Monday, March 31, 2014

How I Met Your Mother: "Last Forever"

http://www.charlesbfrench.com/2014/04/how-i-met-your-mother-last-forever.html

Quick Review: At long last, Ted finally finishes his story.

Episode Synopsis: In the series finale, Ted tells his children the conclusion to the tale of how he and their mother finally became a couple. -tvguide

Spoiler Alert. Of course, this series began with a spoiler. It's even the title of the show. You know how it ends, so why should I bother with a spoiler warning? Am I irrationally clinging to tradition? Am I trying to make my reviews seem more important than they are? Do I really like writing in bolded, red font? Perhaps. But the truth is that all we know is the end result: Ted meets The Mother. We don't know the "How" part of the title, not completely. And if there's one episode you will forever curse yourself for getting spoiled on, it's the one you've waited nine years to see. And be careful with those curses, the last thing you want is to accidentally turn yourself into an undead horror forever cursed to stalk the night and consume the flesh of the photogenic. That would definitely put a crimp in your social life.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Final Episode Moment

As you may know, How I Met Your Mother's final episode is less than a week away. (Unless you're reading this from the future. Hello to the world of the future! Do we have hover boards yet?) Final episodes are a bittersweet experience, especially if you've been watching the show since the beginning. You're sad to say goodbye, but if done right, you leave with a wonderful sense of closure.

One factor of a good final episode is that moment, the Final Episode Moment, that can't occur in any episode except the series finale. It's a moment that signals a definite end to one story, and perhaps the beginning of another one. It's a moment the show's been building towards, even if you didn't realize it. It could be something out of left field, something completely surreal, or even fourth wall breaking. There's no one rule for what makes a good Final Episode Moment, only that we know it when we see it.

So as we anticipate the Final Episode Moment of How I Met Your Mother, here's a list of eight other shows that had fantastic Final Episode Moments.(And sorry, Breaking Bad isn't on the list. Not because it didn't have a great final episode, but I'm still catching up and haven't seen the ending. My apologies, internet.)

Oh, yeah, spoiler warning.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

How I Met Your Mother: "The End of the Aisle"



Quick Review: For a big event, it's a very personal and satisfying episode.

Episode Synopsis: Half an hour before their nuptials, Barney and Robin both suffer panic attacks, while Marshall and Lily take the occasion to rewrite their original wedding vows. -tvguide

Spoiler Alert. Look, at this point in the series, do you really want to get spoiled? I know, you aren't the same viewer you were in 2005, or whenever you began watching the show. And the show is not the same as it was in 2005. That can be hard to accept, especially when the 2005 season is right at our fingertips, be it through Netflix or the DVDs on your shelf. But while it's nice to go back and relive those early days, it's important to realize that we can't live in the past. We have to accept that the show moved on, for better or worse. So what I'm saying is that this is the next to last time I've got a spoiler warning for you. Why not watch the show and then get back here. Otherwise, I'll be forced to make awful puns at you, and you will have never known such suffering. (Unless you've been through some actual suffering.)

Sunday, March 23, 2014

This review of Muppets Most Wanted



Quick Review: A worthy entry to the Muppet movie franchise. It's fun, funny, and will entertain children of all ages.

Full Review: The thing about nostalgia is that it only gets you so far. 2011's Muppet revival managed to thread the needle between nostalgia and making the Muppets relevant to the 21st Century. This collection of shorts and television appearances culminated in the amazing movie that was The Muppets. The movie's story was a classic: we need to get the gang back together. At the end of the movie, of course, we see that the gang is indeed back together. Credits roll. The end.

But it wasn't just the end. It was the beginning of an entirely new Muppet franchise. And therein lies the problem. Once the Muppets were back, what happens then? Where do they go from there? The first movie didn't have to answer that question. It didn't need to, as it was mainly focused on celebrating the past and letting us know that these characters are still relevant. The sequel, however, has to do the heavy lifting of continuing on from there.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

How I Met Your Mother: Gary Blauman

Quick Review: A cute premise with great fan service

Episode Synopsis: The wedding-day arrival of enigmatic Gary Blauman throws the gang into an uproar as they all recall their various encounters with him. -tvguide

Spoiler Alert. I know, I do this every time and it probably was never neccesary. But I remain committed to warning you about the spoilers that lurk below. I will not shirk that duty, not even in my antepenultimate spoiler warning. You like that word? I like it. I'm also a fan of penultimate, and I might even use it next week. Honestly, both of those words are far too underutilized in today's society. That's not to say I haven't seen them pop up from time to time, but those instances are few and far between. I think it's time for a revival of these words. Of course, that might take some time. What will take less time is watching the episode before continuing on, in case you want to avoid being spoiled.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

How I Met Your Mother: "Daisy"



Quick Review: A superb episode, finally ending one of this season's long-running plots.

Episode Synopsis: Marshall recruits Ted and Barney to help him to get to the bottom of the mystery of where Lily disappeared to when she bolted in the middle of their argument.  -tvguide

Spoiler Alert. I know, every week I keep telling you that there are spoilers ahead. And that's because these reviews are a lot like Lily - they can't keep a secret. Seriously, if it happens in the episode, there's a good chance this review will say something about it. That's why you don't want to tell this review any of your secrets, because it's going to blab them. It's a great review in many other ways, I've gotten to know them over the past 3 years, but that doesn't mean I trust it not to spoil things for you. So if you have any secrets you feel you have to get off your chest, don't tell it to my review; that information is not safe.

Monday, March 3, 2014

How I Met Your Mother: "Vesuvius"



Quick Review: A weightier episode than it seems

Episode Synopsis: Lily and Robin have a wedding-day disagreement; Barney is fit to be tied over what suit to wear; and the gang screens a film Ted told them not to watch. -tvguide

Spoiler alert. Trust me, you don't want to ignore this one. I know, you didn't ignore the spoiler alerts when you read the reviews of Doctor MD and Police Cop. That wasn't a big deal, though, because those were terrible movies. However, I know you regret getting spoiled on the big twist of White House President. Everyone was talking about how their minds were blown, but you went and spoiled yourself and had to pretend to be amazed. And now you walk around, wondering if people know you were just faking that amazement. It's a heavy burden, I know, which is why I'm telling you to think very hard about getting spoiled for this episode. I worry about you.