The majority of sitcoms attempt to recreate real life on some level, but where How I Met Your Mother has made its mark is by being one of the most relatable shows on television, avoiding over-the-top moments purely for the comedic merit, and having consistent characters that audiences have grown to love. So far, seasons 7 and 8 have been the most realistic of all, deviating from the amount of comedy audiences are used to, in order to have more serious, real-life moments to propel the plot along.
In season 7, the result was incredible success. The show had more moments to leave you in a state of emotional shock than any show in a long time. However, where season 7 succeeded, season 8 has failed. The episodes of this season that have been the best have been the ones that haven’t attempted to further the plot. The show still has its magic when it tries to be funny, but something has been lost on the more emotional moments.
The problem is, Ted isn’t the one being featured in these moments. They’ve tried too many times to make something shocking or touching between Robin and Barney, which is a method that just won’t work. We already know that Barney and Robin have a wedding. It still hasn’t been confirmed whether they get married, but they eventually get back together and have a wedding. A season of toying around with those two, where it looks like they’ll get together one episode and not the next, was great, but in the third or fourth season of it, the impact is gone.
Tonight was another episode centered around Robin and Barney, and overall it was very less than satisfying. We were left with an overly blatant epiphany by Robin where she basically wrote in sidewalk chalk that she again had feelings for Barney. In Lobster Crawl we get to watch her hopelessly pursue him for 22 minutes.
At the beginning of the episode Robin is responding to everything Barney says with the voice of a cheerleader talking to the quarterback. Lily notices that something is up and calls Robin to the bar. Robin confesses her feelings about Barney, and Lily brings up the time Robin was told she was allergic to lobster and could never have it again. Naturally she then started craving lobster, ate a bunch, and it blew up her face.
Robin doesn’t heed Lily’s warning, and she instead sets out on a series of methods to win Barney’s heart, in full Playbook style. The redeeming moment of this plot tonight was definitely the playbook style moves, all the way up until Lily’s lesbian tendencies sneak their way out again in an attempt to get Robin to grind on her.
Robin’s plan fails, as Barney instead takes her coworker back to the TV station to bang her in front of the weather screen so they can be in 17 states at once. Barney returns to the bar later that night, and informs Lily and Robin that he actually didn’t hook up with the weather girl, he realized that wasn’t what he wants now, and everything he’s done since Quinn has been a cry for help. He tells them he doesn’t know what he wants, but he intends to find out, and leaves.
Robin tells Lily she needs to give Barney space, and then promptly goes to Barney’s apartment, wearing some skimpy lingerie beneath a trench coat and basically throws herself at him. It turns out Barney isn’t alone. He’s with Patrice, on a date playing crazy 8s.
So not only does Robin desperately pursue a guy who only weeks ago told her he was in love with her, but Barney, the shallowest guy ever, starts dating Patrice. It’s clear they are trying to show that Barney has grown out of his shallowness, but just because Patrice talked to him for a bit, doesn’t mean he would ever consider taking her on a date. Much too farfetched for him.
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