Monday, March 31, 2014

How I Met Your Mother 2005-2014-Obituary and Autopsy of a series finale

What do you get when you cross a good cast to play a gang of friends who you may not hang out with but work well together and a silly, is this series really going to be worth watching title? The answer is the sweet and "wait for it" touching How I Met Your Mother. I didn't know what to expect from this show but I tuned in anyway and for nine seasons I watched and enjoyed this perfect TV series.

There was Ted Mosby played by the charming Josh Radnor, Ted was an architect turned professor and the one who told the story about meeting the title character to his to teenage children each week (as Bob Saget's voice intro each tale). His best friend was Marshall "marshmallow" Erikson played by the wonderful Jason Segel. Marshall was a lawyer who wanted to help the environment and madly in love with his college girlfriend turned wife Lily Aldrin played by the lovely talented Alyson Hannigan. Lily or Lily pad as Marshall called her was a kindergarten teacher who really wanted to be an artist, the two would have a son named Marvin waitforit Erikson. Then there was Barney Stinson played by the great Neil Patrick Harris. Barney always wore a suit and looked his best whether at work or out getting another woman into bed but the one he would surprisingly want to stay was Robin Scherbatsky played by the awesome Cobie Smulders. Robin who was a teen pop sensation in Canada and grew up with a father who wanted a son moved to NYC and became a local news reporter. Each week the gang met at MacLaren's Pub to tell their stories...

And there were some good ones like when Ted stole the blue French horn for Robin or the time he bought and wore bright red cowboy boots. There was the time Barney wanted to find his real birth father after believing it was Bob Barker for years. There was the time Lily broke up with Marshall and moved to San Fransisco to pursue her artist dream.

There were many more stories to tell and Ted used every one to explain how he finally met the one. Each week I watched and laughed when the characters laughed and cried when they cried (spoiler alert-Like when Marshall's father died and unlike with his mom or brothers he didn't think his father left him with worthy last words).

I raise one final beer at MacLaren's to the cast and crew (including director Pamela Fryman and 2 2ed AD Chris Hyssong). Thank you for spending part of your lives making this series for those of us who watched (and to those who didn't can always catch it in syndication).
Carter Bays and Craig Thomas created one heck of a good show!
How I Met Your Mother will be missed but never forgotten.


My thoughts on the series finale...Two weeks later-Spoilers

A week after it aired fans were still talking about the series finale of How I Met Your Mother, some thought the series ended just right but most were very disappointed. Now I feel that I MUST add my voice to all the talk...

The last episode may not have been the ending some wanted, it may not have been the happy fairy tale ending others expected, hell even I was shocked at what happened but after thinking about the show for 24 hours and taking it all in I realized it was the RIGHT end for this particular series. Why?

First of all there was a build up to Barney and Robin's wedding that annoyed some viewers. You have to remember that the final season took place over a weekend (20 episodes in 2 days) so what was months to us was just days to the characters. Yes the episode before the finale had a wedding and yes it was short and we didn't get to hear the vows but it was beautiful and sweet and there was a ring bear:). Then there was the last episode which again played with time by showing viewers 10 years in one hour. It was quick and yes I was sad and felt a little cheated that we only saw one quick scene of their marriage when Barney and Robin announced their divorce but when you take the time to think about it most marriages are boring and from what they said I don't think I wanted to see anymore. As for the other characters we finally learned the mothers name and she and Ted seemed truly happy he wouldn't have stayed be her bed in the hospital if he didn't love her and the two kids they shared. If you wanted a cookie cutter ending all you have to do is look at Marshall and Lily, who had a couple more kids and Marshall became a judge with a promising political career (with his concern for the environment I would vote for him for state supreme court). Marshmallow and Lily Pad 4ever:) Then there is Barney, the only girl he could truly care for, put first and love is his daughter.

Second if you look at the series as a whole it was about a group off friends trying to figure out life. Ted was the narrator and honestly a lot of the episodes were about him and/or Robin and how they fitted into the gang as friends, lovers, someone to talk to about friends and lovers. The real question that no one was asking for 9 season was -Where was the Mother when Ted was telling his kids the story? Why didn't she ever pop in to help tell the story? How could she not interrupt and have her feelings hurt by the way Ted spoke of Robin? In the end his son understood Ted was taking the long way around getting permission to ask Robin out, Why didn't we the viewers!?  

In conclusion as in real life there are times when men and women have more then one love and it is okay for lost love to return after true love dies.
and
To quote another TV series that was about a group of F*R*I*E*N*D*S living in NYC and trying to figure life out -after all "She's his lobster"

I hope that clears things up and makes those who were angry feel better. After all it was just a TV Show and it did answer the title question, How I Met Your Mother.  



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Psych...OUT 2006-2014

Two years before The Mentalist the USA Network pemeried an orginal series with a short one word title-Psych.

A sweet and funny show about a guy named Shawn Spencer (James Roday). You see Shawn was good, really good at finding and deciphering clues at a crime scene but never wanted to join the police force so along with his childhood friend, Burton "Gus" Guster (Dule Hill) started a "Psychic" Detective Agency. Together with the Santa Monica police department which included Detectives Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) and chief Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson), and sometimes Shawn's father Henry (Corbin Bernsen) would join and for over 100 episodes they solved cases.

When each, pineapple, episode aired I smiled throughout the hour.
With each nickname Shawn introduced Gus I laughed.
I understood most of the pop culture references and there were many.

From the theme song, "I know you know I'm not telling the truth..." to the Psych-out bloopers during the final credits I enjoyed every minute.

Here is to the cast and crew of this silly and perfect little show, you will be missed. Thank you for sharing 8 years of your lives with all of those who watched.