Tony Soprano once said "'Remember when' is the lowest form of conversation." And while his statement might have been a little too harsh for the cumbersome nostalgic ears of veteran mafioso Paulie Gualtieri, the fact remains that nobody enjoys the present company of people who live in the past. And while Barney had a story for each of his suits and Lily a creepy remnant of every stage of Barney and Robin's relationship, the gang finally realized in "Vesuvius" that this impending marriage was a sign they all needed to move forward and walk down the aisle towards the scary but promising future. Really though, all that talk about preparing for what's ahead can wait, The Wedding Bride Too! is on!
Ted
CTed and The Mother have officially reached the unsurmountable zenith of old couple togetherness: having hashed out literally every single whimsical and hilarious ode from their past that there is not a single unfamiliar story left in their bones. Even in Ted's older age he's still distraught by the prospect of leaving his past behind, which is troubling considering the wonderful present he has with The Mother. Sure, Ted was able to tailor Barney's ill-fitting nerves and make the lothario feel comfortable in his own suede skin, but he still hasn't really come to grips with having to deal with his future, and having to make stories that don't have his favorite cast in them. For choosing to live in the past when his present is oh so wonderful, Ted gets a C.
Robin
B+You'd think that Lily would have learned by now that Robin's estrogen levels are non-existent. Hell, the only proof she is actually a female and not just some grizzly haired Ottawa Senators player with feminine facial features are Ted, Barney and the rest of male society's unhealthy lust for the Canadian vocalist. But hey, the bride can do whatever she wants on her wedding day, and if that means ill-navigated wrist shots and laughing at "The Wedding Bride Too!", so be it. It was very touching though to see Robin embrace her mother, metaphorically dropping the coldness of the ice bucket and her heart to warmly rejoice with the woman who birthed her. Obviously there will be some arguments about motherly negligence, yada yada in the coming episodes. But for doing her wedding day right the Scherbatsky way, Robin gets a B+.
Barney
BFirst of all, the only reason I reduced Barney to a B instead of an A was because of the tasteless prank of almost revealing the mother's name to be Susan Topp, which was just a pun for Sue Topp/Suit up. Funny, but cruel. But really, Barney did display maturity when he cozied up to his final suit, one that was unfamiliar but still fit perfectly fine. Whether he'll find the cornflower blue tie to appease Robin is still unforeseen. But for finally seeing that the unfamiliar path is the right one, Barney gets a B.
Lily
CIt's kind of creepy that Lily had so many mementos of Barney and Robin's relationship preserved in her memory book. Imagine what over drafts of books for Ted, Barney and Robin's romantic prospects she started that were subsequently trashed. Lily's heart was in the right place when trying to provoke a wedding day freakout from Robin. Ultimately though, it's the brides day, and Robin can spend it however she wants, freaking out to Lily's pleasure or laughing at Jed and Narshall in "The Wedding Bride Too!" to her despair. For trying to force her friend trudge down the same wedding path as her, Lily gets a C.
Marshall
BLaughing at Ted's expense over his disparaging but hilarious parody Jed Mosely in The Wedding Bride came back to bite Marshall in the ass. Marshall's silver screen doppleganger Narshall is slightly thinner and just as smart (or stupid rather) as the Minnesotan is in real life. But even though his likeness was not approved for a theatrical adaptation, Marshall still seems ready to roll with the punches and whatever life throws at him. For not freaking out when there was reason to (imagine the shared profits he could have got if he played himself!), Marshall gets a B.
The Mother
AOut of all the unanswered cliffhangers in HIMYM, the story of how The Mother's friend got the nickname dong nose is right below the pineapple incident and right above finding out what her actual name is. The Mother does really know how to cozy up to Ted and ease his fears, probably because she's heard them so many times before. Having spent so many years not living her life, The Mother knows how important it is to not live in the past. And for being able to convince the most nostalgic man on the face of the earth that the better years are still ahead of him despite his passion for those behind, The Mother gets another well deserved A.
"Vesuvius"
BA touching ode to stories while serving as a subsequent warning to not live in them, 'Vesuvius' forced the gang to face the unfamiliar head on, without looking to the past for comfort.
Extra Credit
- Who else totally got a 'Doogie Howser' vibe from Barney when tried on his ridiculously oversized suit?
- I'm glad "The Wedding Bride Too!" was made and that Narshall was introduced as Jed's bumbling friend. Doubtful that they'll get to 'Wedding Bride Three's Company' before the end of the series, but if they do, there needs to be characters named Laly, Borney, and Rubin.
Demerits
- I had completely forgot that Ted moving to Chicago was still a plot point, and it seemed that everyone else in the show did too. Obviously he doesn't move after he meets The Mother, but it is getting tiring having to see Ted dreadfully tell people he's leaving when we all know it isn't happening.
