Episode 24 - The Leap
14 September 2009
Review
Synopsis: Barney asks Ted’s permission to pursue Robin and she overhears it. She turns to Lily and Marshall who recommend she uses “The Mosby” and tells Barney that she loves him. She does and it drives him away until Lily admits what is going on. Barney and Robin admit their feelings for one another, fight with their fear of commitment and end up making out. Meanwhile Ted is stuck in doors trying to design the “Rib Town” restaurant. Marshall has planned a surprise birthday party up on the roof but Ted won’t come up. Marshall continues in his efforts to jump onto the roof of the next building. Ted discovers Lily’s goats and ends up in a fight with it.
The Good: It was difficult to imagine a way that Barney and Robin would end up talking about their feelings. But this feels about right, particularly for Barney as it would have felt out of character to see him comfortably admitting his feelings for her. Instead their back and forth admissions and denials of feelings were fun and I imagine their faltering relationship will carry the show next season.
Ted leaving architecture to become a teacher will hopefully open up more interesting work plots for him too. The use of Sven again was a nice reminder of the show’s continuity (408).
The Bad: For the record I don’t hate this show. I don’t have much against the idea of the characters and their friendships. I just don’t think the writers understand humour and how it relates to plausibility.
To get beaten up by a goat isn’t inherently funny. It’s funny when someone inflates their own ego and has it deflated. When someone is attacked by a wild animal that isn’t funny. When an actor rolls around with a puppet pretending to have a fight with a goat, then you are in the realms of childish, stupid comedy. There is nothing believable about any of it and the jokes aimed at Ted fall completely flat. He didn’t deserve to get beaten up, he didn’t attack the goat, he didn’t do anything that would have made this funny.
Then there are Marshall and Lily. When they are being affectionate they come across as a convincing couple. When trying to crack jokes about their relationship they sound utterly fake. “I will never be Linda Knievel” Lily yells – “You don’t have to remind me” replies Marshall. I just don’t buy anything that went into that joke. Marshall comes across like a big wuss who doesn’t really want to be a daredevil. He is happy when he has to get down from the wall because he is afraid. So the idea that he actually wishes Lily would encourage him doesn’t ring true. Similarly because he isn’t convincing her irritation doesn’t sound real either. The whole joke just doesn’t convince.
Expand that feeling outward and hopefully you will understand what I mean. Marshall suggests Lily has been putting on weight “I hope you die!” she snarls back. If she had said it mockingly instead of trying to sound like she meant it I could have believed it. Then they both pathetically attempt to lie to Robin about being surprised to hear Barney loves her. Then we have Marshall over aggressively promising not to eat ribs anymore. And Lily not realising that Robin was still a TV presenter. All they do is hang out and talk, how could she not know that? It’s all so forced and fake. The humour isn’t written for their characters it is just an exaggerated mess.
It’s nitpicking but Ted talks about what a year it’s been for him. Yet it’s May, shouldn’t he have been saying that around New Years Eve. In general Ted’s story doesn’t work because his job is treated as an afterthought. The constant jumps in time distort the sense of time passing on the show. We never get the sense of time passing and Ted’s love of architecture waning. We just get endless cuts to the characters standing around drinking, talking, having fun. There has never been a constant focus on Ted’s changing state of mind where we could relate to his emotions.
We never get to see a reaction from the people in the neighbouring building. The “inspirational” leap over there could have used some kind of conclusion.
Comic Highlight: Robin being sarcastic – “I’m gonna marry Barney in a big church wedding and we’re gonna move to some sleepy New Hampshire town and open a bed and breakfast.”
How I rate your episode: The actors are good and the show can still tell a good story now and again. But I’m not laughing. I barely smiled throughout this and it has been the same for most of the season.
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