Holy crap! I did not remember any part of Season 7 being this good! But this was one hell of an episode. It had so many of the things that make HIMYM great: an enjoyable non-linear structure, some fun and exaggerated comic bits, a number of laugh-worthy call backs, continuity nods, and running gags, and a good amount of heart to make it all work. Add in the fact that the connecting thread of the episode was a triannual to watch Star Wars and you have an episode uniquely designed to appeal to yours truly.
The structure of the episode, focusing on 2000-era versions of the gang imagining what their lives will be like in three years, and then contrasting reality and throwing in their predictions for the next three year period worked very well, both for the ridiculousness of where the gang imagined they'd be in three years, and for the humorousness of the contrast between those predictions and the harsh but comic force of reality. At the same time, it was well-observed in the way people overestimate how much their futures will resemble an odd combination of their present and some absurd fantasy version of themselves, a way that they basically get to live out their dreams while essentially staying in stasis (i.e. how Ted imagines he'll be a world-famous architect who still sleeps on bunk beds with his best friend roommate).
It was a great way to look at the gang's hopes and dreams and how they've changed over the years. The fantasies were quite amusing, and the way the episode juxtaposed them with major events in the show's history, like Marshall and Lily breaking up, or Robin and Barney secretly hooking up, was a canny move to dig into the show's past while showing parts of it that hadn't been explored as much. On top of that, the humor was firing on all cylinders, with fun runners like the trucker hat guy, Barney's stormtrooper fantasy, and the overall tone of the imagine spots.
But the show also ties it back to something with emotional truth. It's funny going back and watching this a little more closely how much I'm on Team Barney/Quinn. The show's done a much better job at dramatizing how things really are different for Barney when it comes to her, and this episode was a great way to show how his priorities have changed. The whole mug-breaking thing is a little on-the-nose, but it's still a nice way to symbolize that for the character. And to boot, the reveal that three years later, Ted had a daughter to bring to Trilogy Night was a sweet way to show that his arc for this season, questioning whether he would ever truly find love or whether he should give up, is headed for the happy ending sooner than we think.
Overall, a great episode, particularly for one that feels like a regular episode and not the show stopping to do something special or different than usual.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-04T02:25:53Z
Holy crap! I did not remember any part of Season 7 being this good! But this was one hell of an episode. It had so many of the things that make HIMYM great: an enjoyable non-linear structure, some fun and exaggerated comic bits, a number of laugh-worthy call backs, continuity nods, and running gags, and a good amount of heart to make it all work. Add in the fact that the connecting thread of the episode was a triannual to watch Star Wars and you have an episode uniquely designed to appeal to yours truly.
The structure of the episode, focusing on 2000-era versions of the gang imagining what their lives will be like in three years, and then contrasting reality and throwing in their predictions for the next three year period worked very well, both for the ridiculousness of where the gang imagined they'd be in three years, and for the humorousness of the contrast between those predictions and the harsh but comic force of reality. At the same time, it was well-observed in the way people overestimate how much their futures will resemble an odd combination of their present and some absurd fantasy version of themselves, a way that they basically get to live out their dreams while essentially staying in stasis (i.e. how Ted imagines he'll be a world-famous architect who still sleeps on bunk beds with his best friend roommate).
It was a great way to look at the gang's hopes and dreams and how they've changed over the years. The fantasies were quite amusing, and the way the episode juxtaposed them with major events in the show's history, like Marshall and Lily breaking up, or Robin and Barney secretly hooking up, was a canny move to dig into the show's past while showing parts of it that hadn't been explored as much. On top of that, the humor was firing on all cylinders, with fun runners like the trucker hat guy, Barney's stormtrooper fantasy, and the overall tone of the imagine spots.
But the show also ties it back to something with emotional truth. It's funny going back and watching this a little more closely how much I'm on Team Barney/Quinn. The show's done a much better job at dramatizing how things really are different for Barney when it comes to her, and this episode was a great way to show how his priorities have changed. The whole mug-breaking thing is a little on-the-nose, but it's still a nice way to symbolize that for the character. And to boot, the reveal that three years later, Ted had a daughter to bring to Trilogy Night was a sweet way to show that his arc for this season, questioning whether he would ever truly find love or whether he should give up, is headed for the happy ending sooner than we think.
Overall, a great episode, particularly for one that feels like a regular episode and not the show stopping to do something special or different than usual.