Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Lily Can Handle the Truth

How I Met Your Mother hit another one out of the park this week with an episode that was both funny and incredibly touching. 

There were some hilarious moments, such as Lily's fantasy version of bridge, Robin's excitement that her friends were watching her show and Lily's "you can't handle the truth" speech. And the laugh out loud moment of the night- Marshall's Chewbacca impression!

But How I Met Your Mother rarely just makes me laugh. The gooey center of the show is what keeps me coming back. And this week's Ted and Lily story was all about the unconditional love between the two friends. I really appreciated Lily's effort to protect Ted from himself and his tendency towards bad relationships, and I like that she knows him well enough to know exactly what he needs. Her porch test was adorable. In fact, even though it angered Ted, I thought the whole thing was adorably caring. 

Robin's story on the other hand, which was meant mostly for laughs, made me quite sad. If I was on a TV show (even if it was at 4am) I would be really hurt if my friends never watched it. And considering Robin's usual lack of sentimentality, the fact that she was so excited that they were planning to watch really meant something. The fact that they didn't just shows that no matter how close they may be, Robin and Barney will never be as much a part of the group as Lily, Marshall and Ted. 

But that bitter sweet storyline (as well as Robin and Ted's backup marriage deal and all its bitter sweet implications) ultimately worked well in a wonderfully strong episode. Even Marshall and Barney's goofy nightshirt storyline didn't grate on my nerves as much as it otherwise might have. 

One thing is for sure, HIMYM is at its best when its heart is displayed proudly on its sleeve. 

1 comment:

Rachael said...

I have to say, my absolute favorite part of the Barney/Marshall storyline was the way it worked on both a goofy, obvious level, and the way it worked with Barney's overall arch. On the surface, this was just another excuse to see Marshall (and then Barney) without pants, which is always funny. But it was really all about the way that Barney's oppressive suit-wearing perfectionism is beginning to give away to a more romantic, night-shirt-wearing side. The ending bedtime story ("Tell me more about marriage, Marshall") was exactly the kind of perfect melding of giggles and pathos that I expect from a great episode like this one.