Season 7 of “How I Met Your Mother” premiered Monday, Sept. 19, and I must say, it was legen-wait for it-dary! With back-to-back episodes, the show came back with a bang. Episodes “The Best Man” and “The Naked Truth” take off right from where season 6 left us: Barney’s wedding.
Barney is scared that his wedding might turn out to be the worst wedding ever, at which Ted reminds Barney that there simply cannot be a more disastrous wedding than Punchy’s and how Marshall ruined it. In signature HIMYM tradition, Barney and Ted reminisce about Punchy’s wedding in flashback.
Back in time, Barney has feelings for Nora, Robin has feelings for Barney, Nora is giving Barney another chance, and Marshall and Lily are having a baby. As for Ted, he has started believing again that he will find “The One.”
. Between Robin’s truth voice, the dance sequence between Barney and Robin, Robin helping Barney talk to Nora but actually expressing her feelings for Barney without him realizing it, Ted making lame Best Man speeches and melting down at the end at each, and how Marshal ruined Barney’s wedding, “The Best Man” was the perfect beginning to an all-new season.
The premiere continued with an increased momentum in “The Naked Truth.” Marshall is offered a job at one of the foremost environmental law firms under the condition that his background check comes up clean. Trying to search his record, Marshall stumbles upon his old college avatar, the naked running “Beercules.”
In the last few seasons, I was beyond caring for Ted. I was more interested in stories about Robin, Barney, Lily and Marshall. But as promised, the show’s producers aroused my interest in Ted’s story again when Ted runs into Victoria, Ted’s love from Season one, at the Architect’s Ball, which Victoria was catering.
And it gets better! The episode that aired yesterday, “The Ducky Tie,” proved that the show’s story and direction is par excellence!
Marshall acquires a new tie with a duck pattern, which Barney despises because he finds the design unstylish. Now that Lily is pregnant, her breasts have gotten bigger, so Barney wants to see them, which both Lily and Marshall refuse. The group decides to go to “Shinjitsu,” a teppanyaki restaurant, for dinner, where Barney insults the cooking style, claiming he can do all the techniques that the chef can do with ease. Marshall becomes angry and challenges Barney to do every technique, offering permission to touch Lily’s breasts if he succeeds. If Barney fails, he must wear Marshall’s ducky tie for one year.
The only person who actually seemed interested in Ted’s story (Ted having met Victoria) was Robin as the non-linear narrative jumped back and forth between “The Ducky Tie Challenge” and Ted chancing upon his old love, Victoria. Ted, being apologetic for what he did six years back (cheating on Victoria while she was in Germany), agrees to help Victoria with her dishes. Ted makes a long-awaited apology for cheating on her, which Victoria accepts, though she is no longer angry. However, she is surprised to learn that Ted does not find it strange that he, Robin and Barney hang out every night, despite the fact that both Ted and Barney dated and broke up with Robin.
(Spoiler!) Victoria is getting married to Klaus, a classmate of hers from Germany. Ted becomes furious on learning that Victoria and Klaus got together just a day and a half after he and Victoria broke up. But deeply apologetic about what he did, they reminisce about the first time they met and end up sharing a kiss. Despite the kiss, Victoria realizes she wants to be with Klaus and tells Ted that Robin is the reason why none of his relationships worked out in the last six years – “she’s bigger in [his] world than you can imagine.”
Which makes the viewer wonder, again, if Robin could be the mother (despite the “Aunt Robin” reference already made in earlier episodes).
The episode was filled with intra-show references. The gang is able to recount all the girls that the audience has (or has not) seen Ted dating. The “bang-bang-bangity-bang” song makes its return from season 5 of the show and is sang at the Hibachi. Lily says, “you, son of a b—-,” the same way as she first did in season 5 and then again in season 6. Barney uses “hashtag” references throughout the show, hinting towards the fashion of using hashtags on Twitter. For regular viewers of the show, it’s a treat to watch these references being integrated so seamlessly in the show’s narrative, making it all the more enjoyable.
All in all, a great season premiere, and in Barney Stinson fashion, it was legendary! I’m going with 4.5/5 for “How I Met Your Mother” season 7 premiere. It certainly makes you laugh but also leaves you wanting for more.