Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my coverage of How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014, CBS), which is currently available on DVD and streaming.

How I Met Your Mother stars JOSH RADNOR as Ted Mosby, JASON SEGEL as Marshall Eriksen, COBIE SMULDERS as Robin Scherbatsky, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS as Barney Stinson, and ALYSON HANNIGAN as Lily Aldrin.

Season Four is popular — it netted the series its only Outstanding Comedy Emmy nod, and I’ve often seen it cited as fans’ favorite, with well-liked entries that reflect the show’s idea-driven humor via episodic notions boasting a Seinfeld-ian sense of named minutiae. It’s also lauded for its treatment of Barney, whose crush on Robin not only grants emotional depth to his character, but also further pushes him to the fore, where he, as the series’ most comedically defined regular, can shine. However, I don’t love Four. I think it’s a comedown in quality because it doesn’t feature the situation well — specifically, the premise of Ted recounting to his future kids how he met their mom. As the novelty inherent to this setup continues to dwindle and the show has to stretch and stall to sustain an elongating run, this year struggles to maintain its emphasis on the premise in both its stories and storytelling. Beyond a brief arc where Ted is engaged to the bland-yet-functional Stella, there are few entries with any kind of narrative tension related to this series-specific focus. (And those tend to be more serious than funny!) What’s more, the primary means of this sitcom’s self-expression has heretofore come from its storytelling — flashy plot gimmicks highlighting the unreliable narrator framework — and Four essentially runs out of fresh ways to do this, ultimately deciding just to try less. The result is that Mother starts downplaying the high-concept premise from every angle, feeling less often like the full version of what it promised to be as a matter of distinction. To wit, I’m afraid I think many of the year’s one-off comic ideas — a big reason many fans praise Four — also tend to disappoint. They either follow dull career pursuits with too little of the show’s core rom-com themes, or random idea-driven loglines that could be found on any low-concept “singles in the city” show, making such fare seem generic, familiar, and not well-personalized to the series or these characters, who therefore are proven to be less helpful as motivating comic forces. The only exception, again, is Barney. His crush on Robin, though perhaps on the nose — “the perennial Don Juan finding a capacity to love” — actually succeeds in dimensionalizing him, and since we know Robin is not The Mother, there’s a freedom to explore other possibilities with her as well. So, it works and suggests future promise. Promise that Five… well, I’ll save that for next week.

 

01) Episode 65: “Do I Know You?” (Aired: 09/22/08)

Ted tries to get Stella into Star Wars while Barney plans to tell Robin how he feels about her.

Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas | Directed by Pamela Fryman

Season Four opens with a mini-arc about Ted’s engagement to Stella (Sarah Chalke). She’s a personality-less love interest — a common problem with this kind of rom-com — who’s nevertheless the only recurring figure this year designed to explicitly engage the premise of Ted recounting to his kids in 2030 how he met their mom. Stella could be the woman in question, and even if she isn’t, Ted’s romantic life is at least thematically appropriate fodder. Accordingly, though not the best as a self-contained storyline inside the broader long-form tale, it makes for some of this collection’s most situationally satisfying outings. And what I like about this premiere, in particular, is that it also employs details specific to Ted as a character, as his hope that Stella likes Star Wars is linked to his depiction. That’s a rarity! As for the subplot, where Barney confesses his feelings for Robin to Lily and almost tells Robin herself, it’s not as funny as it should be, but it’s the start of a deeper, more nuanced version of Barney that serves as one of Four’s only unique selling points, representing the era’s pluses and minuses fairly.

02) Episode 68: “Intervention” (Aired: 10/13/08)

Ted learns that his friends once planned an intervention about his hasty relationship with Stella.

Written by Stephen Lloyd | Directed by Michael Shea

“Intervention” enjoys some of the special storytelling that’s historically helped the series play to its situation, reminding of its unreliable narrator and the fact that we’re in a long-form tale about how Ted met the mother of his kids. As usual, there are nested flashbacks, this time on the intervention theme, which is a labeled reoccurrence for this group of friends — a Seinfeld-ian idea that Mother’s ethos also invites, self-creating a lexicon that reinforces the hangout ensemble’s camaraderie and corroborates its own idea-driven bona fides. This is intrinsically good, but there’s character-rooted and arc-extending dramatic weight as well, as Barney dons old age garb to pick up women, and Ted learns his pals once planned an intervention for his hasty engagement to Stella… thus setting up a tease to their breakup, or this development’s eventual irrelevance to the status quo — the kind of created suspense (or dismantling of it) that this series often deploys for micro tension. And it’s all allowed because, hey, Mother can do this, thanks to a biased, imperfect narrator who’s choosing how to tell his story.

03) Episode 69: “Shelter Island” (Aired: 10/20/08)

Stella objects to Robin coming to their wedding on the grounds that she’s Ted’s ex.

Written by Chris Harris | Directed by Pamela Fryman

Although Stella will return near Four’s close, this is the end of her maybe-Mother arc — via the wedding that never happens when she reunites with her ex, the father of her child. This makes for a somewhat dramatic half hour that speaks to another big trend only starting to become obvious: the few episodes per season that do progress this overarching “mother-meeting” plot are not as comedic as the sitcom genre promises, so the show essentially finds itself vacillating between unfunny premise-affirming ideas and those that are amusing but not actually situation-based. That is, it’s getting harder to locate situation and comedy together. What’s more, this dramatic creep as a result of loftier narrative ambitions represents a wholesale shift that the sitcom has observed throughout the 21st century. Mother embodies this (unideal) evolution — one of the core reasons that, prior to my study, I was harsh on it… But I digress. “Shelter Island” explicitly involves the series’ situation and uses a creative device related to perspective, as Ted’s initial narration focuses on what he thought at the time, while a later drop of information then creates a new context that spotlights the Mother-specific high concept, which is justifying.

04) Episode 73: “The Naked Man” (Aired: 11/24/08)

A man with a unique technique for getting sex inspires the group.

Written by Joe Kelly | Directed by Pamela Fryman

This well-regarded excursion is something that I might have once deemed a “Victory In Premise” — a term I seldom use now because I don’t think the verbiage is precise. Specifically (and for reference), this is the kind of entry that boasts an inherently amusing and even fairly original logline — i.e., the idea alone is a winner — which means it’s a triumph regardless of how it’s actually handled or supported by the characters. (“Victory In Logline” would be the more apt moniker.) In this case, the very notion of a man (Adam Paul) stripping naked on a first date as a tactic to solicit sex is a funny and fitting subject matter for this “singles in the city” rom-com, where several leads are regularly explored in dating stories and can thus try out this tactic, or have it tried out on them. So, it’s a naturally winning idea, and to be fair, it works especially well here on Mother, which is idea-driven in every fiber of its being. Meanwhile, I also appreciate this outing’s inclusion of a list — Lily’s 50 Reasons to Have Sex — as that’s the sort of structured and named piece of trivia that the group acknowledges as part of its lexicon… a typical attribute of the series at this point in the run that is also identity-validating in its own right, rendering this entire offering quintessentially Mother. An MVE contender.

05) Episode 76: “Benefits” (Aired: 01/12/09)

Ted and Robin decide to make their living arrangement easier by having regular sex.

Written by Kourtney Kang | Directed by Pamela Fryman

We’ve seen variations of this A-story before — especially on Seinfeld, one of Mother’s obvious aesthetic ancestors, which featured a pair of exes and had at least two instances where, post breakup, they found themselves returning to sexual intimacy. Here, it happens with Ted and Robin, and though it’s not exactly original, it’s right fodder for this accordingly premised rom-com. And it plays into an emerging triangle that also involves Barney, as the show seems to be transitioning Robin away from being Ted’s exclusive paramour (which makes sense because we know, and have known since the pilot, that Robin is NOT The Mother). This makes “Benefits” a unique window into this season of the show’s life. What’s more, it’s also reflective of the year’s more idea-driven comic ethos, with a subplot where “reading a magazine” is used as a euphemism for having a bowel movement, and Kim Kardashian makes a brief but notable cameo (as do Kendra Wilkinson, Heidi Montag, and Spencer Pratt) — a flashy gimmick that nevertheless implies an “anything goes” brand of humor for which the series deserves credit, representing the counter to its increasingly soapy premise-affirming dramatic side.

06) Episode 77: “Three Days Of Snow” (Aired: 01/19/09)

Lily struggles to maintain a New Year’s Eve ritual with Marshall.

Written by Matt Kuhn | Directed by Pamela Fryman

Truthfully, this isn’t one of the best outings on this week’s list, and I only have one reason for vaulting it above the many Honorable Mentions that I also considered: “Three Days Of Snow” boasts the creative deployment of a fresh new storytelling device that acknowledges the high-concept premise by directly involving its unreliable narrator, who we’re reminded has the freedom to tell his long-form story in any manner he chooses, saving information for relevant moments and/or when it’s simply more dramatically or comedically interesting. Case in point: we spend much of the half hour believing that two things are occurring simultaneously — Marshall’s efforts to get to Lily and Lily’s efforts to get to Marshall — only to learn, from Narrator Ted at the end, that they happened several days apart. It’s a bit of hand-of-writer manipulation that I would loathe on every other show. But it works so well on Mother, for it’s justified by the premise and therefore reflective of the series’ situation in a one-of-a-kind way.

07) Episode 79: “The Stinsons” (Aired: 03/02/09)

Barney’s friends learn that he’s been lying to his mom about having a wife and son.

Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas | Directed by Pamela Fryman

From a distance, “The Stinsons” could be used to argue one of my main critiques about Season Four relative to its predecessors — namely, that there are too many episodic stories with generic sitcom clichés and not enough individualized inspiration from the key elements of this series’ situation (like its leads or the premise). However, despite this being one of the worst offenders in terms of unimaginative loglines — the ol’ “pretend to be married for the sake of my parent” ruse — I have to credit the script for trying to tailor its details to Barney, Mother’s best-defined and most comedic regular. He colors this formulaic idea with notions that are both motivated by what we know of him and further illuminating for him going forward. As such, this manages to be the strongest entry from that pile of narratively uninspired selections, for at least it’s built for one of the situation’s major tentpoles, who indeed makes this a personalized sample — something we can only find here. (Frances Conroy debuts as Barney’s mom.)

08) Episode 81: “The Front Porch” (Aired: 03/16/09)

Ted learns that Lily has been sabotaging any relationship of his that doesn’t meet her approval.

Written by Chris Harris | Directed by Rob Greenberg

My choice for this year’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “The Front Porch” isn’t cited very often by fans as one of the series’ best, and I get it. In the context of the entire run, there are standouts from other better (and worse) seasons. But I don’t think there’s any selection in Four that is as indicative of what How I Met Your Mother promises to be with its high-concept premise, both in story and its storytelling — all while also exhibiting a strong sense of humor, which is growing increasingly hard to find in Four in truly situation-rich ideas. For starters, this logline is tied to a gaudy narrative reveal that signals the unreliable narrator framework, playing with perspective, as we see Ted re-contextualize everything he understands about his past based on information that’s new to him in 2009 — namely, that Lily has actively sabotaged a lot of his prior relationships, including with Robin. This is something that 2030 Ted would have known at the start of the series, so the fact that he didn’t present that as part of the narrative originally speaks to the way in which his character can shape the plot by choosing what, when, and how to give out relevant intel. It’s a heavy-handed maneuver that’s nevertheless a benefit earned by the situation and innately reflective of it, making for genuine sitcommery. I also love that this conflict is about the friendship between Ted and Lily, and her protectiveness over him — evidenced as well by her disdain for his current inamorata (played by That ’70s Show’s Laura Prepon), an old flame who’s back in the picture for this, the second half of a two-parter. We can safely assume that this ex is not The Mother (given how much the others dislike her), but by introducing an excuse for Ted’s failure to find the right woman — and presumably, his kids’ future mom — the show is basically self-justifying itself, explaining why it’s taken him (and the show) so long to resolve. This makes it a knowing premise-explicit idea… with character-supported comic tension that, again, acquits the series better than most of the middling Four.

09) Episode 86: “Right Place, Right Time” (Aired: 05/04/09)

Ted recounts how he happened to have a chance encounter that changed his life.

Written by Stephen Lloyd | Directed by Pamela Fryman

With the return of the yellow umbrella, Four’s antepenultimate entry is a heavy-handed resurrection of the overarching premised mother story, via its tease of a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman, who taps Ted’s shoulder while he’s holding an object that we know has to do with The Mother. Although it’s artificially implanted suspense, this is what the series is supposed to be doing on both macro and micro terms: bringing us closer to her. Ultimately, we’ll learn in the next segment that the tapper in question is Stella — who offers a pivot-providing plot point that promises to push The Mother in Ted’s vicinity… well, next season anyway… At any rate, “Right Place, Right Time” isn’t spectacular, but this year just doesn’t have a lot of great options for situation-based comedy, so anything explicit like this is celebrated. Fortunately, the subplots are all woven in shrewdly too; Marshall becomes addicted to making charts, and the prospect of Barney hitting 200 sexual conquests is a fitting setup for his character, playing to his personal definition, which is very top of mind here in Season Four.

10) Episode 88: “The Leap” (Aired: 05/18/09)

Robin tells Barney she has feelings for him while Ted hopes to land a big gig.

Written by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas | Directed by Pamela Fryman

Season Four’s finale — shot a bit earlier to accommodate Alyson Hannigan’s maternity leave — calls back to a tease from the previous year involving a goat, whose accidental presence in a prior episode was an ingenious example of Narrator Ted’s faulty memory and therefore the unique storytelling this series is allowed from its high-concept premise. So, having that pay off again here takes advantage of the same situation-validating smarts. Additionally, as a finale, “The Leap” has forward movement for all the major stories — Robin learns of Barney’s feelings and confesses that she reciprocates, while Ted takes a new job where we’re told he’ll be closer to meeting the eponymous mother. This is good news, for there’s not been a lot of direct engagement with the main mother-meeting long-form narrative — what the series promises to be about — since Ted was left at the altar early in Four. That means, this season at least gets to end better than it generally was, as both the premise and (some of the) characters look like they might get better explored next year. Will that be the case? Stay tuned…

 

The Honorable Mentions are full this week because there are a lot of “well, okay…” episodes. The ones I most considered: “The Best Burger In New York,” an idea-driven Seinfeld-ian outing that just doesn’t feel well-attached to character or premise, “Happily Ever After,” which has nested flashbacks in a structure that showcases the ensemble, “Not A Father’s Day,” which signals growth for some of the regulars, “The Fight,” an apparently well-liked offering mostly set in and around the bar, “The Possimpible,” which explores Barney’s feelings for Robin in a framework that also displays his character well, “Sorry, Bro,” which sets up my MVE and involves Ted’s love life, and “Murtaugh,” an idea-driven entry with a couple of thoughts well-tailored to Barney. For the record, I like the Robin subplot in “Little Minnesota” (much more than its clichéd A-story), and as for the popular “The Three Days Rule,” it’s got a named Barney-esque maxim and a rom-com story, but it’s this year’s worst offender with regard to clichéd sitcom ideas being deployed with little to no series-specific individuality.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Four of How I Met Your Mother goes to…

“The Front Porch”

 

 

Come back next week for Season Five! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!