Synopsis: The "Zoey" story arc reaches a conclusion when Ted if finally forced to decide whether he wants to break ties with his girlfriend Zoey, or allow the destruction of the building she loves so dearly so that the building he designed may take its place. In short Ted chooses to knock down the building.
Review: This was a horrible yet necessary episode. The "Zoey and Ted" story arc was doomed from the very start and I see this episode as being the one that allowed it to finally come to a pathetic conclusion. Firstly, Zoey and Ted never appeared as though they were a reasonable couple: they spent their working hours in direct opposition of each others personal interests. Secondly, their conflict prompted a "side choosing" fiasco among the whole gang where Marshall awkwardly sided with Zoey even though he is an environmental lawyer (not an old building lawyer). This was a sad attempt at creating interesting tension in the group, but it was so uncomfortable that I would have to recommend that the group never engage in such a heated conflict where Ted, Barney, and Marshall's employment are at stake.
Besides the Zoey story arc that totally dominated the episode, the jokes in this episode seemed rather uninspired. The best example of that was when Robin lied and said she was playing chess in the park but then admitted she was playing Angry Birds at home. Lame!
All in all, this episode was the painful removal of the "How I Met Your Mother" wart that was Zoey. Even then though, writers (and creators of the show, no less) Carter Bays and Craig Thomas could not come up with anything as an attempt to polish this turd. The only redeeming quality of this episode is that we're finally done with Zoey.
Grade: D (Fs have to be saved for pure televised scum)
Reviewers quotes: "But Zoey's gone now, and I'm tempted to use Ted's parting line - "Sometimes, things have to fall apart to make way for better things" - as a cleanser and just try to hope that next week's finale is better, and that next season's big story arc is vastly better and not just more wheel-spinning to justify the two-year renewal." -Alan Sepinwall, HitFix.com
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
How I Met Your Mother S6 E10 "Blitzgiving"
Synopsis: On the eve of Thanksgiving, the gang is visited by an old college friend who has "the Blitz," a condition that causes him to ditch outings with his friends and consistently miss an amazingly fun time. However when Ted leaves the bar early that night, "the Blitz" is passed onto him and he misses an awesome night of partying. The next day (Thanksgiving), "the Blitz" continues to be passed around and Ted manages to put aside a longtime conflict with Zoey (a woman who has been trying to put a stop to his architectural ambitions) in order to save the gang's Thanksgiving.
Review: I give a lot of credit to this episode's writer, Theresa Mulligan, because this episode had jokes more concentrated than a laugh a minute. My favorite was "Boom-a-Wang," the term given to the dirty picture message response to Marshall's own picture of his junk, that he sent to a complete stranger on a dare. Of course, the focus of the episode was the condition of "the Blitz," and it created many hilariously outrageous spectacles such as a skateboarding dog and a beautiful woman strolling into the room entirely naked (all of which were missed by whoever had "the Blitz" at the given time). "The Blitz" concept is right in line with the spirit of the show, as How I Met Your Mother has deemed countless other terms for otherwise unnamed social phenomena.
While Blitz carried the episode, a narrative where Ted is struggling to see eye to eye with Zoey lacked the same intrigue. This relationship with Zoey has spanned several episodes and it seems to me that Zoey should have either been written out of the show or she and Ted's relationship should have developed to something else by now. The writers are beating this conflict like a dead horse and I am eager to be done with it or have Zoey evolve somehow.
My Grade: B+ (Minus Zoey, this episode is an A+ for unrelenting hilarity)
Reviewer's Quotes: Robert Canning (IGN): "The writing has never fully made me believe or care about their conflict, so when Zoey shows up, it can be difficult to fully engage. But in "Blitzgiving," the curse and the fun flashbacks helped a bit. Seeing Zoey as more of a regular person than the extremes she had been portrayed as is helping to make the character more likeable. I still don't see her and Ted as a couple, but perhaps she can still work on an episode-to-episode basis, like in "Blitzgiving."
Review: I give a lot of credit to this episode's writer, Theresa Mulligan, because this episode had jokes more concentrated than a laugh a minute. My favorite was "Boom-a-Wang," the term given to the dirty picture message response to Marshall's own picture of his junk, that he sent to a complete stranger on a dare. Of course, the focus of the episode was the condition of "the Blitz," and it created many hilariously outrageous spectacles such as a skateboarding dog and a beautiful woman strolling into the room entirely naked (all of which were missed by whoever had "the Blitz" at the given time). "The Blitz" concept is right in line with the spirit of the show, as How I Met Your Mother has deemed countless other terms for otherwise unnamed social phenomena.
While Blitz carried the episode, a narrative where Ted is struggling to see eye to eye with Zoey lacked the same intrigue. This relationship with Zoey has spanned several episodes and it seems to me that Zoey should have either been written out of the show or she and Ted's relationship should have developed to something else by now. The writers are beating this conflict like a dead horse and I am eager to be done with it or have Zoey evolve somehow.
My Grade: B+ (Minus Zoey, this episode is an A+ for unrelenting hilarity)
Reviewer's Quotes: Robert Canning (IGN): "The writing has never fully made me believe or care about their conflict, so when Zoey shows up, it can be difficult to fully engage. But in "Blitzgiving," the curse and the fun flashbacks helped a bit. Seeing Zoey as more of a regular person than the extremes she had been portrayed as is helping to make the character more likeable. I still don't see her and Ted as a couple, but perhaps she can still work on an episode-to-episode basis, like in "Blitzgiving."
Sunday, September 14, 2014
How I Met Your Mother S5 E23 "The Wedding Bride"
Synopsis: A recently released Romantic Comedy movie titled "The Wedding Bride" presents a story eerily similar to Ted's relationship with an ex who left him at the alter for her own ex. The film, written by the husband of the woman Ted almost married, makes Ted out to be horrible and selfish marriage destroyer and Ted struggles to deal with the praise given to the film by his friends and current girlfriend.
Review: A significant amount of this episode's content was the movie within the episode, "The Wedding Bride." Footage of the fictional movie were actually produced for the episode with its own cast and it gave the writers a plethora of opportunities to poke fun at some stereotypical elements of romantic comedies, i.e. the love triangle where one clearly horrible man and one gallant, altogether righteous man fight over the love of an indecisive "wedding bride." The shear fact that there was actual "Wedding Bride" movie excerpts in this episode was the ideal way to hit the point home that this movie made Ted look like a horrible person and it made his situation that much more comical. It was also hilarious to have Ted's friends constantly raving about "The Wedding Bride" despite his expression that it made him very upset.
This episode also dealt with the idea of figurative baggage as it exists in a romantic relationship. The writers employed a visual device of actual pieces of luggage appearing on-screen with phrases written on them such as: "still in love with my ex" or "huge credit card debt." The film within the TV episode as well as this visual gag used throughout the episode set this one among the very best "How I Met Your Mother" episodes.
My Grade: A
Reviewer's Quotes:
Amanda Sloane Murray (IGN): "Some top-notch stunt casting, including several working romantic comedy actors, and an excellent job from the regular cast, rounded out this episode into one we'll be looking back to as one of How I Met Your Mother's best."
Review: A significant amount of this episode's content was the movie within the episode, "The Wedding Bride." Footage of the fictional movie were actually produced for the episode with its own cast and it gave the writers a plethora of opportunities to poke fun at some stereotypical elements of romantic comedies, i.e. the love triangle where one clearly horrible man and one gallant, altogether righteous man fight over the love of an indecisive "wedding bride." The shear fact that there was actual "Wedding Bride" movie excerpts in this episode was the ideal way to hit the point home that this movie made Ted look like a horrible person and it made his situation that much more comical. It was also hilarious to have Ted's friends constantly raving about "The Wedding Bride" despite his expression that it made him very upset.
This episode also dealt with the idea of figurative baggage as it exists in a romantic relationship. The writers employed a visual device of actual pieces of luggage appearing on-screen with phrases written on them such as: "still in love with my ex" or "huge credit card debt." The film within the TV episode as well as this visual gag used throughout the episode set this one among the very best "How I Met Your Mother" episodes.
My Grade: A
Reviewer's Quotes:
Amanda Sloane Murray (IGN): "Some top-notch stunt casting, including several working romantic comedy actors, and an excellent job from the regular cast, rounded out this episode into one we'll be looking back to as one of How I Met Your Mother's best."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)