7.7/10. This episode is a lot like "Lucky Penny" from two episodes ago in terms of structure, where it has an overarching frame story with a cute gimmick that allows it to look back on some past adventures from the gang. The idea of the FIero breaking down and the group looking back at various fun times had in relation to the car was a nice conceit, and the thing that elevates the episode above "Lucky Penny" is that those scenes were a lot more enjoyable. Marshall's story about how he earned the car is a little cheesy, but there's at least a sense of whimsy to it. Marshall and Ted's college road trip was the meatiest of the stories told, and told a tidy-but-amusing little tale about how two dissimilar guys became best friends. Robin and Lily's story about the exploding thai food and Barney's story about learning to drive were each much slighter, but also both very funny (with lots of great non-linear jokes like Marshall's cigars) so it worked. And the message about the end of moving forward and making new adventures as the gang looks to the future was a little cornball, but just sweet enough through Marshall's boyish semi-innocence for the idea to land.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-02-25T23:00:11Z
7.7/10. This episode is a lot like "Lucky Penny" from two episodes ago in terms of structure, where it has an overarching frame story with a cute gimmick that allows it to look back on some past adventures from the gang. The idea of the FIero breaking down and the group looking back at various fun times had in relation to the car was a nice conceit, and the thing that elevates the episode above "Lucky Penny" is that those scenes were a lot more enjoyable. Marshall's story about how he earned the car is a little cheesy, but there's at least a sense of whimsy to it. Marshall and Ted's college road trip was the meatiest of the stories told, and told a tidy-but-amusing little tale about how two dissimilar guys became best friends. Robin and Lily's story about the exploding thai food and Barney's story about learning to drive were each much slighter, but also both very funny (with lots of great non-linear jokes like Marshall's cigars) so it worked. And the message about the end of moving forward and making new adventures as the gang looks to the future was a little cornball, but just sweet enough through Marshall's boyish semi-innocence for the idea to land.