This one is easily the best episode of season 6 so far and one of my favorite episodes of the whole series. This is one of the rare cases where all main characters are equally represented in three equally strong story lines that all provide good laughs as well as more serious, emotional moments.
Let's start with Ted. He unexpectedly runs into his arch-enemy Zoey as the gang is invited to a high class event at the Natural History Museum, courtesy of GNB. As it turns out, she is married to an old rich man who calls himself The Captain. Ted is visibly excited upon learning about this new side of her and can't stop mocking her and her elitist friends, which results in great hilarity. This is the funniest and wittiest Ted we have seen in a long time. I love him in this role. Sadly, he soon falls for Zoey's fake tears and gets tricked into talking trash about GNB and his own project, which is disappointing to watch and the only low point in an otherwise brilliant episode. He makes up for it in his following exchange with The Captain, a well written dialogue delivered by two great characters.
Marshall and Lily take on a more serious issue. While working at GNB, Marshall has lost part of his idealistic attitude and has put off his plans of working in environmental law. Lily is worried about this change in his attitude, partly because he spends so many hours at his job and partly because she fears that this change might affect some of his other views as well. A realistic portrayal of a relatable problem. And yet the writers manage to get some hilarious moments out of that storyline, mostly via an imaginary conversation between Lily and "College Marshall". As it turns out, Marshall has not changed when it comes to their relationship, and Lily has to accept that he is "Corporate Marshall" at this point in his life. But that might not be the end of the story after all...
But the best part of the episode is once again the Barney and Robin storyline. It starts out as a funny but harmless little filler piece. They dare each other to touch and play with exhibits, and as Neil Patrick Harris is involved, of course there are some good laughs. And I have to say, although I didn't like their stint as a couple in season 5 (though that wasn't the only thing I didn't like about season 5), that Barney and Robin have great chemistry here. Eventually they get caught by a security officer, who then rambles on about all the pranks and shenanigans he has seen since working at the museum, including dinosaurs from the cretaceous period hanging out with dinosaurs from the jurassic period. This is one of my favorite jokes of the episode, as it is both a nod at the "cats and dogs living together" line from Ghostbusters and a hilarious reference of a common mistake in dinosaur-themed movies and even museums. And then, out of nowhere, a revelation that entirely changes the tone and leads into a serious and emotional finale. A final masterstroke that takes an already thoroughly funny and well-balanced episode to another level.
Let's start with Ted. He unexpectedly runs into his arch-enemy Zoey as the gang is invited to a high class event at the Natural History Museum, courtesy of GNB. As it turns out, she is married to an old rich man who calls himself The Captain. Ted is visibly excited upon learning about this new side of her and can't stop mocking her and her elitist friends, which results in great hilarity. This is the funniest and wittiest Ted we have seen in a long time. I love him in this role. Sadly, he soon falls for Zoey's fake tears and gets tricked into talking trash about GNB and his own project, which is disappointing to watch and the only low point in an otherwise brilliant episode. He makes up for it in his following exchange with The Captain, a well written dialogue delivered by two great characters.
Marshall and Lily take on a more serious issue. While working at GNB, Marshall has lost part of his idealistic attitude and has put off his plans of working in environmental law. Lily is worried about this change in his attitude, partly because he spends so many hours at his job and partly because she fears that this change might affect some of his other views as well. A realistic portrayal of a relatable problem. And yet the writers manage to get some hilarious moments out of that storyline, mostly via an imaginary conversation between Lily and "College Marshall". As it turns out, Marshall has not changed when it comes to their relationship, and Lily has to accept that he is "Corporate Marshall" at this point in his life. But that might not be the end of the story after all...
But the best part of the episode is once again the Barney and Robin storyline. It starts out as a funny but harmless little filler piece. They dare each other to touch and play with exhibits, and as Neil Patrick Harris is involved, of course there are some good laughs. And I have to say, although I didn't like their stint as a couple in season 5 (though that wasn't the only thing I didn't like about season 5), that Barney and Robin have great chemistry here. Eventually they get caught by a security officer, who then rambles on about all the pranks and shenanigans he has seen since working at the museum, including dinosaurs from the cretaceous period hanging out with dinosaurs from the jurassic period. This is one of my favorite jokes of the episode, as it is both a nod at the "cats and dogs living together" line from Ghostbusters and a hilarious reference of a common mistake in dinosaur-themed movies and even museums. And then, out of nowhere, a revelation that entirely changes the tone and leads into a serious and emotional finale. A final masterstroke that takes an already thoroughly funny and well-balanced episode to another level.
