HIMYM 5.13 - "Jenkins"

[snogged]

I know for many of us, Season 5 hasn't lived up to the seasons before it. But for me, this episode is definitely one I enjoyed the hell out of this season. Here's why:

+ Marshall regaling the gang with tales of Jenkins when we still think he's a chubby dude.

+ Barney's desire to bang Jenkins, and Ted's reaction to it. Can we say priceless?

+ Jenkins. Amanda Peet was truly brilliant in her guest appearance and she handled herself really well against Jason Segal and Alyson Hannigan.

+ Giving LAME a plotline that doesn't seem lame.

+ Marshall being a skee-ball champion. All hail the Fudge!

+The "but...um" drinking game. Made all the better when Ted said: "But-um's up!" (Yeah, that's right. I'll give it up for a bad pun!)

+Finding out that Barney used Robin as a drinking game by pouring peach schnapp's on her skin. NOM!!

+Finally...Barney and Ted getting wasted, bro-style.

Anyways...I was reading the AV club critic's review tonight and something she said about this season struck me as something important to remember.

Figuring out which long-ago season of a currently-airing show was its pinnacle -- it's practically the national sport of TV watchers. We all do it. We fight with each other about it. It fuels our comment sections and gives our TV writers something to blog about on slow weeks. But sometimes I think we systematically devalue what's happening on our screens right now in order to bolster our contentions about some distant golden age...The show's tricks have ceased to amaze and astound. But that doesn't mean they are any less extraordinary as ways to entertain us and simultaneously reinvent the traditional sitcom form. No, it just means they have become invisible in their virtuosity, and that we've begun to take them for granted. --Source: AV Club .

And, honestly, I think she makes a really good point. We've gotten to a point in HIMYM where the new car smell has basically disappeared. The things we used to love have become far more predictable and don't pack as much heart as they did back in the early days. True, there have been plenty of times where the plot seems inconsistent or the characters don't seem like themselves...but maybe, the characters are just trying to grow up and become better people.

So with that in mind, I'm looking at the rest of this season with different eyes. Eyes that are willing to appreciate the nuances and the changes and see if Season 5 is really just a diamond in the rough.

Comments

[da-phoenix13.livejournal.com]

I wasn't all that wild about this episode, to be honest? I mean, it was enjoyable enough, and I did enjoy the drinking game subplot, but I thought the main thing about Jenkins was pretty predictable (I was calling every twist like 30 seconds before they came on screen), and there weren't a whole lot of big laughs for me. (Though, I won't lie, Lily switching from super sweet about Jenkins to jumping on her and kicking her ass made me laugh quite a bit.)

I think you (and the TV critic you quoted) make a pretty good point about how people start to view shows after they've been on for a few seasons. However, I think my main beef with HIMYM this season is not that I'm used to their old tricks, but rather that it all just feels less like HIMYM, if that makes sense. The heart element just isn't as strong as it used to be, even last season, when I think I was pretty much over the new car smell, as you put it. Because of the show's popularity, I think this season they've been doing less of the overarching plots and more episodic storylines that don't have much continuity, and that really doesn't allow for much character development either, which, frankly, sucks.

Basically, once they do more season-long things and make Barney start acting like a person and not a stereotype again, I'll be happy. Well, happier. =P

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

Dude. Whatever you say about this episode, it made me ship Ted/Barney again like burning. So there.

Need icons of drunk Barney/Ted.

;-)

[da-phoenix13.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD YES ICONS.

Ahem. Sorry. ;) The mediocrity of the A-plot made me momentarily forget all the Barney/Ted-ness. Damn you, A-plot!!

[snogged.livejournal.com]

BARNEY/TED! BARNEY/TED! BARNEY/TED!

My slasher ship has caught a wind in its sails. *sigh*

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

http://idioticonion.livejournal.com/202432.html

Hehe.

[vimtastic.livejournal.com]

I must jump in here to say that from Barney and Ted deciding to play the drinking game to when they were both shown completely wasted, I IMMEDIATELY thought of you and Phoe. ;)

And huh. The camera only shows them drunk for a few seconds, then cuts away. Other then time restraints, I wonder why that is... *nudgewink*

[da-phoenix13.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe. I like the way you think, Vim. ;)

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely.

And http://idioticonion.livejournal.com/202432.html

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that Lily finally sucked punched Jenkins too.

I knew she would though. It seemed like a perfectly Lily thing to do (and while this may seem like the dissenting opinion, despite all the reacher/settler crap, I think Lily would have responded in disbelief to Marshall getting kissed at work too.)

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

As much as I will NEVER forgive this show for The Rough Patch, which systematically destroyed Barney and Robin's characters, AND my ship...

Hell yeah, I quite liked "Jenkins".

[snogged.livejournal.com]

*high five*

...I did not intend to write so much, hehe.

[vimtastic.livejournal.com]

I liked this episode too. It was so nice having the focus off of Barney for once (seriously... he didn't do much!) and have a Marshall-centric episode.

I really loved the ending, because this episode actually had me fearing that they would really make LAME's relationship that unbalanced. I mean, it's already been clear that Marshall was more of the "reacher" before this episode, but I was just sooo thankful that Lily really did get jealous at the end. ♥ If she brushed it off until the very end I would've been so sad for Marshall! Heck, I felt sad when Ted and Robin told him he was the reacher in the bar so blatantly. It was pretty cute when he first said that he didn't settle for Lily though.

You know, writing that kind of made me start agreeing with Phoe now. Earlier, I would never worry about the writers choosing to skimp on the heart of the show over a laugh. Now, I kept thinking, "Will they really show that Lily loves Marshall just as much? Or will this never get resolved because that would be funnier?"

I would have to say that I MOSTLY agree with that critic though, I think. :)

Re: ...I did not intend to write so much, hehe.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I wasn't scared.

I knew Lily would eventually do what she needed to do. I like to believe that Lily's motivation to not believe Marshall weren't predicated on the reacher/settler crap (which he forced her into). I think its more that she needed to believe for just one second that Marshall wouldn't ever do something like that to her. That he'd never take their love for granted.

[secondmezzanine.livejournal.com]

I liked this ep too. Doesn't hurt that I worship and adore Amanda Peet because of Studio 60. Marshall was such a sweetie in this ep. And the minimization of a Barney plot was a plus.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

It really was.

Barney was definitely a proper side character in this ep, instead of the man constantly trying to steal the show. (No offense, NPH.)

[magpieinthesky.livejournal.com]

Marshall, why did you poke the bear, not dropping it when Lily didn't believe that Jenkins kissed you?? Your wife has the CRAZY EYES!!! You KNOW what she's capable of!!!

[idioticonion.livejournal.com]

THIS.

For the win.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Very true :)

[smthwallflower.livejournal.com]

I WANT TO KNOW IF ARTHUR DIED!!

But other than that, yay! I really liked this episode- the only thing that really bothered me was how awkward I was finding Robin. But, um was hilarious, cause I totally do that, but... she just seemed so awkward talking to the students and stuff...

And Amanda Peet! Wee! Her hair's so different...

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Amanda Peet rocks my socks off :)