Tailgating with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Welcome to 2012 everybody! I’ve got to say, I was pretty stoked that the first new episode of television I’d be watching this year would be How I Met Your Mother. I find it fitting to start off the New Year with HIMYM for a number of reasons. For one thing, out of all the traditional multi-cam sitcoms out there, HIMYM stands out as the best in my eyes. It’s had a very successful run these last seven years, and while most series burn out, HIMYM has found a way to stay fresh (though that’s not to say it doesn’t struggle from time to time… or season to season) thanks in part to the addition of darker storylines such as Marshal’s dad’s death and Robin’s pregnancy scare. On top of that, it’s still freaking funny after seven seasons. It knows how to tell a joke and it knows the optimum way to use its cast. Unfortunately, while “Tailgate” had some fantastic moments, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

The trouble with having expectations is the doubt you have over your own opinion. Maybe it’s not the show’s fault it didn’t really connect with me, perhaps I’m to blame. That thought definitely crossed my mind, but I’m confident that while this was a solid, fun episode, it not only failed to live up to my expectations, but it failed to live up to the natural build up this season has had. We left the season with Robin alone in a park, imagining what her life would be like if she had children with Barney. It was a sad moment, made warmer by Ted’s insistence that she wasn’t alone so long as she had her friends. Flash-forward to “Tailgate” and Robin is still dealing with the pregnancy, but it’s entirely pushed under the surface and never gets a literal mention. But you could tell it was her primary motivation for getting through New Year’s Eve so she could forget 2011 ever happened. It really was a nice, subtle bit of television, but I wish there could have been more. Subtlety is good, but it’s not always necessary. There should have been more fallout from the pregnancy storyline, instead it seems like Robin just wants to move on like it never happened. I’m scared that’s how the writers may end up feeling as well.

The most successful storyline was Ted and Barney’s, where they finally realized their dream of opening their own bar called Puzzles (why is it called Puzzles? That’s the puzzle!) after MacLaren’s proves to be too pricey on New Year’s Eve. These scenes were purely comical and were the deciding factor on whether or not I liked the episode (which I did, don’t get me wrong). It was a classic tale of trying to fight the machine only to inevitably become a part of it, or in simpler terms; Ted and Barney begin by selling two dollar beer, but as the crowed gets rowdier and things get broken they continuously have to up the price and even get a bouncer (a nice return appearance of Doug). It was a conclusion that couldn’t be resisted, but it was fun to watch it happen (especially the Puzzles theme song: “A place where wit and wisdom bloom. A place to bang chicks in Ted’s room!”).

My main gripe against “Tailgate” comes from one of Marshall’s stories (yes, he has two). The first begins with him visiting his father’s grave so they can continue their tradition of watching the Vikings-Bears game. From here Marshall begins to tell his dad stories of things that happened to his friends, which turns out to be the events of the episode. I would have been totally okay with this change in narrative except we already had Robin narrate in “Symphony of Illumination,” so this came off as lazy rather than a switch of the format. It turned out to be okay by the episode’s end when Marshall has the realization he’s turned out to be just like his father, his source of inspiration in life. That’s a pretty great accomplishment. Not everyone gets to become their hero, but Marshall has.

My second big complaint was the sheer amount of guest stars in the episode. We had Bill Faggerbakke, Chris Elliot, Will Sasso, Kal Penn and Alexis Denisof. That’s a lot for just one episode. It definitely felt a tad over crowded. At least the episode tried to use everyone to the best of their abilities.

The final storyline with Lily and Marshall was a classic play on the “Should we teach our kids about God?” trope. In this case, Marshall wants to teach their children about aliens and bigfoot, but Lily is convinced it’s a bad idea. Her father never taught her to believe in anything, so she only believes in herself. This is defined very clearly when Lily calls Mickey Aldrin to tell him she’s pregnant and he seemingly brushes it off. It isn’t until the episode’s end that we realize he immediately left the board game convention he was at to drive all the way to Long Island with a giant teddy bear. It’s the first miracle Lily has ever seen and it’s a nice moment.

As I’ve been writing, I think I’ve come to a better understanding of this episode. It’s still lacking something for me, but it has many touching moments to it. I’m still disappointed in the elements I mentioned, but I appreciate what HIMYM was trying to do; set things up for the New Year. Robin has said goodbye to her crappy year and is ready for new challenges. Ted and Barney got their shot at running a bar together, but as Future Ted told us earlier in the season, their friendship will soon be in jeopardy. Marshall has learned how to be a good dad through his own father’s example, while Lily and Mickey have taken a step toward repairing their relationship. New Year’s was a big time for this group, and 2012 is being set up to be a game changer. I can’t wait to see what happens.