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HIMYM 8.21

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The previous episode was the emotional cliff-hanger that HIMYM has become known for. It gripped us to the point that we were anxious to know what was going to happen in those extra 45 days before Ted met Mother, and for the moment when we could stop referring to her as “Mother.”

This episode, while it may have been a necessary evil, really did not do much to move the story along. It did not fulfill the emotional cliffhanger we were left with. If anything, it has left us with more questions, especially knowing there are only about three episodes left to this season and the show has been renewed for a 9th season.

As the episode opens, Ted’s voiceover is describing how Marshall and Lily’s life. He says, “Life was a well oiled machine.” Which is the first clue that something is about to change. The Captain calls Lily to inform her that he is going to Rome for a year and wants Lily to come with him. Lily freaks out a little bit. She can’t even imagine that he would ask her to make such a move when she has a baby and a husband with a great job. Without talking with Marshall first, she declines the offer. When she goes to surprise Marshall at work, she quickly learns that Marshall’s great job isn’t all that great.

Marshall convinces the Captain to offer the job to Lily again, which he does. But Lily declines the offer once more. While Lily says no a second time, Marshall is in Little Italy preparing himself for his new home. After some urging from her friends, Lily finally talks to Marshall and they decide that they will in fact move to Rome.

What does this mean for season 9? Is it possible to have Marshall and Lily in Rome while the others are in New York, especially when Ted meets Mother? Or will Ted meet Mother before the end of the season 8?

In the meantime, Ted and Barney are at MacLaren’s when a woman Ted recognizes from his yoga class walks in. According to Ted, her body is “redonkulous.” But she is wearing a huge winter coat. Barney becomes almost obsessed with finding a way to get her to take her coat off to see how “redonkulous” she is. Turns out, she is Robin and Barney’s wedding planner. Barney eventually asks her if she wants to take her coat off, showing confidence in his love for and relationship with Robin.

Is this woman in the oversize coat the Mother? Or she is just a distraction? And for those fans who are longing for Ted and Robin to get back together, there was this small exchange between Ted and Barney:

Ted warns Barney that he should be careful how he acts around Robin. Barney very boldly and sternly replies, “You’re not getting married in three weeks, Ted. I am. Robin’s marrying me, not you.” And that put an end to Ted offering Barney advice.

Is this some strange foreshadowing on the writers part? We have been promised a wedding, but will we get a marriage?

We never know for certain what life will throw our way. But each of us has a vocation, a calling, a purpose in life. It is challenging, as Lily experienced in this episode, to discern that vocation. And if we’re lucky, we have a spouse or a friend who will sit with us on the sidewalk as we ponder our way through what God is calling us to. Thank God for those sidewalk sitters in our lives.

 

Castle 5.15 & 5.16

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As “Target” (episode 15) starts, Alexis is gone. To college. Martha makes Alexis’ favorite pancakes because she misses Alexis so much. Castle is trying to be the parent who successfully lets his child leave the nest. But when there is a murder of someone who is supposedly a student at Alexis’ university, it becomes difficult for Castle to “let go.” As the case unfolds, it is believed that a young Egyptian student was kidnapped. The victim was hired as a discrete bodyguard. Her father is extremely wealthy. As they continue the investigation, they find out that Alexis knows the kidnapped girl, and has been kidnapped as well. Was Alexis in the wrong place at the wrong time?

This two-part episode is intense. Nathan Fillon delivers as a dad who is emotionally torn. We have not seen this side of Castle. And while we often prefer the silly side of Nathan Fillon, this was a good side to experience. More importantly, it added another layer of Richard Castle that we can relate to.

A ransom is offered for the two girls, but only one girl is delivered. Alexis is still missing. When it seems evident that the FBI are not going to do a whole lot after they find out that the girls are being held in Paris, Castle goes to the city. He meets up with a man who helped with research for a Derek Storm novel, who sets him up with a guy who seems to know a lot about everything. The guy is able to track down where they were holding Alexis, but they had already moved Alexis.

The drama continues as the guy Castle hires turns him over to the kidnappers. The whole thing doesn’t make a lot of sense. And it only gets crazier. Beckett learns that Alexis was the target from the beginning. She cannot get through to Castle to let him know. But, he’s learning from his . . .wait for it . . . father.

ABC

ABC

The mystery man in Castle’s life has finally revealed himself. James Brolin plays the spy. The initial moment is too much for Castle, he is torn between “oh my gosh,  you’re my father,” and “we need to save Alexis.” His father knows so much about him and Castle knows very little about his father. But, they set that aside to work together to rescue Alexis. And they do, following Castle’s father’s plan. And eventually Castle gets Alexis home where there is a package awaiting for him. It is a copy of Casino Royale. He learned from his father that the last time they saw each other was when Castle was 10 and his father helped him pick out Casino Royale at the library. The book that made Castle want to be a writer.

Does this mean we will see more of James Brolin? Will get to find out more about Castle’s father? It seems that this has been the last missing piece to who Castle is. Much as Kate’s mother’s death haunted her, the identity of Castle’s father loomed over him. There have been episodes where you got the sense that Castle was uncomfortable without this knowledge. In the little bit of time we had to learn about Castle’s father, I think we got a better sense of who Castle is, like why he wanted to become a writer.

But, we needed more than we got too. I hope that the writers give us more of this relationship.

HIMYM 8.20

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CBS

“The Time Travelers” has to be one of the better episodes of HIMYM. It combines the creative, funny storytelling with the deeply moving storytelling. Two reasons that make the show what it is. It starts off with Ted and Barney sitting at their booth discussing going to see robots verses wrestlers. Then, 20 years from now Barney and Ted show up to convince Ted he should go to robots verses wrestlers.

Not to be out done, 20 hours from now Ted shows up with a hangover to convince Ted not to go to robots verses wrestlers. Then, 20 minutes from now Barney shows up to try and stop Barney from making a mess with his food, but also to get Ted to pay attention to who walks through the door. It is coat check girl from seven years ago, played by Jayma Mays (from Glee). Ted questions if he should go talk to her, and all of the Teds and Barneys yell, “Yes!”

On his way to talk to Coat Check Girl, Ted is distracted by 20 months from now Coat Check Girls. Yep, girls. Neither she will be so desperate to keep Ted she becomes some what obsessive or she will become so disgusted with Ted she will break it off. When Ted goes back to his booth, he learns from Barney that the whole thing has been a memory. It didn’t actually happen. “Ted, you’re all alone,” Memory Barney tells him.

And that’s the reality that pulls us in. Ted is alone. We have all been there. Everyone else around us is with someone, has found their partner in life, and we are still sitting in the booth alone. Wondering if we will ever find that joy.

Ted tells his kids that if could have done this or he could have done that. But if he could travel through time, what it would do would be to run through the streets of New York, into an apartment building, and knock on the door of 7A, which we can only assume is the apartment of Coat Check Girl. But, we don’t know. Whoever opens the door, is not made known to us. Ted, though, gives one of his best Ted speeches yet, making it one of the best show endings.

Hi. I’m Ted Mosby, and exactly 45 days from now, you and I are going to meet… and we’re going to fall in love. And we’re going to get married. . . .I want those extra 45 days. I love you. I’m always going to love you. To the end of my days and beyond.

These closing minutes of the episode offer us hope that the show will be able to deliver on the emotional goods. But how long will be the 45 days be? How will we have to wait to finally meet The Mother. And Ted’s poor kids, this has been a loooong story.

If you could go back into time to do something differently in a relationship, what would you do? Sometimes we think if we could just see 20 minutes from now, 20 months from now, 20 years from now, it will change everything. But how much will it change? If Ted teaches us anything, this looong story was worth it. Look at all the experiences Ted has gleaned, all the stupid things he will never do again. Ted has a story worth telling. If he skipped it all, we wouldn’t have this story.

Castle 5.12

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A Girls Gone Wild producer is found murdered in a night club bathroom. Strangled. With a bra. And the crew is not lacking in suspects. One of which is Scarlett, played by Kelly Hu. Scarlett catches Eposito’s eyes, and we have to wonder, will Eposito’s judgement be affected. Scarlett seems to have uncovered a video that features one of her friends.

This episode was not the smoothest of Castle episodes. A few things just didn’t add up and the flow was a little off. But the kicker was when Castle learns that Alexis has her own Vlog (a video blog). It has to be a set up for future episodes. Castle’s reaction may be a little bit of an over reaction. But considering what Castle has been exposes to in this case, its understandable. When you put yourself out there for all the world to see, there is no telling who might find you.

We all have a story to tell. And telling our stories, as Dean Borgman as often pointed out, can promote healing. For some a medium like blogging can be a way to achieve that.  But, precaution is a good thing. Writing helps me, for example, process the many things that are going through my head and heart. And sometimes when I don’t write, like the last few months, my thoughts and feelings get clogged up. I need to unclog it, and the more I write, the more pours out of me. But I am fully aware that the only filter this medium has, is myself. I choose how much that is going through my head and heart is posted for all the world to see.

I think it is helpful to remind teenagers that when they use social media to tell their story, to remember to post only what you really want people to see. Think through what you’re processing before you post it. Do not share personal information about yourself or your family. And, for that matter, don’t post things on behalf of your family members. Tell your story, let them tell theirs (unless they give you permission). Cite your work, for example, a lot of these suggestions come from the site Teen Learning 2.0.

Blog, vlog, tweet, post responsibly.

Castle 5.11

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Remember the emotionally charged cases that shaped the first season or two of Caste? Under the Influence was such an episode.  A DJ named Holly is found murdered. As the team begins to piece the case together, they learn that on certain gigs, Holly worked with a young man nicknamed Monster, whom Castle calls Cookie Monster, because of his age. He is a high school who has been working for a man named Shane, who at best is a mob boss. Monster, whose name is Joey, has been skipping school and getting involved in other questionable things.

This is one of those episodes when we don’t worry too much how whether or not they will get the bad guy, because we know they will. The investigation sets up to give us a chance to learn more about Esposito. The relationship that develops between Esposito and Joey reminds me of the relationship with Dick Tracy and the Kid. Esposito finds himself caring deeply for Joey. He goes the extra mile to take him in for a night to keep from being shipped to another foster home.  Even when Joey escapes through a window in Esposito’s place, Esposito still makes the teen a priority.

Esposito hits on what so many churches are missing these days. Churches for some reason expect young people to just come to church and to be “good, little Christians.” But, without wisdom guides and mentors. Young people need adults in their lives who will love them as they are, not as they think they “should be.” As Kenda Creasy Dean has pointed out for years, a partnership between adolescents and adults provides adolescents a means to be part of the broader Christian community. And isn’t that we want?

For so long the church has drawn an invisible line between “us” and “them,” the “saved” and the “unsaved,” the “adults” and the “youth.” Dean Borgman writes, “We often fail when we try to drag them into our world, teach them our values, and share our faith in our cultural way. It is we who must make a radical jump across class or culture to enter another world.” Jesus was the mode for this. Jesus did not draw lines between him and others. He erased the line. He did not drag others into his world, he entered theirs, and loved them where they were.

Eposito models this for us in this episode. If groups of people – or the church – did what Eposito did more often, our churches would be flooded with young people answering God’s call upon their lives.

HIMYM 8.19

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CBS

CBS

Last week’s episode had references to the film Weekend at Bernie’s. This week’s is loaded with references to Superman. “The Fortress” refers to Barney’s apartment. Weeks away from the wedding, Robin and Barney must make some tough decisions. Where to live is one of them. They agree to look for a new place to live, and put Barney’s place up for sale. Barney is uncomfortable with all of this. He has invested so much into his apartment with all of its gadgets (patent pending). Barney loves Robin and wants to look for a new place to support her, but he really likes his place.

Meanwhile, Marshall is lamenting that Lily is working so much. Since we took this new job as an art consultant (and buyer) for the Captain, she is hardly at home anymore. Marshall feels like a single dad. Lily has left behind being a kindergarten teacher to live in the art world. Lily has always struggled with this artsy side of herself, and while I’m glad Lily has found herself, I’m concerned that it was either this or be a teacher. Is being a teacher really the alternative we want to communicate?

Anyway. Marshall and Ted start watching “Woodworthy Manor” (ahem “Downton Abby”) and decide when they go to an open house at Barney’s place, to prepare to be a gay, British couple. Marshall does it to make a point with Lily that she has not been around. She has been late to everything, and whenever they do get some time together, the Captain calls and Lily runs off. Ted is doing it, because .. . he’s Ted. He meets a young woman who thinks he is so cute, and that it is a shame that he is gay. But they still end up in the closet making out. Ted quickly falls back into the routine he was in, pretending to be someone he is not. What happened to, “I’m ready to settle down”?

Barney comes to terms with the apartment, and tells Robin that it was his fortress of solitude, but he doesn’t need solitude anymore. He wants to be with Robin. Robin, in the meantime, has taken the apartment off the market. “If I ask you to change too many things about you,” she tells him, “you won’t be the man I fell in love with.” Lily and Marshall are spending time together after the open house, and the Captain calls. She tells him no, that she needs to spend time with her husband.

Robin and Lily show us the importance of comprise and saying no. Relationships are hard, and they need boundaries. Relationships require external forces to be told “no.” And relationships require comprise. It’s not about me or you, it’s about us. And if it’s about us, comprise is needed.

HIMYM 8.18

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In “Weekend at Barney’s”, Ted plans to bring Jeannette to Barney and Robin’s wedding. In an effort to help him, Barney plans to walk Ted through a number of plays from the infamous Playbook. Yes, the Playbook we all thought Barney burned. Turns out, he kept it the original. When Robin finds out about the Playbook still in existence, she is, to say the least, upset. Barney runs after her and explains that of course he lied. That is all he has known for the last eight years. But the one truth that trumps all lies is that he loves Robin.

Jeannette, on the other name, is less reasonable than Robin. She finds out about the Playbook, and simply goes nuts. A few episodes back we got a hint that Jeannette would go crazy enough for Ted to finally say, “That’s enough.” Well, this is it. It’s all because of the Playbook.  The Playbook is officially burned. Jeannette sets it on fire using Barney’s fireworks. With everything going boom as it falls out of Ted’s apartment, he says words that we have been waiting to hear, “No more dating. I’m ready to settle down.”

This episode showed the quality acting by Josh Radnor (Ted) and Jason Segel (Marshall). Radnor does some pretty crazy things following Barney’s Plays. In one scene he is standing in the bar wearing a hospital gown attempting to pick a girl. Barney wants him to say, “penis,” and Ted refuses. While standing in front of the girl, Ted carries on a conversation with Barney that only he can hear. Radnor does a brilliant performance.

Segel as Marshall is trying to make friends and help Lily out at her first art gallery working for her new boss. Convinced there will be no food there, he brings Skittles with him. In a moment when the artists is dedicating his work to his dead grandmother, he asks for a moment of silence. Marshall stands in the back of the room, determined to be supportive of Lily, when suddenly his Skittles start falling onto the floor out of his coat. Marshall does not move. Segel’s humor is often communicated through his body and facial expressions. Here, he makes us laugh by being still, committed to his effort to support Lily.

The episode ends with the whole gang sitting on the side of the street watching Ted’s belongings fall from the window above. This is just another great example and visual of what this show is about. Community. This image of these four friends sitting on the side of the street supporting their fifth friend is what the church should look like. This is the image of small group ministry, supporting one another in times of struggle and pain and grief. If you wonder why young people struggle with the church today, it may be because the church is missing this element of being community.

HIMYM 8.17

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CBS

CBS

“The Ashtray” centers around the appearance of the Captain, a character we haven’t seen in a while since Ted brought it off with the Captain’s ex-wife Zoe. The Captain wants Ted to call him back and Ted thinks it has something to do with Zoe. When he finally talks to the Captain, he just wants Robin’s number. So, Ted gives him Robin’s number. When Robin finally talks to the Captain, the Captain is actually looking for Lily. So, Robin gives him Lily’s number.

The way Lily retells the story about when they last saw the Captain is completely different than the way that Ted and Robin tell the story. Turns out that Lily really liked an elephant painting that everyone else, including the Captain, thought was crazy. “You’re just a kindergarten teacher,” he tells Lily. Lily, upset beyond measure over the jerkiness of the Captain, takes his expensive ashtray that Robin and Ted almost broke.  Lily thinks that the Captain is calling because she has his ashtray.

This is followed by a beautiful moment between Marshall and Lily. Lily is struggling with her vocation. She is a great kindergarten teacher. But she has always wanted to do more with her art history degree. She feels like she is wasting it away. “I am just a kindergarten teacher,” she tells Marshall. Marshall assures her that she is not just anything. She is Lily.

Turns out that the Captain went back and bought the elephant painting that Lily liked so much. And in the year and a half since he bought it, the artists has exploded. The Captain was able to sell the elephant painting for thousands of dollars. He was trying to get a hold of Lily to ask her to be his new art consultant. She was the only one who saw the potential in the elephant artists.

So many of us have been, or will be, where Lily is. Is this what God had in plan for us? Is this my vocation? Is this my purpose? It reminds me of Abraham in Genesis 12, when God calls him to “go.” Go where? “Go to the land I will show you.” Abraham isn’t given a road map or a GPS. He just has to go until God tells him, “You’ve made it.”

Too often that’s how it feels when we are fulfilling our calling or vocation in life. We go through life until we feel like we’ve heard, “You’ve made it.”  Lily hears it when she is offered a consultant job, which she accepts.

HIMYM 8.16

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“Bad Crazy” just confirms that Ted is his own worse enemy. The only thing holding him back from a committed relationship and finally finding “your mother” is himself. Saturday Night Live‘s Abby Elliot guest stars as Jeanette, who turns out is a police officer and slightly crazy. And it doesn’t look like this is the last time we’ll see her either. The guys tell Ted he should break up with her. Lily finally tells him to stay with her. Because Ted’s in a crazy stage right now. “And when it all comes down in flames,” Lily tells him, “and it will, we’ll be here for you.”

This is what the show has always been about. It is the essence of what community is. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:16, that when one suffers, we all suffer. When one cries, we all cry. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. This is Paul’s image of the Body of Christ – the faith community. This is what the HIMYM gang not only tell us, about show us. When it all comes down in flames – and we all know that it will one day – we have a community who is there for us. Who is your community?

The other story line in this episode was about Robin’s discomfort in holding little Marvin. It has been eight months and Robin has successfully avoided holding the baby. When she and Lily are out one day, Lily leaves Marvin with Robin alone. Marvin starts to cry and Robin isn’t sure what to do. She relies on the kindness of a stranger to help her. It takes Robin seventeen years to tell Lily the whole story, including that the kind “old woman” was really Mike Tyson. The episode ends with Lily handing Marvin off to Robin while Robin is talking, and it takes a few seconds before Robin realizes that she is holding the baby. A first for her. And one that was not as scary as she thought it would be.

Robin is like so many of us, the less we focus on the scary, the less scary it is.

HIMYM 8.14

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In “Ring Up,” Ted’s new girlfriend is 20 1/2. The gang can already tell that the relationship is doomed. Ted is trying to be someone he is not. Barney encourages Ted to go for it with the 20 year old. Until he finds out that the 20 year old is his half-sister. When Barney finds out that it is his sister, he calls a stop to it! We have been watching Barney transform for awhile now, and it seems that the transformation is complete. He no longer sees a need to pretend to be someone he is not just get with the girl or to get what he wants.

Robin has gotten her engagement ring back after getting it re-sized  But after her first day of wearing it, she realizes that things are different. People are treating her different. Marshall and Lily point out to her that it is the ring. The ring has power. Now that she has an engagement ring on her finger, men are not buying her drinks, her coffee is not free, and so forth. At first, this is difficult for Robin, her daily lifestyle is changing. But Robin comes to realize the true power of the ring.

Ted continues to be someone he is not to be with a girl – any girl. Which leaves us wondering how on earth he ever did meet the mother. Who will be the woman who will make it okay for Ted to be Ted? When will the need for the charades end?

In 1 Samuel 16:7, God sends Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint the new king of Israel who will know will be David. God’s instructions to Samuel is to not look on his countenance or height or stature, but God looks on the heart.  This reminds us that what is on the outside is not nearly as important as to what is on the inside. It’s the whole, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” thing.

By trying so hard to be someone he is not, just to simply meet girls, Ted is not giving anyone, including himself, a chance to see the real Ted. Of course, we’ve seen this from Ted before. The pattern is that Ted loses the girl because he can’t keep up the charade, or he has to come clean and be honest with her. Week after week we wonder if Ted will ever get it.  Will he ever just be himself? Will he ever stop looking in all the wrong places and see the girl with the yellow umbrella?

But, honestly, when we will ever get it? When we will just be ourselves? When we will stop judging ourselves and others by our covers? When we will start seeing ourselves and each other for our hearts?

 

Castle 5.10

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In Significant Others, the team is investigating the murder of the prominent divorce lawyer Michelle Twoken. Michelle is known for representing high-profile women who are divorcing their high-profile husbands, which gives the team a huge list of high-profile ex-husbands who had reason to kill Michelle. They learn that Michelle uncovered something major regarding a missing woman Michelle represented who was believed to have been killed by her husband, whom she was divorcing.

Meanwhile, Castle’s ex-wife, Meredith (Darby Stanchfield who is Abby on Scandal) shows up at Castle’s door. Kate is already there, because her apartment is being worked on. Meredith and Alexis were suppose to go to Paris together, but Alexis has mono. Meredith has decided to stay with Castle and take care of Alexis. But, really, she is coming to check out Kate. She tells Kate later in the episode that Alexis was telling  her that things were getting serious and so Meredith decided she needed to check out who Kate is.

Everyone tells Castle that this is a bad idea to let Meredith stay with him. Martha, Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito, all tell Castle that he has made a mistake. The last he needs is his girlfriend and his ex-wife in the same house. Castle tries to make everything better by getting him and Kate a nice room at the 4 Seasons. Kate refuses to go, telling Castle that he should not have let this own situation happen to begin with. The next morning, Kate is fixing coffee for her and Castle – which is their thing – and Meredith takes Castle’s coffee, sprinkles in some nutmeg, and then with Castle emerges, gives the cup to him. Meredith has stepped on scared ground.

Meredith finally decides that Kate is okay, and at Alexis’ urging, she leaves for Paris. Before she leaves, she tells Kate that she couldn’t write even a pamphlet about Castle. There were things about him, she did not know. Kate gets a worried look on her face, and we wonder if she is worried about her relationship with Castle. Will she ever really know him? Meredith mentions (and we have to think that the writers did this on purpose) that it was rare for Castle to talk about his father. Will we be learning more about Castle and his past in this season?

Relationships are hard. Castle has made mistakes in the past, and he may be the first one to tell you that. And while Kate is bothered by Meredith’s presence in Castle’s home, she is full of grace in her dealing with Castle. She doesn’t give him a free pass on this one, she holds him accountable for his actions and does not let him “get out of it.” And the look on Kate’s face at the end, while it may be a look of worry, but also a look of concern. She is deeply concerned for the man she has learned to love. Why doesn’t Castle share his personal stuff?

HIMYM 8.13

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cbs.com

This is it! Maybe because the writers were not sure if the show would get renewed for a 9th season, they delivered a great follow-up to “The Robin.” In this episode, “Band or DJ?”, Robin – as she often does – with her relationship with her father. She discovers that Barney did not talk to her dad before he proposed, and Robin is a bit of traditionalist in this way. This sends Robin, Barney, and Robin’s dad into a series of interesting moments at a local pizza place. Robin learns a lot about her dad that she did not know before, mostly all the ways that he has changed. Yet, despite the changes, he refuses to give Barney his permission.

In the meantime, Lily and Marshall are struggling as new parents because little Marvin has been crying almost non-stop. And, in addition, the poor thing has not gone to the bathroom. lily’s code word is confetti. Ted, meanwhile, has a binder full of wedding plans for Robin. Ted and Lily debate over which Robin should have for the wedding, a band or a dj. Lily is all for a live band, while Ted is advocating for a DJ. Ted will even go so far as to book the band Lily wants so she can’t.

Marshall and Lily push Ted to know why this is so important to him. As Ted begins to explain it starts to become clear that band is really Barney. Lily makes Ted go with her to the roof. She demands to know what Ted is feeling, even though we know she knows. Ted is Ted. He still has feelings for Robin.

It is Lily who steals the show in this episode and makes us all cry a little bit on the inside. I won’t ruin it for you, in case you haven’t seen it, but Lily reminds us in the midst of situation comedy, we are still human. We still experience pain and doubt. And we still need the love and understanding of a friend who is willing to go up on the roof with us to help us realize how silly we are being.

And Ted? Ted is grateful that there was a band at the wedding, because it was at the wedding that he met their mother.