How I Met Your Mother - "Benefits"

After the last episode, the awesome "Little Minnesota," it was great to see the gang back at McClaren's again. This week was an episode loaded to the brim with hilarity and the plot devices that have made HIMYM so endearing. This episode perfectly encapsulated the show for me, and even if you'd never watched an episode before, this episode is one I'll show to friends who've never watched it before, that is, after "Slapbet."

So it all started with Ted and Robin deciding to sleep together to alleviate roommate stress. They are discovered (in one of the funniest moments of the episode) by Marshall, who is having problems of his own due to his inability to "read a magazine" at work. When Barney discovers Ted and Robin's secret, he flips out, continuously destroying TVs. In the end, Marshall overcomes his fear and Ted catches on to Barney's crush on Robin, ending their relationship. Unfortunately for Barney, who is ready to finally tell Robin his feelings, Robin makes it clear she doesn't want to get involved with a friend again.

The episode did the things that HIMYM is best at: combing the goofiness of friendship with a plot that is compelling. Ted's knowledge of Barney's crush will really make things interesting. This plot is far from over. The good news is, HIMYM has hit its stride in the wake of the Stella Breakup, and I like where it's heading.

A

Happy 2009!

With a new year, TV Rules the Nation is looking to return and be better than ever. We know we've been slacking, but now that we've reached our final semester of college, we're a little less swamped with work and a little more willing to slack off by watching TV and using the interweb. So for those who have been frustrated with our lack of posting, have no fear, we're coming back!

Reviews will resume as shows come back, but until then, we'll have some recaps of seasons so far and, for right now, some previews!

1. How I Met Your Mother: First off, isn't that picture from Entertainment Weekly awesome? There's a bunch that are all hilarious. When TV Guide's best show of 2008 returns on Jan. 12, they'll return with an episode called "Benefits" that, without spoiling anything, will feature several reality TV stars haunting Marshall. Some interesting things are on the horizon for roommates Ted and Robin, but I won't spoil them here. If you just can't wait, then check out this blog. Lastly, HIMYM will begin syndication on Lifetime, starting today, so you'll have another place to get your fix of awesomeness.

2. Scrubs: It's always sad when a show reaches its end, but according to show creator Bill Lawrence, it might not be. In an interview with Michael Ausiello, Lawrence revealed that ABC might keep the show on, despite the fact that both he and star Zach Braff will be leaving at the conclusion of its 8th season. From the sound of things, the show has gone back to a format similar to what it was in its first two seasons, where it wasn't quite so goofy, but still incredibly funny. Also, apparently every character will have their story wrapped up by the end, including a conclusion to the J.D.-Elliot relationship. Also, the Janitor gets fired by Courtney Cox in the second episode (WHAT?!) Be sure to read the interview and catch Scrubs' return on ABC TOMORROW NIGHT!

3. The Office: Tomorrow, I'll post a review of the first half of season 5 of the Office, but for tonight, there's some awesome news. First off, the show revealed that their post-Super Bowl episode will feature cameos from none other than Jack Black and Jessica Alba. Apparently, the crew at Dunder-Mifflin will be attempting to watch a bootleged film that features the two stars. In other Office news, Amy Ryan (Holly) reportedly said that she'd be interested in returning to the show, but there are no imminent plans for her return.

4. Heroes: As has been expected, Bryan Fuller is returning as a consultant to Heroes following the end of Pushing Daisies. Also interviewed on EW.com, Fuller said that the show is finally realizing that they suck. According to Fuller, the show will drop a lot of the mythology crap and return the idea of ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Fuller revealed that everyone returns to their normal lives and then deals with saving the world from there instead of living in an alternate world where responsibilities don't matter. Hopefully the show will return to it's old awesomeness. In other Heroes news, Sylar's dad is going to appear on the show. Hooray?

5. Lost: OMG IT'S COMING BACK IN TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AND I CAN'T WAIT AT ALL!!! (Sorry for not really having news, I just can't wait!)

Like I mentioned, I'll check back in tomorrow with a review of the first half of the season for the Office, and hopefully I'll get 30 Rock finished by the time it comes back on Thursday to recap that too. I know they're both good, I just need to refresh my memory. Anyways, more to come soon!

How I Met Your Mother - "Shelter Island"

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for...Ted's marriage to Stella!

....oh wait. Jason Jones got the girl. Thats right, Stella's not the mother. Gasp!

To recap: Stella's sister was about to get married. Her husband ditched her, so Ted and Stella decide to take the wedding instead, rather than let thousands of dollars in reservations go to waste. But then the age old question arises, invite the ex's or not? Both Robin and Tony (Stella's almost-husband, Lucy's father) end up at the wedding, but when Ted and Stella go to confront them, Stella ends up running off with Tony.

For a plot that sounds somewhat contrived, this episode was surprisingly satisfying on an emotional level. The episode had laughs, of course (see: Barney's planning session on how to sleep with Robin again) but the overall feel of the episode was a much more personal, emotional one. Cobie Smulders (Robin) delivered what I felt to be her best performance yet in her speech to Ted. The writing felt very real, not overly melodramatic, and the delivery was heartfelt.

I'm happy to see that the writers have found a good balance of humor and heart for the show. Shows are always much more satisfying when you can have an actual emotional investment in the characters. I couldn't have been more proud of Barney for finally going for the belt.

A

How I Met Your Mother - "Intervention"

How I Met Your Mother continues its season with another satisfying episode. Not their best episode, but certainly a good one.

The show started with a bang when Barney walked into the bar in 80-year-old-man makeup. In my opinion, this was easily one of his best pickup lines yet.

From there, the show broke into its usual easy stride, with a rapid succession of HIMYM brand flashback jokes. Although hilarious, I do have to say that I got kind of tired of them after the 5th or 6th flashback. It's a convention that HIMYM seems to have perfected, but I'd hate for them to kill it through overuse.

The plot itself was fairly typical HIMYM fare; Ted is about to make a major decision, the gang expresses hesitancy, Ted has second thoughts, and the episode is spent weighing pros and cons. But as always, the jokes did a great job of keeping the tried-and-true plotline fresh. I always love it when they exploit Robin's Canadian-ness (Canadianity?), and seeing her drunk, talking hockey, and in full accent was priceless.

B+

EDITORS ADDITION:
I love this show because of the stuff like this:

How I Met Your Mother - "The Best Burger in New York"

After last week's promising season premiere, the second episode of How I Met Your Mother's fourth season has kept up the pace without missing a beat. The writers proved once again that they are far from slowing down and still have plenty of material to work with.

In this week's episode, the story focuses on Marshall and his search for a new job. Things aren't going well, surprise surprise, and the only thing that can cheer him up is another taste of the Best Burger in New York. The only problem is, he can't remember where the place is. Hilarity ensues.

I was quite relieved to see the writers giving attention to Marshall this week. He and Lily received almost no attention in the premiere, leading me to worry that the writers were forgetting about them, or considered the couple unnecessary to the new plot lines. But tonight showed that Marshmallow and Lilypad haven't been forgotten, nor will they be in the future.

Fans were also treated to quite possibly the best cameo the series has seen. All I can say is, you don't want to fuck with Regis Philbin.

I should note that Stella was absent from tonights episode, although her absence was hardly noticeable, and certainly not detrimental. I, personally, can't make up my mind as to how I feel about this. On the one hand, her character finally gained some depth and became more likable in last weeks episode. On the other, though, I still don't know enough about her to care whether or not she's missing...time will tell, I suppose.

A

How I Met Your Mother - "Do I Know You?"

How I Met Your Mother is back, and better than ever.

The season finale left us with two big plot points to mull over: Barney's new found love for Robin and Ted's proposal to Stella. Combined, they held the potential to completely change the dynamic of the show. What I wasn't sure of was whether it would be for better or for worse? Would having all the characters in committed relationships, especially the eternal bachelor Barney, take out all fun, "dating life" appeal of the show, or would it provide new and interesting plot lines for a show that seemed to be heading towards the inevitable sit-com predictability?

Well tonight we got our answer, and I could not have been happier. Not only has the writing gotten that much better (the first 5 minutes had me in a state of non-stop laughter), but the writers also made sure that the new plot lines were fresh, entertaining, and full of potential.

The new side of Barney is both highly entertaining and somehow, believable. We've seen the "Confident Player Turned Weak-Kneed By Love" before, but NPH's performance was flawless, making it feel like the first time I'd seen that gag.

We also got to see a new side of Stella. I'd enjoyed her in previous episodes, but always felt her character was a little flat. Oddly enough, the writers seemed to nod to this when Marshall commented "You hardly even know her." But the new Stella is starting off strong. She has personality, interacts with characters other than Ted, and even shows up outside of her office!

Although these character expansions are great, I would like to express my concern, however, that Marshall and Lily will end up taking the backseat from now on. I admit they aren't the show's central characters, but I've always had a fondness for the quirky-but-truly-in-love couple.

HIMYM made a triumphant return tonight, and based on the top-notch writing of tonight's episode, I can't wait to see what they do with the plot lines and characters now brimming with potential.

A

Interview with NPH

In keeping with our grand, day-old tradition of stealing material from The A.V. Club, here's an interview with Television Rules the Nation hero Neil Patrick Harris. Sure he's probably best known as Barney on How I Met Your Mother (which starts Monday! 8:30!), but I think he'll always be Dr. Horrible to me. Here he is talking about the Dr. Horrible DVD:

I think Joss is mid-construction of the DVD extras. They're trying to get people to submit films of themselves applying to join the Evil League Of Evil. They've finished writing the songs for the musical commentary track, singing about the making of the film. [Laughs.] But I assume since Dollhouse is almost up and running, and he's dealing with Fox and that whole rigmarole, that it's become a bit back-burner.

While there's no big news on the HIMYM front, he does go a little into the long-term future:

I'm having the time of my life on the show. I really am. It's one of those rare, great parts that seem easy for them to write crazy things for. I love it. I have no intention of going away bitterly wishing I had a revived film career. I'm thrilled with this gig. I've acted plenty, so I'm looking ahead to producing my own Sesame Street show some day, and being a late-night talk-show host that does variety acts.

All in all its a really great interview (as usual from the A.V. Club) so make sure to check it out.

Also, A BRIEF PROGRAMMING NOTE: I apologize for all my recaps being a day behind, I'm currently working on something every night from 7-11, which means I can't watch everything until I can get it from ITunes the next day. It'll only be for another couple of weeks though.

EDIT: I found this online. If you love HIMYM, you'll love this

Lost and How I Met Your Mother Updates

First off, at ComicCon, Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse said that it was about time Lost fans got some answers, and that in the shows final 34 hours spread over the next two seasons, they intend to deliver. Furthermore, they said they're hoping that they can bring back Mr. Ecko. If you're a Lost fan and that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.

As for How I Met Your Mother, it was announced that Sarah Chalke is coming back for a multi-series arc for next season. It was previously revealed that two responses to Ted's proposal were shot. Just some food for thought.

How I Met Your Mother: Miracles

Well, it's hard to believe it, but another season of How I Met Your Mother is over. The good news is that is has been renewed for another year of awesomeness, but for now, we have "Miracles." After a bit of an off week with last week's "Everything Must Go," the HIMYM team was back in full swing, delivering a pretty solid episode. Nothing cracks me up more than Marshall's childlike obsession with the supernatural, and his adamance about the magic of miracles couldn't have been done better. I also highly enjoyed the slow-motion-Radiohead-backed-oh-my-gosh-Ted's-in-the-hospital segment, ending in Ted eating Jello. But gags aside, this episode offered a few great plot points that will certainly play a big role next season. First of all, it was good to see Ted and Barney finally make up. Barney has always been great at providing the funny parts to stories where Ted overanalyzes, and the last few episodes, the lack of Barney has weighed the Ted plot lines down. As for Barney and Robin, it's something that has obviously been brewing since they played laser tag in Season 1, and Robin was vastly underused this season, so it will be nice to see her back again. Lastly, we have the Stella Proposal, which is what will make this summer a long one. A lot of fans either don't think or don't want Stella to end up being the mother, but I don't think I'd mind. Sarah Chalke is a terrific actress, and if the writers can bring out more of the quirkiness she has on Scrubs, I think people will come around to her a little bit better. I don't think she'll end up being the mother, just because there hasn't been the "Yellow Umbrella" story, but hey, there's still time. For now though, we can rest easy for the summer, knowing the game will be back in McClaren's in the fall.
Grade: A-