I really enjoy this episode's theme of the malleability of truth. The way the episode tied together the A-story about whether or not Marshall was mugged by a monkey (a hilarious concept), and the B-story about Barney's constant lies thematically was very nice. Plus, the implicit bit that future Ted was spicing up the story by having the monkey recreate a miniature version of King Kong was delightful, and made all the better by how perfectly that moment was set up, from the introduction of the monkey, to Ted's building a miniature version of the Empire state building, to the guy with the dolls, even to the cameraman throwing paper airplanes. It's all these little details that build to a hilarious moment.
But more than that, I like how the episode sets up Marshall's conflict, to where neither Ted nor the audience knows what really happened. It's an interesting commentary on how we bend the truth to suit our purposes, whether it's too keep our loved ones from buying a gun, or supporting our friends in their careers, or making sure that our furry friends are not pulled away from their mates. And again, tying that to the way that Barney "jump ropes" with the line between an embellished story and a blatant line is a nice thematic twist.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-05-29T18:59:18Z
I really enjoy this episode's theme of the malleability of truth. The way the episode tied together the A-story about whether or not Marshall was mugged by a monkey (a hilarious concept), and the B-story about Barney's constant lies thematically was very nice. Plus, the implicit bit that future Ted was spicing up the story by having the monkey recreate a miniature version of King Kong was delightful, and made all the better by how perfectly that moment was set up, from the introduction of the monkey, to Ted's building a miniature version of the Empire state building, to the guy with the dolls, even to the cameraman throwing paper airplanes. It's all these little details that build to a hilarious moment.
But more than that, I like how the episode sets up Marshall's conflict, to where neither Ted nor the audience knows what really happened. It's an interesting commentary on how we bend the truth to suit our purposes, whether it's too keep our loved ones from buying a gun, or supporting our friends in their careers, or making sure that our furry friends are not pulled away from their mates. And again, tying that to the way that Barney "jump ropes" with the line between an embellished story and a blatant line is a nice thematic twist.