Episode 22 - Come On
25 March 2012
Synopsis: Ted hires a string quartet with blue instruments, fills Robin’s apartment with roses and chocolates and asks her to be with him. She says she needs to think about it. He wants an answer but she won’t give it and says she is off on her company camping trip over the weekend. Ted refuses to give in and is determined to make it rain in order to stop Robin from going. He calls one of Barney’s old girlfriends and asks her to teach him to do a rain dance. After much effort the sky’s open and he rushes to Robin where they get together. Meanwhile Marshall discovers Lily’s aspirations to go on the painting course in San Francisco. They argue over what it means and break up.
The Good: How I Met Your Mother has slowly become less funny as its first season has progressed. What has replaced the humour has been a strong focus on the two major couples on the show. Fortunately those stories have been pretty good.
Ted and Robin get the happy ending which fans have been waiting for for twenty two episodes. Ted’s blue instrument seduction was a nice call-back to the events of the pilot. And Robin’s reaction seemed entirely appropriate. As much as she likes Ted and was impressed by the gesture, it flustered her and confused her. She didn’t want to talk about her feelings in front of four strangers or miss a company trip “just” for Ted. They both made convincing arguments about what the root of her indecision was. I liked that scene so much because it felt entirely convincing, rather than a lame setup for the final kiss.
Your reaction to Ted’s decision to do a rain dance in order to win Robin over will probably determine whether you are going to be watching this show for the long haul. As cheesy and silly as it was I liked it a lot. Again it recalled the pilot where Ted had to force himself not to let life pass him by, but to do something proactive to get what he wanted. So his hopeless attempts to make it rain were almost an inspiring message about faith and positivity. Barney was also on hand to carry the jokes again (see Comic Highlight). I also enjoyed the cameo by Robin’s vet.
Marshall and Lily’s “Pause” concept for their fights seemed very fitting for a couple in their 9th year together. The way Marshall broke down crying during one of their pauses was another nice realistic touch (Lily’s tears were not, see The Bad). I thought Marshall’s reaction to Lily’s decision was spot on. He could just about accept her need to complete this programme if she was promising to come back to him. But she wasn’t, she was saying maybe. That wasn’t good enough for him and the final shot of him sitting forlornly on the steps was a sad moment.
The Bad: Lily’s crying was bad acting. It looked like she was doing an impression of a toddler bursting into tears. A retake was needed.
Comic Highlight: Penelope agrees to help Ted in part because Robin might end up with a huge jackass like Barney. Barney objects to this description.
P: “You hit on my mom!”
B: “We weren’t exclusive!”
How I rate your episode: How I Met Your Mother isn’t like a traditional sitcom. There aren’t many silly punch lines, stupid characters and predictable sight gags. But at the same time, there aren’t many silly punch lines, stupid characters and predictable sight gags. Do you know what I mean? The show is more like a light drama with a sprinkling of comedy. Season one has been a strong effort, the acting is good, the characters believable and the stories interesting. As long as they can keep that going, then the show should keep viewers hooked until Ted meets the mother of his children.
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