Episode 4 - Return of the Shirt
25 March 2012
Synopsis: Ted finds an old shirt that he had discarded but now likes again. It makes him wonder whether any of his old girlfriends were discarded before their time. He tracks down Natalie, who he broke up with because he didn’t want a big commitment. He broke up with her on her answering machine on her birthday. They start dating again but he realises that she isn’t the one. He decides to tell the truth and suffers the consequences. Meanwhile Barney bribes Robin to start saying naughty words live on Metro News One.
The Good: Ted’s story is very logical and plays out in an intriguing manner. His new quest is to find a wife. So he thinks back to an old girlfriend who he only broke up with because he was too young at the time. Now it makes sense that maybe she was right for him after all. The use of the flashback filming style worked nicely to build up just how awful Ted’s original break up had been.
Of course once he starts dating Natalie again he realises that she isn’t the one. It stands to reason that on some level he knew that when he broke up with her three years before. So he is left with the awful dilemma of how to break up with her again. The writers use Barney (cynical), Marshall (realist, influenced by his law studies) and Lily (feminine) to give enjoyably contrasting viewpoints on how he should proceed. He decides to be honest and correct the mistake he made, only to get beaten up. Natalie’s understandable rage was well played. The whole scenario did a good job of hooking viewers in to find out how she would react.
Meanwhile Barney and Robin get to know each other a little better. By offering her money to be unprofessional, Barney is testing this new member of the group to see where her boundaries lie. His seduction of her is about rebelling against her boring, unappreciated work and its fun to see (See Comic Highlight). I also enjoyed Barney taking shots at Dave Shula and the Cincinnati Bengals as it made him seem more real (by showing us his hobbies). Robin learning the value of her job was fine.
I like the way the characters laugh at each others jokes. It’s reminiscent of early season Friends episodes and makes everything seem much more real. In real life people stop and acknowledge each others jokes, they don’t ignore them and move on to another joke.
The Bad: The episode is a little light on humour in the end. That’s largely because the comedic climax of both stories were off camera. No matter how funny rolling around in horse poo or being beaten up by a girl might sound – if the audience doesn’t see them, they don’t seem real.
Lily delivered a particularly dry line which didn’t work. I just don’t think it fit her personality as so far established. It reminded me of her attempts to say bitch and spank in the pilot. Here we learn that one of Ted’s ex-girlfriends made 175 porn films in a month. Lily responds “Say what you will about the porn industry, they’re hard workers.” I appreciate the comedy but I’m not sure Lily should be saying it.
Was anyone else concerned that Natalie’s hair was dipping into her food?
Comic Highlight: Robin wrapping up a news report and completely dead pan saying “I’m a dirty dirty girl (spanks herself) ow. Reporting live Robin Scherbatsky for Metro News One.”
How I rate your episode: A nice story to show us Ted’s new state of mind and further bonding of Robin to the group.
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