How I Met Your Mother: "Nannies"

Quick Review: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want Mrs. Buckminster to tell you it's going to be all right.

Episode Synopsis: Lily and Marshall have trouble finding a nanny for Marvin and learn that it is due to an elaborate scheme Barney invented to meet women. Meanwhile, Robin and Ted argue over who is in a more serious relationship. -tvguide 

Spoilers ahead, so make sure you've seen the episode first. Sure, you might be strong and forge ahead, having not watched the episode. And you might think that it's great, just reading about the episode without having first experienced it. But deep down, you'll regret it. Your soul will be on fire, as if thousands of firecrackers detonated inside it, and you don't want that. They'll hear your wail of anguish all the way in Piano Town.

Best Episode Moment: Marshall and the toy racetrack

Worst Episode Moment: Barney's fake interviews with potential nannies

Best Comeuppance: Barney gets a pacifier where you don't want a pacifier.

Best Character Moment: Mickey, revealing that he used to be a good dad once upon a time

Scariest Anti-Gambling PSA: Mickey's thumbs

Best "Awww" moment: The montage of Mickey and little Marvin

Best Character Interaction: Ted and Robin talk about their relationships

Worst Holiday: Bangtoberfest

Best website: Heynannynanny.com

Worst News: Mrs. Buckminster's weekly fee

Best News: Batteries are included

Worst Nanny Qualification: She only killed two cats she was looking after.

Best Name for a Store: George and Morgan Jorgensen's Organs

Worst Pick-up Line: "I suppose there is one way I could get you off."

Best Reason to Run Into a Burning House: A precious photo album

Second Best Reason: Potato salad

Best Sagat Narration: "Both relationships would implode within the month."

Best Callback: St. Cloud, Minnesota

Any hint about The Mother? She probably knows how to dispose of banana peels.

What do we know about The Wedding? Robin's about to be single soon, so it looks like it's till on for May.

Do we like Ted this episode? He's tolerable, even when whining about Victoria's bad habits.

Overall Opinion of the Episode: No one broke up this week, but we know it's coming; Future Ted has told us this is the month of break-ups. We know Ted and Robin are breaking up with Nick and Victoria, and this week we're starting to get a good picture of why that is. I liked Ted and Robin first competing and then commiserating about their relationships. Those two do have natural chemistry and great comic timing. It's been a while since we've seen that.

The nanny plot-line is typical of most sitcoms, and this season seems to be hitting all the "Having a Baby" tropes. Fortunately, the show approached it in its own way, what with Barney running his own set of interviews on the side. In the end, I liked how Mickey became Marvin's nanny. It's a sweet moment of redemption, and Chris Eliot is good at those.

Then there's Barney. While he's fun in sitcom form, let's not forget that if he did these things in real-life he'd probably be in jail. I'm pretty sure placing a fake ad for a nanny in order to seduce women is probably illegal, but at least this time there was some consequences for his antics. He's once more over-compensating after a break-up, but we saw this after he broke up with Robin so it's a step back for his character.

I get that they wanted to have one last hurrah with Barney being his usual sleazeball self. However, I'd have preferred to see Barney actually trying something different in dealing with his breakup. He can still be his legendary self, but perhaps a different type of legendary. Going back to the same well will only work for so long until it dries up. Here's hoping the show finally got it out of its system.

I did like how Barney finally did hire a nanny to keep him out of trouble. And who knew that Mrs. Buckminster was more than capable of stirring up a little trouble of her own?

 

Read more of my 'How I Met Your Mother' reviews here