9.7/10. It's funny, if you asked me halfway through this episode, I wouldn't have guessed that I'd rate it this highly. Barney and Ted's scheme is a little gross, and most of the episode is just them screwing around in the bar. Plus, the Marshall, Robin, and Lily story was cute enough, but pretty standard stuff.
And then, the cartoony misadventures (especially Ted and Barney's psychic conversation) at the bar turn out to be a hell of a lot of fun, with great comedic beats and a bit well-observed insight into the way random ridiculous thoughts crash and burn when confronted with the reality of the situation. And Marshall and Lily's story has an unexpectedly deep emotional depth, with not only Robin's defense of the idea that there's more than one way to be in love, Marshall's explanation that the corny gestures are what work for him and Lily and help make them the couple they are, and the heartwarming marching band finale that seals the deal. As an added bonus, the reveal that the storm took place over three days is a nice misdirect that takes advantage of the grammar of television to good effect, and even Lily's search with Ranjit brought the laughs! Truly a superlative episode of How I Met Your Mother, which is all the more notable for the fact that it's a fairly standard episode of the show where nothing major or life-changing happens.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-03-25T16:53:13Z
9.7/10. It's funny, if you asked me halfway through this episode, I wouldn't have guessed that I'd rate it this highly. Barney and Ted's scheme is a little gross, and most of the episode is just them screwing around in the bar. Plus, the Marshall, Robin, and Lily story was cute enough, but pretty standard stuff.
And then, the cartoony misadventures (especially Ted and Barney's psychic conversation) at the bar turn out to be a hell of a lot of fun, with great comedic beats and a bit well-observed insight into the way random ridiculous thoughts crash and burn when confronted with the reality of the situation. And Marshall and Lily's story has an unexpectedly deep emotional depth, with not only Robin's defense of the idea that there's more than one way to be in love, Marshall's explanation that the corny gestures are what work for him and Lily and help make them the couple they are, and the heartwarming marching band finale that seals the deal. As an added bonus, the reveal that the storm took place over three days is a nice misdirect that takes advantage of the grammar of television to good effect, and even Lily's search with Ranjit brought the laughs! Truly a superlative episode of How I Met Your Mother, which is all the more notable for the fact that it's a fairly standard episode of the show where nothing major or life-changing happens.