How I Met Your Mother "Now We're Even" Review

I thought "Now We're Even" was disjointed and without purpose before Act I ended. By the end of Act III, the disparate elements came together to form a cohesive thematic whole. The three stories ruminated on themes of parenthood and loneliness. I didn't think any of the three stories were successful. Perhaps it was the acting or the storytelling or both. Things were forced. The writers seemed to waste time early because of the lack of substance in all three stories. I don't know--it just wasn't a great episode.

Seven seasons is a long time to be telling stories. How I Met Your Mother's been lousy in storytelling and characterization for a solid three seasons now. Barney Stinson is a character who continues to get worse as the seasons go on. Neil Patrick Harris remains incredibly passionate about the character and delivers Barney's lines with gusto. The writing fails him though. If Barney's involved in an emotional arc, it's weird; and if he's involved in a silly arc, it doesn't work because of his transformation since Robin, Nora, and now Quinn. Of course, if the writing is strong enough, Barney can work.

The Barney story in "Now We're Even" wasn't good at all. Barney beamed about his girlfriend's stripper profession and then urged Ted to join him in legendary night after legendary night. Each of these ideas came with a smash cut to a title card displaying the idea in text, which got old fast. The more loyal HIMYM fans probably went crazy for it, but I loathed it from the get-go. Barney just wanted distraction. The story could've gone several ways but it settled for 'Barney has issues with Quinn's profession' angle. Barney could've been worried about his 'legendary' life disappearing into domesticity and wanting as many legendary nights as possible before he sat around in his apartment or home watching TV and resting comfortably with his significant other. I suppose Barney's issues were related to that because he doesn't want Quinn to be intimate with anyone else. His nightly efforts were for distraction, to rid himself of the image of Quinn with any other person. Ted sympathizes with his friend and dresses in drag to distract him one night. While Ted is comfortable eating ribs and drinking beer alone, his friend needs someone by his side when he is alone and vulnerable.

Robin was in pursuit of fame. Despite her promotion and head shot on a gigantic poster, no one bothers to take the time to truly identify Robin as Sandy's co-anchor. The need to be identified, recognized, stared at and known, is an essential part of Robin. The show presents it as a hardship, another instance in which she is ignored, spat upon and disrespected by her peers. Throughout her professional life, she's been disrespected or nearly sexually harassed by co-workers. This story felt forced though. Four months ago, the New Year's episode depicted a Robin who saved the day at the New Year's Celebration when Sandy was too drunk to host the show. Robin literally brought in the New Year for all of New York. Now, the security guard doesn't know her, but he knows someone who isn't on TV. I didn't know what the point was, especially when Robin landed a helicopter. Yes, the helicopter thing brought her fame; but didn't New Year's Eve already do that? If the story existed for Ted and Robin to talk again then it wasn't worth it. This seemed like a clear instance of the show not knowing what to do with Robin when she's separate from the group.

Marshall and Lily were involved in a parenthood plot. Lily had a wet dream about someone she knew which made Marshall neurotic. Rajett told Marshall that he can't be crazy anymore because he'll be a father and a father needs to be stable and a role model. Marshall accepts Rajett as the man who has sex with his wife in her mind because it means she's attracted to strong father figures. Three hours remain in the seventh season. Marshall and Lily seem quite prepared for their new roles in life. Could the pregnancy happen in #722?

"Now We're Even" is a filler episode. I've no issues with fillers in general. But some filler episodes aren't good and this is an example of such a filler episode.

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