Good balance of comedy and heart here. Lily's subplot is one I remembered for its resolution, but the little journey to get there is pretty great in and of itself. Lily and Ted's conversation in Dutchess County had a lot of earnest emotion in it, and Alysson Hannigan gives what is likely her best performance on the show, conveying her fear and conflictedness and yearning to test her talents and limits. The way it ties her idea of needing to make a mistake to Ted and Robin's thing is the sort of thematic move that could feel contrived and yet feels very natural with the episode's final montage.
The bit with Ted and Robin in the van, especially showing how Robin checks none of Ted's boxes and yet, in these scenes especially, there's a real chemistry between them. The writing is unexpectedly strong on this show, both in those big emotional moments by the side of the road, and the casual but sweet interactions between friends.
The Barney-Marshall subplot is pretty slight, but there's still a good character beat for Marshall there, and Barney being Barney, so it gets a pass as well. Overall, a pretty superb ep.
Shout by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-02-01T04:48:00Z
Good balance of comedy and heart here. Lily's subplot is one I remembered for its resolution, but the little journey to get there is pretty great in and of itself. Lily and Ted's conversation in Dutchess County had a lot of earnest emotion in it, and Alysson Hannigan gives what is likely her best performance on the show, conveying her fear and conflictedness and yearning to test her talents and limits. The way it ties her idea of needing to make a mistake to Ted and Robin's thing is the sort of thematic move that could feel contrived and yet feels very natural with the episode's final montage.
The bit with Ted and Robin in the van, especially showing how Robin checks none of Ted's boxes and yet, in these scenes especially, there's a real chemistry between them. The writing is unexpectedly strong on this show, both in those big emotional moments by the side of the road, and the casual but sweet interactions between friends.
The Barney-Marshall subplot is pretty slight, but there's still a good character beat for Marshall there, and Barney being Barney, so it gets a pass as well. Overall, a pretty superb ep.