How I Met Your Mother: Trilogy Time

What Happened, Yo!:
-Barney has an argument with Quinn, after he won't let her put her mugs in his cupboards because he needs to assert his male dominance. Everyone thinks this is stupid. We learn that every year since 2000, Ted and Marshall (And starting in 2003, Barney) have sat down to watch the Star Wars Trilogy and fantasize about where their lives will be. Ted's fantasies always involve being married to Robin/A Robin-type Figure, Marshall's always involve him having a moustache and being married to a pregnant Lily (Except for one year, when Lily had left him at the time) and Barney's always involve showing a random girl the door (Even the year he's secretly dating Robin.). When Ted realizes that he's still not married after all this time, he becomes depressed and decides that in three years, he will be balding and alone. Barney realizes that he no longer wants to be showing a random girl the door and wants to settle down with Quinn, so he goes back to his apartment and apologizes. Marshall tells Ted that 2015 will be his year and we learn that in 2015, Ted is married with a baby daughter.

I Like This: Trilogy Time was a funny and clever episode of How I Met Your Mother with a good central theme about trying to figure out where one's life may be in the future. It's something that I'm sure most people can relate too (I know I play that game all the time.). The structure of watching Ted, Marshall, and Barney's (Though mostly Ted and Marshall until the end) fantasies of the future change as they changed and grew older was a good one. It allowed us to see how Marshall's fantasies eventually came through (Although he still doesn't have a moustache or a legendary seven-week run on Wheel of Fortune to support his family with) and how Ted's life has more or less stayed the same to the point where Ted stops believing that he'll have a happy future. This fits into the story the show's been telling recently, about Ted realizing he's no closer to finding his soulmate than he was seven years ago and trying to figure out why. The show's structure also allowed us to visit two interesting periods in the show's history that we hadn't really spent a lot of time in (The initial period where Lily was in San Francisco and Marshall was heartbroken, and the period where Barney and Robin were secretly dating), which was fun. It also gave us a trip back to Ted and Marshall's college years and gave us a rare glimpse of their lives between college and the start of the show. I also enjoyed how the episode allowed us to see Barney as a man who, more than ever is finally ready to change his life a bit, after years of fantasies of sending random girl after random girl out the door (With the only change being back boobs.). And of course, the final reveal at the end with Ted having a baby girl by 2015 was very sweet.

But...: Barney's argument with Quinn seemed a little unnecessary.

The Bottom Line: Trilogy Time was a very funny episode of How I Met Your Mother, with a good concept, and a touching reminder that we'll be meeting the mother sooner rather than later.

Grade: 87% (Great)

Memorable Moments

-The opening with the man across the street getting obsessed over the mysterious behavior of the "Well Dressed Blonde Man", followed by the reveal that Barney has been leaving the apartment to pass gas ever since Quinn moved in was great. As was the callback with the man trying to figure out why Barney hasn't come out the next night.

-Great running gag: Ted and Marshall always imagine a democrat in office until Ted's dark fantasy, where America has given Bush a surprise third term, much to their regret.

-Marshall's dark fantasy about Lily being married to a douchey guy named Trey (Who has a moustache and a trucker cap) and pregnant with Trey's baby (Who's already wearing a trucker hat in the womb, apparently) was great.

-The joke with Robin having to hide in Barney's stormtrooper outfit during the 2009 Trilogy Time was great, as was Barney's desire to sleep with a stormtrooper (Which he finally gets to do with Quinn).

-Barney: While it’s just us guys, let me ask you something. We’ve all had that same fantasy about having sex with a girl in a storm trooper costumer, right?" Ted and Marshall: "No. Never." Barney: "Guys, come on. No girls around, just us bros. Safe space. Let’s stop being polite and start getting real." Ted and Marshall: "No. Never."
-Everyone but Ted is happy in Ted's dark fantasy. Fantasy Lily: "We’re pregnant with baby no. 5!" Fantasy Ted: But baby no. 4 isn't even out yet!" Fantasy Marshall: "I'm just that good."