Sam's Review: HIMYM Episode 3 Robin 101

This season of How I Met Your Mother has spoiled me. So much so that I felt like I couldn’t enjoy last night’s episode Robin 101. Sure it’s only the third episode of the season but those first two were just so great there seemed nowhere to go but down.

The story of this episode was that Barney is (surprise!) not that great of a boyfriend. So much so Robin becomes uncertain about their future. Barney, being the big softie deep down, decides to enroll in Professor Mosby’s class on how to figure out Robin Scherbatsky and be the best boyfriend he can be. Here is where the structure of the episode left me stale, it came down to lists.

To learn about being a good boyfriend, Ted basically ran down various do’s and don’ts when it came to being with Robin. Some were funny (mention emperor penguins) and some felt tired Robin tropes like mention hockey or guns. This is tuff the hardcore fans already know about Robin and while it’s funny that Robin is into that sort of stuff I don’t find it that funny that she’s into hockey. Maybe it’s a case of dipping into the Canadian well to frequently.

Of course Robin finds out about this in the most sit-com way possible by making assumptions that he’s cheating, which aren’t so farfetched knowing Barney. Robin gets royally pissed when she finds Barney’s notebook full of her personal information. This sets up for the inevitable confrontation between the two on that porch in front of the apartment that has had its share of emotional moments. Needless to say, the two work it out and the relationship lives on another day. These two were made for each other so there wasn’t much suspense there. Robin tells Barney that she loves him the only way she can—by calling him an idiot.

This episode had to come sometime because it addresses the main thing that could break Barney and Robin up, the fact that neither of them are interested in being in a committed relationship. I just wished it was handled a bit differently than the way this episode was presented. It felt less like an episode and more like one of those Barney blog posts that are on cbs.com, they were cute and kind of funny but lacked real substance. The show usually knocks big character development episodes like this out of the park, but tonight I just felt short changed.

C+

Notes:

-Marshall is trying to get rid of a barrel. No one laughed.

-In all seriousness, Jason Segel needs something more to do on this show than chime in occasionally or just go off on stupid ventures like trying to get rid of his barrel. The only plus from this B-story is that the barrel may remain in front of the apartment for a long time which would be a good running joke. It’s just not funny in the short term.