How I Met Your Mother "Disaster Averted" Review

I experienced the wrath of Hurricane Irene in the last weekend of August. This review won't turn into a multi-paragraph remembrance of the storm like last week's Halloween nostalgia trip. I merely would like to state that Hurricane Irene might've been the most overrated storm of all-time--a product of bored weather men and women not used to a significant tropical event. The good people of Vermont and Northern Jersey would disagree with me because both areas experienced significant damage and flooding, so I'll amend the sweeping declaration by saying the hurricane wasn't significant enough to build two significant events around in How I Met Your Mother.

Future Ted told his children story of the hurricane to convey the importance of friendship in potentially disastrous situations. The tropical storm brought the friends together in a special way. The company one keeps is enough for anyone to survive any situation, according to Future Ted. That's all well and good if the friends weren't together every single week. The hurricane, of course, carried a threat. The circumstances were more dire for the friends. They believed their lives were in danger. I'd describe the five characters as stupid because they were located in Manhattan, away from the water and large trees which eliminates the threat of tree damage and flooding. Now, if Ted and the gang were trapped in Westchester for the weekend, where large trees exist, then the euphoria of the group would've made more sense; however, they remained in Manhattan. The only thing the storm caused was a power outage.

The strength of the episode were the scenes post-Irene, as Ted told Kevin the story of the boogie-boarding rule. Marshall and Barney were involved in intense negotiations over the yellow ducky tie. "Disaster Averted" opened with an action sequence that ended with a bird stealing the ducky tie. Barney crafted the elaborate lie because he was desperate to rid himself of the tie. The over-the-top intensity and seriousness of the scenes were made them great, as well as NPH and Jason Segal's commitment to the material. The ducky tie negotiations ended with a deal that Barney would lose the tie in exchange for three more slaps (two of which were used immediately after the deal was made). Marshall and Lily felt obligated to pay Barney back because they made a baby in his bathroom during the hurricane. Barney needed to rid himself of the tie because he and Nora will spend an evening with her parents, and Barney wanted to make a good impression. The growth of Barney Stinson continued. His relationship with Nora's in a good place and he even worries about the opinion her parents will have of him.

Of course, Barney jumped through the hoops with the ducky tie then promptly engaged in a makeout session with Robin in the back of the car. You see, baby making wasn't the only surprising development during the weekend of the hurricane. Robin and Barney nearly kissed as the last remnants of Irene soaked their skin and hair. A phone call from her father ruined the moment. Barney soon re-connected with Nora. Robin soon met Kevin in therapy. Robin used the words "disaster averted" when recalling the near kiss. Barney joked that the kiss would've been all tongue and saliva--a complete mess. The old couple kissed in the back of the cab with more passion in those few seconds than we've seen between the characters and their respective significant others. I didn't expect the series to return to Barney and Robin so quickly. The kiss doesn't mean they're bound for a romantic reunion. The kiss doesn't mean the wedding where Ted meets his wife is any closer. I feel that the kiss is a product of sweeps, to be dealt with before the hiatus, and then returned to in the spring.

Overall, "Disaster Averted" succeeded. I've enjoyed the recent string of HIMYM episodes. The stories are working. The jokes are landing. I liked Ted's hurricane outfit. Robin's opinion of the storm delighted me because I enjoy Canadian Robin. It's a shame that Kal Penn's contract is nearly up because the addition of Kevin to the group's been fun.

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