I wholeheartedly disagree with anyone who says the Captain's presence lowers the quality of an HIMYM episode. This eccentric millionaire is a hilarious addition to the series and by far the best thing to come out of the Zoey story line of season 6.
After one and a half years, he is back. And Ted, Robin and Lily all have reason to believe that this means trouble. Why? We find that out via flashbacks. Retelling the same story from different perspectives while adding small details that fundamentally change the whole matter each time has been a staple in the series, and the writers once again pull it off in an extremely funny way. As it turns out, the Captain's actions and motives are actually quite reasonable and not silly at all, if you disregard Ted and Robin's alcohol- and "sandwich"-fueled memories.
This is one of the rare episodes where all main characters are well involved without having a secondary story line, which is always a good sign. While Marshall provides good laughs along the way (his "Ted, you suck!"-speech and his obsession with getting to steer the Captain's boat are two standout examples), Ted, Lily and Robin are directly involved in the main story line, and Barney, well, tries to be. He clearly has a hard time accepting to be left out of a legendary story. This is one of the main talking points in the aftermath of the episode. Is this a sign of fears that his life will be less legendary once he's married? Or just his usual unresolved abandonment issues? Once again the writers mess around with the viewers in a similar fashion as in "Zoo or False", as there is an addendum to the story involving Barney. Which first seems obviously fictional in-universe, invented by Ted and Robin out of pure sympathy. Only for the Captain to reveal in a throwaway line: It actually happened. It is a sweet ending for Barney, but the ambiguous presentation also makes you wonder how much of these stories, that are basically all narrations from old Ted to his kids in 2030, are actually true in-universe.
The other talking point is Lily and what the ending means for the character. While Barney&Robin are the main focus in this second half of season 8 and Ted is getting closer to meeting his future wife, Marshall and Lily are in constant danger of being reduced to the status of baby Marvin's parents. Marshall at least has his career, including a pending application to become a judge. Now Lily has something else to look forward to as well, and that is great news for the series as a whole.
A funny episode with heart-warming parts, definitely above average for the otherwise rather uninspired 8th season.
After one and a half years, he is back. And Ted, Robin and Lily all have reason to believe that this means trouble. Why? We find that out via flashbacks. Retelling the same story from different perspectives while adding small details that fundamentally change the whole matter each time has been a staple in the series, and the writers once again pull it off in an extremely funny way. As it turns out, the Captain's actions and motives are actually quite reasonable and not silly at all, if you disregard Ted and Robin's alcohol- and "sandwich"-fueled memories.
This is one of the rare episodes where all main characters are well involved without having a secondary story line, which is always a good sign. While Marshall provides good laughs along the way (his "Ted, you suck!"-speech and his obsession with getting to steer the Captain's boat are two standout examples), Ted, Lily and Robin are directly involved in the main story line, and Barney, well, tries to be. He clearly has a hard time accepting to be left out of a legendary story. This is one of the main talking points in the aftermath of the episode. Is this a sign of fears that his life will be less legendary once he's married? Or just his usual unresolved abandonment issues? Once again the writers mess around with the viewers in a similar fashion as in "Zoo or False", as there is an addendum to the story involving Barney. Which first seems obviously fictional in-universe, invented by Ted and Robin out of pure sympathy. Only for the Captain to reveal in a throwaway line: It actually happened. It is a sweet ending for Barney, but the ambiguous presentation also makes you wonder how much of these stories, that are basically all narrations from old Ted to his kids in 2030, are actually true in-universe.
The other talking point is Lily and what the ending means for the character. While Barney&Robin are the main focus in this second half of season 8 and Ted is getting closer to meeting his future wife, Marshall and Lily are in constant danger of being reduced to the status of baby Marvin's parents. Marshall at least has his career, including a pending application to become a judge. Now Lily has something else to look forward to as well, and that is great news for the series as a whole.
A funny episode with heart-warming parts, definitely above average for the otherwise rather uninspired 8th season.
