While the humor is in a different class all to its own, the real reason this show is such a gem is that, at the core, it has a heart. The backbone of the show is its main character Ted. The entire show is about the stories and events that lead up to the point where he met the woman who would be the mother of his two children. Ted is a true, die hard romantic at heart. Unlike most people, Ted goes to any length just to achieve the happiness he knows he wants. Along the way it leads to a lot of failure and rejection, at the same time, Ted learns so much as an adult. His never say die attitude can be seen as crazy to some but to others, it's a sincere quest for one man to find happiness within someone else.
Ted's room mate Marshall is engaged to his long time girlfriend Lily. As of recently, they've only played supporting cast members, but now, their relationship is being brought to the forefront. While the show examines how hard life is for someone trying to find love, at the same time, Marshall and Lily's relationship examines how hard being in love can be. At the opposite side of both sets of characters is Barney. The quick witted, lady lover. While Barney is largely seen as a source of comedy in the show, at the same time, he's everyone's true voice of reason. While Barney seems to be the easy come easy go bachlor, throughout all that, he is experienced in handling life and people. Ted's never been in a true long lasting relationship and Marshall and Lily have been dating for years. Barney's varied life experiences account for a lot of the knowledge passed down to his friends.
Throughout the series, Ted goes through a bunch of different girls and twice in the series, it was led to believe he's found the one. While the first, Robin, eventually stopped having feelings for Ted, considering she has a different view on life, Ted got to meet Victoria instead. It was there that everyone thought things would finally stay. Victoria was then offered a life changing experience that she had to take, ultimately ending their relationship. It was then that the series progressed and Ted's still undenying love for Robin resurfaced. At the same time, Marshall and Lily have been planning a wedding. It's at this point that the show shifts more towards the true drama that is a part of love.
Without spoiling so much, last night's episode was probably the most impactful. I am not the type to really enjoying hearing semi-well known songs in my TV shows, but at the climax of the show, they played "Bluest Light" from Bloc Party and it really made the ending all the more impactful. However, what also happened at the end was so unexpected.
I've never wanted to be so happy for one thing and at the same time, been so shocked by something else that I almost wanted to cry from a sitcom. If DVDs ever come out for this show, it's definetly worth seeing. Neil Patrick Harris as Barney is absolutely one of the best supporting characters in a sitcom. As far as the drama of the show goes, it is very slow going. What really carries the show through the first dozen shows is the humor and the understanding of each character. It hasn't been until recently that the show became more serious and filled with emotion. This is definetly one of the better sitcoms I've seen in a while.
Season 1 of Prison Break just ended tonight.
There's SO many praises I can go on about concerning the show, but I'd like to say this: For a show this damn good, this damn suspenseful and this well written, they hands down, create the WORST cliff hangers to end on. The first break they did, over the winter was such a "wait, you can't just end it there," and the season finally was just a big "oh, you got to be kidding me!"
Asides from that, the show delivers in every way possible. The show is so suspenseful that sometimes I wish I could just fast foward it or read what happens. The show gets you SO on edge that you can't take it. You really feel as scared and worried as the cast. This is definetly another show worth the watch.
