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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

How I Met Your Mother 9x20: Daisy


Well, at least this episode didn't foreshadow the death of a major character...

Aside from that though, this wasn't a half bad episode. Certainly, as has been the case all season, the wedding-centric storyline was pretty lame. Tracey Ullman was fine as Robin's mother, but all the "I'm marrying a man just like my father" panic was not only cliche, but incredibly forced and not at all funny (one line aside). And, of course, the ending ominously sets up yet another ride on the Ted/Robin merry-go-round (this time begun by Robin), which we at least all knew was coming based on previous flashforwards.

But not only did the main plot of the episode circle back around to a plot point we'd all groused about previously (the abrupt way Lily conceded the argument to Marshall, and where she went in the middle of the night), but it also relied less on obvious callbacks to past gags on the show (Boats Boats Boats aside). Most importantly, it was funny. Granted, I'm a sucker for the Captain, even though he's always been more of a cartoon than an actual character, but I can't deny laughing at his forced attempts to work boats into everything. And Ted's Hercule Poirot-esque drawing room whodunit breakdown may just be the comedic highlight of Josh Radnor's season (though just like the Captain, I'm a complete sucker for any gags built around The Mosby Boys. Blame my love of The Three Investigators).

Then again, maybe for the first time ever this season, perhaps I'm just glad the Mother wasn't in this one. It's amazing what a difference ending on the reveal of Marshall and Lily's future daughter rather than a grim portent of death does for one's enjoyment of an episode.

Other Thoughts
Speaking of, Cristin Milioti, who plays the Mother, said recently, in response to an interview question regarding the fan speculation that her character will die, "that is so crazy". Which isn't exactly a denial (it would be crazy to kill her, after all), but at least offers some hope this is all just a misguided misdirect by Bays and Thomas.

I loved that Ted actually did solve the mystery, even though he was totally wrong about what the secret actually was.

I also love that Billy Zabka is still hanging around, and is always referred to as "Billy Zabka".

While circling back to the Lily/Marshall fight (including the reveal of who picked her up - had we discussed the Captain as an option? Because it seems obvious in hindsight) is appreciated, I still question whether Lily's logic follows. Was Marshall's low blow of conflating their current situation and family status with her leaving him for San Fransisco years ago somehow more justified once it's confirmed that he's unknowingly using two kids against her instead of one? I have no issue with the idea of Lily, confirming she's pregnant again, coming to the realization that Marshall is right and their family should stay in New York, but that doesn't mean she had to cave to him quite so easily, even if she was determined to keep the pregnancy a secret.

And I get that she wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret until after the wedding, but I'm not sure why. From Barney and Robin and Ted, sure, to keep the focus on the wedding (just like how Ted and Robin kept their breakup a secret until after Lily and Marshall's wedding), but why didn't Lily tell Marshall as soon as she came back? 

So Lily does end up going to Italy after all, and we know from flashforwards that Marshall does end up being a judge. Which just means everyone gets to do what they want and still have a happy ending after all. Dr. Bitz must be so pleased.

The reveal that all of Lily's drinks have been non-alcoholic this season explains why she hasn't been super drunk this whole time, something which obviously could have just been chalked up to sitcom reality, but hey, an actual explanation is never a bad thing.

Inspector Ted noting how much has happened since they came to Farhampton was another "hang a lantern on it" moment. 

"Daisy" is a pretty great name for Marshall and Lily's daughter. Works on multiple levels. While I'm fairly certain she herself has never specifically been mentioned before, had it been previously established that Lily and Marshall would end up with a child other than Marvin?

Was that a series wrap for Chris Elliot's Mickey? I hope so...

And look, we've beaten this horse to death, but really? *This* is what everyone is doing four hours before a wedding ceremony?

Billy Zabka: I was out doing a little late-night dirt biking in the sand.
Marshall: Naturally, go on...

Robin's Mother: Who knew there were elk in Bermuda?

Ted: That’s crazy, you’d never moor a dinghy in a lagoon
Billy Zabka: Actually, under certain tidal conditions, if you had a protected inlet …

4 comments:


  1. It's funny — curious funny, not funny ha-ha — the way I realize watching episodes this season that I kind-of hate what's going on even though I would be fine with it all if this were just another middling season in the late-middle of the series rather than an increasingly short march to the finale.

    The logic used by Ted to suss out where the cigarette butt would be discovered made sense until it turned out to be a pregnancy test. Lily wouldn't just leave it there in the daisy pot in the Captain's house with him newly married; not having a whole ride back to the inn to dispose of it. And like you I don't get why she'd keep the news from Marshall to begin with. Plus if the constant drink in her hand wasn't to make sure she could keep peeing on a stick, as that turned out to be a last-minute decision, I missed the point there. Just to keep her occupied/distracted?

    Some good dialogue, especially the dinghy line you quoted and the kicker/tag's misdirect on the Funyons callback — I get happy when a reference actually registers with me. 8^)

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  2. "but all the "I'm marrying a man just like my father" panic was not only cliche, but incredibly forced and not at all funny (one line aside)."

    Especially since we've met her father and he's pretty much nothing like Barney.

    "And, of course, the ending ominously sets up yet another ride on the Ted/Robin merry-go-round (this time begun by Robin)"

    No comment....OK one comment. Someone should tell the writers that all suspense is lost when you've already shown flash forwards of Barney and Robin happily married. It makes another misguided spin on the Ted/Robin merry-go-round all the more pointless.

    "I'm a complete sucker for any gags built around The Mosby Boys. Blame my love of The Three Investigators"

    Ahem...I believe it's a play on the Hardy Boys.

    "I also love that Billy Zabka is still hanging around, and is always referred to as "Billy Zabka"."

    Agreed.

    "why didn't Lily tell Marshall as soon as she came back?"

    Especially since, at some point, I assume Marshall would try to get her a drink? Actually, I wonder if he already did in a previous episode? It would be interesting to look for. (I'm using the term "interesting" very liberally.)

    ""Daisy" is a pretty great name for Marshall and Lily's daughter. Works on multiple levels."

    OK, I get the Lily/Daisy part. And the pregnancy test was in the daisy pot. Anything else I'm missing?

    @Blam: "Lily wouldn't just leave it there in the daisy pot in the Captain's house with him newly married"

    Actually, the logic for putting a cigarette in the daisy pot seems suspicious. They said she wouldn't throw it out the window for environmental reasons but that she'd put it in the pot because it would biodegrade...

    "Plus if the constant drink in her hand wasn't to make sure she could keep peeing on a stick, as that turned out to be a last-minute decision, I missed the point there."

    I asked the same thing. What the hell was the point?

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  3. @DrBitz: // I'm using the term "interesting" very liberally. //

    It might mean that we'll keep disagreeing on SNL, but I say keep your misaligned humor sensor right where it is, 'cause otherwise you've been on fire this week.

    Also, I was suspicious about the reference to cigarettes being biodegradable too, but frankly I know very little about cigarettes.

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  4. @Blam: . Lily wouldn't just leave it there in the daisy pot in the Captain's house with him newly married; not having a whole ride back to the inn to dispose of it.

    Good point.

    I missed the point there. Just to keep her occupied/distracted?

    And, I think, to throw people off the scent of the real mystery - should anyone suspect her of being pregnant, they'd immediately think "nah, she couldn't be; she's been drinking non-stop all weekend".

    But of course, that returns to the question of why it even needs to be such a secret. Not telling Barney and Robin outright, sure; but she probably didn't need to go to such extreme lengths to create a red herring in an investigation both the bridge and groom would assuredly be too preoccupied to launch in the first place. And should Ted have found out sooner, she could have always blackmailed him into silence with his whole "moving to Chicago" secret.

    Someone should tell the writers that all suspense is lost when you've already shown flash forwards of Barney and Robin happily married. It makes another misguided spin on the Ted/Robin merry-go-round all the more pointless.

    Yeah. This is where their time-jumping becomes a hurdle - they've already established that Robin gets cold feet on her wedding day, so they need to set that up here, except that when they first introduced the idea of her having cold feet, it was before we knew who she was going to marry and before we knew she ends up happy with Barney in the future.

    So they're forced to spend time on a storyline they've already resolved and written all the tension/surprise/what have you out of, even moreso than usual on this show.

    Ahem...I believe it's a play on the Hardy Boys.

    Who were just watered down Three Investigators knock offs, and I'll hear no arguments otherwise!

    (Which isn't actually true as the Hardy Boys predate the Three Investigators, but the later are far superior to the former, so they're my preferred "Boy Detectives" of choice, even if "The Mosby Boys" is obvious a specific reference to "The Hardy Boys".)

    OK, I get the Lily/Daisy part. And the pregnancy test was in the daisy pot. Anything else I'm missing?

    No.

    Two is "multiple"...

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