Everybody Loves Saturday Night

HIMYM: Tiny (perhaps spoilery? I didn't actually think so) news item / and more Dr. Horrible ponderings

In thinking about Dr. Horrible, I wonder if Joss got to know NPH via him working on HIMYM with Alyson Hannigan.  (I'm always reading how she and Joss still talk all the time.) 

And I am the only one who thinks that Felicia Day has a very Alyson-Hannigan-but-can-sing vibe going on?  (Not that I think Alyson can't sing, but if you've ever watched the extras for "Once More With Feeling", you know that she hates doing it, requested as little singing as possible, and the "this line's mostly filler" phrase always cracks me up knowing she really didn't even want to be singing.) 

I think that's part of what makes the Penny character work for me, she has some very Willow-ish characteristics.  Earnest, sincere, shy, sweet, etc.

Would it mean to wake the Nipper up so we can watch Part 3?   I've got it downloaded from iTunes, loaded on to the iPod, and the TV hookup is just taunting me at this point.  Wake up, Jenni! Dr. Horrible time! ;)

And I dropped the HIMYM comment into the extended b/c apparently it is considered a spoiler? But um, I didn't think so at all. I mean, I thought we all already knew that pretty much and this was just confirmation? But maybe not.

The Bro Code

Last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother provided the rationale for loving the character of Barney as much as I do. Yes, he is despicable and callous; yes, he is selfish and self-absorbed and usually acts out of self-interest alone. But he feels guilt, he can't handle the idea that he did something wrong, and he can't handle the idea that Ted will hate him forever. This doesn't excuse everything else, but it does make him human.

I liked that this episode focused on the consequences of last week's hook up on Barney's friendship with Ted, and not Barney's friendship with Robin, that well-traveled territory where each of them insists "this never happened, it will never happen again" only to have the show jump cut to them in bed, again, latherrinserepeat.

The goat bit I found a little weird. That whole story was to set up the reveal at the end that at some point in the near future Robin moves into that apartment? And this matters why? It's not like that gets Ted any closer to meeting his kids' mother. (P.S. I was a little bummed that Stella got mentioned but didn't appear in this episode.) She takes Marshall and Lily's room, I suppose, after they move into their re-floored apartment in DoWiSeTrePla (that still makes me laugh). And then a goat eats her washcloth. Whatevs?

How I Met Your Mother: Aw, hell yeah!

First: Someone NEEDS to record the audio of Barney saying, "Michelle? She sounds hot!" and send it to me. Please.

Now then: James Van der Beek shows up all the previous guest stars. Dang, he was funny. Even if his Canadian accent was overblown and bordering on brogue.

 

Lily and her homegirl friend were hilarious. Alyson Hannigan, I love you.

The second Robin Sparkles video: not an instant classic as "Let's Go to the Mall" is, but there are some excellent 80s music video touches in it--the cuts between color and artsy B&W, the supreme close-ups, the whole "telling a story" aspect of it, and of course, the classic scoop neck striped shirt + acid-washed jeans skirt outfit.

But really, there's only one thing to talk about in this episode--Barney and Robin hooking up. You saw it coming, right? I mean, from way before this episode. I can't speak for everyone, but I think this has been on the docket since the episode they first hang out at the laser tag place and the club and that's what, first season? And there have been little hints about it since then, and they really ramped it up with the March Madness episode (Robin letting Barney "pretend" to hit on her, and then getting turned on by what he tells her? Yeah). I think this pairing makes sense, but it's hard to say where it's going.

I see many possibilities, starting with the Harry/Sally or Monica/Chandler approach. It's possible that these two approaches will be combined. It's possible that there will be a very special episode of HIMYM involving telling Ted. It's possible that we'll find out next week that Uncle Barney and Aunt Robin are married...but I'm thinking that we won't. I think that's a little too easy.

Finally, whoever came up with the term "revertigo" is a genius.

How I Met Your Mother: The Stunt-Casting Episode

Last week's St. Patty's Day episode: not as strong as the show usually is.

This week's episode featuring Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke (I would feel ever so slighted if I were her--did anyone know she was going to be on the show? I didn't--all I heard was Britney Britney Britney. Anyway) was not only a return to form, it was one of the funnier, more tightly written episodes of the series. There were plenty of scenes with all five of the friends--something the previous week's episode lacked--and Ted more than made up for his asshat behavior of last week with a "guys just don't do this in real life" display of romance. In fact, it's possible that last night's two-minute date marked a return for Ted to his pursuit of his future wife--he had been kinda floundering after the break-up with Robin. Not that I'm analyzing a fictional character or anything. (Then again, I'd rather have fictional characters worthy of analysis than 2-dimensional cardboard characters.) Add to that the "Manos: Hands of Fate" shout out and the show could not have gotten much better.

A lot of us were worried about the Britney Spears cameo, I know. It smacked of the Paris Hilton guest roles on The O.C. and Veronica Mars. If I recall correctly, Paris didn't ruin those shows (though she wasn't much fun to watch) and I have to say, not only did Britney NOT ruin How I Met Your Mother...she was kinda fun to watch. There, I said it. I thought she was...adorable. Yep. There were times when I thought she may have been rushing her lines and may not have been comfortable, but it also may have been her puppy-love-struck character. She plays a receptionist, see, who has a crush on Ted. An unrequited crush, for those of you who didn't watch last night because you were afraid she was the Not-Mom of the week. No, that would be Sarah Chalke, who was also very fun to watch.

Favorite moments:

Robin's "Hmmm...she said 'no'...what could that possibly mean..." Which to me is an obvious reference to "no means no." And yet, Ted did turn a "no" into a "yes"--in fact, he announced to his kids, "that's how you do it." This made me a little uncomfortable, frankly, and yet the process of getting that yes was textbook "wooing," and not subterfuge, roofies, or physical pressure. So it did have an old school 1940s cinema "I will win her heart" feel to it.

Lilly making Barney take a time out.

Marshall predicting what he's going to eat...which is what he's eating in the final scene. Except for messing with the timeline a bit, that was really funny. All the callbacks were funny--that's another thing this show does incredibly well. Lilly's nails got progressively longer. Barney's the angry caller.

The reappearance of Ranjit. I love that they can apparently call on this guy for their private taxi needs. I also love this show's fantastic sense of continuity.

And, of course, the moustache bet. I love it when the friends make these kinds of wagers. That and it led to the great line "You look like Tom Selleck only a hundred times handsomer."