Not sure of the difference between “good crazy” and “bad crazy?” Here’s a hint: anything involving fire, death threats, and a blonde girl named, Jeanette classifies as “really bad crazy.” Don’t believe me? See for yourself.
And this is the reason (along with many others including but not limited to: pretentious college years with Karen, rain dancing his way into Robin’s heart, awful red cowboy boots, etc.) why Ted is the worst. When it comes to matters of the heart, he likes to ignore all of the warning signs, but he loves to justify his reasons for ignoring them. She makes really delicious blueberry pancakes. She’s totally into all of the Lethal Weapon movies. She uses this body lotion that makes my apartment smell like fields of lavender. Get a grip, Ted! Just because these girls have a couple great qualities does not deem them the beloved “one.” And if my memory serves me right, Ted has dated quite a few loonies during his years on the show (The Slutty Pumpkin, played by Katie Holmes, the chick who was obsessed with her cats, the insecure college girl who hates her roommate/THE MOTHER), you get the idea. But all of these nutcases pale in comparison to Jeanette, Ted’s latest fling. The girl is a certified psycho…but it actually turns him on, in a weird stalker fantasy kind of way. After his half-assed attempt to break up with her fails miserably, he keeps it from the others and instead tells them the opposite: that they are done. Imagine Jeanette’s surprise when she visits Ted’s apartment only to hear that he told all of his friends they broke up. It sends her into a panicked fury that involves misplaced jealousy towards Lily, locking herself in Ted’s room, destroying all of his belongings, and calling off the cops because she IS one, all while strutting around in sexy lingerie and Ted’s red cowboy boots. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. And in the end, having heard his friends’ urgent warnings about Jeanette, Ted chooses to continue his relationship with her. Maybe it has something to do with Lily’s advice: “The girl is crazy, but maybe you’re a little crazy right now. So if you need to date her until it all goes up in flames–I actually expect there to be real flames–we’ll be here for you.” Good stuff, Lil. We later find out that it does, indeed, go up in smoke, but how we arrive at that point is beyond me.
Not only does HIMYM, employ the use of flashbacks to fill in the blanks for viewers, but they also devised a new form of storytelling with flashforwards, because who doesn’t want to take a look into the future? We all know about Robin‘s perpetual fear of children and motherhood, but in the eight months since Lily gave birth to Marvin, Robin hasn’t held him even once. Yes, that cute little button-nosed munchkin named Marvin has never been embraced by his Aunt Robin. Oddly enough, no in the group is aware of this. So when Lily leaves Robin with Marvin to chase down a missing binkie, she’s turns into a hot mess of a babysitter. In the flashforwards (which range from four to 17 years down the road), we find out that there is more to the story than Robin originally tells Lily. Scenario 1: Robin leaves out the part about letting an elderly lady hold Marvin while he’s crying. Scenario 2: Robin leaves out the part about the stroller getting away from her and heading in the direction of oncoming traffic. Scenario 3: Robin leaves out the part about bringing Marvin to a strip club and letting the elderly lady watch him while she goes to the ladies’ room. Scenario 4: Robin leaves out the part about the elderly lady being Mike Tyson. Lily’s reaction to all of this? WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL HER THAT HER SON WAS ONCE HELD AND CODDLED BY SENATOR MIKE TYSON?! This is why Lily is the coolest. By the end of the episode, Robin holds Marvin, and actually loves every minute of it.
The only thing that Marshall and Barney contribute to this episode is jokes on jokes on jokes. In the wake of Ted’s mental breakdown, Marshall and Barney provide comedic relief in the form of broken coo-coo clocks and The Departed references. Hail to the duo.
I’d categorize this episode as a filler; nothing major happens, but it’s just as important to the plot. And at least we’re one step closer to finding out the identity of The Mother, right? Remember, How I Met Your Mother airs every Monday night at 8PM EST on CBS!
