Back to Lily and Marshall’s decision. After being annoyingly wooed by their friends for a week, they come up with the idea of having a game show-styled competition, with the winner being given rights to be Marvin’s godparent.
This was where the one recycled plot device actually paid off. I love seeing Marshall when he creates games, and he could definitely be the host of a game show. His horrible jacket, classy microphone, and wonderful host voice were absolutely perfect for the game he put on.
However, once the game began, the show yet again fell short. Marshall is one of the most creative characters ever when it comes to this kind of thing, and his game consisted only of asking questions. What happened to the glory days of Marshgammon? Yes, a series of questions is probably the ideal way to figure out who would be the best, but I expect more from Marshall.
The game also raised some glaring instances of where characters weren’t behaving how they should.
First, Robin continually prefaced her answers by saying how her father raised her. Robin hated the way her father brought her up, and rightfully so, considering he raised his daughter as a boy. So why is she now thinking he did everything absolutely right, and that’s the way she would raise a kid?
What else really surprised me here was Ted’s lack of enthusiasm. Ted should have been by far the most passionate about this game, considering his love for kids and his love for being a part of Lily and Marshall’s life (remember Salt, Pepper, and Cumin,) yet Ted was no more excited than either Robin or Barney. I would have liked to see Ted get more creative with his wooing, as opposed to just bringing bigger bears than Robin.
Also, if it really came down to who would be the best with raising Marvin, there should be no debate. It’s Ted. Robin has said all along she doesn’t want kids, and Barney is… well he’s Barney. I’m not even sure why either of them were passionate about the contest, except to win for the sake of winning. I don’t get how Ted wasn’t the obvious choice, except for the fact they couldn’t just pick him and hurt the other’s feelings.
Despite Ted being a clear choice, in Lily and Marshall’s eyes, there was no clear cut leader when they reached the lightning round, which is where all hell broke loose. Ted argues that he should be the godparent since he’s known them the longest, Robin says she’s the best choice since she has natural nurturing instincts. It’s at this point that Marshall blows up saying that none of them have any idea how to be a parent. Barney replies that they have no idea how to be friends. Marshall then dishes out a low blow by basically saying that he doesn’t care about their problems, and once you have a child it isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only important thing.
The episode really does touch on a sensitive topic for so many people in their 20s and 30s: what happens when you have kids, or even scarier, when your friends have kids? The fact tonight addressed that issue gives the episode some slight significance, despite its other shortcomings.
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