I have to say, as much as I love NBC's lineup, if there is a November sweeps MVP this year, it's got to be How I Met Your Mother. This show has pulled out every conceivable stop this month, throwing viewers on a roller coaster ride that I, for one, was not entirely expecting.
Speaking of expecting... (see what I did there?), we should probably talk about that teeny tiny little line that ended the episode and threw us all for a loop. Our favorite former commitment-phobe, Robin, is pregnant! Or at least, she seems to think she is. She also seems to think Barney is the father, as he is the recipient of this cut-to-black bomb drop.
This episode's first twenty or so minutes were pretty hilarious, and this would have been an okay installment even without that last-minute cliffhanger. We see Marshall and Lily wavering in their decision to sell the house in the suburbs left to them by Lily's grandparents, contemplating the virtues of leaving city life behind to raise their kid. Robin is adamantly against this possibility, absurdly so until you put it together with her later revelation. She locks herself in the bathroom in protest, while Lily and Marshall wait for a sign from the universe that they ought to uproot their lives to make way for baby.
Also contributing to the laughs, Barney and Ted drunkenly lament their woes with women, first wishing they could just be gay together, and ultimately arriving at the conclusion that they should adopt a kid together and embark on a happy lifetime of "bro-parenting". It's perfect-- all of the great parts of having a kid, with none of the romantic drama! The plan veers out of control right around the time Barney shows up at Ted's with a mystery baby he appears to have stolen (don't worry, it's later revealed to be his niece, whom his brother asked him to babysit), and both Ted and Barney come to the conclusion that they really do want families, but with the "right" person.
But of course, the focal point for me is Robin's announcement at the episode's end. I kind of wish she would have apologized to Barney for her behavior last week, or at least tried to explain, but it's clear that she's got more than a few things on her mind at the moment. What does a Robin pregnancy mean for the rest of this season, for the overall arc of the show, and most importantly, for her and Barney? Let's look at our options, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) It's a false positive. This would be almost too easy, and kind of a huge let down after the way the set up the reveal.
2) It's Kevin's. Unlikely, since Kal Penn's arc on the show is almost over with no additional episodes contracted (of course, that can easily change); and I can't really see him walking away from his kid. Also, he just doesn't mesh as well with the gang as he could, and I feel like Ted would have given us some kind of indication in his narration that Keven is part of Robin's future if that were the case.
3) It's Barney's. This is the one I think many fans are rooting for, but it will not be an easy road even if it turns out to be true. Several factors are working against our favorite couple here, the first being that a casting announcement was recently made about a new long-term love interest for Barney with episodes beginning in January. I personally am predicting that he may rush into a marriage with this girl in order to "compete" with Robin's pregnancy (assuming she keeps the baby), and that's the wedding we saw in the flashforward in this season's premiere. Remember that Barney was feeling slightly conflicted in those scenes; that could easily be because he's still torn about lingering feelings for his friend (and possible baby-mama) Robin.
3a) It's Barney's, and Robin is the girl he's marrying in the flashforward. And everyone lives happily ever after. And then we meet the mother, which shifts the focus back to Ted full time. Actually...this could maybe, just maybe, be a real possibility. Maybe the writers (and future Ted) have set up the story in a way that sort of "settles" everyone else's lives before launching into the endgame tale of Ted meeting his own future bride. Then again, this show and many of the fans seem to thrive on Barney/Robin drama, so I'm not sure they're willing to give that up any time soon.
There are a hundred possible ways this story line can unfold, and my predictions may be way off target. However, I do think this is part of the "huge season" for Robin that the writers were mentioning back in the summer, so I do think she'll go through with the pregnancy, whoever the father may be. It's possible she'll simply go it alone for now, and any development with Barney or another suitor will come along later. Based on everything they've done so far, though, one thing is certain: I trust the writers to tell this story, and I can't wait to see what they do next.
No comments:
Post a Comment