How I Met Your Mother: The Perfect Storm

There are so many alternate titles for this episode: Come On Irene, Daddy Issues, Slapgiving Came Early This Year...but I think the best would have to be "Holy Crap, I Didn't See That One Coming!"  But I'll wait till after the jump to elaborate, so read on...

How I Met Your Mother: The Return of the Slutty Pumpkin

Ted tells the kids that Barney has been mocking Robin for years for being Canadian.  Robin tells Barney that she's Facebook friends with Barney's dad (Marshall is too, and Barney's dad is good at Bejeweled!).  After Robin makes a comment about Manitoba, which Barney's dad finds interesting, he tells her that his mom is Canadian, making Barney 1/4 Canadian.  Ahhh. 

How I Met Your Mother: Noretta

Or, The One With the Best Guests

As the show opens, Ted's VO tells us that Barney's brother James (guest #1!) came to visit and with the addition of Nora and Kevin, there's no room in the booth at MacLaren's. As Nora excuses herself to use the "loo" (because then she can have a seat to herself), Barney asks the crew to ask him where he's going tonight. Of course, no one responds, until newcomer Kevin asks. "Bootytown"! hoots Barney (who, thankfully is still wearing the Ducky Tie), which is then followed by lots of name twists, but ends when Nora returns to tell Barney they are going ice skating (that's not what he thought their special night would involve, so James quickly tells Barney that he'll be going to Hand Central Station (haha!). Until Nora tells him that they are going to shag afterwards.

HIMYM: The Stinson Missile Crisis

Or as TV Watcher called it, "Robin and Kumar Go To Court Mandated Therapy"

This was an interesting episode. For starters, we had a cold open with Robin talking to her court-mandated therapist (Kal Penn - I'm sure he and NPH had a nice Harold and Kumar reunion on set), no kids. Robin had apparently assaulted someone and proceeded to spend the episode talking about Barney and Nora and Lily and Marshall and Ted as a means of getting to the assault. The epi was set up to make us think that Robin beat up Nora because Robin is still in love with Barney, but actually, she attacked a girl who had received one of Barney's Cold Call 5000 messages (more on that in a bit). In the meantime, we learn that Ted has become the third wheel in Lily's pregnancy - from second guessing her doctor to trying to go to a birthing class and of course making up red "Team Baby" t-shirts. A fter a sort-of funny scene involving Marshall and Ted doing the birthing class together ("no moaning and keep your eyes open!"), they realize that Lily really gets the final say and Marshall accepts Dr. Sonya's casual take on things. Which we learn will change when Lily gives birth. Back in Robin's therapy session, Robin helps send Nora to France to cover the G8 summit and intends to steal Barney back by helping get rid of all of his BDSs (Bimbo Delivery Services). From advertising free breast reduction consultations as Dr. Barney Stinson to having to fire Mitch from the Port Authority (who used to let him know when wide-eyed innocents got off the bus) to the Cold Call 5000. A machine that cold calls women between the ages of 22 and 23 who go on body glitter websites. When they finally finish getting rid of all the BDSs, Robin suggests that they go out on the town with her dressed in a hot dress (to prove that she's not a bro) and Barney dressed in a vest to cover the Ducky Tie (continuity, YES!) Anyway, the cold call machine called someone by accident and she went to find Barney. Robin sends her Barney's way and then goes home to talk to Ted and realizes the error of her ways and winds up getting into a fight with the girl so she doesn't interrupt Barney's dinner with Nora and Barney never knows what happened. Awww. All in all, an okay episode.

The season has been decent so far, but I could use a good, full-on LOL episode. Let's hope I'm not waiting too long...

HIMYM: Victoria, you are NOT the Mother!

I watched HIMYM last night and basically enjoyed both episodes, although I know a lot of other people didn't. My issue is with the whole Victoria thing. She cannot be the mother. Sorry folks. I've seen a lot of speculation on the blogs, but they are throwing another red herring at us. Among other things in the show's mythology we know that: (i) the mother was in the econ class that Ted mistook for his architecture class, (ii) she was Rachel Bilson's roommate, and (iii) Ted meets her at Barney's wedding. This has led to a lot of speculation that the mother is Barney's half-sister (the one that John Lithgow references at the dinner that Barney comes to...). If you take these three things we know, Victoria cannot be the mother. Oh well. Sound off below!