TV Review: How I Met Your Mother Season Five Premiere - Page 2

What the possible relationship hasn't affected however is the show's sense of humor or the dynamic amongst the characters. The season premiere may not be as riotously funny as other episodes, but it is unquestionably amusing and does feature more than one laugh-out-loud moment.

Both Smulders and Hannigan were pregnant during portions of the previous season of the show which led to not just some episodes missing a key character, but also some semi-creative camera trickery and the strategic placing of very large purses. The show did deal with the pregnancies well, but it will be nice to see both actresses returning to full time duty on a show in which they both play integral roles.

How I Met Your Mother, while it has never been a ratings blockbuster, has maintained a distinctive voice and sense of humor over the course of its first four seasons and it has not lessened in this season's premiere. The show doesn't seem as though it will suffer from the possible creation of a romantic relationship amongst two of its main characters – something that other shows don't deal as well with – particularly as Robin only really joined the group because Ted was interested in her.

While early seasons of the show left some fans feeling distress over whether or not Ted would finally meet the mother, as the show progresses that seems to be less of an issue. The series is far more about Ted's journey than Ted's final success. The audience is already aware that Ted will, eventually, meet a woman and have two kids (at least) with her, so the longer the show can have Ted's journey take, the more episodes there will be, for it is the creation of that last relationship which may signal HIMYM's death knell. After all, once Ted meets the mother, the story Ted is telling his kids (the entire series is a flashback) must end. He may begin a new one that he can stretch out over 100 episodes — our storyteller is quite adept at shaggy dog tales — but it will be a new tale and this reviewer is not ready for the current one to end.

How I Met Your Mother airs Monday nights at 8pm on CBS.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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