HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Old King Clancy
March 24, 2009 by Jen
Hey everyone, this is Jen again, ready to report about last night’s episode of “How I Met Your Mother”. Unfortunately, if you were a fan last night’s episode, then you won’t be too much of a fan of me today.
Not too long ago Ted won a bid to design Goliath National Bank’s new headquarters in NYC. This building would be career defining. He imagined that this building would literally change the landscape of his fair metropolis and that he wanted to make sure he put his stamp on it. His pure excitement over wood beams and natural sunlight in the atrium had me really enthusiastic for him. But all that vanished when he was inadvertently told that the plans for the new GNB had been scrapped a month ago.
Ted was fired from his GNB job, but since the company still had to pay his firm for two more months, Barney & Marshall thought they should wait to tell Ted that he was let go. He kept on revising his designs and presenting them to the GNB team. Little did he know that Barney & Marshall were paying people to pretend they work for GNB and praise Ted for his work. Big mistake.
Meanwhile the rest of the gang is at MacLaren’s talking about which celebrity would they sleep given the chance (Barney = Scarlett Johanssen; Lily = Hugh Jackman) . When Robin mentioned that she almost slept with a celebrity once the gang is intrigued. Of course the celebrity was Canadian, but still, a celebrity. She wouldn’t give up who it was but she did say that the celeb collects stuff and was really kinky. Who could it be? She would only tell them if the guessed (1) the celebrity, (2) what he collected, (3) the Canadian sex act. Lucky for the gang, Barney just happen to have www.Canadiansexacts.org bookmarked. (And another HIMYM faux-site pops up again. Go check it out…”the best is ready to begin”)
When Ted reveals that the GNC redesign was canceled, Barney and Marshall confess that they had been lying to him…over and over. Ted is pretty upset as their “good deed” is going to leave Ted jobless.
This is another storyline last night that fell flat for me. How many times in one month are Ted’s friend going to lie and deceive him? Having this occur two episodes in a row just doesn’t sit right for me. I know I tried my damnedest to excuse Lily’s actions last week but together with this week’s deception from Marshall and Barney, I’m sort of done with the lies right now. I don’t mind on occasion when they try to keep information from each other. They are trying to spare each other’s feelings or hid their embarrassment. They keep telling themselves they are protecting Ted because he has had a rough year, yet they keep piling it on him.
In both Ted and Robin’s storylines last night, I just wanted everyone to spit it out, just tell the truth and get it over with. That’s not good when I am telling a half hour show to hurry up and get to its conclusion. I can argue the benefits of one good lie, but more, its just not sensible. And I’m not enjoying that nearly all his friends are liars right now. So far Robin is the only one that isn’t misleading Ted. Last week it was Lily ruining his relationships and now Barney and Marshall were trying to postpone Ted being laid off.
While Barney and Marshall meant well with their elaborate scheme, they were just postponing the inevitable. Ted lost his job. But there was hope in his eyes. He was done pitching ideas to big heartless clients. Ted plans to open up his own firm. Yay! I am happy that Ted is seeking more from his job and has hope for his future. His friends have been babying him since his wedding to Stella fell through but Ted’s a big boy, he can handle what life brings him and we know that life will bring him happiness and joy.
And after exhaustively guessing every Canadian ever to have a spotlight on them, Lily demanded that Robin spill the beans on her almost one night stand. Robin swore her friends to secrecy and then revealed it was (1) Frozen Snowshoe (pro wrestler), (2) Harvey’s trays (collectible) and (3) Old King Clancy (sex act). The reveal was very anticlimatic all around. As Barney said, the Canadians ruin everything. Who the heck is the Frozen Snowshoe? (Besides actor Aaon Hill from one of my faves, “Greek”).
But unfortunately I don’t know exactly what happened when Robin got back to The Frozen Snowshoes apartment. As soon as they sat on the couch, I got a blue screen, a black screen and then a blue screen! When the episode finally returned, the Snowshoe was asking her to leave. I missed it! Whatever the punch line was for Robin’s Canadian escapade, I missed it! I was screaming at my television. What happened?? I’m assuming that I was the only one censored. [GMMR: Nope. I think it was a Boston thing, because that same things happened to me.]
Usually when Robin is relegated to a background story, rife with Canadian jokes, I’m all aboard. But this one didn’t do it for me at all. Just like the mystery Canadian celebrity didn’t for Robin.
This episode was another non-fave for me, especially when the end was taken away from me. I think installment was meant to push Ted’s career storyline for future episodes but it just wasn’t hitting the right notes for me. How about you? Were Ted’s friends doing the right thing or were they too deceptive? Was Lily’s excitement for Robin’s kinky secret contagious?
Jen is our resident HIMYM aficionado. She isn’t into all this March Madness but she loves Barney’s brackets.
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They were at his place on the couch and she pulled maple syrup out of her bag and asked him to perform an Old King Clancy and he told her to get out. 🙂
I’m also in the just ok boat. I love this show and hate when an episode falls flat.
Thanks stunkette – it happened to me also (down in Atlanta, weird). I was not happy.
Anyways, I share your thoughts on the episode. I wasn’t a fan. Oh well.
yeah i live in atlanta too and the sound went out (but not the picture), until he told her to leave.
i actually really liked this episode!!
Here in Philly we last sound, but not the picture.
I am also getting tired of the lying to Ted (okay that is a lie – I was tired of it last week). Equating telling a little lie to spare his feelings is one thing, but to screw with his career is another. And the main reason they (well, really it was Marshall and Barney went along) did this was to spare themselves the pain of giving bad news.
I can see why Lilly and Marshall are perfect for each other. They each think they are empowered to screw with other people’s lives.
Ted has to be allowed to lead his life – and I don’t really care for Ted (or Marshall either).
And the payoff for the Canadian story was too little for the time spent.
Woah, I think John is a little mean here. Lilly and Marshall are the cutest couple together. They do not think that they are empowered to screw with other people’s lives. That is a little bit harsh there John.
I can deal with this episode being a flop as long as Ted’s birthday with the goat puts me rolling on the floor.
Also, I could be wrong, but didn’t Ted already tell his kids that he designed the GNB that stands there in the future?
Good write up 🙂
Haha, the website is totally fun… but also totally not Canadian… entering the birthday in the American way totally gives it away , but whatevs, I love that they take the time to set stuff up like that.
I thought this ep was OK, nothing spectacular, but nothing horrible either. I laughed out loud a few times and that made me happy 🙂
Oh, how I hope that they one day do an episode where the gang goes to Toronto or something and Canada is finally shown some respect, lol! I loved the shoutout to Harvey’s (although nobody I know has eaten there in like ten years, but they do have kick ass onion rings 🙂 ).
I wasn’t crazy about the episode overall, but I like where it’s taking Ted. And mere, I agree – didn’t he say he designed it? I guess the project is reinstated somewhere down the line… And I don’t think Marshall and Lilly are evil; just overprotective to the nth degree (not to excuse poor behaviour, but the motivation is well-meaning).
Thanks everyone for letting me know I wasn’t the only person either. And yes, I also lost sound too so I got nothing. Very aggravating, especially after such an “eh” episode and I thought I’d finally get a pay-off and then it just spazzed at me and I’m in Boston. Very weird.
I just thought of this. It would have been funny to have seen The Frozen Snowshoe at a bar with his friends discussing how he almost slept with a famous person but she was too kinky for him and THEN show Robin pulling out the maple syrup and asking Snowshoe to perform Old King Clancy.
I thought the same thing, Jenn, putting the birthday American style took the “authenticity” out of it. But it was still good, just missing what they are usually so good at, keeping the details in check.
Mere, I think Ted said that he was excited to be able to shape the city landscape and to be able to say that he created that building but I’m not sure if it was a definite, “I created that building” or just telling his kids how happy he was that he was going to be able to say that. I’ll have to rewatch.
I think I liked this a bit more than the majority here. the reveal about them hiring the cafeteria lady and the street performer cracked me up and her line about being engaged to Mr. Barney, very funny. Ted is my least favorite character so I sort of don’t care that much what happens to him. I am sick of them making fun of Canada, though, and I think a much better payoff would have been if it had been a real Canadian celeb, a B-lister but a celeb nonetheless.
I’m north of Boston and didn’t have any sound/picture issues. Weird.
Keep working ,impressive job!
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