So if you know me you know I'm obsessed with How I Met Your Mother. Since April I have watched seasons 1-8 twice. Also if any of you spoil the season nine finale I will hunt you down, stab you, disfigure your body so no one can even identify you, have hungry canines eat your flesh, dip your bones in sulfuric acid, and then dump what's left of you somewhere no one will ever find it. So don't say I didn't warn you.
Anyways...
I've been thinking a lot about the show. It's weird watching it all in the span of 3 weeks. Everything is so connected and the characters come in and out of life and it's amazing to see how stuff develops over time. Like my feelings for the characters constantly changes. So this all makes sense I have to go back a few months.
So to put in context, my friend and I made an observation. We were trying to decide what character we were most like when we realized that every character is an exaggeration of a real life characteristic. For example, Barney is an exaggerated player while Ted is an exaggerated romantic. There are a few people who in real life may have nailed 200 girls or may have stolen a blue french horn but most people haven't.
Also a personal observation, while most stories take years to develop characters, How I Met your Mother introduces them for who they are from the first episode. From the start we learn Ted is a hopeless romantic who is willing to do anything for love, Lily and Marshall are the married couple who bring sense and sensibility to the show, but also provide humor in through their romantic life (which is totally adorable, though at times exaggerated). So we know the characters as who they are right from the start, and that makes them more real in a sense. Even though they have extreme characteristics, we know who they are as people.
They're instantly in your friend group because you know the basics about who they are and you'll learn more secrets over the course of 9 seasons. It's why the show is so popular. By maintaining characters that you can develop bonds with from the start it makes each of their following stories like personal secrets. It doesn't feel like you're watching a show about 5 strangers, it feels like you're sitting in MacLaren's listening to Robin's crazy day at Channel 12 or at the apartment watching the superbowl. You feel connected to these characters.
But in real life we aren't just one amplified characteristic. We're a mix of different personalities. No one's just a Marshall or just a Lily. Everyone is a changing HIMYM smoothie. First round through the show I used to think I was a blend of Ted and Barney with a dash of Lily. I used to think I wanted to find "The One" but I also had a more adventurous side that would jump from guy to guy, and like Lily I was kind of like the mother of the group with people always coming up to me for advice. But then over the summer I realized I hated Ted. I can't imagine why someone would waste their life trying to find a singular person that they just miraculously know they're going to marry some day. But I didn't want what Barney had either. His lifestyle made him more unhappy than he let on. I became super envious of Lily and Marshall.They seemed like the perfect couple. Best friends and together since 1996. I wanted that. But I also liked the idea of just not knowing what was going to happen in my future; focusing on my career. I became a blend of Robin and Lily with a side of Marshall (I relate more closely to Lily for personal reasons). But then I continued watching and got to the point where Robin and Barney couldn't have the talk and I realized I wouldn't be able to be like her either. So what was I? I thought about it and talked about it with many friends and realized I knew exactly the right blend from the start. I was a mix of Lily and Barney with a dash of Ted. Now you might think but wait I thought you didn't like Ted and Barney?
But the thing is I gave their lifestyles a cursory analysis. Sure Barney may have slept with hundreds
of girls but went it got to the one he cared about, he was there for her. I want to be like that. But at the same time I understand Ted, he's at a point where he's lived most of his crazy life. He has some sort of stability; he has a job and a home, in his mind all that's missing from the picture is a pretty little wife. At one point in my life I want to be like him. And besides that short period of time when Aly was off giving birth, I love Lily. She's sincere to the core, a great and loyal friend, but she also sometimes lets loose a wild crazy side that leaves Barney bewildered (watch NPH's facial expressions anytime Lily mentions any of her fantasies) and that's the person I want to be.
Anyways...
I've been thinking a lot about the show. It's weird watching it all in the span of 3 weeks. Everything is so connected and the characters come in and out of life and it's amazing to see how stuff develops over time. Like my feelings for the characters constantly changes. So this all makes sense I have to go back a few months.
So to put in context, my friend and I made an observation. We were trying to decide what character we were most like when we realized that every character is an exaggeration of a real life characteristic. For example, Barney is an exaggerated player while Ted is an exaggerated romantic. There are a few people who in real life may have nailed 200 girls or may have stolen a blue french horn but most people haven't.Also a personal observation, while most stories take years to develop characters, How I Met your Mother introduces them for who they are from the first episode. From the start we learn Ted is a hopeless romantic who is willing to do anything for love, Lily and Marshall are the married couple who bring sense and sensibility to the show, but also provide humor in through their romantic life (which is totally adorable, though at times exaggerated). So we know the characters as who they are right from the start, and that makes them more real in a sense. Even though they have extreme characteristics, we know who they are as people.
They're instantly in your friend group because you know the basics about who they are and you'll learn more secrets over the course of 9 seasons. It's why the show is so popular. By maintaining characters that you can develop bonds with from the start it makes each of their following stories like personal secrets. It doesn't feel like you're watching a show about 5 strangers, it feels like you're sitting in MacLaren's listening to Robin's crazy day at Channel 12 or at the apartment watching the superbowl. You feel connected to these characters.
But the thing is I gave their lifestyles a cursory analysis. Sure Barney may have slept with hundreds
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