Episode 13 - Drumroll, Please
8 October 2014
Synopsis: Ted meets Victoria at the wedding. She has a suggestion, that they never see each other again. That they just have a perfect night together. So they do but of course Ted wants to see her again. Lily, Marshall and Barney help him track her down but in the end it’s Robin who knows who she is. Victoria made the cake for the wedding and Ted finds her at the Buttercup Bakery.
The Good: Another superbly presented episode. The writers again use their flashback formula to make the story seem much more compelling and entertaining than it might otherwise have been.
As Ted tells the story we gather more and more information on who Victoria is and why we should care if he sees her again or not. It’s very impressive writing (and acting) because in one episode we have a reason to care about Victoria and want to tune in next week to see what happens. Even as Ted is calling people to ask who she is, we keep dipping back into the story, adding layers to what they shared together. I actually thought Ted’s doubt over whether to go into the shop was a pretty touching moment. They did have a beautiful memory together and now he’s going to ruin it forever by making it “real.”
As cheesy as some will have found it, I thought it had enough charm to win most viewers over. The two actors were excellent and communicated a believable chemistry with their lingering eye contact and smiles. Their little jokes around the piano and their fake names (which Barney amusingly ruined – “Ted, Ted!”) kept things entertaining as they got more into each other. Their final dance and goodbye was pretty sad too as they began to talk about what they are like in “real life.” When they were finally reunited, I thought her exclamation of “Thank God!” was an excellent touch. It wasn’t that she was just happily surprised, she too had been tortured by the feeling of “what if?”
I like Lily and Marshall kind of mocking Ted over his evening. It’s often the case that our friends can’t empathise entirely with how we see things. The writers manage to involve Barney and Robin too in plausible ways and increase the romantic tension between Ted and Robin. That was a predictable development but it makes a lot of sense for the structure of season one.
The Bad: Not too many jokes, not that it really mattered.
Comic Highlight: Barney answering his phone while a woman stands on his back giving him a massage: “This better be good. I'm about to enter Nirvana. By the way I should get you Nirvana's phone number, she gives a great massage. Say whaaaat?”
How I rate your episode: Another excellent episode which though light on jokes, manages to tell a very compelling story.
Feedback
Add your comments on this episode below. They may be included in the weekly podcasts.
)