7.2/10. The Ted-Robin-Ted's Assistant work/love triangle got a little out there, even for a show this silly, but there was some good humor in the midst of it. I did like how they drew it back to Robin feeling like her standards have gone down given the weird demands of her job, and to Ted procrastinating so much because he feels like this is his one big shot, and putting off actually trying means he doesn't have to risk his big dream failing. Again, the show often does a good job at balancing the magical realism of its tone with the more human concerns at the cores of its character, and while it leans a little too far into goofiness here, it sticks the landing.
Marshall and Barney's storyline about Marshall trying to find a "thing" at the office, settling on being the fantasy sports guy, and then blanching when it becomes too stressful was more pure comic relief, but it was good comic relief! Marshall's inner monologue about carrying around so much money and the different "guys" around the office in particular were great, funny sequences. Plus, tying the two storylines together by making PJ Marshall's intern to keep him from having to deal with the fantasy sports nonsense was a nice touch.
I'm still not crazy about the whole Barney-Robin romance thing, and mixing Marshall into it doesn't do much for me on that front, especially since Barney's affections still feel more like a Tex Avery dog seeing a buxom lass than real human emotion, but it was simple and sweet enough here, especially with Marshall working to do a solid for both Ted and Barney in one fell swoop.
An episode without Lily, if only every episode was that way
Shout by LineageBlockedParent2019-05-20T00:29:12Z
That ending was fantastic! There need to be more scenes with Barney and Marshall together or individually at work.