Wednesday, November 4, 2009

How I First Met How I Met Your Mother (Season 1, Episode 1)

So, roughly 3 months after fellow Cold Openings blogger Jon sent me 4 seasons of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), it arrived in my pigeonhole and I got to acquaint myself with this show that is so legen - yes, wait for it, wait hold on can I use this joke if I'm only one episode in, oh well anyway - dary amongst my friends and acquaintances. Go postal service.

I digress. I was planning to do a marathon of the first half of the first season tonight but that was not meant to be. I did however manage to watch the first episode and here is my short report, based on my impressions of the characters.

1. Marshall
Oh Jason Segel. He's so sweet! Isn't he so sweet? I love him, he's like a puppy. I could take him being a total sap in a laugh-tracked sitcom, so that's good.

2. Lily
Alyson Hannigan will have my goodwill forever because of Buffy. And in HIMYM, Marshall's sappy lovableness spills over to her and makes her slightly more than a bland girlfriend type. I can see myself being annoyed by Lily in the future (for whatever reason), but we shall see. She's good for now.

3. Barney
OH MAH GAWD NEIL PATRICK HARRIS CAN DO NO WRONG. Suit up! De - wait for it - nied! Laser tag! Meet me in the bar in 15 minutes! That line in the cab about the olives! LOLOLOLOL forever, basically. Although my boundless love for the man causes a bit of worry, I'm scared this will turn into Gossip Girl Season 2 onward for me where I only care for Chuck and Blair and absolutely hated the other characters which essentially meant I couldn't watch the show anymore. If I'm to be riveted and watching 4 seasons of this show, I'm going to need to be emotionally invested in more than one person.

4. Ted
Which brings us to this guy. UGH. This guy. Who is this guy, even? I do not care and I will not Google him. I'm sure he's perfectly nice, but weakest link for me. Although I acknowledge that this may be because he's so overshadowed (in my eyes) by Marshall and Barney. But his face! Seriously, his face. And he's too much on this side of sap. Marshall is just right. Ted is not. He's that limp noodle who can't kiss a girl even when she gives him the signal (the only bit with Ted I liked was when he stole the blue French horn, but he didn't follow through after. I wish he had just kissed her the minute she opened the door for him or whatever. Then they wouldn't have that whole heart to heart and the revelation of "I think I love you" and the olives, you say. WELL GOOD) and yes, that's usually what makes a hero in TV shows these days but ugh. prove yourself Ted. Do not become another Dan Humphrey. Or worse, Rufus Humphrey. Just keep yourself out of the TV Humphreys gene pool!

5. Robin
I want to like her, and I sort of did at times (I liked her when she was reporting on that jumper?) but I found that she was overly smirky? For me, anyway. I'm giving her a pass because I want to like the girls on this show and she hasn't given me enough reason to straight up downgrade her to a sell. WE SHALL SEE.

6. The laugh track
Not saying the laugh track is "pervasive enough to be another character" (I'm not writing an essay here - because I would seriously write that in an essay, no questions asked) but it's been a long time since I watched Everybody Loves Raymond for enjoyment, so the first few moments of the show were jarring to me. It was like, oh a joke OH MY GOD WHY IS THERE A SOUND OF PEOPLE LAUGHING IN THEIR APARTMENT AND WHY ARE THEY NOT HORRIFIED? I'm too used to shows like The Office and 30 Rock, I guess.

I'm excited to get into HIMYM (even though I find the conceit truly laughable. I don't care who Ted married! I hope I will though! Emotional investment!) and I hope I can catch up on Season 1 fast enough so that next week I can give a more extensive report. And I'm out!

7 comments:

Madelyn said...

I've seen all 4 seasons of the show, and I was addicted to it while I did. However, some of the characters (I won't say who) can get on your nerves.

I love Jason Segal the most. But I only think Barney is just okay.

Anonymous said...

While I am an avid follower of the Bro Code, which I understand originated from HIMYM, I've never actually watched it. I've been meaning to start for a while.

Syar said...

Madelyn: JUST OKAY?!?!?! *has a heart attack and dies* *resurrects* Well, fine. No really, I can see that. Marshall's lovely, and I can see how not everyone would love Barney as much as me.

Cofo: You, I think, would like Barney. WATCH IT! Do you want me to send you the DVDs after I'm done with them? It can be the gift that keeps giving.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean, "after I'm done"? I thought you've been marathoning. Shouldn't you be done by now?

But anyway, it would be awesome if you sent them to me, even if it took three months to get here. Otherwise I'll probably never be motivated enough to start watching it on my own.

Jon said...

Marshall is probably my favorite, but Barney is a close second. I don't know what the show would be like without them. Jason Segel has pretty much the best delivery on television right now.

Robin will grow on you. She takes time but mostly, you just have to tolerate all non NPH/JS characters.

Also, I have absolutely no interest in who Ted marries. Nobody starts a story this far back. Seriously, you met our mother some time in your mid 30's, but you started telling us about your life in your mid 20's to set it up? Exactly how long are these kids sitting on the couch? Does Dad tell them a story every night? or has he been committing all sorts of child abuse crimes by forcing them to listen to this story for weeks on end without any bathroom/food breaks? And why haven't either of these kids just left the room to get the short version from Mom?

Just stop thinking about it now. It's not worth it.

cadiz12 said...

Basically, I totally agree with you, for pretty much all the same reasons: Marshall is my hands-down favorite, Barney a close second, I tolerate the girls, but the Canada stuff ROCKS and I worry that Ted is going to piss me off in the same way that Meredith Grey did (and ultimately why I won't watch that show anymore). Maybe making the "hero" of a show these days means making them vapid and whiny and spineless and annoying?

Actually Ted really isn't MEREDITH-caliber bad.

Is it bad that i can't remember the Olive line from the cab? I saw the pilot of this show at the beginning of the summer.

Anonymous said...

Mwahahahaha.


Sorry. I have no real constructive input on this post. In fact, I didn't even read it. I just wanted to laugh menacingly from the shadow of my former self. Good day to you, ma'am.