How I Met Your Mother – “Ring Up!”

Season Eight, Episode Fourteen

Grade: B

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So where did HIMYM go post-engagement for Robin and Barney? Well, Robin’s engagement ring is causing her to be invisible in New York City and Barney is detoxing from his one-night stands. These stories definitely fit right in with the characters, but how will the rest of the cast react?

But let’s begin with our main character. Ted, who performed a less extravagant ploy (than Barney) to sleep with a hot chick. All he had to do was buy a leather bracelet and BAM. He finds out this 20 1/2 year old is into older guy, but can’t seal the deal without having at least something in common with her. When all is lost, he finds out she’s a fan of Star Wars (even though she’s only seem it once)!

Side Note: There were quite a few references to “geeky” movie franchises. Aside from the R2D2 text tone, Marshall made comparisons to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, which Robin quickly threw aside as things for geeks and virgins.

Anyway, this episode contained a small musical number, a makeshift wedding in Barney’s home, and an allergic reaction to Marshall for wearing the leather bracelet. But if there was something that put the fans of HIMYM to rest, it was that Carly (Ashely Benson) is NOT Ted’s future wife. So may that much-talked-about theory be put to rest.

I enjoyed a lot about this episode. Barney’s story-line was my favorite from when he had to detox from his one night stands, but needed Ted to go through with this just so he felt better, then finding out that she was his half-sister… Gold! But the way they concluded the story seemed very rushed. Oh, Barney doesn’t want Ted sleeping with his half-sister? He’s cured! That didn’t cut it for me.

Ted’s the only one left in the group that can have these random, casual hook-ups, so expect most of the old HIMYM humor to be driven by him. As for the married couple, their story felt disconnected from the rest of the group’s yet again. Robin’s story was the silliest, but I was satisfied on how it played out. Overall, a good but not great episode.