How I Liked Season 1

10 days ago, I began a televistic journey; rewind to 2005 and experience the trials and triumphs of Marshall, Lily, Barney, Robin and Ted, on TV’s How I Met Your Mother. The first leg of that journey ended today, having completed season 1.

The expedited nature of viewing on Netflix allows me to summarize rather succinctly, having been in their universe for less than 2 weeks.  I’ve had my share of groans, though usually when you watch something alone you don’t audibly do it.  My main comment is that HIMYM is resembles Friends extremely closely, minus 1 main character.  That is not to say Friends is bad; I watched the entire series during it’s televistic run (may have needed syndication to catch up on those early years, but it was NBC Thursday night appointment TV post-1997).

Friends / HIMYM checklist:

• awesome New York apartment with exterior access
• nearby hangout with amazingly dependable seating
• character introduced to established group in Ep. 1 as a love interest (Rachel/Robin)
• hopeless romantic male lead (Ross/Ted)
• sex-crazed male lead (Barney/Joey)
• stable yet goofy male lead (Marshall/Chandler)
• stable female lead with unfulfilled career aspirations (Lily/Monica)

These similarities made it difficult to fully accept the entertainment offered, instead of being needlessly objective.  That being said, if a formula works, you copy it to the fullest.

I am extremely interested to see how this show unravels, which it obviously must, based on viewer’s comments.  More so, I am eager to share in the quintessential moments that made HIMYM a classic TV series that was enjoyed and adored by millions.  By the end of the first season, I can see a twinkle it in the player’s eyes – it’s the acting disappearing, and the characters taking over.

One other comment; my favourite peripheral character this season was Sandy Rivers, Robin’s co-anchor at Metro 1. His idiotic sleaze charm is supreme.
(You’re terrific) “Thanks. I never tire of hearing that.”

Since original viewers had to wait until the next season began, I am also going to enact a moratorium between views.  I’ll digest and return to Season 2 with fresh and familiar vigor!

How I Feel About Opinion

2 years following it’s series finale, and 11 years after it’s premiere on CBS, I have begun watching the sitcom How I Met Your Mother.  It comes highly recommended by many friends and coworkers.  After watching the first few episodes, I took to Twitter to announce the news. 

.@irisdias @Brian_RS @cbax and many will be pleased that I have finally begun my foray into HIMYM pic.twitter.com/8K2pxnMY6l

— Corey Fischer (@bowsering) May 12, 2016

The first response started out positive, but in less than 140 characters, the tone shifted to disappointment:

@bowsering @irisdias @Brian_RS Yay! Don’t go too far though! Stop after season… Iris/Brian which season should he stop at?

— Chris Baxter (@cbax) May 12, 2016

Don’t go too far? Followed by directions to stop before the end of the run.  I was pleased that Chris had replied promptly, but to request backup for his statement was a surprise. Chris and Brian produce a fun, insightful and critical podcast called That Thing You Like, where they consume and review popular culture. Iris was the other half to my own podcast Talkfoolery, which we recently pulled the plug on.  I trust their opinions.

Iris responded by saying I should stop after season “5, and whatever you do, DO NOT WATCH THE FINALE. Worst!”

Brian concurred, and added, “but if you absolutely have to keep going, 7. But after that you. MUST. STOP.”

Candace

Conflicting views.  What am I getting into?  I voice my displeasure with some of the characters’ choices so far, finding ways to scrutinize.  I also know that I am getting to some cultural touchstones soon.  But a seed of doubt has been planted, and I am going to be aware of it once I venture into the latter-half of the series.

Damn you Twitter! Why did I seek your input?  And then I mentioned all “stop after” business over Sunday breakfast, and emphatically heard, “Nahhh, 3!”

Next time.

How I Missed Your Mother

One of the great downfalls of our all-access media-centric society is that one can never consume all the great entertainment output.  I cannot imagine the life of a critic, or a reviewer on AVclub.com.  It’s so time consuming, and not great for the eyes either.

Fortunately, my vision is already impaired considerably, so it’s no predicament to justify watching a completed series that it seems most people my age have a strong affinity for.  No, not an obscure cable network show that aired 20 episodes (Party Down, which you should watch and love).

I’m talking a full on investment, something that original run viewers spent 9 network TV seasons watching; the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Too many times I have answered “No” to “Have you seen HIMYM?”  Too many opinions that I should definitely watch it, have I heard.  Too many references missed.  Until now.  Thanks to the magic of our all-access media-centric society, I can now view each episode at my leisure.  Which I have begun.

A week ago, I watched (cringing, for the record) The Pilot.  The first episode takes place in 2005, before the advent of effective streaming platforms, and right in the movement of sitcoms away from studio audience laughter.  The canned laughter in The Pilot made it excruciating to watch.  Additionally, the dialogue seemed forced.  The actors were trying to be their characters, but it just seemed fake.  Had I watched that episode in 2005, I would not have watched next week.

In 2005, I was nearing the end of a university degree. I didn’t have time for network television. I was in early 20s mode, in the early 21st century!  As time passed, I made specific TV choices (at my neighbour’s, because she had a cable package with DVR). I had heard about How I Met Your Mother, but I just never had the urge to tune in. I figured that it would come and go, like so many cheesy US network series.

I doubt that any of the cast, crew or network execs would have thought that How I Met Your Mother would last 9 seasons. That’s crazy! Seinfeld lasted for 9 seasons! Seinfeld! One of the greatest TV shows of all time! 9!

However, hind sight affords patience. I watched #2, Purple Giraffe, where Ted throws 3 parties in order to hang out with Robin, who we already have heard his older narration explain as Aunt Robin, so there goes that mystery.

Candace, who I work with and is a fan of HIMYM, insists that I am trying hard not to like the show. She told me so, responding to my text: “I don’t see how some of these stories should be part of a father’s tale of how he met your mother.”

I see her point.  However, I am beginning to enjoy, as evidenced by my ability to smile and ignore the audience laughter from time to time. It’s an improvement.  Then I took to Twitter to announce that I had begun viewing. Not the response I anticipated.

.@irisdias @Brian_RS @cbax and many will be pleased that I have finally begun my foray into HIMYM pic.twitter.com/8K2pxnMY6l

— Corey Fischer (@bowsering) May 12, 2016

More on that next time.