How I Met Your Mother - Series 1 (Box Set) (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Hilarious at times, a nice thing to watch when bored
Disadvantages:	Laughter track, obvious cliched humour at times

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - SERIES 1

Intro

When I saw that Ciao had put 'How I Met Your Mother' as Product of the Week I decided that I may as well give it a watch, seeing as all the current series I've been watching have finished, and I thought this sitcom might be alright.

It's not the most well-known show, especially in the UK, and it rarely comes on to any TV channels, so I'd never come across it before. But when I looked it up, I had heard of a couple of the actors, so I went out and got the DVD. I wasn't expecting much when I started watching the first episode, but I think it's fair to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Plot

It's the year 2030, and Ted Mosby gets his son and daughter together to tell them the rather lengthy and humorous story of how he met their mother, so we flash back to 2005, where we see a 27-year old Ted living in an apartment with his two best college friends Marshall, a law student, and Lily, a kindergarten teacher. Marshall and Lily have been dating for nine years, and when Marshall proposes to Lily, there could only be one answer.

The upcoming nuptials cause Ted to reassess his own romantic life, and he decides to search for his soul mate, much to the disgust of his womanizing friend Barney. However, Barney introduces Ted to some women, and when he meets ambitious reporter Robin Scherbatsky, who he decides is 'the one' (although we learn that she's not the children's mother when he refers to her as 'Aunt Robin').

The series mostly revolves around Ted pursuing Robin, Marshall and Lily preparing for their upcoming wedding, and Barney basically being an idiot, but despite it's simple plot, it still manages to keep the audience laughing and guessing, the two essential elements of a sitcom.

Acting

Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby

Josh Radnor landed the biggest role of his career as the star of this sitcom, previously appearing in bit-parts in other American TV shows. He's a fairly similar sort of character to JD in Scrubs, and whilst he's not quite up to that level, he's still a very lovable character with a certain charm about him.

Playing the sort of 'cute-in-a-dorky-way' role, Radnor delivers a generally great performance, bringing a lot of laughs along the way. Not the funniest character in the show by any means, but a great member of the cast.

Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky

Like Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders had only appeared in a small number of American shows before this, so landing the lead female role was also a big step up for her, and she performs pretty well.

It's not the most challenging role, because in truth she's a fairly dull character compared to the other more quirky and generally strange characters on the show, but what she does have to do she does well, and is a nice addition to the cast.

Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson

Anyone who's watched Harold and Kumar will remember the cameo appearance of Neil Patrick Harris as the fictional drug-crazed, lecherous version of himself. In this he plays a classic 'jerk', a womanizer who doesn't care about the feelings of the women he left behind (which is actually quite ironic seeing as he's homosexual in real life).

But we also see a softer side to Barney, and both sides are brilliantly acted by Harris. His brilliant comic timing and some classic one-liners make Barney my favourite character by far on How I Met Your Mother, and a lot of the jokes would fall flat without some great deliverance from him.

Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen

Jason Segel is arguably the most accomplished of the five main actors, having had a successful TV career as well as starring in the lead in the film 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', but he's also a fairly uninteresting career and fails to show any real charisma in his role.

Having said that, he still definitely has some funny moments, and the acting is always quite convincing, which is obviously very important in any show. Overall he's not the best, but still a pretty good character.

Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin

Lily Aldrin's the sort of annoying 'Marmite' character that seems to appear in most shows, by which I mean you either love her or you hate her. Sadly, I hated her. I think her humour's just very hit-and-miss, and with me it completely missed, and I was mostly annoyed by her performance.

However, a lot of reviews I've read have said they loved her performance, so don't be put off. It's just that I personally found her to be a bit silly and loud, more annoying then funny, which really isn't my type of humour at all, but others loved her, so I'd advise you to make your own decision.

The humour

It goes without saying that every good comedy show needs good writing, otherwise it's going to fall flat on its face. The delivery from the actors is important, as is the way that it's portrayed by the director, but the most essential ingredient to comedy is a hilarious script.

Five minutes in, I was convinced that I was going to hate the show, as it's the sort of comedy that generally doesn't appeal to me. By this I mean a typical American type sitcom comedy, with obvious clichéd jokes and an annoying laughter track, similar to Friends in my opinion. No matter how often I try to watch Friends, I never find it particularly funny, but that's just another one of my opinions.

However, I thought that seeing as I was going to be reviewing it I might as well give it a chance, and I'm glad I did. Yes, it still does have the obvious, clichéd jokes, and yes, it still has an annoying laughter track, but amidst this is some great moments of comedic genius, especially from Neil Patrick Harris, and the general written quality of the jokes is at a fairly high standard.

It's not the funniest thing I've ever seen by any means, but good writing, directing, and acting makes this show very watchable, allowing us to quickly empathise with the characters and become drawn into the show. Not a show that you'll rush out and tell all your friends about, but still very funny in parts and overall good viewing.

Season 1

A brief synopsis of each episode:

Episode 1 - Pilot

When Ted learns of Marshall and Lily's engagement, he realises he should go out and look for his soul mate. When he meets Robin, he thinks he's found her, but he has to be careful his over-eagerness doesn't scare her away.

Episode 2 - Purple Giraffe

To try and get a second date with Robin, Ted throws a party and invites her. However, when she doesn't turn up, he persists and keeps throwing more in the hope that she'll turn up to one.

Episode 3 - Sweet Taste of Liberty

Ted agrees to let Barney spice up his love life, so the two embark on a trip to Philadelphia, where they visit the Liberty Bell, getting into a bit of trouble with the law along the way.

Episode 4 - Return of the Shirt

Ted rediscovers a shirt he's not worn for years and, pleased with his new discovery, is inspired to search for love again. Meanwhile, Barney goads Robin into saying dirty words live on air for money.

Episode 5 - Okay Awesome

Ted, Barney, and Robin check out the clubbing scene, whilst Lily and Marshall decide to engage in some more 'grown-up' activities.

Episode 6 - Slutty Pumpkin

Ted makes his yearly pilgrimage to the rooftop Halloween party to try and find a girl he met there (who was dressed as a pumpkin) many years ago. Meanwhile, Robin splits up with her boyfriend after driving them apart with her independent ways.

Episode 7 - Matchmaker

When a matchmaking company turns Ted away as incompatible, he becomes all the more determined to find his match, leading him to pursue a very cute, but very taken, dermatologist. Elsewhere, Lily and Marshall try to rid their flat of an unwanted rodent.

Episode 8 - The Duel

When Lily becomes a permanent fixture in Ted and Marshall's apartment, Ted begins to feel left out and scared, so he declares that he wants the flat when Marshall and Lily marry. This causes problems, so they decide the only way to solve their problems is with a good old-fashioned sword fight.

Episode 9 - Belly Full of Turkey

When Ted and Robin are helping to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving, they are surprised to discover that Barney is a regular volunteer at the homeless shelter. Elsewhere, Marshall and Lily pay Marshall's family a visit in Minnesota.

Episode 10 - The Pineapple Incident

With his friend's encouragement, Ted decides to let his hair down and have a night out on the town. However, he drinks a bit too much and can't remember exactly what happened that evening, and allows friends to piece together the night's events.

Episode 11 - The Limo

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Ted is eager to spend New Year's Eve with his friends, and hires a limo to take them round New York.

Episode 12 - The Wedding

Ted finally plucks up the courage to ask Robin out again, inviting her to be his 'plus one' at a wedding. However, when he bumps into the bride, he discovers that he had previously said he was coming alone, and is not allowed a guest.

Episode 13 - Drumroll please

At another wedding, there is instant attraction between Ted and another woman, but in order to keep the evening preserved in their memory, they agree not to exchange names or numbers, but Ted can't help himself, and tries to find out who she is.

Episode 14 - Zip, Zip, Zip

After a month of 'taking things slowly', Ted and his new girlfriend Victoria decide to move their relationship to the next level, and have sex, but when Marshall and Lily change their plans and stay home, things get a little difficult. Meanwhile, Robin replaces Ted as Barney's wingman for a boy's night out.

Episode 15 - Game Night

As Barney shares some of his most embarrassing secrets with his friends, we learn about what he was like before all the suits and sleeping around, and what has caused him to change

Episode 16 - Cupcake

Just as things seem to be going perfectly for Ted's relationship, Victoria gets her dream job offer which leaves her with a very difficult decision. Elsewhere, Lily ruins a wedding dress, and Barney talks Marshall into buying a very expensive suit, leaving Marshall having to interview for Barney's company to make some money, and give up his dream.

Episode 17 - Life Among the Gorillas

Marshall encounters difficulties at his new job, but learns what really matters in life. Meanwhile, Ted is convinced that Victoria is going to dump him, so when Robin invites him over, he too must make a big decision.

Episode 18 - Nothing Good Happens After 2AM

Ted faces the consequences for his decision, and his theory that 'nothing good happens after 2AM' starts to come true. Meanwhile, Barney tries to persuade Marshall and Lily that some good things do happen after 2AM.

Episode 19 - Mary the Paralegal

To hit back at Robin, Ted accepts Barney's idea of inviting a classy prostitute along to an awards ceremony as his date, in an attempt to make her jealous. Mary is certainly not quite all she seems.

Episode 20 - Best Prom Ever

With Marshall and Lily's wedding drawing closer, they decide to check out the band that Marshall has hired for the ceremony. Trouble is, the only place they're playing is a high school prom, so they'll have to sneak in.

Episode 21 - Milk

After several months of nothing, the matchmakers finally find a perfect match for the very picky Ted. But with Lily needing picking up from a secret appointment, will he get there in time?

Episode 22 - Come On

In another attempt to capture Robin's heart, Ted declares his love for her. But when he finds out she's going camping with co-worker Sandy, he decides he has to ruin the trip by making it rain. Elsewhere, Marshall and Lily have troubles when he finds out about her applying for an art internship far away.

Conclusion

The good points

--> A very watchable sitcom, one for the rainy days
--> Some hilarious moments
--> The character of Barney
--> Good writing, directing, and acting in general

The bad points

--> Annoying crowd laughter at every slight joke ruins them sometimes
--> Humour a bit obvious at times
--> There are better comedies out there (Peep Show, The Office, Extras to name but a few)

Product details

Price - £13.98 (www.amazon.co.uk)
Runtime - 484 minutes (just over 8 hours)
Number of discs - 3
Classification - UK12