HIMYM Has Turned Into That Boyfriend I Can’t Bring Myself to Dump

Oh how I miss those days.

Sooo the last few episodes have really left a horrible taste in my mouth. First there was the episode where Robin was talking to her imaginary children who apparently did not exist. That angered me. It was depressing. And who the hell is Barney supposed to meet and marry by the time that wedding is supposed to happen? He blew it with Nora, and there have been whole things about him wanting a family, so it’s obviously not Robin. Grr. Last night, absolutely nothing happened in the episode. Nothing. And the premise of going room to room at the party wasn’t even bad, it could’ve been really funny. But alas, our recap went like this:

Hubbster:  Remember when How I Met Your Mother used to be funny?

Me: Yeah, that was great. I don’t even think I laughed tonight. Did I laugh?

Hubbster: No. I don’t think I did either.

Then I felt really sad and nostalgic for the first three seasons. Remember those? They were fantastic.  For starters, Ted was the main character. Remember him? The guy narrating all of this to his children? Future Bob Saget? He’s turned into this caricature of himself that is super annoying and I don’t blame anybody for not wanting to marry him (very similar to the evolution of Ross on Friends, but that’s a whole other sack of potatoes).

Ted’s not the focus anymore. Every story line is about the other characters, and frankly that’s fine because they are all way more interesting than Ted. Maybe they’ve made him a caricature so they can justify the fact that he can’t hold a girlfriend. A normal guy who has wanted to get married for this long wouldn’t still be single. I’m sorry. Do the math.

Something I’ve always loved about the show was the continuity. They would use flash backs and flash futures incredibly well, hinting at what was to come (like with the goat) and bringing back characters like Trudy (aka Winnie Cooper). Damn it Trudy, what about the pineapple?! The goat on his birthday? They drew that out for like 2 seasons, and well! Quality. I will admit that they’ve done a good job keeping this up, but every time they flash back all I can think about is how much better the show used to be.

Speaking of continuity, something that has really irritated me lately is that they never put a wig on Robin during the flashbacks. I know her hairstyle changes have been way more subtle than Lily’s, but come on. She ALMOST ALWAYS wore her hair straight in the first season, and the flashbacks have her with shorter curly hair. This really bothers me. I know I’m weird, but look.

Robin in the first episode. See? It's all long and straight, not curly with bangs. Big difference.

Robin more in the past season or two. Start wigging her, boys.

I worry that the writers feel like they have painted themselves into a corner with the show title and construction. Guess what? You’ve got characters that people love, and you don’t have to end the show when he meets the mother. People will want to know about their relationship! This “corner” does not exist. Here’s a thought: remember how the kids used to talk occasionally? After he meets the mother, maybe she doesn’t like Ted or some other meet cute plot point. And then the kids ask, “Wait, Mom slapped you when you met? How did you get her to marry you?” Cue Bob Saget, “Well kids, that’s a very long and complicated story. Get comfortable.” Bam. You’ve got a solid 3 seasons of courting.

PEOPLE WILL STILL WATCH THE SHOW WHEN YOU FINALLY INTRODUCE THE MOTHER! They will probably watch it more if you give Ted good story lines again. Hell, it’s not even good now, and I am still watching it. It is the boyfriend that I can’t bring myself to dump. But keep going like this, and you will give me no choice.

Who am I kidding, I’ll still watch it. But please make it better!