The first thing I’ll say about tonight’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, Ring Up!, is it’s about time we saw Ted dating again!
For weeks I’ve sounded like a broken record repeating how the reason this season hasn’t reached the same level of the past ones and that the show has lost sight of the focus on Ted’s journey. As great as the small hints at who the mother is are, it’s just as important to show all the failed relationships Ted had along the way. The show has done a great job of this in past seasons, but lately has let that slide. This is only the second girl Ted has dated in an episode all season, and despite the fact that their relationship was to serve a slightly obvious joke rather than be a potential candidate for the future Mrs. Mosby, it was still a welcome sight for sore eyes to see Ted on dates again.
Yes, I say slightly obvious, but really, from the second it was revealed that Ted was dating a 20-year-old it was completely inevitable that it was going to be Barney’s half sister. Robin brings up the dirty looks his half sister gave her because of the ring in the first minutes of the episode, which marks the first time Carly has even been referenced in years. In fact, she has only been brought up once before, in Legendaddy, episode 19 of season 6.
It actually made it more enjoyable knowing she was Barney’s sister as opposed to having some big shocking twist at the end. Ted realizes he has nothing in common with the girl, but Barney wants needs Ted to bang her since he is on his one-night stand detox. It’s a proxy-bang. Of course this is all before Barney knows who the girl Ted’s dating is. Ted agrees to suffer through and bang the hot twenty-year-old, but even he thinks he isn’t going to be able to make it through when he realizes they have nothing in common. The only reason she’s attracted to him is the fact she digs older men and thinks Ted is at least 70. The only reason he’s attracted to her is because she’s super hot. There’s no connection at all.
Ted is about to break things off when Carly’s phone rings and it’s an R2-D2 ringtone. Carly tells him she loves Star Wars or at least the prequel trilogy, which Ted deems close enough. Later that night, they bang, and Barney insists that he felt everything through a bro-connection.
Ted shows Barney a picture Carly the next day, and Barney looks at it starting with the feet and scrolls up to her face in the most painfully slow way. When he does see her face he’s naturally disgusted, and him and Ted have a brief fight.
Barney calls shortly afterward to apologize and invite Ted over for a cigar. A few moments after Ted arrives, Carly arrives as well, and Barney wheels out a wedding ceremony. He wants Ted and Carly to get married so it wasn’t just a meaningless, disgusting one-night stand. Ted says the fact Barney is disgusted means his detox is done, and he’s free to go on being with only Robin.
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