Season 7, Episode 14-15
I know, I know, I skipped reviewing the last episode of How I Met Your Mother. I'm sorry. “46 Minutes" was the sort of episode that I enjoyed, even if I couldn't find a whole lot to say about it. But considering that both that episode and tonight's centered around Marshall and Lilly's new home, I think as a pair they serve as an important reminder of the new avenues that this locale will open up, as well as the limitations.
In “46 Minutes”, the show finally acknowledges something that I had believed to be a foregone conclusion at that point – that Marshall and Lilly had in fact moved into the house for good (something that I was sure was settled back in “Tailgate”). Now, the reason for this explicit confirmation was in fact so the show could get a good premise of it – mainly, how the group copes with the fact that Marshall and Lilly would now be effectively absent from their lines from that point forward. I'll get to what that means for the rest of the group in a moment, but it was refreshing on a meta-textual level for the show to acknowledge the corner that they had written themselves into by moving two of the main characters to an inconvenient location, both for the characters and the narrative.
So then what does this mean for the characters? Well, at the current time we don't really know what it means for Marshall and Lilly for sure, as the show is currently occupying them with Mickey, who's decided to stick around for a few weeks, which ultimately means that the show doesn't have to deal with their sacrifice of the group dynamic, something that will only continue when their baby arrives at the end of the season. Maybe the show will answer this question sometime inbetween now and then, but at the moment it seems content to give them new-home-owner hijinks.
Thus I found “46 Minutes” to be much more affecting in regards to Ted, Barney, and Robin, even if it was respondent of plots that the show had done before, essentially an inverse of the B-plot to season two episode “Moving Day”. The fact that the three of them would go to such lengths in order to distract themselves by participating activities so far outside of the usual group's plans (Ted), loading up on denial and reinventing the group dynamic (Barney), or focusing on another relationship entirely (Robin). Again, this was something we've seen before, but I like how the show pressed on the extreme button to really drive home the point that things were changing in a big way.
Yet despite how much I enjoyed the two plot individually, I couldn't help but notice that there was a large bit of show's soul missing by the almost complete bisection of the central group dynamic, minus the breif reunion at the end. My memory of the show is far from encyclopedic, but I do know that they show has split the group up among those lined before. But I also know that those episodes kept the group dynamic alive by giving the whole group at least one scene together where they can legitimately interact. (And if there exist past episodes that didn't, well I'm sure they just weren't very good.)
“The Burning Beekeeper” by contrast finds a way to bring the gang all together, and again Marshall and Lilly's new home becomes the focus. In order to spice the episode a little bit, the show reverted to one of it's many trademark non-chronological storytelling techniques, this time by breaking up the stories by the room that they occurred in, as opposed to by the character. While this was probably a good idea in theory, broken down it doesn't really work, and that effect is only worsened by some highly inconsequential storytelling.
To the former, splitting the the stories up by rooms may sound like a good idea, but because each of these stories travel through each of the three rooms, and that means that essentially each acts is full of a incomplete third of a story, and it makes for a story that's more confusing than intriguing, especially in the first act, where so much happens without explanation. It's a jumbled mess of story telling, and it doesn't help that the episode even breaks these rules that it set up, but sometimes showing us the briefest glimpses of the characters in a room that it not the focus of that particular acts. It's like watching a sugared-up ADD-addled child's version of television. (Or alternatively, anything that Ryan Murphy makes. ZING!)
I get that the show was trying to stretch each these stories from the beginning of the episode to end, in an attempt to make each story last longer, and thus appear to have more depth. I suspect the reason for doing this was that the writers realized that none of these stories really amount to much. Ted and Robin fight over her abrasive, shout-y nature, while Ted and Cootes fight over the accusation that the former ate all of the vegan spring rolls. Barney bangs a older woman that he shouldn't because she'll cut off his junk if he treats her like a one-night stand (which he will). Marshall's upset that Cootes wants him to come back to work after only 45 minutes at the party. Mickey's keeping bees in the basement, and keeps trying to impress people with this knowledge. And Lilly's difficulty in pulling off a party makes her worry how she'll fare at parenthood.
In the end, nothing changes. Robin's sudden yelling habit subsides, never to be heard from again. Barney bangs the older woman and manages to slink away. Ted's fight with Cootes just sort of ends. I'm sure Mickey's beehives will be gone by next episode. It briefly seems like Marshall will quite his job at the NRDC, but that blows over after Cootes experience the thrill of being set on fire. Only Lilly's fear of parenthood remains specifically unresolved, but even that doesn't seem like it was built to last beyond this episode.
So after two episodes specifically about and around the house, I'm still not entirely convinced that the new house is going to be the new infusion of creativity that they show needs at this point. The writers still seem so locked in to the past group dynamic that they can't seem to break out and tell stories that vary from that mode. This is something that can of course improve with time, but then the question remains. How long will it take the show to get to that point? And can we as an audience stick with the show till it gets there?
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
So then what does this mean for the characters? Well, at the current time we don't really know what it means for Marshall and Lilly for sure, as the show is currently occupying them with Mickey, who's decided to stick around for a few weeks, which ultimately means that the show doesn't have to deal with their sacrifice of the group dynamic, something that will only continue when their baby arrives at the end of the season. Maybe the show will answer this question sometime inbetween now and then, but at the moment it seems content to give them new-home-owner hijinks.
Thus I found “46 Minutes” to be much more affecting in regards to Ted, Barney, and Robin, even if it was respondent of plots that the show had done before, essentially an inverse of the B-plot to season two episode “Moving Day”. The fact that the three of them would go to such lengths in order to distract themselves by participating activities so far outside of the usual group's plans (Ted), loading up on denial and reinventing the group dynamic (Barney), or focusing on another relationship entirely (Robin). Again, this was something we've seen before, but I like how the show pressed on the extreme button to really drive home the point that things were changing in a big way.
Yet despite how much I enjoyed the two plot individually, I couldn't help but notice that there was a large bit of show's soul missing by the almost complete bisection of the central group dynamic, minus the breif reunion at the end. My memory of the show is far from encyclopedic, but I do know that they show has split the group up among those lined before. But I also know that those episodes kept the group dynamic alive by giving the whole group at least one scene together where they can legitimately interact. (And if there exist past episodes that didn't, well I'm sure they just weren't very good.)
“The Burning Beekeeper” by contrast finds a way to bring the gang all together, and again Marshall and Lilly's new home becomes the focus. In order to spice the episode a little bit, the show reverted to one of it's many trademark non-chronological storytelling techniques, this time by breaking up the stories by the room that they occurred in, as opposed to by the character. While this was probably a good idea in theory, broken down it doesn't really work, and that effect is only worsened by some highly inconsequential storytelling.
To the former, splitting the the stories up by rooms may sound like a good idea, but because each of these stories travel through each of the three rooms, and that means that essentially each acts is full of a incomplete third of a story, and it makes for a story that's more confusing than intriguing, especially in the first act, where so much happens without explanation. It's a jumbled mess of story telling, and it doesn't help that the episode even breaks these rules that it set up, but sometimes showing us the briefest glimpses of the characters in a room that it not the focus of that particular acts. It's like watching a sugared-up ADD-addled child's version of television. (Or alternatively, anything that Ryan Murphy makes. ZING!)
I get that the show was trying to stretch each these stories from the beginning of the episode to end, in an attempt to make each story last longer, and thus appear to have more depth. I suspect the reason for doing this was that the writers realized that none of these stories really amount to much. Ted and Robin fight over her abrasive, shout-y nature, while Ted and Cootes fight over the accusation that the former ate all of the vegan spring rolls. Barney bangs a older woman that he shouldn't because she'll cut off his junk if he treats her like a one-night stand (which he will). Marshall's upset that Cootes wants him to come back to work after only 45 minutes at the party. Mickey's keeping bees in the basement, and keeps trying to impress people with this knowledge. And Lilly's difficulty in pulling off a party makes her worry how she'll fare at parenthood.
In the end, nothing changes. Robin's sudden yelling habit subsides, never to be heard from again. Barney bangs the older woman and manages to slink away. Ted's fight with Cootes just sort of ends. I'm sure Mickey's beehives will be gone by next episode. It briefly seems like Marshall will quite his job at the NRDC, but that blows over after Cootes experience the thrill of being set on fire. Only Lilly's fear of parenthood remains specifically unresolved, but even that doesn't seem like it was built to last beyond this episode.
So after two episodes specifically about and around the house, I'm still not entirely convinced that the new house is going to be the new infusion of creativity that they show needs at this point. The writers still seem so locked in to the past group dynamic that they can't seem to break out and tell stories that vary from that mode. This is something that can of course improve with time, but then the question remains. How long will it take the show to get to that point? And can we as an audience stick with the show till it gets there?
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
Oh, in case you didn't hear, at the TCA Press Tour a few week's back, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas still wouldn't commit to ending the show after the eighth (that is, next) season, although they do claim to have an ending for the mother arc already in mind. So expect more awkward storytelling like tonight, folks.
“It's like when they canceled Party of Five for the second time...I mean, it's like when they canceled sports.”
“Looks like my old shop teacher's hand – just sort of missing something.”
“Tonight is going to be legen – 'Wait, are sure it's a good idea to go to a strip club?' 'Shut up Lilly, I'm in charge now!' - dary!”
“I'm your two best friends!”
“One hundred dollars and you will see the world, my friend.”
“By the way, did you see how she opened that bottle?”
“We built Chip City! We built Chip City on your dough!”
“You know Butterfly Knife, I'd expect this from Face Tattoo, or Jagged Cheek Scar, or Larry, but not you.” “Why don't I get nickname?” “Because you have too many things, Larry! You only get one thing!”
“We gotta hit the party!...I'll never find love.”
“It's hotter than the Widow Rodriguez in a unitard.”
“And the only thing Better Lilly is better at than Our Lilly is over-the-pants hand stuff – I'm assuming.”
****************
“I was going to say Nicholas Cage – that guy is in everything.”
“We have mice?” “Not with all these bees flying around. You're welcome.”
“Are you suggesting fisticuffs? With our fists?” “And feet. I'm a kicker.”
“Oh come on, Robin, this is my penis we're talking about. You've seen her, she's magnificent.”
“I do need to intercept those asteriods.”
“It's like Sun-Tzu wrote in The Art of War, 'never give up, never surrender'.” “That was Tim Allen in Glaxay Quest”
“You know what else you can find on the internet? Zoo animals masturbating. There's one of a walrus...”
“For one brief moment, where did she fly.”
“I flew through the air like a human fireball, and didn't get a scratch. Eat it, Gayle.”
“It's like when they canceled Party of Five for the second time...I mean, it's like when they canceled sports.”
“Looks like my old shop teacher's hand – just sort of missing something.”
“Tonight is going to be legen – 'Wait, are sure it's a good idea to go to a strip club?' 'Shut up Lilly, I'm in charge now!' - dary!”
“I'm your two best friends!”
“One hundred dollars and you will see the world, my friend.”
“By the way, did you see how she opened that bottle?”
“We built Chip City! We built Chip City on your dough!”
“You know Butterfly Knife, I'd expect this from Face Tattoo, or Jagged Cheek Scar, or Larry, but not you.” “Why don't I get nickname?” “Because you have too many things, Larry! You only get one thing!”
“We gotta hit the party!...I'll never find love.”
“It's hotter than the Widow Rodriguez in a unitard.”
“And the only thing Better Lilly is better at than Our Lilly is over-the-pants hand stuff – I'm assuming.”
****************
“I was going to say Nicholas Cage – that guy is in everything.”
“We have mice?” “Not with all these bees flying around. You're welcome.”
“Are you suggesting fisticuffs? With our fists?” “And feet. I'm a kicker.”
“Oh come on, Robin, this is my penis we're talking about. You've seen her, she's magnificent.”
“I do need to intercept those asteriods.”
“It's like Sun-Tzu wrote in The Art of War, 'never give up, never surrender'.” “That was Tim Allen in Glaxay Quest”
“You know what else you can find on the internet? Zoo animals masturbating. There's one of a walrus...”
“For one brief moment, where did she fly.”
“I flew through the air like a human fireball, and didn't get a scratch. Eat it, Gayle.”
I completely agree with your assessment of the party. I was really disappointed by the way that they did that. I felt like I got the same story repeated for about half of the show, and the other half wasn't good either. I hope we don't have too much more of this to look forward to.
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