How I Met Your Mother Recap: "Gary Blauman"

Soooo...I watch a lot of TV.  

And, like my taste in movies, I get really excited about some questionable fair.  But "How I Met Your Mother" has been consistently good for near on nine years.  So I don't expect any hate mail for singing it's praises.

This isn't really a re-cap.  More just musings.  Last night's episode was called "Gary Blauman".  It is all about...well several things.  Ted and the Mother go on a walk - their first date presumably.  He tells the story of Gary Blauman - a wedding guest of Barney and Robin's who showed up having not RSVP'd.  Everyone has a different take on Gary and how his faux pas should be handled - based on their previous experiences with him.  

At first, I was kind of annoyed.  There are three episodes left and you use one of them to introduce a new character.  I like me some Taran Killam but still.  But then...it was so much more.   In a very depressing but very impressive long 360 degree shot, we see little scenes of many of the beloved minor characters that have propped up over the years letting us know where they are "now" - or in 2030.   

It must have been a crazy expensive day of shooting because there are cameos out the wazzoo.  It was hella satisfying.  

Missing was James Van Der Beak - so my ardent hope is that he will make an appearance next week and we will get ONE MORE ROBIN SPARKLE VIDEO!



And there was another surprise (at least for me) ....Gary Blauman ISN'T a new character.  He's always been there!  He worked with Barney at AltruCell, then GNB.  He's appeared in FOUR episodes before yesterday's.

The continuity of this show always astonishes me.  The creators went for the long game and it is paying major dividends.  The episode that explored "the mothers" past nearly did me in.  It was so satisfying after all of these years.  And it could have been crap...but it wasn't.  (If the writers of HIMYM wrote for The Mentalist, perhaps that show wouldn't be in its current predicament.  More on that another time...)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that CBS is able to get all the guest-stars to reappear - it is one of the most successful shows on TV right now.  But what gets me is how rarely I have been disappointed.  It meets my expectations - and I am a hyperactive dreamer so my expectations get pretty high.

It was a sweet episode that made me laugh and feel feelings.

Now give me some Robin Sparkle and I will be yours forever.