Ted asks Barney something towards the end of “Romeward Bound”
that I’ve been asking for weeks now. Why is he still acting like the womanizer
he’s been for ages when he’s soon to be married? Yea, Robin might be cool with
it, but it’s still bothersome.
The show has had Barney continue to ogle at women even as
his bachelor days are supposed to be essentially over. It’s frustrating to see
him continue this way. At first just because it didn’t add up with where his
character was at anymore, but now it looks as if the writers want to use this
detail to form a conflict between Ted and Barney... which is ... strange (to say the least).
Ted’s lingering affection for Robin isn’t the most interesting
longstanding plot element; it’s been played out until that beaten up horse
resembled little of its original self or charm. It keeps being utilized to
diminishing returns. It remains to be seen just how exactly Robin fits into the
whole picture of Ted meeting the mother, and after eight seasons playing the
same note over and over of Ted’s weirdly obsessive feelings towards his ex just
isn’t all that enjoyable to watch.
The rest of the content for the Ted-Barney story is very
filler-y. Ted’s fawning for a woman he describes as “redonkulous” who turns out
(in a meh twist that’s crafted to bring Robin into the picture) to be Barney
and Robin’s wedding planner. It’s all rather lightweight and there’s a lot of
questionable objectifying going on that the show keeps just on the side of not offensive (though we still could have done without it; there are far, far better ways to do stories without having to objectify women). (Although I have to admit that Robin’s enthusiasm for discovering what’s underneath the coat is
played wonderfully by Colbie Smulders)
Marshall and Lily’s story is more original but it features a
lot of rehashed jokes (Marshall using lawyer speak to misdirect, cuts to
imagined futures) and twists that pile up to the point where their devoid of
value. However, I’m intrigued by the decision to uproot two of the five main
characters to Italy. It’s not a decision that exactly works within the medium
of television but it’s a bold one (perhaps the boldest the show has done in
about three seasons depending on where they go with it).
This was an ultra-lite episode; it was mildly amusing but
not all that funny, which is a nice way to describe this season as a whole. It’s
usually doing things that are oh that’s
pleasant I suppose but you usually forget most of what happened soon after
you’ve finished the episode.
Grade: C+
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