How I Met Your Mother: Mom and Dad (9x10)

I think this one was okay. It had a few standout moments that I think really worked, and then a few things that I found lackluster. Overall, it wasn't particularly strong, especially since we're closing in on the halfway point very quickly, and I'd love to get going with the Mother's character. Once again, she was absent in this one, and I think it's really hurting the show at this point.

So, there are three pretty separate plots here, and they don't overlap at all. I think that might be one of the main weaknesses, since this show generally works great when there's a unifying theme. For a while, I was okay with the wedding weekend being this theme, but when you've got such different story lines weaved around the central concept, there's no sense of connection between the characters. I would have loved to see more of that. However, let's take it one plot at a time and talk about what's good and what's bad.

The main plot belonged to Barney and his brother James. When their mother and both of their fathers show up, Barney and James both campaign for their mom to get back together with their own dad. Barney's dad is of course happily married, which makes it a lot more preposterous for him to scheme about this. They both try and get their mother together with their fathers, and even have a fight about it that involves a musical number. However, they see Loretta and James' dad, Sam, kissing, and it is revealed that they have renewed their relationship. While initially upset, Barney eventually accepts it. There's more good news: Sam can officiate the marriage, so Barney and Robin now have someone to marry them!

The good: Excellent utilization of all the guest stars. Wayne Brady was great as James, as he always is, but this time he got to sing! I loved seeing Barney and James' parents in this one, and the song was excellent. There were other really funny jokes, such as Barney sending Jerome's wife away with Ranjit so that he could set up Loretta and Jerome. His method of doing so involved putting up a sign that says the stairs are broken, and then trapping his parents in an elevator. He then sent down a tray with champagne and candles while they waited for the elevator to be fixed. All of this scheming was really quite funny.

The bad: Barney acted like a child in this episode. He was entirely silly and there was no real reason for his behavior that could back up some of this. If they had delved a bit more into his childhood insecurities, it could have justified his behavior a bit more. In fact, this plot thread was really funny, and it could have been extremely strong if only there had been a bit of a serious framing device to it. For example, Barney might have compared his insecurities about his family to Robin's situation with her mother not coming to the wedding. Or Barney could have said that he wanted his parents back together because he was worried that he wasn't going to make a good husband, and he wanted to prove that his parents could make it work. None of these things happened, and as a result the jokes in the episode weren't held together by anything more substantial.

Ted and Lily's plot was very secondary to Barney's. Barney gives Ted a signed picture of Wayne Gretzky that he plans on giving to Robin as a wedding gift. He tells Ted to look after the picture, and Ted agrees. However, Ted then discovers the picture covered in calligraphy ink, completely ruined. He's convinced that he's been sabotaged, and he comes up with three suspects. Billy Zabka is Ted's main suspect, because Ted stole the job of Best Man off him. Initially it seems that Zabka has an alibi. However, Lily manages to remove the ink from the signed head shot and discovers not Wayne Gretzky, but Billy Zabka! He replaced the picture and concocted a story: Zabka plans on telling Barney that Ted ruined his picture, but that he himself went out to find a replacement, thus saving the day. In that way, Zabka could get back the job of Best Man. Lily and Ted catch him at it, and he explains that he's tired of always being the villain, and wants instead to be treated as a Best Man. Ted decides to help him out and he tells Barney that he did ruin the photo, and that Zabka saved the day.

The good: The stuff with Zabka was hilarious. His story about being constantly treated as a villain was particularly good: at one point he calls his mom and she "boos" him, showing that she too sees him as a villain. I also thought it was lovely, if a bit cliche, that Ted let Zabka take credit in the end. Oh, also, they brought up the Pineapple Incident in this, referencing the eternal mystery once more. That was a great callback.

The bad: Ted's story is once again a trivial subplot. He's our protagonist, and yet his story was about a ruined autograph and nothing of real substance. I get worried, with time running so short, that there won't be adequate time to develop the relationship between Ted and the Mother.

Then there's Marshall and Daphne. The two of them bond over the song "500 Miles" by the Proclaimers, but then after getting a phone call from her daughter, Daphne is in a bad mood. Her daughter's mock debate is happening, and Daphne isn't sure if she'll make it in time. She reveals to Marshall that she and her husband are divorced, and that their daughter lives with their dad. Daphne is often in trouble with her daughter because she frequently misses important events because of work. Marshall drives Daphne to her daughter's school and they go in, just in time to see Daphne's daughter give her mock debate speech about the importance of oil. Daphne and Marshall then say goodbye to each other.

The good: Some funny jokes in here, especially the "500 Miles" stuff. I always loved that episode where Ted and Marshall go on a road trip, so that was a good reference. The oranges on top of the car, and the reveal that the daughter is similarly campaigning for the oil industry were both also good moments. I also thought it was rather touching when Marshall and Daphne said goodbye.

The bad: There was an N-word joke... which I found entirely distasteful. Then there's the larger fact that the Daphne story line seemed to have no real bearing on Marshall's character or on the main plot. She was a fun addition to the show, but I wanted her to serve a bigger purpose overall. I want Marshall to be back with the rest of the group, however, so hopefully we get to see that soon.

In its entirety, this episode was strong on the comedy. I was laughing at a lot of the jokes. Structurally, however, it was a letdown. We really need to be stepping it up since this is the last season. I know I harp on that detail a lot, but honestly how can I not? I just don't want them to run out of time to give a fully satisfying ending to such a wonderful show.

6.5/10