The proposal at the end of the episode does a couple things that I’ve been saying this season needs to do. It brings the focus back to Ted and it brings the Mother back into the show. Despite those two things, and how awesome it is to watch Ted propose, it just feels out of order and out of place. I get that the show is about how he meets the Mother and not how he marries the Mother, but still, the proposal is still a huge part of any love story, especially one that has been teased for this long. To just throw it in at the end of a random episode in the middle of the season doesn’t do justice to such an important moment.
On its own, it really is a nice scene. It’s a little cliche for Ted to propose at the top of the lighthouse after Lily tells him to go up there and just end up with some girl, but leaving things just a little cliche is okay. Ted’s whole story is fully of typical romantic moments, but that’s because he truly is a romantic. He’s looking for the perfect girl, and won’t rest until he finds her. That’s one of the beautiful things about this show. The Mother interrupts his proposal with her yes, and that’s awesome. Sure, it’s been done before, but that’s the sort of answer Ted’s story deserves. I just wish it had all come at a better point in the season.
Both of the main plots are fairly strong this week, and for the first time in a long time, the part of the episode focused on Barney and Robin is actually a bit better than the part focused on Ted. While the proposal is great to see, it comes at the wrong time in the season and feels out of place, leaving this episode of How I Met Your Mother to feel a bit unsatisfying, purely because of the potential that is squandered.
Other Random Notes
- “She doesn’t have to share my love for coins. Though it would be nice, just once, to not have to go stag to coin-con.”
- “I am so sick of being smarter than everyone else.”
- They really couldn’t find a real light house to go up? That was cheap 90s green-screen at its finest. I get that it’s hard to get a camera up to that height, but this is a major network sitcom.
- Does Clint really refer to Mrs. Mosby as “Ted’s mom”?
- Jason Segel’s wide eyes when he puts on 500 Miles is incredible.
- “A scramble-off to the death. Someone go look for the cops!”
Be sure to check back next week for a review on the next episode of How I Met Your Mother.
