The Unfiltered Ramblings of a DVR Addict

Last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother was the perfect example of the shows great non-linear story telling.  The original way that the writer weve stories in and out of the spacetime-continuum is what makes it one of the most original sitcoms on TV.

Ted is heading out on a blind date, the only thing is that he’s been on this date before, literally, he has gone on a blind date with the same woman before.  Neither one of them realize it until half way through dinner when they both start doing the same things that annoyed each other seven years previously.  After they realize it, the move on to recreate that date in order to help them understand just what it is they are doing that annoys the person they are out with.  Ted points out spelling errors on the menu and makes bad puns about seafood.  His date, Jen talks to much about her cats and she doesn’t do the “check dance” with him.  The night goes on and they visit MacLarren’s where she meets Ted’s friends.  Eventually the two end up on the roof of Ted’s building and share their second kiss, the first being in 2002 when Ted thought growing a goatee would make him look like Johnny Depp.  Ted and Jen both realize the reason he didn’t call her 7 years ago was that he wanted to be with someone who appreciated his bad jokes and the fact the he pointed out spelling errors in menus.  It was a nice little story, but it wasn’t the best story of the night.

The best story of the night was the sub-plot of the whole episode.  Barney shows up to MacLarren’s with tickets for the Origins of Chewbacca exibit.  Realizing that the girls wouldn’t be interested he get’s Marshall alone in a cab before he admits to his ruse.  Of course they aren’t going to the Origins of Chewbacca exhibit, everyone knows it’s in Montreal this year.  His true intention is to take Marshall to a strip bar.  There we learn that Marshall does fantasize about other women, but in a completely unconventional way.  He has to imagine that Lilly catches some rare disease (in this particular fantasy it si a hiccuping disorder) and dies.  Before she kicks the bucket she gives him permission to plow that busty delivery girl like a corn field, after an appropriate amount of time.

As Marshall finishes describing his fantasy, the next dancer comes on, and it turns out to be Stripper Lilly, Lilly’s Doppelganger.  We also learn that this is the third Doppelganger of the group we have seen.  The first was Lesbian Robin and the second was Moustache Marshall.  The other two are promised in another story.  Barney and Marshall rush back to the bar and tell Lilly and Robin about Lilly’s double.  Much to Marshall and Barney’s surprise Lilly is excited about it, and Robin is upset that they went to a strip bar.  The four head back to the strip club to see the dancer.  Robin is till upset and explains that now that Barney is in a relationship, I guess they made it official, he can’t be the old Barney Stinson, although Barney either doesn’t recognize how upset she is or is completely ignoring the fact that she’s upset.  Lilly is only upset, because Marshall kills her off in his fantasies.  Marshall tries to explain that it makes it ok because, “I even set up a foundation in your name — we’re this close to a cure!”  In the end, Lilly and the Doppelganger switch places and Lilly gets up on stage only to have Marshall try to stop her.

Two episodes in and How I Met Your Mother is rolling along quite well.  Here are a few observations from the episode:

• It appears that Barney and Robin are indeed in a relationship, and it really hasn’t changed Barney at all.  This was always my big fear with this happening.  Ted isn’t settling for anyone who isn’t the right woman for him.
• I also love the whole Doppelganger bit.  I can’t wait to see when Ted and Barney’s doubles show up.  I wish we got more of Lesbian Robin and Moustache Marshall aka Senior Justice.
• Lilly’s excitement about the stripper was awesome (and completely unrealistic from the point of view of EVERY woman I have ever known).  “Do they have a shower on stage?  Some places have showers.  I bet Stripper Me would get in there with another girl and totally go for it!”
• The whole double date thing was great.  I loved seeing both dates, 2002, and 2009.  The cleverness of the flashbacks and the non-linear story telling never ceases to make me smile.