How I Met Your Mother Review: “Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment In Slapmarra” (Season 9, Episode 14)

Coming into this season, I assumed my biggest problem with it would be too many drawn-out overly-emotional moments. After all, this is the final season, meaning all the emotional teases over the years are going to have to come to light at some point. It’s likely that many of those moments could be coming up in the near future, but so far the season has taken a step away from being too serious. Don’t get me wrong, part of this show’s strength over the years is the way it’s been able to bring heartfelt moments to the screen featuring characters that the audience cares about. Unfortunately, in recent seasons those moments have been less memorable and have felt more forced than they used to. It’s when done in moderation, and when they come up as they would in real life, that they work. So far in season 9, the writers have remembered that.

I won’t say that this is a perfect episode though, as far too much is left unsaid from previous storylines. It completely deviates from the pursuit of the Mother, without even mentioning her. It also doesn’t touch on the tension between Marshall and Lily at all, though so far this season, major conflicts are teased and then not fully fleshed out until two episodes later. That means it’s a pretty safe bet that we’re going to see many of their issues popping up next week, but it was still a bit odd to have them acting completely normally toward each other.

While this episode may be a bit too gimmicky for some viewers, for me it’s an entertaining and hilarious spin on the traditional format of the show. The writers stepped out of the box and took a risk, and in my opinion, it definitely paid off. If this level of comedic skill and daring style is kept for the rest of the season, we should be in for a treat as How I Met Your Mother approaches its conclusion.

Other Random Notes

• I’m sure you get this question all the time, but is there a special class where I just learn slapping?
• “Why Cleveland?” “It’s the city equivalent of being slapped in the face.”
• Marshall won the slap bet 7 years ago? Wow.
• I would very much like a sack of “much gold.”
• You really can’t go wrong with Boyz II Men closing out an episode.
• Bets on when the final slap comes? My prediction is Marshall forfeits it, or better yet, hands the slap off to Barney as the best wedding present ever.
• The tease for next week’s episode says that we’re going to find the answers to many lingering questions about Barney. First thing I want to know is his job title.