Episode 21 - Milk
25 March 2012
Synopsis: Ted turns 28. Barney enlists Marshall to wage a petty war with a man in another sky scraper. Love Solutions finally calls Ted with a match, a woman who seems perfect for him. While waiting for her at the bar, Lily calls and asks him to come and change her tire way out in Duchess County. He does and Lily admits that she has been having second thoughts about the wedding. She is out there to interview for a position on a painting fellowship in San Francisco. She says she needs to make this “mistake” in order to prove that she can do it before getting married. She leaves Ted by the side of the road and Robin picks him up. As Robin drops Ted off to meet his perfect woman, he realises that Robin is a “mistake” that he needs to make.
The Good: An episode does just feel stronger when it ends on the “moral of the story.” This is about as perfect a full stop to put on a story as you can in the sit com genre. Ted realises that he has to try and make things work with Robin. The scene where she drives him home was very understated and nicely acted. Their banter reminds us of the wonderful chemistry the two have and therefore the feelings which they share. As Robin mocks Ted’s list of desired qualities he wants in his wife we can see why they will break up and why she is all he wants right now. Their romance has been handled really well by the writers and now the season finale is set up perfectly to see them get together. The way the episode slipped in the hot plate, the bad milk and Robin’s highlights as part of the story was excellent. By not signposting them at all they had much more impact as examples of the mistakes we just have to make in life in order to learn.
Meanwhile Lily follows up on her doubts from last episode and actually tries out for an art fellowship in San Francisco. I really appreciated the way Ted pointed out the obvious. That there must be dozens of such programmes in New York and the surrounding areas. He sees through Lily’s behaviour and realises the attraction of San Francisco is that it would enable her to run away from her wedding. Her emotional justification for what she is doing was pretty strong and well acted. Her time to act is short and so she takes matters into her own hands. I’m not quite sure where this leaves her and Marshall in the finale. Which is a good position to be in to make sure viewers tune in.
Barney making Marshall drink the tainted coffee is very consistent with his behaviour (For examples of his manipulation see 107, 115, 116 and 119), as is the war with Butterfield for no other reason than to amuse himself. Barney of course made the most he could out of his crazy pickup line to open the episode.
Bringing the Love Solutions (107) company back into the story was a nice bit of continuity and a clever plot device. Mentioning a goat in Ted’s bathroom on his 30th birthday was an interesting touch. I guess the show is planning for its future.
The Bad: With the more serious stories too the fore, there aren’t that many jokes on offer.
Comic Highlight: After making Marshall taste his coffee, Barney shows him what Butterfield did to the coffee. Marshall reacts with disgust and agrees to join Barney in his war. “Let’s make that bastard pay!” says Barney in dramatic fashion. Marshall adds “Do you think we should brush our teeth first?”
How I rate your episode: An ideal setup for the season finale, putting the viewers in touch with exactly how the characters are feeling about their relationships. An ending as strong as that really gives the whole episode an extra glow.
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