Season 7, Episode 16
The main lesson that was learned out of season six, by both the audience and the writers, was that How I Met Your Mother could handle emotional beats that were far more affecting than most people would have ever consider possible on contemporary four-camera sitcoms. (I realize that HIMYM isn't produced or edited like a traditional four-cam, but it still is, in style, comedic rhythms, and tone.) Thus season seven as leaned hard on this approach a lot, and while I appreciate this move in theory (I love shows that can deftly mix humor and pathos), I'm beginning to wonder if the show is doing this a bit too much, because things are getting a bit ridiculous.
If you would have told me even as late as just last season that Robin would eventually become the character with the most melodramatic live out of the five main characters, I wouldn't have believed you. Robin is, or at least was in her earlier incarnation, a strong, independent character who tended to power-through any emotional crap life threw her way. But after her trouble getting over Barney, her emotional breakdown and subsequent dating of her therapist, and then her pregnancy-scare turn emotional breakdown over her inability to have kids, it's all been a little much, no? None of these things are bad by themselves (okay, that inability to have kids episode was pretty irritating), but when combined together they make for a very eventful season for the character, one that actually strains the limits of my belief.
So what's the show to do but double-(or really, sextuple-)down on this behavior and give her yet another chance to go through the emotional ringer? Look, I get that Kevin would eventually have to go away, and given that he was so in love with Robin, his proposal being the impetus for her departure doesn't seem totally out of the question. Except for the fact that they've only been dating for a few months, and even given how in love with Robin he is, it's a bit ridiculous, and not just ridiculous in the way Robin takes it. It's obviously a manner cooked up by the writers to get him out of there, and nothing takes me out of an emotional storyline quite like contrivance.
But what added insult to injury was the fact that this plot also had to bring back up Robin's inability to have kids, which is something that I was fine with just leaving in the past thankyouverymuch. Again, it's not out of the realm of possibility, and Robin should tell Kevin that she can't have kids. But what I can't understand is how she told him the first time that she can't have kids without also making it clear that she also didn't want kids, and how she felt so broken up about their break-up when she pretty much forced him into it. Repeatedly throughout the episode she asks Kevin if he's sure he wants to marry her, and well I thought the show was building to a reveal where she kept asking because she didn't want to get married (seriously, I would have bought that), instead that apparently wasn't the case, and the beats of this plot all look like a jumbled mess because of it.
But was that enough? No, of course not, as the show had to add one final capper – Ted realizes that he still loves Robin, and that he would give up having kids to be with her. Anybody believe that self-delusion bullshit? I thought not. You know what, I'll deal with this next week. Moving on....
What's interesting about this episode was that while all that was going on, there was another story that was giving a character some good emotional beats without overly playing it. I'm of course talking about Barney's plot, and isn't it interesting how often Barney's been through the emotional ringer, and we have yet to grow tired of it? The writer's should look into that. Anyways, the show has given Barney two relationships now where he's had a chance to grow as a person (Robin and Nora), and while neither of those two were handled with the deftest of hands, the show has been steadfast in sticking to his emotional evolution, and I applaud it for that.
To that end, it was pretty clear that Barney was going to want to be with Quinn (Becki Newton, who most TV watchers will remember from Ugly Betty) in a serious way by about the second flashback, and a lot of Barney's actions in the interim (specifically the overcompensating with the Drunk Train) were fairly normal moves from him. But what struck me as interesting was how quickly this all happened, and not in a rushed sort of way. Instead, it appears that Barney is growing up, and he's more willing to make that leap to recognizing his feelings for a girl sooner, and that show's remarkable growth for the character.
Even better is how relatively subtle the show is about the whole thing. Sure, eventually Ted has to say a few things, but for most of the running time it just sort of ruminates in the background, and it end up growing to a natural conclusion, and we didn't need any ham-fisted contrivances or over-the-top situations to get there. And that's all I'm really asking for out of the show at this point, you know?
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
Clearly there's not much to say about about Marshall and Lilly's C-plot. They argued about how they argue, they realize a baby's on the way, and they got over it. Done, end of story. It was nice to see them out of the house, though.
“It was a night like any other – I was just about to get laid...”
“And you're so understanding; most people just stare at me like I'm a freak in reinforced underwear.”
“Oh I got one – Thomas the Spank Engine.” “Ted, that is a children's book.”
“I pay for the meal, you handle the deal. That's just good manners.”
“Last week, I went out with a girl who's favorite band was Glee.”
So what's the show to do but double-(or really, sextuple-)down on this behavior and give her yet another chance to go through the emotional ringer? Look, I get that Kevin would eventually have to go away, and given that he was so in love with Robin, his proposal being the impetus for her departure doesn't seem totally out of the question. Except for the fact that they've only been dating for a few months, and even given how in love with Robin he is, it's a bit ridiculous, and not just ridiculous in the way Robin takes it. It's obviously a manner cooked up by the writers to get him out of there, and nothing takes me out of an emotional storyline quite like contrivance.
But what added insult to injury was the fact that this plot also had to bring back up Robin's inability to have kids, which is something that I was fine with just leaving in the past thankyouverymuch. Again, it's not out of the realm of possibility, and Robin should tell Kevin that she can't have kids. But what I can't understand is how she told him the first time that she can't have kids without also making it clear that she also didn't want kids, and how she felt so broken up about their break-up when she pretty much forced him into it. Repeatedly throughout the episode she asks Kevin if he's sure he wants to marry her, and well I thought the show was building to a reveal where she kept asking because she didn't want to get married (seriously, I would have bought that), instead that apparently wasn't the case, and the beats of this plot all look like a jumbled mess because of it.
But was that enough? No, of course not, as the show had to add one final capper – Ted realizes that he still loves Robin, and that he would give up having kids to be with her. Anybody believe that self-delusion bullshit? I thought not. You know what, I'll deal with this next week. Moving on....
What's interesting about this episode was that while all that was going on, there was another story that was giving a character some good emotional beats without overly playing it. I'm of course talking about Barney's plot, and isn't it interesting how often Barney's been through the emotional ringer, and we have yet to grow tired of it? The writer's should look into that. Anyways, the show has given Barney two relationships now where he's had a chance to grow as a person (Robin and Nora), and while neither of those two were handled with the deftest of hands, the show has been steadfast in sticking to his emotional evolution, and I applaud it for that.
To that end, it was pretty clear that Barney was going to want to be with Quinn (Becki Newton, who most TV watchers will remember from Ugly Betty) in a serious way by about the second flashback, and a lot of Barney's actions in the interim (specifically the overcompensating with the Drunk Train) were fairly normal moves from him. But what struck me as interesting was how quickly this all happened, and not in a rushed sort of way. Instead, it appears that Barney is growing up, and he's more willing to make that leap to recognizing his feelings for a girl sooner, and that show's remarkable growth for the character.
Even better is how relatively subtle the show is about the whole thing. Sure, eventually Ted has to say a few things, but for most of the running time it just sort of ruminates in the background, and it end up growing to a natural conclusion, and we didn't need any ham-fisted contrivances or over-the-top situations to get there. And that's all I'm really asking for out of the show at this point, you know?
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
Clearly there's not much to say about about Marshall and Lilly's C-plot. They argued about how they argue, they realize a baby's on the way, and they got over it. Done, end of story. It was nice to see them out of the house, though.
“It was a night like any other – I was just about to get laid...”
“And you're so understanding; most people just stare at me like I'm a freak in reinforced underwear.”
“Oh I got one – Thomas the Spank Engine.” “Ted, that is a children's book.”
“I pay for the meal, you handle the deal. That's just good manners.”
“Last week, I went out with a girl who's favorite band was Glee.”
“I actually have no idea where you went to college....Who are you?”
“Dammit Ted, I was about to get into some word play about logarithms, and getting into a rhythm with my log.”
“Good circling, Ted.” “This ain't my first word search.”
“I hope it's a soupy deuce, sucker.”
“Too skanky? This is the Drunk Train. You crossed out all the stops and wrote 'Vaginaville'.” “Not true; this one says 'Boner Gardens'.“
Oh Corbin, my Corbin: What is a four-camera sitcom?
ReplyDelete"Four camera" refers to the setup used on most traditional-style sitcoms, wherein the action take place on a stage, and there are four (okay, sometimes three) cameras rolling at the same time, and then the various reels are edited together later give each scene a variety of angles.
ReplyDeleteOr if you prefer the short answer: It's shooting style that Friends used.
Ok that makes sense. So shows like Boy Meets World, that have like 6 main sets, would just move cameras from one set to another for the different scenes?
ReplyDeleteIt depends. If the sets are few in number and/or close together - as is usually the case in four-cams that are actually filmed before a live studio audience - then yes. However, if the sound stage set up has set far apart or numerous in quantity - as I suspect the case might be with How I Met Your Mother given how many it uses and the relative complexity of some of them - then there might be multiple sets of cameras to avoid an overly-long set up time between filming of different scenes.
ReplyDeleteCorbin...can I just say that my favorite part of this whole episode was Barney and Ted and the word search? Ask Wes, I laughed forever. Apparently I'm easily amused.
ReplyDelete