I was pleasantly surprised by these episodes. Better than anything I remember from last season, when I said I was done. I watched these because…well, I needed something to distract me while on the exercise bike.
If the rest of the season follows suit, I’ll keep up with it.
My first reaction to the mother wasn’t very good. But after she had some more screen time, I approve. I’ll allow her to stay. 
She really does need to be a heckuva good match for Ted and also able to fit in with the existing group, but so far so good.
The Mother fit right in. Excellent casting. I enjoyed the start to the season. One of things that made this show special was how it played with time and structure. I am fine with the entire season technically being set during the wedding weekend.
Seeing events from previous seasons from the Mother’s point of view alone can take up two or three episodes with the wedding just a framing device (they have to have at least one 'How I Met Your Father" episode right?".
Two of the worst episodes of a sitcom I have seen. Painfully unfunny, phoning it in. And I have watched all the episodes so far, so this isn’t a drive by.
This should have been put to bed at least two seasons ago. They clearly have no more ideas or, frankly, anything humourous left in the writers’ heads.
I just have to accept that I am only watching to find out how they finish the thing. And I hate myself for it.
Of *any *sitcom? I will admit - there were a lot of misses. The potential incest angle was incredibly not funny. In fact - whatever the writers think they’re doing trying to create tension and a “will they/won’t they” between Barney and Robin just isn’t working, it’s just tedious. Marshall and his “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” adventure isn’t all that funny, but it did have some decent lines, but is a shadow of Jason Segal’s comedic potential there.
There’s a whole lot of momentum this show is riding on at the moment, which I’m willing to just enjoy.
How many slaps are left - anyone know?
I don’t see it that way at all. In fact, I think they are undoing the question, and providing incontrovertible evidence that Barney and Robin are made for each other. It feels more like proving to us once and for all that they are making the right decision. Even the incest twist was about Barney getting to the right priority: getting married to Robin is the point, not throwing the world’s most legendary party.
I never thought of her as especially attractive. Robin is a knockout, and the mother is a hottie, but I never understood the appeal of Lily, though I do like the glowing red eyes when she gets steamed.
Ring bear.
(And incest is always hilarious.)
I think that was part of what was supposed to make it funny. They know they aren’t directly related, and, especially considering what sluts both of them were previous to getting engaged, drawing the line at sleeping with someone who might have a cousin in common was (not particularly) funny.
Although Rajiv as a potential blackmailer was fun.
Ring Bearer!
It was extremely unfunny. They have some distant relative in common, and they suddenly can’t kiss each other without throwing up? Stupid.
Overall, I don’t enjoy scenes with Barney and Robin, because I totally do not buy them as a couple. I don’t know what it is, but they are the least convincing couple I’ve seen on TV.
Excluding the Barney/Robin scenes, the two episodes were very good and a great way to start the season.
I gave this a very tentative chance. I hated last season and gave up after the Mike Tyson episode in disgust.
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked both episodes. Loved them? No, but they didn’t make me angry and I laughed a few times. I wouldn’t be surprised if it tanked again in a few episodes (especially if Ted gets all Ted about Robin some more and Mosbys it up).
I found the “Are we cousins?” thing inoffensive and funny because I had a hook-up with a guy and we later thought we were cousins. Thankfully, we weren’t, but I had those same moments of wanting to vomit and frantically calling relatives to find out about long-lost family members.
I think the reason last season sucked so much is that they focused way, WAY too much on how lame Lily and Marshal are now that they’re parents. Every scene with the baby in it wasn’t so much unfunny as it was something that actively sucked funny out of the universe. If they ease up on that crap this season, they should be okay.
There are really only two possibilities as I see it: A) Ted finds the locket and gives it to Barney to be HIS bridal gift to Robin, or B) (By far the most likely answer) Barney already has it.
I mean, c’mon, it’s Barney!!! How is there really any question here?
I’m sure Barney has an LA Storage Locker guy.
Yes. This. I posted something similar in another thread. I love the structure where they show an improbable event, and then flashbacks of how it happens so it makes sense. There was a little more of that this episode than all of last season.
Well, I’m not going to start a thread for last night’s episode, because I don’t want the OP to be a giant threadshit for the show (not that I intend to threadshit). But last night’s episode was truly horrible, without a single funny gag.
The incoming onslaught of old people? Not funny.
The ketchup/hand sanitizer bottle of scotch? Really unfunny.
The ongoing Ringbear joke? Not funny.
Linus* the bartender? Painfully unfunny**.
Marshall in Wisconsin? Not funny.
Swordfighting flashbacks? Not funny.
Ted saying goodbye to everything? Not funny, not even sweet.
Ugh, just awful. My wife said she’s done with the show just based on the premise that this season is going to be stretched out across an entire weekend. I don’t mind that conceit, but it’s got to be funny. The only redeeming moment was Lily’s life lesson speech to Ted, but those 10 seconds don’t absolve the other 21.8 minutes of crap.
*Hey, it’s Allen from The Joe Schmo Show!
**Seriously, Lily would be unconscious at this point.
I have to disagree on the Substitute Scotch, and “Thank you, Linus.”
Yes - Lilly would be unconscious by this point, if this were real life, but this is Older Ted telling a story. That’s how they can get away with things like Barney have a spare suit int the McClaren’s bathroom.
Fezzik finally did something right? Screw that! The dude who punched out a sea serpent and rescued the princess had climbed the cliffs of insanity and pulled out that holocaust cloak to scare off the guards before yanking the portcullis open after single-handedly sobering up your sorry sangria-soaked ass!
Point - that was a good one.
Maus, the only good thing about the substitute scotch was Ted liking it, but even that was far too predictable. “Of course I know about the Highland clumpiness” was good, but pouring ketchup, chocolate and soap in it was just stupid.