What We’ve Been Watching pt 2
Continuing a look at recent TV;
How I Met Your Mother
In summary, this was a wasted season. That’s to be expected with a show like this though. The entire premise is building to the act of meeting the narrators wife. An interesting concept. The fact that its on network TV makes it a task with a fluid end point. Will any particular season be their last or will the show run for 9yrs, making this a really long and rambling story?
I didn’t like how the last season ended. They set up a bunch of events (Barney’s engagement, Ted running off with Veronica) that you know end terribly because they’ve already shown future events. Its not much of a cliff-hangar ending if you don’t really care about those events.
Fortunately, they got right down to wrapping up those storylines first thing instead of dragging them along. You knew they were doomed and they didn’t waste a lot of time pretending otherwise.
The whole storyline with the baby was a mixed bag. On one hand, having a baby myself now, they hit some stuff really well. Lily’s confession to Ted on the roof top about sometimes feeling like she just wants to run away, its something all parents feel at some point. And we feel terrible for it. There’s nothing that completely changes your life like a kid.
Getting married, moving, starting a new job. Those don’t compare in the least. It takes some time to adapt. Its nice to see a network show address that feeling, instead of ignoring it, AND without dramatizing it. Its a thing you feel sometimes but for most people, that’s it. You feel it, you feel bad for feeling it and then life moves on. They played the drama really well by focusing on just how hard it is to admit something like that, instead of having Lily freak out and do something TV stupid.
That said, while they said a lot of the right words about kids, their on screen lives didn’t really change all that much. Lily and Marshall talked about never getting to go out anymore and all but were still at the bar, together, quite a lot. And that kid sure must nap a lot because even hanging out at the apartment, there’s never a kid in sight. But that’s because working with kids on TV is hard and we can let that go.
The whole Ted still loves Robin thing…that was both appropriate and Ugh inducing. On one hand, really, aren’t we done with this storyline? But on the other, yeah we humans don’t let go of feelings quite so easily. Its not unreasonable that they are still messing things up in his head.
I did like the whole Barney proposal. It really felt appropriate Barney. Lying to get what he wants. But in an honest way, if that makes any sense. It felt appropriate for the character and the relationship even if it was a little over the top.
The one bright spot about this season was that it finally, finally set up the end. No more contrived relationships and delayed events. There’s just one more season and all of the plots will be resolved. And from what I’ve heard they’re planning to do with the final season, I am intrigued.
From what I understand, the entire season is supposed to take place over the weekend of Barney and Robins wedding. At first glance, that seems ridiculous. How can they make that interesting?
Given the nonlinear storytelling of the show, opening the door for flash forwards, it could actually be a great way to end it. Its always been known that the show ends when Ted meets his future wife, as that’s the premise of the show, how they met. But since its been running for so long, it would be kind of a let down to meet this mythical woman and then never get to know her. As the girl who played the future mother in the final scene of season 8 has been added as a main cast member, it looks like we’ll get that.
The final season could crash and burn spectacularly or it could be one of the best seasons. It’s the last one, they know its the last one and they’ve known this for awhile. So this gives good hope.
