...dary! After this, Let’s Go To The Mall!

Note: This is an old post from my Multiply site last January 30, 2009.

Reading Requirements:
- Has watched all episodes of How I Met Your Mother or has no plans of watching it
- Has read my previous blog entry
- Can endure reading another long blog from me
- Has a brain that has at least 3 GHz of processing power
- Is awesome and legendary

Of course I am kidding on the fourth requirement. At MacLaren’s, they do not care if you are stupid or a brainiac. That is the main reason why Barney was able to hit on so many girls. Anyway, here is the second part of my blog on How I Met Your Mother.

Notable Episodes

Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot. The episode that started it all. It was very hilarious because it was like the do’s and don’ts of dating episode. It featured Ted on his first date with Robin and how he failed to capitalize on it. He had some chances of kissing her but he did not. He was on a roll and he suddenly said that he loves Robin. Ted, you are such a loser but it is fine – I can relate to you. Haha

Season 1, Episode 2 – Purple Giraffe. The episode that Ted throws three parties just to meet Robin. Man, you are really pathetic there.

Season 1, Episode 5 – Okay Awesome. The episode where they went clubbing. Ted realized that clubs suck because it was not a place for healthy conversation. Barney realized that he was grinding with his cousin. Marshall and Lily realized that they do not need to do couple stuff yet because they should enjoy their young lives.

Season 1, Episode 8 – The Duel. Ted and Marshall battle for the rights of owning the apartment they shared for years after Lily moves in officially. Their swordfight scene was awesome and it shows that men, despite of some age, are still boys at heart. It ended with Marshall accidentally stabbing Lily which brought funny punchlines.

Season 1, Episode 11 – The Limo. Celebrate the New Year in New York. The gang went to several parties by riding a Limo. It was memorable because of Barney’s song and the fake Moby who they brought to a party. It also had a good ending where you can feel for Ted when he was about to have a shot on kissing Robin when it failed when her boyfriend met her before the clock struck twelve. But How I Met Your Mother reminds us that it is a fictional show when Robin gave Ted his kiss.

Season 1, Episode 13 – Drumroll, Please. A very romantic episode. Ted meets Victoria at the wedding and had an awesome night with her. However, the notable part of this episode is the build-up to the season’s climax. Robin actually had feelings for Ted when she cried after she saw him and Victoria almost kissing each other. Robin, you fool. Ted likes you. You like him. You should have expressed your feelings to him. I have to admit it but most guys are not that perceptive to feelings of girls. Signs often mislead us that was why it took nine more episodes before the inevitable happened to Ted and Robin.

Season 1, Episode 17 – Life Among the Gorillas. “It’s 2 AM and it’s raining outside. Ding Dong! What? The doorbell? Oh hello, Jessica Alba in the trench coat and nothing else. But, wait. Knock! Knock! Somebody’s at the backdoor. Oh my gosh! Jessica Simpson. What a surprise! Two Jessicas, you got to pick one. What do you do? GO!”
“I am engaged”
“Your girl is out of town. What do you do? Go!”
“We are still engaged”
“Your fiancée is dead. Hit by a bus. What do you do? Go!”

Season 1, Episode 22 – Come on. The season finale. Ted continues to move heaven and earth to get Robin. After stealing a blue French horn in their first date, Ted tops it by having a string quartet with blue instruments perform in Robin’s apartment. He even made a rain dance just to have Robin’s vacation cancelled. After all of Ted’s sacrifices to get Robin, she said ‘Yes.’ It was what hopefuls want for their happy ending. Also, it was the breakup of Marshall and Lily - one thing that lovers are scared of. They ‘made the mistake’ and changed their lives.

Season 2, Episode 1 - Where Were We? This episode become very notable to me because I could not help myself to stop from laughing when Marshall threw a hotdog sandwich on a couple who were kissing after the wedding proposal in the baseball stadium.

Season 2, Episode 2 – The Scorpion and the Toad. Marshall is Barney’s new wingman. However, he steals all his girls by performing magic. It was awesome.

Season 2, Episode 7 – Swarley. This is one of the funniest episodes on Barney (of course, he is always funny). It is always funny whenever he throws green jokes or does his pickup lines but it is always funnier whenever he ends up victim of a joke. A barista called his name incorrectly – Swarley – and they end up poking fun of his new name. Bob Swarley. Swarles Barkley. Swarlos. This episode also featured the crazy eyes theory and the comeback of the Marshall and Lily tandem.

Season 2, Episode 9 – Slap Bet. Robin does not want to go to the mall and she refuses to tell them the reason why. Marshall and Barney make guesses as to why and the bet is a slap. Robin, in the end, reveals that she was a teen pop star who sang Let’s Go To The Mall. Because of immature slapping, Barney gets penalized with five slaps that can be done anytime from now to eternity.

Season 2, Episode 15 – Lucky Penny. Ted misses his job interview to Chicago and tracks the reason for it in past events that led him to blame everyone which ends with him finding a lucky penny. Butterfly effect, right? But what’s funnier was Barney having leg cramps that led him to stay overnight in the subway until the thieves stole his marathon medal.

Season 3, Episode 8 – Spoiler Alert. Glass shatters a lot in this episode when the friends start to reveal their annoying habits that were unnoticed before.

Season 3, Episode 9 – Slapsgiving. Marshall tortures Barney by sending him a website that features the countdown to his next slap. What’s funny in this episode is that Ted was so annoyed on Robin’s old suitor that he made the character look like an old man for the whole episode. Bloody hell, replacing a guy who look like 30’s to a guy in his 60’s was so awkward and funny.

Season 3, Episode 11 – The Platinum Rule. Ted plans to ask Stella, his dermatologist, out but his friends all disagree due to past experiences when they tried to ask out someone they regularly see. It was cool because their responses on past disagreements were all the same.

Season 3, Episode 13 – Ten Sessions. Ted performs the classic two-minute date and I must say I am impressed.

Season 3, Episode 14 – The Bracket. Who says March Madness is just for college basketball fans? Barney performs a tournament bracket to determine which woman he pissed the most because there is a mystery woman who sabotages his hook up style. The episode ends with Barney doing a classic Doogie Howser blog. (FYI, Neil Patrick Harris was Doogie Howser before)

Season 3, Episode 15 – The Chain of Screaming. Welcome to Corporate America, Marshall. The episode ends with Marshall saying goodbye to Corporate America.

Season 3, Episode 17 – The Goat. After Barney slept with Robin, he feels guilty of breaking The Bro Code. Because of this, Ted rejects Barney as a friend because he was more of a hindrance to him.

Season 3, Episode 18 – Rebound Bro. I got to watch this in Costa Rica and I was laughing my ass out when I saw how Barney’s new wingman performed. Bloody nose!

Season 3, Episode 20 – Miracles. Barney redeems his friendship with Ted while he proposes to Stella. Is she the real mother of Ted’s children?

Season 4, Episode 2 – The Best Burger in New York. This episode made me go craving for burgers up to the present time.

Season 4, Episode 4 – Intervention. I should learn how to do Barney’s fireball. But the most remarkable thing in here was his best pickup method – acting like an old guy from the future and convincing a chick to have sex with the present Barney.

Season 4, Episode 5 – Shelter Island. Ted gets a major ouchie moment when Stella leaves him for the father of her daughter. That was actually double ouchie because it occurred on the day afternoon before Ted’s wedding.

Season 4, Episode 8 – Wooo! How can Barney get insensitive by accepting his friend’s rival to win the architectural contract because they designed a firebreathing building for the Goliath National Bank? This episode gets funnier when Ted started shouting, “Wooo!” and having loser subtitles.

Season 4, Episode 9 – The Naked Man. Works 2 out of 3 times. I was laughing my ass out when Barney’s attempt failed.

Season 4, Episode 10 – The Fight. Barney punches his face to show that he just got into a fight just to impress Robin. On the other hand, she falls for every guy including Marshall after finding out that they fight.

Season 4, Episode 12 – Benefits. Barney gets funnier every moment because he is starting to have feelings. Is it eating his awesomeness? As long as he has the cash to buy a brand new CRT monitor to smash, he is back to his cool image. Yeah, and Marshall begins to learn how to be cool after he got his confidence to read his girly magazines.

Season 4, Episode 13 – Three Days of Snow. Like Ted and Barney, I want to own a bar as well. And like Marshall, I want to be romantic similar to the part when he pulled off a feat by having a band greet Lily when she arrived in the airport.

Some Questions on the Show

Is it really necessary to have the Ted and Robin tandem at the end of Season 1 even if we know that they are not going to end up with each other at the end?

D’uh! Of course! Robin was Ted’s version of a dream girl and it was very necessary for him to make the ‘mistake’ in order to find out how it would go if they are together. It would leave an awful taste to Ted if their relationship did not materialize. And besides, this is just fiction. There is always that definitive moment in fictions. If this is in the real world, do not count on it. But hey, miracles happen.

What makes Ted cool as compared to other lead actors of some shows?

He is not your typical lead character who gets dramatic in sad moments. He does not whine after breakups. Hell, he did not even got a lot of rage after his fiancée left him during the night before the wedding.

Why is Barney the best character in the show?

Punchlines. Pickup lines. Racism jokes. Green jokes. Even his crying moments are funny. Making things funny is just so natural to him.

Why is Robin funny?

Her boobs. Just kidding. Scherbatsky is meaner, more tactless, more straightforward than an average man. The funny thing is, she looks clueless after she utters a word that is inappropriate or something that Americans do not relate to.

What is the best episode for me?
Season finale of Season 1. They had a great buildup for it and they reconciled two focal points of the whole season – Ted going for Robin and Marshall and Lily being anxious of getting married.

Why am I a fan of the Barney and Robin tandem?

They have something in common when it comes to relationships – both are very casual that it would be fun to see their chemistry with one another. I am wondering who among them will change his/her attitude if they become a couple. However, I wish that they just devote one season for the two of them together because Barney will not be that awesome once he gets into a relationship.

Why is How I Met Your Mother the best TV show at the present time?

They never run out of ideas. Every idea, even if it was already presented in a similar manner, seems fresh. The acting is also great. All four seasons have been great in making me crave for the next episode. They also do not overdo it (Heroes writers should watch this show). In order to have a good climax, there should always be build-ups and low points to rebound from. How I Met Your Mother minimizes the crappy episodes and they make sure to build up from it. And of course, comedy shows are not that risky as these do not normally require you to watch in linear succession. All they need to do is to present it and execute it in the correct manner.