How I Met Your Mother 6 Review: "High Six!"

Ted and Barney doing the "high six!"

The hardest part of making a series like How I Met Your Mother work is: lengthening the story without dragging it. The continuity that the fans have loved about the show may also be its biggest obstacle. Many have said that the series' best season was the second (I beg to disagree, the fourth is my favorite) because it was as coherent and as connected to the storyline (narrating to the kids how Ted met their mother) as it can get. And, they say, that as it goes on, the show is becoming dragging.

With all these in mind, I expected Season 6 to be a mediocre season. I expected it to be a painful effort of the director/producers/writers of the show to make it longer and still try to fit it with the storyline. It may not be the best, but it has its good points. For all its faults and successes, I believe Season 6 is the most coherent, most independent season yet. One could watch the whole of Season 6 without being appraised of what happened in the earlier seasons and still get what is happening. I'm not saying it is detached from the rest of the show, what I'm saying is that it is coherent. It is a like an anthology with a very good "Introduction."

The first episode, Big Days is, for me, a preview of what will happen in the season. As the season unfolded, the issues tackled and mentioned in episode one was explained, expounded, clarified and discussed further. The main themes of Season 6 can be gleaned from this episode.



"Marshall Eriksen, Put a Baby in My Belly!"

Marshall and Lily horrified at
the thought of naming their baby wrong.

In the first episode, Marshall and Lily are trying to have a baby, with Marshall's father (Marvin Eriksen) being too involved in the process. This ticks off Lily but later on realizes that Marvin's enthusiasm is what Lily loved about Marshall. In the following episodes, the couple continue to try to be pregnant and tackle the issues related to having a baby like choosing a name (Baby Talk), planning the family finances (Natural History and Garbage Island), the possibility of being infertile (Bad News) and the effects of having a baby to the group's dynamics (Glitter). However, in the thirteenth episode, Bad News, the couple's baby-making efforts are put to a halt because of Marshall's father's death and his subsequent quest to save the planet (Exploding Meatball Sub). Finally, in Challenge Accepted, it is revealed that Marshall and Lily are pregnant.

"Rent Crocodile Dundee 3"

Marshall getting advice from his Dad.

The demise of Marshall's dad and best friend affected him deeply, and forced him to rethink his goals and priorities in life. The highly emotional Last Words is a heartfelt and all-natural episode that let the audience see the gang in their most serious and sincerest selves. No matter how fun the season is, this episode brought everyone (even the fans and the actors) back to earth. Indeed, real friendships experience real setbacks. Althroughout the season, we are 'treated' to a different side of Marshall--very different from the naughty, funny and sometimes naive Marshall we have come to love. I always thought Marshall was too good to be true (He was smart, funny, sweet and lovable) but this season he became a real person--He has fired an employee, Randy, (Canning Randy), caused Meeker to be fired (Garbage Island), became selfish (Desperation Day), ate "The Calzone" (Change of Heart), fought dirty against Barney (Perfect Cocktail), and refused to touch Lily when she was vomiting like a dinosaur (Challenge Accepted'). Season 6 is the season when Marshall matured. Who's next?

"The Captain!"

Ted and Zoey trying to make a good omelette.

Let's admit it, after Ted was left at the altar, he has mellowed--romantically speaking. But this season he got back on track and dated a married-but-later-on-divorced woman named Zoey. I did not like the insertion of Zoey into the show because I felt the writers were just dragging the story along. But later on I realized that after a setback, a romantic like Ted deserves to fall hopelessly in love, once again. Regardless that we all know that Zoey is not the "Mother" (hello, the kids are brunettes, how could they have a blond 'mother'?), I felt her character was needed to make Ted realize a very important point, lesson in life which is, "Sometimes things fall apart to make way for better things."


"Who's Your Daddy?"

Barney and his dad, Jerome--the Legendaddy.

As early as Big Days wherein Barney briefly mentions that if he had his father's number there will be no time when he's not on the phone with him, the audience are treated to a glimpse of what the season will be about for Barney. Much like Marshall's growth, Barney follows suit, albeit more slowly. Barney remains to be the fun-loving Barney we know, who accepts self-imposed challenges (Baby Talk, Natural History, Oh Honey and Exploding Meatball Sub), fights with his younger brother for attention (Legendaddy), fights with Marshall (Perfect Cocktail and Landmarks), fights with Ted over who gets to push the button to destroy The Arcadian (Challenge Accepted) and mounts the Lion of The Arcadian in his bedroom. But he manages to grow up by admitting that Bob Barker is not his father (Cleaning House), admitting to Robin that Jerome Whittaker is his father (Natural History), admitting to Honey that he is frustrated at his father's indifference to his letter (Oh Honey), giving Jerome a break by spending time with him and listening to his advice (Hopeless) and, finally, accepting the challenge of going out with Nora (Challenge Accepted).

"Finished with That"
Last season, we are led to believe that Don might be the guy for Robin. She even declined a well-respected job to be with him but, alas, he has left her and taken for himself the job Robin declined. In Big Days we saw Robin moping over Don through over-eating Cheetos and other greasy foods. In Unfinished we saw her drunk-dialling him. In Subway Wars we see her crying in the subway after seeing a picture of them together. Thankfully, Barney and Ted, and the rest of the gang, helped her get through. She has dated Max (Subway Wars) and Scooby (Change of Heart). She also has a potential love interest in her Secret Crush (Hopeless), and has chosen to disregard her feelings for Barney.


SUB-THEMES/CLUES:

"Scherbatsky, I'm Gonna Crush It"
Big Days treated us to a vision of Ted being a best man. Being the friendly guy Ted is, we think of possible weddings. The subsequent episodes in season led us to believe that it might be Ted's high school's friend Punchy's wedding. Then in False Positive we are again 'deceived' by the hint that Robin asked Ted to be his best man. Some say that it might be Ted's father's wedding or Cindy's wedding. But the season finale Challenge Accepted revealed that it was, in fact, Barney's wedding. What remains to be answered is this: Who is the woman Barney will be marrying? Is it Nora? Is it Robin? 
I do believe that it will be Barney and Robin's wedding because for the writers to not do so will make me and a lot of fans of the Barnman and Robin extremely sad. What remains to be explained is the presence of the 'Mother' at the wedding Barney's wedding.

"Go Get Her"

Season 6's Big Reveal: Robin still has feelings for Barney.

After their break-up in season 5, Robin and Barney took a break from being good friends. Thanks to the arrival of Don Frank. Thankfully this season, the two got back on the friendship track by being each other's rah-rah boy/girl. When Robin was coping with her break-up with Don in Big Days it was Barney who taunted her to sundress up. When she had a bad time at work, he let him win in Subway Wars. When Ted was telling her that she was too much "in control", he told her that this was her best quality (Baby Talk). When she wanted to play around, he gamely agreed (Natural History). And finally, it was Barney who made the reunion between Robin and Jessica possible by showing the "Space Teens" video (Glitter).
Robin, for her part, did the best she could: She acted as a vital instrument in making Barney realize that he likes Nora (Desperation Day, Garbage Island) and should go for her (Challenge Accepted) despite her feelings for him.

A Wizard, A Coin-Flip Bimbo, and A Planet Saver
This season treated us to a lot of career choice storylines. Ted becomes more involved in architecture and teaching. Robin finally gives up her 4am news anchor job and the brief 'coin flipping bimbo' slot for a 'serious' job as a "lowly research assistant" at World Wide News (False Positive). Barney's job remains to be elusive yet stable, despite his near-termination (Landmarks). Lily remains to be a dedicated a school teacher. Finally, much have been devoted to Marshall's impending career choice between saving the world (joining the NRDC) and being a family man (remaning to earn big at GNB). He finally chooses the former and tries to make the ends meet, with Lily providing the much-needed help.


CONCLUSION
Although I do love the show with all my heart, I believe it is best to end it with Season 7, with Robin and Barney's wedding so as to make the show and the story come full circle. Despite the fun the show has brought, we all would want to know who the mother is eventually.

To extend it beyond season 7 is too much of a risk, considering how old the season is, and may get. Taking into account my mapping, it is logical to assume that Ted and the Mother will meet in 2011 or 2012. 2013 being the latest. But as we know, and as the writers have announced, How I Met Your Mother has been extended up to Season 8. I guess the sure-ness of when the end will be will make the writers' job easier in plotting the story lines and making a fitting ending, that is as coherent and as loyal to the previously mentioned details.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Season 6's BIGGEST reveal: Ted will meet
the Mother at Barney's wedding

Season 7 will most likely be Barney's (and most likely, Robin's) season. The Nora and the Secret Crush story lines will be explored in this season leading to Barney's and Robin's realization of who they love, and the maturization of this couple leading to a possible wedding.

Some say Barney might choose to marry Nora and then opt to be with Robin at the last minute (judging by his reluctance over his tie in Challenged Accepted). I think this will not happen because it would steal the attention away from Ted meeting the Mother, which is the point of all this anyway.

The ending will be much like this: Ted will meet two women who will possibly be "the Mother". As Season 7 and 8 go on, the likelihood of these two women becoming the Mother will be discussed and expounded on, building up to the Series Finale, wherein the Mother will be revealed as she appears with the kids and Ted in 2030.


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You may want to read:

Season 6: Photo Summary Part 1
Season 6: Photo Summary Part  2