How I Met Your Mother: The Leap [season finale]
By fred | May 19, 2009
(S04E24) So this was the episode we long waited for, not so much because it is the season finale, but because of what it was about, what would finally happen in this episode. Pretty much all year long, we’ve been waiting for a few things, painfully waiting for them even at times. One of those things was the resolution of that whole “goat incident” they teased a year ago, and the other being obviously Barney and his feelings for Robin.
And because of how they (writers) decided to do this, and by that I mean that they had us waiting until the very last episode of the season until finally getting to it, it was impossible for me not to separate the two, what actually took place and how long I waited for it, and how much expectations were build up, if only because we had so long to wait for it.
I tried not to expect too much, to be prepared for nothing but a good episode, and yet I find myself somewhat disappointed. This season has been pretty odd in many ways, on the one hand ratings have never been better, and on the other hand creatively speaking I’d imagine every fan knows it wasn’t the best season of the show, clearly. Many episodes were just not (that) funny, and too many standalones made the show lost its unique and refreshing style.
Just look at this episode, a good one with some really funny stuff, yet a very “normal” episode. Not a classic HIMYM episode with lots of self-references, clever use of flashbacks and flash-forwards, all that made this show look like anything but your typical sitcom.
As I said, two main things. First, the goat. Now maybe my expectations were too high, but while the actual fight as remembered by Ted was pretty hilarious, and so was the interns’ line – “Bhaaaa means bhaaaa!” – it also lacked something to make it that special. The goat was just there because it was there, and that’s it. Not that it was bad, but after one year of nights wondering why and what could happened, we had to find a lackluster into this one.
On to the big thing, Barney and Robin. And now, again, I feel the need to separate what actually happened, and the way writers decided to play it and writing it in so late into the season. It was great to finally see the two of them address the issue, finally Robin found out about Barney’s feelings, and it was lots of fun to see each of them “Mosby-ing” each other, kissing passionately, only to decide not to resolve this thing for now.
Lots of possibilities are left of a promising future that has the potential to be just great. My only complain is, why did we have to wait soooooooo long to get there?? It just doesn’t make much sense, it’s like that scene where Barney “tells” Ted about the suit that really is Robin, and she’s in the back and hears everything. Why did Barney do that, acting like Ted didn’t know? Not only did he know, he found out right there in this apartment with Ted, but Ted already gave him his “blessing” back then and told him to go for it!
This was just a convenient way to do what should have been done weeks months ago, and address the situation. And if the inly thing they do with it is nothing, leaving it up in the air for later, there was really no need to pretend it wasn’t there ever other episode, only to have Barney have one long look at Robin the rest of the time, it should have been done much sooner — or everything, including Barney/us finding out, much later.
All that said, this was a good episode, after Barney first looking lovingly at Robin in an hospital (maybe the exact same room?) about a year ago, it was in that same hospital (room) they were now first kissing and admitting they possibly could love each other, meanwhile Ted dropped the whole architect dream (beaten on his latest project by Sven, of course!) and moving into a new direction in his life.
Teaching is probably the perfect job for Ted, the obnoxious Ted who loves giving lessons to everyone, and of course while the mother was in that class, it doesn’t mean she was there the first year Ted was teaching. We leave the show with many doors open, everyone finally jumping to the dreamy rooftop next door, and hopefully we’ll find them back next season stronger than ever.
What did everybody else think?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: How I Met Your Mother
The whole goat incident was a bit of a let down to be sure, but it was still pretty funny. And Marshall not being able jump was funny too (actually I think it would have been funnier and less cheesy to have had him still NOT be able to jump at the end).
Barney and Robin. *sigh* I liked the way they addressed it in this episode. Both Barney and Robin’s reactions were perfect and completely in character and leaves the door wide open for lots of different possibilities down the road. BUT I really don’t understand why they left it until the very last episode of the season. This should have happened months ago! And it still annoys me how Ted knowing was never addressed until this episode (and it still wasn’t REALLY addressed). HIMYM should have looked to how Friends handled the Monica/Chandler romance. THAT is how its done. This whole season has been so frustrating. I hope that next year, with Stella out of the picture (WHY did they bring her back again?? really, what were the points of those two episodes??) and with the Barney/Robin thing out in the open maybe they can get back to proper form. What about the slap bet? What about Lilly and Marshall’s apt being a bad investment? How about bringing back Barney’s brother?