What do you do with plot choices you don't necessarily like, but which are done pretty well? That's the big question with this episode. The heart of the problem is this -- I just don't buy Robin's premise, that Ted is subconsciously (or maybe consciously) setting himself up for failure in his romantic life. Maybe her idea -- that he he only goes after women where there's no future -- works with herself and with Zoe, but Stella seems like a stretch on that front (we had no real indication that she was still in love with her ex, and she and Ted seemed happy), and that also discounts the tons of other girls Ted has dated over the years that didn't click for whatever reason. Sure, I like the idea that there's something unique about Victoria that makes her worth checking in on, but it's a strained way to get there.
When she shows up, it's a total bout of sitcom convenience that it just so happens to be her wedding day. I'm willing to accept that in the realm of willing suspension of disbelief, but I'm not crazy about where the story goes. It's believable that Ted would still carry a torch for Victoria, and it's believable that Victoria would still carry a torch for Ted. Hell, it's not even that crazy that Victoria was in the rush and stress of the wedding and felt overwhelmed in the moment.
The problem is that the show had the chance to do something really mature, and gave up on it. The scene where Ted connects what he's doing to his own being left at the altar, and says he can't be a part of that happening to someone else is a moment of supreme decency from him. The same goes for Victoria "sobering up" to hear him say it. It could have been an important realization about the difference between getting what you want and doing what's right (not to mention taking a beat and not making massive decisions when you're stuck in the moment). Instead, Ted and Victoria drive off into the sunset, and it's kind of nice because we like Ted and we like Victoria, and if you're anything like me, she's still probably number one on your One True Pairing list for Ted. But the way it happens, hurting a third party, something Ted acknowledges, makes it bittersweet at best.
The same goes for Barney's proposal to Quinn. Sure, the season finale proposal is another sitcom cliche, but I can handwave that one too. Still, the whole "magician's code" extended series of setpieces aren't very funny and mostly make Barney seem like a jerk for dragging this whole thing out. The trick itself veers a little too far into the implausible for my tastes (especially since NPH can do some genuine sleight of hand). That said, I like the fact that he doesn't mind the Hello Kitty redecoration and is just glad that Quinn hasn't left him; I like the fact that seeing Barney's devotion and that he cares about her regardless of what she does, Quinn feels comfortable quitting her job, and I like the fact that the two of them plan to get hitched.
There's other fun stuff at the margins. Marshall and Lily's "it's gotta be at least an eight" standard now that they're parents is great. Robin's attempt to get a good photograph of them is a nice little subplot for her. And Marshall's obsession with what kind of wedding dress Victoria is in is pretty cute and in character for him. There's a lot to like here, and much that's well done and full of feeling, but it's wrapped in some strange decisions that make the characters we love seem a little less than they might be.
Oh yeah, and there's the reveal that Robin's the bride "a little down the road." That's another kind of odd bit of conflictedness for me. Again, I've never really bought into Barney and Robin, and so both when I watched it live and on this rewatch, it's kind of disappointing that this is where the show is heading. On the other hand, I do really like it as a storytelling choice when it comes to tension and dramatic irony, the same way I appreciated the show's original trick -- having Ted seemingly fall in love with a girl and revealing that she definitively isn't The Mother. We know that Barney and Quinn don't last, and that Barney and Robin get together, so it makes us curious to know the why and the how and adds a bit of tragedy to an otherwise beautiful moment between Barney and Quinn. That's good stuff when you're telling a story, especially one that plays around with the timeline. I just don't care for where that story is heading.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-08-05T22:21:33Z
What do you do with plot choices you don't necessarily like, but which are done pretty well? That's the big question with this episode. The heart of the problem is this -- I just don't buy Robin's premise, that Ted is subconsciously (or maybe consciously) setting himself up for failure in his romantic life. Maybe her idea -- that he he only goes after women where there's no future -- works with herself and with Zoe, but Stella seems like a stretch on that front (we had no real indication that she was still in love with her ex, and she and Ted seemed happy), and that also discounts the tons of other girls Ted has dated over the years that didn't click for whatever reason. Sure, I like the idea that there's something unique about Victoria that makes her worth checking in on, but it's a strained way to get there.
When she shows up, it's a total bout of sitcom convenience that it just so happens to be her wedding day. I'm willing to accept that in the realm of willing suspension of disbelief, but I'm not crazy about where the story goes. It's believable that Ted would still carry a torch for Victoria, and it's believable that Victoria would still carry a torch for Ted. Hell, it's not even that crazy that Victoria was in the rush and stress of the wedding and felt overwhelmed in the moment.
The problem is that the show had the chance to do something really mature, and gave up on it. The scene where Ted connects what he's doing to his own being left at the altar, and says he can't be a part of that happening to someone else is a moment of supreme decency from him. The same goes for Victoria "sobering up" to hear him say it. It could have been an important realization about the difference between getting what you want and doing what's right (not to mention taking a beat and not making massive decisions when you're stuck in the moment). Instead, Ted and Victoria drive off into the sunset, and it's kind of nice because we like Ted and we like Victoria, and if you're anything like me, she's still probably number one on your One True Pairing list for Ted. But the way it happens, hurting a third party, something Ted acknowledges, makes it bittersweet at best.
The same goes for Barney's proposal to Quinn. Sure, the season finale proposal is another sitcom cliche, but I can handwave that one too. Still, the whole "magician's code" extended series of setpieces aren't very funny and mostly make Barney seem like a jerk for dragging this whole thing out. The trick itself veers a little too far into the implausible for my tastes (especially since NPH can do some genuine sleight of hand). That said, I like the fact that he doesn't mind the Hello Kitty redecoration and is just glad that Quinn hasn't left him; I like the fact that seeing Barney's devotion and that he cares about her regardless of what she does, Quinn feels comfortable quitting her job, and I like the fact that the two of them plan to get hitched.
There's other fun stuff at the margins. Marshall and Lily's "it's gotta be at least an eight" standard now that they're parents is great. Robin's attempt to get a good photograph of them is a nice little subplot for her. And Marshall's obsession with what kind of wedding dress Victoria is in is pretty cute and in character for him. There's a lot to like here, and much that's well done and full of feeling, but it's wrapped in some strange decisions that make the characters we love seem a little less than they might be.
Oh yeah, and there's the reveal that Robin's the bride "a little down the road." That's another kind of odd bit of conflictedness for me. Again, I've never really bought into Barney and Robin, and so both when I watched it live and on this rewatch, it's kind of disappointing that this is where the show is heading. On the other hand, I do really like it as a storytelling choice when it comes to tension and dramatic irony, the same way I appreciated the show's original trick -- having Ted seemingly fall in love with a girl and revealing that she definitively isn't The Mother. We know that Barney and Quinn don't last, and that Barney and Robin get together, so it makes us curious to know the why and the how and adds a bit of tragedy to an otherwise beautiful moment between Barney and Quinn. That's good stuff when you're telling a story, especially one that plays around with the timeline. I just don't care for where that story is heading.