel, and a sign of the deft way in which How I Met Your Mother could move its characters around the chessboard in a way that felt touching, heartbreaking, funny, and true.
Perfectly good episode, with good conceits for each. Robin's story felt a little rushed, but I liked the idea of her breaking up with (and being broken up with) a little kid as analogous to real life breakups. Plus, it delves deeper into Robin's fear of having and relating to kids and apart from the high concept hilarity of being dumped by a six-year-old, gives some more emotional depth to her stance on children.
Ted and Barney's story about trying to prove who has more "game" by hitting on the same girl is less successful overall, but still pretty funny and creative, especially with Marshall's desperate attempts to prove he's still relevant to the competition despite dating (and eventually marrying) the same woman over the past 11 years. The visualization of Ted's revulsion to going where Barney's gone before, and the reveal of Barney's Machiavellian plot to win the competition are pretty amusing in that inventive HIMYM-way, even if the mini-Barneys get kind of cheesy after a while.
All-in-all, it's not the sharpest outing from the show, but there's a lot to like, including the little moments like "every blind date has a 'but...'" conversation. Eminently watchable How I Met Your Mother episode.
Update 9/22/16: This was the episode Tatiana used as her Emmy submission and won with.
So my fave ship from Season 1 is finally reunited. Propane (Rachel x Windows), how I've missed thee. Never part again.
And, of course, if something is given, something has to be taken away, so apparently this is goodbye to my dear Beth. I have to say that this season's Beth arc was easily one of my favorite things that has happened on this show. It gave this show the much needed boost it needed after last season's Castor debacle. Sarah seeing Beth again while on the bridge near the train station broke me. When Beth said "We need you." I almost lost it.
The main two questions I need answered now are: Where the hell is Helena? I can understand why she left, but that doesn't explain why we haven't seen her. The woman is pregnant with twins and I need to know she's okay. And of course, is Delphine alive or not? It's been 7 episodes since she was shot and all we know is that Krystal saw someone pick her up and she was still alive at that time. If she is alive, I bet she shows up in the last seconds of the season finale or Cosima gets some phone call from her at the end of the episode.
This season is jockeying back and forth with Season 1 in the favorite season department. Actually, I think when the season is over, I'm going to watch Season 1 and Season 4 back to back.
Good episode. It had a nice balance between the heavier stuff with Ted and Robin figuring out how to be friends for real after their breakup, and the cartoonier stuff with the slap bet.
In truth, the Ted/Robin story is what elevates the episode. Again, it's not revelatory, but the show still has some trenchant insights about the difficulties in maintaining a friendship with an ex, and the earnest way in which Ted and Robin talk about those problems, express their frustration with the other's new partners (Ted seeing Bob as an old man is a nice perspective joke), decide they can't be friends, and then fall back into their inside jokes and realize that they still have a connection even if it's no longer a romantic one, works very well at walking the line between light and serious.
The slap stuff is a little less successful in my book. I'll say it, I think the slap gets overplayed. The initial slap bet episode is amazing, and the surprise slap at Barney's one-man show is my favorite, but the more it went on, the more it turned into a somewhat contrived production and less a fun little part of the show. I did enjoy the various puns and veiled threats (Jason Segel and NPH sell the material like champs), but the song was a bridge too far in my book, even with a somewhat unreliable narrator.
Still, a funny episode with some good Ted-Robin stuff that doubles down on the heart of their friendship is a win in my book.
9.2/10. One of the things that elevates this show above the average sitcom is how it plays with the timeline and form. Telling three stories at the in three different points in time, having them nest and relate to one another pretty perfectly, and centering it around a frame story in the present day that ties into the rest of the season is sharp storytelling.
Plus, despite the fact that each of the stories is working its way through Barney's progression, each manages to have its own distinct flavor on the "not where you eat" principle. Robin's is the traditional story (as often seems to be the case on HIMYM), Marshall and Lily have two twists when it's another couple and a neighbor instead of a coworker, and Barney and Wendy the Waitress has the added stakes of McLaren's plus Barney's general awfulness. It creates interesting parallels that never feel dull or repetitive, and the crackerjack editing keeps everything moving and interesting.
And then at the end, Ted is in the least insufferable and most sympathetic shade of his personality (despite his labor-intensive disheveling of his own hair). He acknowledges that there's a good chance things with Stella won't work out, but that he's putting himself out there and taking risks despite that, and even if it doesn't go perfectly, the risk of failure is worth trying to find love, regardless of what the rules are. If anything, that's the message of the series in a nutshell, and it's one of the more down-to-earth yet optimistic versions of Ted we've seen in the series so far. Big thumbs up.
7.3/10. Rewatching this one, I was ready to bash it. The slanted apartment story is a nice enough little B-plot, with the dutch angle selling it, but the whole ghost bit is pretty weak at the end of the day and hews toward the "no one in a sitcom can just tell each other the truth" cliche that drives me nuts. The resolution isn't ideal either, but whatever, it works well enough I suppose.
But what really had me about to turn on the episode was the way that Ted was acting. Ted has definitely been more Barney-like in the first half of this season. That's not necessarily so terrible; he leaned a little too far into the hopeless romantic side of things to the point where seeing him cut loose and experiment a bit was an interesting and realistic tack for the character.
But watching him ditch his date, steal from some random person, and kiss a married woman was pretty beyond the pale. Barney can get away with all of this to some degree because he's the comic relief and he's so ridiculous in his persona and tactics that none of it feels serious. But Ted is someone we're supposed to get behind, to identify with, and to root for, and it's really hard to do those things when he's being selfish treating other people poorly.
I had forgotten, however, Marshall's speech at the end, dressing Ted down and essentially ending his Barney-like adventures. It's a moment of realness and reflection, ("We don't need another Barney!") and show's a greater self-awareness about Ted than HIMYM necessarily always possesses. Call Ted out was a necessary course correction, and it retroactively makes the earlier nonsense worthwhile as a motivation for a change. The fact that he gets the yellow umbrella once he makes that shift and realization is the icing on the cake.
Plus, I love the conversation between Marshall and Ted because in addition to that kick in the pants that Ted needed, it feels very true-to-life. They joke around with each other after the heavy stuff, rib each other, and have a very lived-in friendship. One of the things that makes HIMYM an endearing show even when you're frustrated with some of the character choices is the way they get the feeling of friendship and interactions between buddies right. That moment feels real in both the serious talk and in the back-and-forth joking around, and it helps that moment hit home.
Despite my rating, I have some mixed feelings about this episode. So let's take the good and the bad.
Good: CBS hyped the heck out of a then-notably crazy Britney Spears appearing on the show. The episode, accordingly, got record ratings, and from that point on How I Met Your Mother turned the corner as a successful show that was no longer in perpetual danger of cancellation and could build toward the future.
Bad: Britney Spears cannot act worth a damn. It's not like her role was so well-written or anything, but she had an awkward delivery and added nothing to the episode itself. It's strange because she acquitted herself well enough on Saturday Night Live back in the day, but maybe she just didn't fit with a sitcom setting.
Good: Sarah Chalke is delightful. As Scrubs fans know, Chalke is a consumate pro, who knows how to be charming and likable and also carry some more emotional material in a comedy environment. There's a brightness and sense of fun to her as Stella, and it boosts the episode tremendously. The way she sells both her reasons for not dating Ted and how much her daughter and her career mean to her is great.
Bad: There's something mildly troubling about the entire "turning a no into a yes" motif. It feels generally fine here because we know that Stella does like Ted, there's just something holding her back. Still, there's the fact that whatever her reasons, she turned Ted down pretty unequivocally (as Robin amusingly points out), and the fact that he keeps pressuring her and trying to woo her despite that is a little uncomfortable, at least in principle, even if it works alright in the heightened reality of a sitcom. Plus he's pretty awful to Abby in the process.
Good: There's so many tremendous jokes with a delayed payoff here and gags that play with the nonlinear storytelling of the show. From Barney being the one who made Abby cry, to Marshall being the one who left the self-help book that prompted Ted to devote himself to it, to Lily rubbing Marshall's injured neck. There's some tightly-constructed humor and it really works.
Great: The 2-minute date. Again, there's something a bit uneasy about the whole idea, but damn if the 2-minute date is not an incredibly romantic gesture and one of the top moments of the show. It's Ted at his sweetest and most creative, and the little joking asides through the whole thing are remarkably endearing. If there's one thing that helps wash the sour taste of the "no becomes a yes" idea of my mouth, it's a payoff this inventive and with a great energy and real emotion to boot. A good finish goes a long way.
it made me cry when Caroline's mom passed away. i didn't know that it was Jeremy's final episode. maybe we'll see him in the future.
(via TV Blaze for WP)
What a phenomenal show! Being a Marvel production, I fully expected something of quality, but my expectations were blown entirely out of the water. Daredevil has easily taken its place among my favorite shows currently on air and far surpasses the current lineup of comic book-based television properties (including Marvel's own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
The cast is great. Charlie Cox brings emotional weight to Matt Murdock and an intimidating presence to his vigilante alter ego. Supporting players Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Rosario Dawson, all make their respective roles feel critical, never distracting or annoying. But it's Vincent D'Onofrio that really steals the spotlight as Wilson Fisk, bringing to life a villain who is not only vicious and truly terrifying, but also heartbreakingly pitiful.
Daredevil's writing separates it from the current crop of superhero television. The progression of the plot is well organized and dialog rarely (if ever) crosses that line into comic book corniness. You really get the sense that the show runners had a clear vision for where they wanted this freshman season to go, while still laying groundwork for future seasons. Never does it feel like you're just being strung along for bigger and better things to come next season. And the show doesn't constantly try to remind you of the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, as any references to it are (usually) subtle.
But perhaps Daredevil's greatest strength is its cinematography. Fight sequences are expertly choreographed and coherent (not to mention brutally gritty), even rivaling those of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The production value is top notch, probably thanks to the refreshingly limited reliance on CGI. But what impressed me the most was the brave willingness to let the camera linger or even meander occasionally. Ending episode 2 with a minutes-long single take fight sequence had me speechless, and is a testament to the level of quality brought to the show.
Daredevil is a strong addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think Marvel's partnership with Netflix could prove to be one of their best decisions regarding their television properties and I look forward to future shows like A.K.A. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.
So, there's good news and bad news about season one of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Bad news first: the early episodes are pretty bad. There are too many characters to get a feel for any of them right off the bat. Also, the villain, Vandal Savage, comes across pretty much as a complete wuss. Sure, he's got some kind of immortality thing going on, but with a ship full of super-people it should be a cakewalk to take him out. All the reasoning behind why this doesn't happen requires some major hand-waving.
Good news: it gets a lot better, around halfway through. Suffering through that poor early stuff gives time to introduce each character, and their various struggles/relationships/etc start to be more meaningful. Savage is still kinda weak as the major big-bad, but he gets help in a way that makes at least a little bit of sense. The last 2-3 episodes are really pretty good.
Sadly, that's a lot of time spent to get to the good stuff. If you're a DC comics fan, or watch Flash/Arrow, you'll probably enjoy Legends of Tomorrow just to see what they've done with the characters. If not, this one might not be for you.
Some more thoughts here: http://ineffablebob.blogspot.com/2016/05/dcs-legends-of-tomorrow.html
I'll be honest. This one probably doesn't deserve the 10/10 rating (and let's call it a 9.5/10, just to be on the safe side), but god this one is so much fun. It's a classic bit of HIMYM schtick, from Ted's dive-in-head-first relationship mentality, to the prank-turned-reverse prank, to hilarious asides like Barney claiming that Jesus invented the 3-day rule. There's nothing especially deep to it. Ted's revelation that whoever his future wife is, she'll be too much on his wavelength to care about rules like that makes a slight attempt at it, but what really drives the episode is the comic farce of the schemes going on.
NPH and Jason Segel in particular deserve a medal for this episode. The way they absolutely sold Ted's imagine spots about what Holly was doing while they were texting was classic; their arguments over who Ted was dreaming about was hilarious in their simultaneous uncomfortableness and flattery, and Marshall's "why do we keep trying to have sex with Ted" realizations were classic. I have to admit, there were points where I wondered if S4 was a bit of a dropoff from S3, and while some seams are showing in certain episodes, this is a great example of how the comedy is still on point.
The romance between Mike and Eleven was a bit unnecessary i think. I get that it should heighten the stakes and the finale but i like Millie Bobby Brown so much as Eleven that i didn't really need it. Anyway, now that we have it i am very pleased with the execution. It felt so innocent, so sweet. They are friends, but they feel that they feel more for each other without really knowing that.
The chase and the whole beginning before the intro were excellent. This is 80s-Spielberg at it's best. .
I have a question about the Lando-Theme that Dustin evoked: He said "That doesn't feel good" repteadly in this dialog. But wouldn't it make more sense if he would say: "I have a bad feeling about this", like Han Solo, who was betrayed by Lando? Did Disney or Lucas Film trademarked that sentence?
Also, is Mr. Clark a CIA sleeper? He knows about sensory deprivation tank and how to build one, about multiverse-theories but acts like a really average guy. That is very suspicious! Maybe we should open this curiosity door.
At the end of the episode, where the two henchman of the lab, the woman and the man appeared i had one thought: Anti-Mulder-and-Scully.
9.3/10. I really enjoyed the conceit of Ted's story here. The parallel blind dates happening at different points in time was an interesting device to look at how Ted and his date had changed over the years, at the various signals and cues that they'd misinterpreted or didn't pick up on at all, and the way that going through those motions again was a sign to Ted that he was looking for someone who appreciated those goofy or semi-offputting things about him. The best little narrative devices on the show are used for both drama and comedy, and this absolutely fit. Plus, the story had those little well-observed quirks of dating and friendship that the show does so well.
The Stripper Lily story is also a comic classic. Marshall's elaborate fantasy to be able to actually imagine himself sleeping with another woman is 100% classic, as is Lily's dismay that he "kills her off" in these daydreams and her enthusiasm for her stripper body double. Barney brought the laughs as well, between his blind belief that Robin wouldn't have a problem with his going to strip clubs, and his Chewbacca-related ruse and his protestations of innocence while the Lusty Leopard treats him like the regular he is. Robin had less to do, but even she had some good lines, (e.g. "Is that what your whores told you?")
Overall, it's an excellent episode that has a cute story to tell for Ted in an interesting way, and a lot of silly fun with the rest of the gang. Plus, I had forgotten that this is the doppleganger season!
7.5/10. Since I've been a Robin/Barney skeptic from the beginning, So this should be in my wheelhouse, right? Well, kind of. The idea that Barney and Robin aren't right for each other is a drum I've been beating for a long time, but this didn't really get at why. It posited that two awesomes cancel each other out, which could be a roundabout way of saying the same thing as that Barney is a cartoon character and Robin is a more realistic, self-respecting woman, and that both of them are too (as Marshall diplomatically puts it) independent for them to ever really make a go of being together. Instead, the thesis seems to be that they just suddenly turn into a lame nigh-married couple? We've seen Robin in relationships before, and (very mild spoilers) we'll see Barney in a relationship again, and it never really goes this direction, with little to indicate why it did in the first place.
Maybe that's the issue? The show is kind of wishy-washy about the whole thing. There's the implicit concept that the two of them fight all the time ("every moment's a battle") but have just settled into a groove, but I don't know that even the prior fight-episode adequately built up to that point. The best you can say is that their "think of it as two freinds getting back together" exchange is very sweet, and in my humble opinion, the best arrangement for Barney and Robin.
But you know what elevates the episode despite that? The scheming from Ted, Marshall, and especially Lily to break them up. From Ted's amateur attempts that end up blowing up in his and Marshall's face, to Lily's faux-retirement and then Machiavellian plan to remind them of their biggest fights, to the hilarious sequence in the stake out sttion wagon, with debates about porn, stake out vans, pizza, Alan Thicke, and how Crazy Meg knows so much about everyone's lives. There's a really comedy caper vibe to that portion of the episode, and it really makes the entire thing much more fun and laugh-worthy than it has any right to be. Not a great episode, given the muddled quality it's steeped in, but still a good one given the comedy and at least sticking to the idea that Barney and Robin don't work.
I'm pretty sure I like this one better on rewatch than I did when I originally saw it. I like the central ideas the episode plays in -- Marshall's idea that family is important and not something that you can just cut out of your life, and Lily's that sometimes family members can do things that are so consistently awful and insensitive that your life is better off without them. I also appreciated the fact that by the end of the episode, they'd seen the other's point to where they actually flipped -- Marshall understood why Lily had such a hard time with her father, and Lily understood the idea of making peace even with people who have hurt you because you may regret it if you don't. It's obviously a bit simplified, but it's a nice idea for a Thanksgiving episode.
The slap stuff didn't do it too much for me. Let's face it, the whole slap thing was pretty much exhausting after Slap #2. The build up, the fanfare, the debates, all feel like trying to recreate one of the show's finest hours rather than forge ahead with something new and more original. It's not as though there weren't some funny moments (Mickey explaining that he doesn't know Barney, doesn't have anything against them, but just can't pass up the opportunity to slap someone in the face), but the entire slap-gifting chain was kind of contrived and broad even for a show that can get a little campy. There's a lot to like here, but it feels like the batting average is slipping.
this show gives you a whole new outlook on what our future could hold. I saw 1x03 before google glass was announced and then hearing about glass got me scared as to our potential possible future going down a similar route.
Every episode brings up another topic for thought into our future and morals as a society. S1 is for sure the most memorable but each individual episode is worthy of attention. It really makes you take a deep hard look at what our society is becoming at the cost of technology, to keep advancing and the problems we could face as a society because of this thirst we have for comfort.
the only downside i found watching this series is you have to concentrate to watch it, or you will miss something, and the early parts of the episodes can seem boring at first watch, but watching them over after you have seen the whole episode you will have that "AHHH" moment.
if you are after a series to make your head-spin and bring about plenty of debate between friends and family then this is the show for you.
It is a brilliant thought provoking series and i really hope they make more!
I love October. You can practically hear all of my favorite shows coming back from hiatus.
This was a really good episode. Like, really good. Thankfully, Superman didn't overshadow Supergirl at all. I'd been worried that that might happen - the media had been massively overhyping his appearance on the show before the season started, but he didn't steal Kara's spotlight, for which I'm grateful. Tyler and Melissa work so well together. It was a pleasure to watch their characters interact.
Lena Luthor seems pretty cool. I hope to see more of her soon.
Cat Grant is absolutely fantastic. I love her. What a shame that Calista is no longer a series regular. Kara and Cat's relationship is a delight to watch.
Kara and James didn't even last one episode, which is hilarious. Honestly, I'm glad. Let Kara focus on herself before you put her in a relationship.
We also got yet another British villain, the first glimpse of Project Cadmus and Alex Danvers kicking some bad guy ass (hell yeah!).
After a pretty shaky start and some serious improvement in season 1, Supergirl is now a well-balanced superhero show and also one of my personal favorites. And boy, am I glad that they moved it to the CW. To be honest, I didn't know what to think when I heard the news back in May, but it worked out extremely well. The pacing and the flow of the episode were significantly better than what we'd got used to in season 1. The dialogues were better. The editing was better. The atmosphere was better. Supergirl has always been charming, colorful and fun, and now all these qualities seem to have been amplified somehow. If this episode was any indication of how the rest of the season is going to look like, we're in for a treat. And I couldn't be more excited.
Well, here's hoping Barry finally learns not to mess with the damn timeline. Also, apparently not one episode can go by without him explaining time-travelling stuff while drawing lines on a board.
Alchemy looks like poor man's Nazgul, but he's sufficiently creepy and powerful. He'll probably be a pretty compelling villain once we learn more about him.
Can Barry and Iris please stop being so darn cute?
Caitlin has her Killer Frost powers! Does this mean she's going to sport white hair and a tacky leather outift like her Earth-2 counterpart? Or talk like she went to Leonard Snart's school of unnecessarily drawing out words? I sincerely hope not. Maybe she could put on a blue dress and belt out "Let It Go" in the musical crossover with Supergirl? Because I'd be okay with that.
I hated seeing Cisco sad, but I'm glad he and Barry made up at the end of the episode. His gauntlets were pretty sick too.
Oh, and it seems that Draco Malfoy changed his name and moved to Central City to be a metahuman expert? I guess things didn't work out for him in the Wizarding World.
This was a really emotional episode with a lot of angst and sadness, and yet the thing that upset me the most was that baby Sara is baby John now. I'm not okay with this. Give Dig his adorable baby girl back right now.
Hot damn, this season is so good. Everything about it is just absolutely awesome.
That opening scene was great. It was super cool to see how differently Barry experiences things.
Harry and Jesse are back! I'm so happy! Let's hope they stick around for a while.
Magenta was a pretty fantastic villain. I'm always a sucker for the whole Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde thing. I can't even really blame her for her actions. There aren't many things in the world that I hate more than abusive parents. Sure, trying to destroy a hospital full of innocent people was way too extreme, but I can't say that I don't understand her motivations. Oh, and her hair was dope.
"Dad cop" is wonderful. And Barry being a "second daughter" made me giggle.
I can't wait for Team Flash to find out about Caitlin's powers.
Julian is a freaking asshole. Everything about him, from his stupid vest to his stupid messy hair, screams bad guy to me. How can you hate Barry Allen? That's just not physically possible. Look at him. He's the sweetest person in the world.
That last scene with Harry and Jesse was so good and pure. It made me really happy.
I've talked about Barry and Iris before, but god damn it, that is some tooth-rotting fluff right there. It should be illegal to be this cute. I can't stop grinning like an idiot.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm... cautiously optimistic about this season? We're 3 episodes in and so far it's good. I'm actually enjoying watching Arrow again.
Am I still bitter about Diggle having a son instead of a daughter in this timeline? Yes, I am. It shouldn't be a big deal, really, but for some reason it makes me sad.
The new team is slowly growing on me. Right now Wild Dog is your typical stubborn, hot-headed idiot, but hopefully he'll get better. Curtis quips way too much and it's not half as charming as when Cisco does it on The Flash, but he was actually useful in this episode, so kudos to him for that.
John and Lyla's relationship is honestly my favorite on the show. I always enjoy their scenes together.
I'm curious to see what will happen next with Felicity and Rory. There's potential for some quality angst there, but I'm not sure if I trust the writers to handle this dynamic properly.
I'm totally here for Bad Bitch Thea Quinn destroying the asshole reporter. Get wrecked, Susan.
The slow-mo shot of Oliver walking away from the explosion was cool in that weird cringey way where it was almost too cheesy to handle, but somehow still made my inner 8-year-old jump and clap her hands with glee.
Oh, and apparently ingesting a drug slowly fries your brain and destroys your internal organs, but if you bathe in it, you're suddenly invincible? How does that even work?
So it looks like we're getting Prison Break: Arrow Edition next week! Just please, kill the bastard that framed John while you're at it.
8.5/10. Look, this is a little outlandish even by HIMYM standards. Ted up and buying a house because he feels the life-goal equivalent of his biological clock ticking is kind of ridiculous, but as Marshall points out at the end of the episode, also very true to form. And what I like about the episode is that for all the ridiculousness it incorporates--the sarcastic home inspector (who was a delight, by the way), the "kid or drunk" game, the Robin-Barney crying lies--it draws back to the sweetness of the friendship between Marshall and Ted, which is one of the show's most reliable sources of genuine feeling and has been from the beginning. The loyalty and affection the two of them shows make their interactions feel real, even when the plot of an episode doesn't necessarily, and that helps to ground the proceedings. At the same time, the reveal that over time, Ted did in fact improve that house, and it's the one his kids are sitting in while he tells them this (very long) story is a pleasant one.
And hell, all that wackiness on the margins is fun. Barney telling everyone that Robin cried with his usual mischievous glee is great, as is his romcom-esque fake out with Ted's mom (and to a lesser extent Robin). The show just did this in "Say Cheese," but it's also nice having Lily complain about Ted jumping into things too quickly and then having Ted point out that he took that same attitude with Marshall and Lily and the results bore out his faith. The "drunk or kid" game and Marshall standing up for Ted were a nice bit of comic relief, and even the awkwardness of Ted's Stepdad (who is the freaking Mayor from Buffy) is worth a laugh or two. Overall, a quality episode.
Geez, this episode was a rollercoaster. I have so many thoughts and I’m not sure if I can express all of them properly, but I’ll try.
First of all, Mon-El is not bad, but he’s not particularly interesting either. I really hope he and Kara will stay friends and nothing more. His scenes with Winn were pretty great, though. And hungover Winn is absolutely hilarious.
Something about Lena Luthor’s accent has been bothering me since the season premiere, and I finally got around to looking up Katie McGrath. She’s Irish, as it turns out. My ears weren’t deceiving me. By the way, is Lena evil? Does she know Kara is Supergirl? Something about their conversation and the way she stared after Kara seemed shady. Frankly, I don’t care if she’s one of the good guys or a villain. I’m fine with either.
Miss Martian is a White Martian! I’m having an aneurysm! I didn’t see that one coming at all. What an awesome plot twist. I really enjoyed the relationship between her and J’onn in this episode and I can’t wait to see what will happen when J’onn finds out who she really is.
"- I offered to merge with her in the Martian way.
- But you guys just met."
I literally had to pause the episode because I was laughing too hard. Oh, Kara.
Dichen Lachman is always a win. Dichen Lachman playing a villain in a red dress with sick tattoos? Double win. I hope we’ll see Roulette again at some point.
Alex „Fight Me” Danvers, the same Alex Danvers who throws herself at aliens twice her size without hesitation, stutters and gets flustered when a pretty girl compliments her. What an awkward baby gay. I love her so much.
Why did Maggie take Alex’s hand? Don’t tell me it was for the mission because there was no need for them to hold hands. I’m pretty sure the writers only threw that in to give me (and Alex) a heart attack.
Of course Maggie has a girlfriend who conveniently showed up when Alex was trying to ask Maggie out. I hate it when they do that. We all know that the girlfriend is just a plot device created for the sole purpose of keeping Alex pining for Maggie for a little longer. They did basically the same thing with Kara, James and Lucy last season, except Lucy ended up actually getting some character development and being relevant to the plot. I’m willing to bet it won’t be the case here.
Shoutout to Chyler Leigh for her phenomenal work. She did an amazing job of showing Alex’s inner turmoil, sadness and disappointment with just her facial expressions as she watched Maggie leave. It was stunning to watch.
8.5/10. I like both of the major storylines here. Marshall and Lily deciding whether to have a baby, and looking to signs from the universe, and realizing that whether or not they're actually seeing those signs is an indication of whether they're ready for it is a nice way to dramatize the internal concerns about bringing a new life into this world without just making it endless conversation. And the twist that Barney, who's mostly relegated to comic relief here, actually wants them to have a kid is one of those "heart of gold" moments for the character that help redeem him from the depths of his usual depravity.
Robin and Ted's storyline is very good too. In retrospect, the Don stuff is somewhat rushed (though perhaps in a fairly standard fashion for a sitcom), but the show does a good job at selling how Robin is really committing to this relationship in a way that she hadn't with Ted, Barney, or anyone else, and that makes it all the more meaningful and devastating when it falls apart. The idea that for once, Robin was putting love ahead of her career, and it came back to bite her in a bitterly ironic fashion is a nice bit of storytelling poetry, and while Ted's doppleganger speech is pretty facile and prior events for him and Barney don't necessarily fit the narrative, it is an interesting idea that despite the hurt she's feeling, Robin became more courageous over the years, and that's worth something.
Plus, it's also a solidly funny episode. Ted's blonde hair was fodder for lots of great comedy, from the always excellent psychic conversations among the gang, to Barney's list of one-liners, to the group actually liking it eventually, to Marshall calling him "Ellen Degenerous." In the same vein, the imagine spot of everyone being all up in Marshall and Lily's business about conceiving, only for it to come true later in the episode, was delightfully paced and acted by all parties, and even corny worldplay like "This just in...is what Marshall Erickson is about to say" had me chuckling.
Overall, it's up there in the pantheon of great finales from the show. It doesn't feel as epic as the dramatic stakes of the S1 or S2 finales, despite some major stuff happening, and yet that's a feature, since it feels more like just a particularly good, particularly eventful regular episode in its own way, which gives the episode its own charms.
History became legend. Legend became myth.
And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece "The Lord of the Rings", Peter Jackson took up the challenge, that for the longest time was told about Tolkien's book: "Too complicated to bring a true version onto film, it cannot be done."
Describing "The Lord of the Rings" to the uninitiated may perhaps be best compared trying to describe the taste of wine: Sweet, a little bitter, and intoxicating. Yet to those, who have never tasted wine, the meaning behind this description will forever elude them.
What makes this trilogy stand out amongst other equally brilliant movies, is each individual aspect of this movie is an astonishing work of art and ties "The Lord of the Rings" to something larger than the sum of its parts. The cinematography is breathtaking, in the most literal sense of the word. At times you will hold your breath being consumed by the sheer beauty of Middle Earth. You will quickly forget your surroundings and be plunged into this world. The original score composed by Howard Shore can be considered a masterpiece and Shore's magnum opus, his most brilliant work to date. Inspired by Richard Wagner, he composed the soundtrack around 80 different Leitmotifs, each focusing on an individual character/area/scene with recurring melodies throughout the trilogy. At the time of production, the most popular composers were James Horner and Hans Zimmer, and the music scene was quite astounded at Jackson's choice for the relatively unknown Shore. Jackson said his decision heavily depended on Shore's very unique style (as seen in 'The Cell') and his ability to bring something unique to each of his work.
The (special) effects are equally amazing and more importantly, believable. You will never feel like "Ah, special effects!", but be mesmerized by their authenticity. It almost seems nonsensical to talk about the performance by leading and supporting roles. They were real. I did not see them in their previous roles or as actors, they completely filled out their roles and added their own personality.
"The Lord of the Rings" is certainly not perfect, but if you came to expect perfection, you will forever be feeling disappointed.
It is however the closest thing to perfection as one might get without feeling pretentious.
If you watch this movie for the first time and have very high expectations from all the positive reviews, forget the reviews and watch it with an open mind, but also don't watch it thinking it could never live up to your high expectations, as you might miss out.
I, for one, will be watching this movie for many many years to come, and it has become quite the tradition to watch it at least once a year.
10/10 - You will witness the events unfold through the eyes of the Fellowship and come across joy, sorrow and even great despair. A true work of art that should not be missed.
"The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. " Galadriel
throws an Emmy at Chyler Leigh's head because somehow she manages to outdo herself every week and it's ridiculous
I didn't expect Supergirl to do a horror episode, but they actually kinda pulled it off. The scenes at the research station were sufficiently creepy. And the parasite looked really good.
Drunk Kara was absolutely adorable and hilarious.
The Guardian is fine. I liked James and Winn's interactions in this episode. Kudos to Jeremy Jordan for his angry speech at the DEO. It was amazing. And the idea to lace the suit with lead so Kara can't see inside it was pretty brilliant.
Is something going to happen to J'onn because of White Martian blood?
Well, Mon-El is dead. I mean, not really, but I can't say I'd miss his pasty annoying ass.
Now, let's get to the more emotional and less comprehensible part of this review:
Alex came out to Kara, and of course there had to be a misunderstanding, but that scene at Kara's apartment was beautiful. Everything about it was perfect, from the soft music and the warm lighting to all the acting choices. Alex talking about Maggie and calling her beautiful was just so pure and cute and it made me want to bite my hand off. You know the feeling. Don't lie to me.
AND THEN ALEX KISSED MAGGIE! I had to pause the episode and calm my racing heart. I was so excited and happy that I felt like I was about to explode. But underneath all that there was a nasty little gremlin sitting in my stomach, whispering "Maggie's gonna reject her", so I hesitated for a good minute before hitting play.
And guess what?
The gremlin was fucking right and I hate life.
Don't get me wrong. I want Alex and Maggie's relationship to develop slowly. And Maggie had a good reason for not wanting to get involved with a baby gay who's just starting to figure herself out. The calm, reasonable part of me knows that. But the far more vocal, far less logical part wants them to get together immediately.
Alex's heartbreak destroyed me. Holy shit. My poor baby. I'm sobbing because of her. The way she choked and stuttered and could barely talk... so real and completely devastating.
Artemis, you little traitorous bastard. I knew there was something wrong with her. That explains why Prometheus didn't kill her in the train and how easy it was for her to cut him in the arm. I never cared a lot about her character, but now I'm intrigued. What is she all up to? Is she still blaming Ollie for her parent's death? Is Prometheus her brother? Or is she just trying to trick him? I know it's impossible but this Prometheus plan seems taken from the "Malcolm Merlin textbook to killing and framing others". That's his kind of strategy.
Vigilante was cool, though. It's pretty obvious he's Adrian Chase. I'm now wondering whether Vigilante has something to do with Prometheus. I mean, is it him too or is he under his orders. He didn't even hurt Evelyn. Perhaps Prometheus told Vigilante not to hurt her because she's his double agent.
I simply love Thea and Quentin scenes together, very emotional. Their father-daughter relationship is so real that gives me goosebumps. My heart breaks every time he mentions Laurel. All he's been through. He lost his daughters, and now that little b**** and his Prometheus partner frames him. Stop hurting Quentin.
And the references to season one. That "twitch, and I open your throat" had me on internal combustion. They mentioning Slade and his bamboo sticks brought good memories. Even more since we know he's coming back for the crossover. I hope it's not a flashback, but Slade in the flesh. Our prayers have been heard. Quentin and Thea mentioning Moira and Laurel was a nice touch considering the crossover too.
Overall, it was a good episode, full of action and fight scenes, although some of them were weird, like Curtis'. Why does he get beaten every episode anyways? He's kinda annoying. Wild Dog is growing on me.
I so enjoyed Felicity's "hanging around out" joke. It made me giggle. I also enjoyed how everyone ignored her.
Now, let's just wait for the amazing crossover. I can't wait to see Slade back again. That's good times!
I loved Thea and Quentin's interactions in this episode. They have a really great father/daughter dynamic.
I'm actually starting to like Susan. Her relationship with Oliver is nice. But that drink she handed him when they met at the bar? Honey, that was not a drink. That wasn't even half a drink. I know that expensive alcohol is served in absurdly small amounts, but that was like one last sad tiny sip left at the bottom of the glass.
One thing that bothered me was that the team was in the middle of a workout when the bank robbery happened. They were all sweaty as fuck and probably didn't have time to shower, so how did they manage to get into their skintight leather outfits? That must have hurt.
That guy in the interrogation room (the DA, I think? I have terrible memory when it comes to recurring characters, so I'm not sure) was freaking scary. I'm assuming that when he said he'd been to hell, he meant that literally?
Little J.J. is adorable. That scene with the whole Diggle family was super cute.
And Evelyn is a double agent. Because of course she is. Girl, this is going to blow up in your face. I wish I could smack some sense into her right now. Who is even taking care of her? Where does she live? She's like 17. She should be doing homework, not standing broodily on rooftops and planning something shady with masked psychopaths.
You know what the sad thing is? I didn't appreciate Laurel enough when she was on the show. This episode only reminded me what a big hole she left when she died. And damn, it made me emotional.
I actually love the "characters are in a simulation and start to realize that something's not right" storyline. This was really well-done.
I wondered where the newbies were during last night's episode. I'm not that fond of them, but I'm glad they included them here, if only for the sake of continuity.
Kara and Barry's high five in the middle of a fight was just the cutest thing ever. This is one of my favorite relationships in the Arrowverse. They are absolutely adorable together.
Holy cow, that spaceship looked freaking amazing. And I'm happy that the Waverider and Nate made an appearance. I guess we'll see everyone in the Legends part of the crossover. Maybe we'll finally get some actual alien ass-kicking.
Oh, and how could I forget? This is the 100th episode of Arrow! Congrats! It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but I'm still happy for the show. It was great to see all the characters we've lost along the way and remember how much Arrow has changed since the pilot. Some of the changes have been for the better. Some for the worse. But all in all, I still enjoy the show and episodes like this remind me why I fell in love with it in the first place.
Am I crying? Yes. Yes, I am. Damn it, Flash. You did it again. You managed to turn me into a sobbing mess.
First of all, what was Mark fucking Hamill doing there? I've never seen him in anything other than Star Wars, so my first thought was a horrified "L-Luke?". Amazing. It takes some serious balls to cast such an iconic actor and then have him appear in just one scene. I applaud the showrunners.
Yay, Wally got his suit. Maybe he will finally stop whining.
I can't decide if I like Julian or not. Sure, he's not a bad guy, but he can still be an asshole when he wants to be.
"One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer fate far worse than death."
Fuck off, Savitar. Nobody messes with Team Flash. And stay away from Iris. We've already lost Laurel, I won't let another plant-named love interest/moral compass/badass die on my watch.
So, Caitlin can control her powers now? It would be so cool (no pun intended) if she could use them without fear of turning into Killer Frost.
Drunk H.R. is hilarious. And his little happy dance with Wally in the park was absolutely adorable.
The Flash sure knows how to do a Christmas episode. I don't get nearly as excited about Christmas as I used to, but even my cold, dead heart warmed up a little when I saw all those decorations and all the characters together and happy for once. I was afraid something would happen and the episode would end on a cliffhanger, but no. Instead we got Barry and Iris being cute and in love. Someone punch me in the face, I can't handle the feels.
So, I guess this is the mid-season finale? In that case, see you all in 2017! And early Merry Christmas wishes to all of you!
What an episode. It actually ended happily, I didn't see that one coming. I love that they decided not to end it with a cliffhanger but with a touching moment. I really love to see them all together. Wally got his suit (hype) and Caitlin can control her powers now? Drunk Wells is hilarious. His little dance with Wally, lol. "Caroling in the rain, that sucks", "Caitlo, Ciscin", and that "It's the police, no you're the police". I love drunk Wells. I die when he calls Barry B.A. and insists on Wallace. Got to be an Earth-19 thing. Everyone was so happy that I was scared. I was expecting something bad to happen at the end. I'm so happy Julian was possessed by Savitar and that he's not just evil. Otherwise, I would've been disappointed.
And Jesus Christ, am I the only one who had a heart attack when Savitar said "I'm the future, Flash"? Cause I swear I thought he said "I'm the future Flash". Although it could be. Maybe Future Barry's message to Rip Hunter was because future Barry was turning into Savitar. That could explain why he knows so much about team Flash and why he cannot kill Barry, because he's his past self.
"One shall betray you, one shall fall, one will suffer a fate worse than death". Let the betting begin. Who do you think the descriptions are about? Betrayal = Wally; falling = Iris or Cisco; fate worst than death = Caitlin or Barry. But who knows. Maybe it's obvious but the camera showed Wally for betrayal, Cisco for falling, and Caitlin for fate. maybe Savitar prediction comes from an alternate reality that no longer exists.
So the cause of all Barry's current problems is future Barry. Don't kill Iris, we already lost Laurel.
Julian, prophecies, philosopher's stone. Cisco should get a HP vibe?
And yeah, let's throw the box with the God of Speed into the Speedforce because it makes so much sense.
Earth 3 looks fantastic. Love to see Mark Hamill again. Made me remember S1, when things were goofier.
Merry Christmas to everyone and see y'all in 2017
