What I Think about “How I Met Your Mother”

It seems like this show has been going on forever, and I mean that in both a good and bad way.  When the show first came out, my friends and I rejoiced to find a show that would at last properly laud the many things from our youth and young adulthood we valued most:  high fives, the joys and pains of short and long-term relationships, the proper use of the word “awesome” and “totally,” laser tag, Corporate America, finding your purpose in life, musical episodes and plenty of good jokes to pass the time on a Monday night.  A few years ago, now a happily married man awaiting the arrival of my son, I marveled at how un-funny the show had become, relying heavily on bad jokes, rehashed plot lines and a seemingly endless overall plot to meet the “Mother” who never seemed to exist.  I remember vividly just two years ago wishing that the show would just end.

Now, as the show ends, I find myself remembering all the things I liked about it.  The ensemble was stellar, for the most part, and when they clicked it worked perfectly.  The inside jokes continued, and there were plenty of take-away lines that I still use today.  (ex. “Phone Five!” or “Hypothetical High Fiver (pause) NICE!”)  They even managed a few heart-tugging moments interspersed with hilarious musical numbers.  There’s plenty to like about the show, but not much that will make me miss the show.  Perhaps that’s the difference between the good, better and best of shows.  HIMYM will live in TV history as one of those good sitcoms that worked well at its time.  Barney Miller, Three’s Company, A Different World, just to name a few.  The show may not rank in the list of all-time anythings, but when I think of my years between 30-40 there will be plenty of moments in this show that line up with my own life and provided that perfect amount of entertainment to help me go on.  For that, I thank the actors, producers, writers and crew of the show for what is, ultimately, a job very well done.

Alyson, thank you for making the show a joy each time you took the screen.  I’ll probably never say “You sunnofvabeetch” the same way again.

A few favorite moments to enjoy, starting with my favorite:

“Let’s Go to the Mall”–Probably my favorite moment of the whole show … Robin’s BIG secret is that she was a one-hit teenage pop star in Canada. Made for some of the funniest moments, shows and recurring jokes in all nine seasons.

 

Another awesome musical number:

“Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit”–Another musical number that rocks out Harris’ skills and the writers song-writing skills. A catchy tune that never stops rocking. “Girls will go and girls will come” … got away with that one.

 

Some of Barney’s best lines, all right here:

Awesome stuff.

 

And when we finally met the Mother, we got these two gems with her and Ted that I can’t help but include:

You wanted to meet her for years, see how they got together for years. Then, just for fun, they sprang this gem of a moment (complete with Al Green music) for us to savor all year long and forever.

 

And one more …

When you get a Broadway singer to play on your show, you don’t NOT let her play the ukulele and sing with that angelic voice. Lovely.