When HIMYM creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas started talking about “Girls Vs. Suits,” the show’s 100th episode, they indicated two things: “serious mother action” and a musical number. How could any HIMYM fan not get super excited for this episode? Thankfully, the episode delivered, and while it may not have had the power of an episode like “Slap Bet,” it was thoroughly entertaining and one of the best episodes in a while.
Musical numbers in television shows can be tricky, but HIMYM executed it pretty well, making it a sort of dream sequence for Barney, rather than trying to fit it into the diagetic world of the show. It all starts when McClaren’s gets a new “hot bartender” which Barney wants to sleep with, completing his list (complete with rhyming section) of professions. Only problem? The bartender’s past relationships with Wall Street guys has left her hating men in suits. So Barney does the unthinkable and gives up his suits for a shot at the girl. But he remains haunted (the whispering closet) and in need of the feel of a suit. When he sneaks one on in the bathroom and accidentally rips it, not even Tim Gunn can save it, sending Barney into a downward spiral. The bartender comes around, offering to comfort him, but only if he gives up his suits.
And it’s there we get the big musical number, “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit.” It seemed inevitable after Dr. Horrible, the Tonys, and Emmys that Neil Patrick Harris would do a song on the show, but really, this part wasn’t NPH, it was Barney, which really made it. The song was funny, and the sight gags (lasers that put people in suits?) and choreography worked flawlessly. I would have liked a little more Jason Segal in the bit (Dracula musical anyone?), but he and the rest of the gang fit in rather nicely. The ending of the song, with Barney deciding he can put off suits for the night, was priceless, and a fitting ending.
Alright, musical number aside, we came oh so close to actually meeting The Mother in “Girls Vs. Suits,” but as expected, we didn’t. Instead we met her roommate Cindy (Rachel Bilson), who, like The Mother, was in the economics class that Ted had mistaken for his own. But, we learned fairly quickly, Cindy is just the roommate, and one that’s jealous of The Mother. Ted tried to patch things up, but ended up just pointing out the three things in Cindy’s room that belonged to her roommate. As Ted is kicked out, he catches a glimpse of The Mother’s foot, and aside from some stories about robots playing sports (so awesome) and singing muffins, that’s all we get from The Mother.
In the C and D stories, Lily was trying to get Marshall to admit the Hot Bartender was hotter than her, though Marshall didn’t think so, and Robin was dealing with the fact that she had been relegated to second hottest woman in the bar. She tried to prove herself hotter by serving drinks, only to get hilariously kicked out by Carl (!). Not much to either of these threads, but they gave those three something to do in an episode dominated by music and Mother.
All in all, “Girls Vs. Suits” was an episode for HIMYM fans. It seemed to cater to both the mythology of the show and some of the ongoing bits and jokes of the show. I’m not entirely sure if this would be an episode to convince someone who’s never seen the show to watch it (see: “Slap Bet”), but it was a near flawless episode for the viewers who’ve stuck with the show. Hopefully we’ll get a couple more episodes like this as the season continues.
Michael’s Score: 95
Tangled Up In Wires Grade: A
Michael
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